Author Archives: janis

Dougherty Arts Center

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The Dougherty Arts Center is on Barton Springs Road, south of Lady Bird Lake, and just a short walk from downtown Austin. DAC is managed by the City of Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department . The building houses a theater, gallery and arts school. I had hoped to take a pottery class there this summer but it did not make the minimum enrollment. I’ll try again this fall. 

This month’s gallery exhibit is “United in Textiles,” featuring 48 pieces by members of Austin Fiber Artists.  I visited last weekend with a friend who knows about techniques such as felting and fabric collage. We were warmly welcomed by the AFA president and her husband and enjoyed perusing the colorful display.  No photos were permitted, but the AFA poster shows some examples:

Keepin’ Austin Cool

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Today marks 70 days of 100°+  temperatures in Austin this year, breaking the previous record set in 2009. Austinites have needed to work extra hard this summer to keep up the city’s “cool factor”… 

Slacklining. Lines are strung between trees, bridge abutments and railings around Lady Bird Lake. And yes, sometimes we see these guys fall into the lake.

Pilates on SUP. These hard-core pilates enthusiasts have impressive balance on their Stand Up Paddleboards. And yes, sometimes we see them accidentally fall off  into the water.

Adidas photo shoot. We wondered what was going on last week when this two-story raft slowly drifted by. And yes, these people jumped into the lake and swam around. (Normally swimming is prohibited in this part of the lake.) 

Bat watching. More kayaks and canoes are around in the evenings since the bats now leave the Congress Avenue bridge well before sunset. I’ve read that the bats are having a harder time finding food at night so they leave earlier in the evening. And yes, often boaters jump into the lake to cool off!

Wine Down Wednesdays

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Wine Down Wednesdays resumed last week on the balcony of the ACL-Live / Moody Theater. These happy hour events went on hiatus after the W glass-falling incidents earlier this summer. But now that temporary wood panels are safely installed, the 2nd Street District is once again sponsoring a little mid-week fun for downtown residents and workers.

Wine, beer and other beverages are available for purchase. Various local restaurants provide free appetizers each week. Bill was hoping to graze his way through dinner but the chip-with-a-little-guacamole did not really substitute for a meal.

Last week we heard The Trishas, an all-female country/folk band with strong vocals. While we might grumble about tiny appetizers, we don’t complain about good free music!

Praying for Rain

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Central Texas is suffering from an Exceptional Drought. According to the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), we have just completed the driest 10-month period since Texas began keeping records in 1895. A New York Times editorial this week noted that Texas has received less than half its average rainfall this year. 

Little rain with high temperatures have made for a brutal summer. Sometime this week we will break the previous record of 69 days of 100+ temperatures (set in 2009). But Austinites are trying to stay optimistic.

We were hopeful when dark clouds gathered over downtown Austin one evening this week. But alas…no rain.  

The downtown sky looked threatening during this week’s Concert in the Park. Several times the announcer for the brass quintet said that he would be thrilled if the concert was rained out. Each time the audience nodded their heads in agreement and turned around to look at the clouds above the city skyline. Once again…no rain.

The little people over at Compass Learning are looking very optimistic. Their raincoats might be melting in the brutal sun, but they are certainly not getting wet.

Along with many churches and synagogues in the area, my congregation has been praying for rain all summer. Our choir is singing “Let It Rain” this Sunday…perhaps this will help?

Dog Days

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Another guest blog entry…

I live in an apartment building in downtown Austin. I think there might be more dogs than people living in my building. I ride up and down on the elevators with my owner or with the professional dog walker who lives on another floor here. I like to meet everyone on the elevator, especially people who are afraid of me. Sometimes I growl at other dogs in the lobby and have to wait for another elevator instead. But I try to behave when the jar of treats is out on the front desk.

Usually I just go to the little park across the street to “do my”business.” Based on the  elevator talk, my schedule seems typical: my first outdoor trip each day is around 6 AM and my last one is around 10 PM. My owner is conscientious and always uses Mutt Mitts.

But just in case, the City of Austin has posted a big reminder.

In the evenings my owner takes me across the bridge to Auditorium Shores. I love running free with the pack and making joggers and cyclists swerve to avoid me. I also like jumping into Lady Bird Lake to retrieve sticks and tennis balls. But the best part is shaking and getting everyone wet when I get out of the water!

On weekends I run on the Hike-and-Bike Trail with my owner. We both get a good workout. The summers are hot here but there are lots of water fountains along the way.

Some of my neighbors are getting old and need to be pushed in strollers. I’m pretty sure the bulldog in my building is just lazy though. 

Our neighborhood has an entire store dedicated to dogs. Lofty Dog sponsors “Poochinis and Peticures” on the last Thursday of each month. “Barkitecture 2011” is coming up on October 1. I am still dreaming about the designer doghouses from last year’s Barkitecture!

