A little Mardi Gras parade marched through our neighborhood this afternoon. A street band led the procession of about 50 marchers. I don’t know who organized this, but most revelers wore masks and costumes so they obviously had advance notice.
The new building for Zach Scott Theatre is taking shape on Lamar, just south of Lady Bird Lake.
Site preparation has begun at the Seaholm Power Plant, “a future urban oasis” which we expect will result in “future traffic congestion” as more stop lights are added and lanes are closed for construction on Cesar Chavez.
Most of the exterior work is done on the new federal courthouse overlooking Republic Square Park. The building is scheduled to open in November 2012. This is a good example of “current traffic congestion” since a lane has been closed on Fifth Street for months now.
A new apartment complex is going up on East Third. Work on the new Congress Avenue Marriott Marquis will start this summer, replacing the parking lot in this photo.
Popular restaurant Hickory Street (Congress and 8th) is being remodeled and reopened since the high-rise building planned for this block was delayed.
In my continuing quest to visit Austin’s many museums, last week I walked up to the Austin History Center, on the corner of Guadalupe and 8th Streets. I was surprised to learn that the Center is actually the local history division of the Austin Public Library. Built in 1933, this was originally the main library building, but became the Austin History Center in 1983 after the much-larger central library was opened next door.
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The Congress Avenue bats have headed to Mexico for the winter, but now the ducks are back on Lady Bird Lake. According to the Trail Foundation, many different varieties of ducks can be spotted here, but I’ve read elsewhere that most are Lesser Scaups. I also saw some Mallards this week; those green heads make them easy to identify.
Recently I’ve noticed more grackles around the lake. I thought that maybe they had migrated over the summer, but local NPR station KUT says that grackles live here year-round. They are more noticeable in the winter because they haven’t scattered to nest.
Grackles are smaller than crows and thrive in urban areas. They are a nuisance in many parts of Austin. That huge flock at the old Highland Mall on Airport Boulevard was pretty scary. In 2010, the City of Austin started a project to discourage grackles from hanging out downtown. I don’t know how successful this has been, but I would love to see the bird patrol squad “armed with large green laser pointers, similar in appearance to radar guns and set to a frequency particularly annoying to grackles.” That also sounds pretty scary.
While I’m writing about grackles, I must mention that I had one land on my head, just a block away from our apartment building. Fortunately the bird flew away before I realized what had happened. I quickly looked around to see if anyone else had noticed, but the street was deserted. The bird left nothing behind, if you know what I mean.
Unless you are a researcher, there’s not much to do inside. You can browse the display cases in the lobby or admire the large mural on the wall behind the reception desk. You can talk to the friendly receptionist. Or you can ponder what Texas archival materials are stored behind the glass walls on either side of the lobby…
Austin Water Bikes’ motto is “Never Get Wet.” We can confirm that this is true. The owner went knee-deep into the water to assist us, but we just stepped from the shore directly onto a pontoon to get on the bike. We were seated up high, just like a regular bicycle, and our shoes remained completely dry.
The bikes are very stable and easy to steer and pedal. There are no gears so pure pedal-power determines the speed and workout level. Bill and I went at a reasonable pace, but we still worked up a sweat since the temperature was 78° (in late December!). Although swimming is prohibited, last summer we sometimes saw riders slip off the bikes for a quick dip to cool off. But Bill and I have seen those gigantic carp that live in Lady Bird Lake (see my Fish Story entry). We have also encountered nutrea (river rats) and snakes on the Hike-and-Bike Trail. No way are we ever swimming in that lake.
Our year-end vacation time is quickly coming to a close and Bill and I must return to work this week. We really enjoyed our staycation spent with family and friends. I’ve already blogged about some events like TubaChristmas, the Big Christmas Day Boat Fire and New Year’s Eve fireworks. Here’s some of our other holiday activities:
Made our second annual trek over to Swedish Hill Bakery for their Christmas cookies.
Checked out the shopping and eating situation on South Congress.
Kept an eye on Occupy Austin.
Walked and ran around Lady Bird Lake on a crowded Hike-and-Bike Trail.
