Yeah…it’s summer alright. Austin’s weather map shows triple-digit temperatures for the foreseeable future. But in spite of the sweltering heat, there are still plenty of free outdoor activities to keep us amused during the summer months…besides the bats under the Congress Avenue Bridge, of course.
All is ready for the big July 4th celebration at Auditorium Shores! Food vendors are in place, and a few early birds had already staked out their spots by 4 PM. The stage is set up for the Austin Symphony concert, with speakers appropriately aimed towards downtown. The highlight of the evening will be fireworks over Lady Bird Lake.
Let the festivities begin!
Last evening thousands of Austines turned out for Batfest, celebrating the colony of Mexican free-tailed bats that live under the Congress Avenue Bridge. Even though Adam West did not attend this year’s event, there was still plenty of live music, unhealthy food, bat paraphernalia, and bat watching stretched across the bridge.
And so ended Random Acts of Bubbles.
The Paramount Summer Classic Film Series makes Austin’s long, hot summers seem a little more bearable.
Heavy rain mixed with some hail hit the downtown area for about an hour. Bill and I just sat on our couch and watched. Some of the lightning strikes were close by: I saw one bolt hit the top of the Austin American-Statesman building and another one strike the field at Auditorium Shores.
By 8 PM the storm had moved south of downtown and we even saw a bit of a sunset. Temperatures had dropped from 93 to 73 during just one hour (brrrr!). That storm probably brought an inch or two of much-needed rain to central Texas and more precipitation is forecast for the coming days…
Over 6500 American flags waved in front of the Long Center for the Performing Arts this weekend, honoring those who have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This fundraiser was sponsored by Operation Honor Our Heroes, a non-profit established to assisting wounded veterans and their families. Flags could be “sponsored” for $2.00 each.
Volunteers started tapping the flags into the ground on Sunday afternoon and worked throughout the evening.
UT System complex
on Sixth Street
Auditorium Shores
near Lady Bird Lake
a few weeks ago…
Due to the combination of exceptional drought and high winds from Tropical Storm Lee, wildfires are raging in central Texas near Austin. Since Bill and I now live amidst concrete and hi-rises in downtown Austin, we have not been directly affected. We have several friends who have been evacuated from outlying neighborhoods but thankfully their homes have been spared.
Our downtown apartment faces south and west, with a partial northern view if you lean out over the balcony. Yesterday we could see smoke from the Steiner Ranch fire to the west and from a smaller fire up north. Clouds of smoke from the large Bastrop fire can seen from downtown, although not from our apartment.
Our thoughts and prayers are with all who are affected by these wildfires as well as firefighters and other emergency workers. And we continue to pray for rain.
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