Austin Museum of Art

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Welcome to yet another day of 100°+ temperatures in Austin, Texas! Definitely an air-conditioned museum day. So I walked a few blocks up Congress Avenue to the Austin Museum of Art, where three exhibits are running through mid-September:

  •  Good Design: stories from herman miller  is a touring exhibition featuring design classics from the Michigan furniture company, Herman Miller. I learned that “Good Design Explores, Inquires, Engages and Endures.”  So I Explored the various displays. I Inquired if photographs were permitted (no). I was Engaged by Ergonomic Chair Design (and I now covet the Embody Chair). And I decided that Alexander Girard’s famous Eden design has Endured:
  • New Works: The Mona Lisa Project features interpretations of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Photographer Rino Pizzi invited 16 Austin female artists to mimic the famous smile and pose and sit for a portrait session. The photographs were then printed to a variety of surfaces and personalized by each artist. Each interpretation was quite creative. I especially enjoyed this exhibit after seeing the original painting at the Louvre earlier this summer: 
 
Recently the AMOA board announced that they will not be renewing their downtown lease after October and will instead focus on their Laguna Gloria location near Lake Austin. That’s too bad…it’s been nice to have an art museum in downtown Austin.

It Sure is Hot!

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Oh yeah…it’s August in Austin. 

Today’s high was 107° F. So far temperatures have reached 100° F or more for 48 days this year. The National Weather Service has issued a Heat Advisory for our area through Friday.

Austinites are reverse-hibernating and staying indoors. Bill and I are catching up on reading and I’m doing some long-delayed photo scanning/archiving. Fortunately for Bill there are two frozen yogurt/smoothie shops within one block of our apartment. 

The extreme heat combined with our ongoing drought has caused the downtown landscape to turn brown and dusty. The trees around Lady Bird Lake are looking stressed. Most grass and flowers have given up.

I’ve been reading about meterologists who are frying eggs on sidewalks. Our balcony is at least 107° F so I decided to try too. It’s hard to tell from this photo because the yolk broke, but the egg cooked in about 15 minutes. 

Hace calor, mucho calor, 
Could fry an egg on the cement it’s so caliente!
Hace calor, si si senor,
How ’bout this weather, it sure is HOT?!

(Song: Paul Jacobs  Lyrics: Sarah Durkee)

CowParade Austin

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CowParade Austin kicked off last week in Austin. Local artists have decorated about 100 large bovines which are now on display throughout Austin. The cows will be auctioned at the end of October to benefit the Dell Children’s Medical Center.

According to their web site, “CowParade exhibits, held in 75 cities in 30 countries on six continents to date, have produced more than 5,000 of the signature cow canvases by local artists.” Austin joins Philadelphia, Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, Porto Alegre (Brazil), Panama City, Nicosia (Cyprus), Verona (Italy) and Shanghai as sites for this year’s CowParade exhibits.

As you might remember, I was pretty obsessed with the Play Me, I’m Yours pianos earlier this year so I wasn’t expecting much from this latest outdoor art event. But I must admit that most are beautiful works of art. Here are some of my favorites:

Musicowly Speaking

Texas Moosicians 

Moo-sy in the Sky with Diamonds

 

 
 
 
 
Batsy at Twilight
 
 
 
 
 
Flowerida
 
 
 
 
 
I Love Moo

Austin City Hall

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Austin City Hall faces the First Street Bridge, set between Guadalupe and Lavaca Streets. The public is welcome to visit during business hours. There is plenty of parking in the underground garage.

The building was designed in the shape of an armadillo with a tail extending over Second Street. The odd angles don’t make much sense from street level but the outline becomes more apparent when looking down at the roof.


  

The inside atrium is lined with a stunning combination of Texas limestone and copper. Interesting artwork from local artists is displayed throughout the building. 

The City Council Chamber is located on the first floor. The room has a small stage because live music is included on the agenda of each regular City Council meeting.

Live from the Plaza concerts are held on the outside stage on Fridays in the spring and fall. 


Perhaps “you can’t fight City Hall”…but I’d recommend a visit!

car2go

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Last Saturday afternoon Bill and I started the long walk up to the Erwin Center to see the Davis Cup Quarterfinals. We were complaining about the heat for the millionth time this summer as we walked past the Austin office for car2go. Bill had joined this car-sharing service during a free promotion last fall but we had never actually used it. He checked their mobile app and saw that the nearest available car was only a block away. This seemed like a perfect time for our maiden trip.  

Bill swiped his membership card against the box inside the front windshield to unlock the car doors. After entering his PIN on the in-dash touchscreen, the key was released and off we went.


I think this is a “car fortwo” by Mercedes-Benz. It’s just the right size for two people to travel a short distance. A few grocery bags or a small suitcase would fit in the area behind the two seats. We were impressed how well the air conditioner worked but, of course, there isn’t much space to cool.

Dedicated car2go parking spaces are scattered through downtown Austin. The spots closest to the Erwin Center were full, but Bill knew that the car could be left in any legal space free of charge in the car2go operating area (downtown plus several miles in each direction) so we just looked for an empty on-street spot. 

Here are our trip statistics: 
$4.34 (including tax) 
11 minutes
 2.5 miles


The current rates are $.35 per minute, with maximums per hour and day. We probably spent at least four of our minutes reading the instructions. We would definitely use car2go again, especially for a short one-way trip like this. And next time we’ll try to reduce our time!