SPOOKTACULAR

This evening I took Sum to a Halloween Extravaganza at Ghost Town in Manor. Kids love Ghost Town no matter what event is taking place. The ghosts, goblins, witches and other scary creatures just added to the fun.

We met the neighbor kids and my friend Robin and her daughter were there volunteering their scary services. Activities are always more fun with friends.

By the time night fell it was getting pretty chilly and my toes were frosting over. The kids didn't want to leave. They were having fun running through the mazes with the monsters and had taken an affection to a very large furry wolf.

Here are some pics from our spooktacular evening...

Fun Day

If you look you can find fun in every day, but some days are just a little more fun than others. Today was one of those extra special fun days.

Toby's oldest brother's son, Josh happened to be passing through Austin on his way to California. I always have liked Josh and it was nice to see a familiar family face in Austin.

Since we already had prior plans to attend the Science and Engineering Festival Josh tagged along with us.





They also had the MetroRail parked out in front of the Convention Center for touring. The Rail is a new addition to Austin. We haven't rode it yet, but we had the chance today to see what the inside was like. Very comfy and nice on the inside. I'm really pumped about taking a ride on it now...






The end of the day was topped off when my very giving and special friend Robin called me over to share some of the best brisket I have ever tasted. You can't beat brisket in Texas!!

Another wonderful day full of friends, family, and fun to be thankful for. :-)

Rock and Gem Show/Downtown Austin

This is our third year to attend the Austin Gem and Mineral Show. It was a beautiful day so after the kids inspected all the rocks and displays we headed outside to enjoy all the warmth and sunshine the day had to offer.

I'm such a southern girl. No matter where I ever live it will always be a place where you can wear shorts and tank tops and play in the fountains in October.

Another Park

The goal of the day was to check out a skate park south that I had seen on 365 Things To Do In Austin.

But first, we headed to Roy Guerreor Park. I had seen this park many times as I passed by to go to the feed store. I could see it from the bridge but could never figure out how to get to it. It intrigued me because I could see people loading boats into the water and people hanging out down there below the bridge.

Well, I tried at least. Still couldn't figure out how to get to the river from the park. The trail that leads to the River was closed for construction and I can only assume that it was the only entrance to the River.

We still had a good time exploring the park.



There was something about this tree that made me want to take a picture of it..



Me and Summer found out real quick the turkey vultures don't like you near their food source...



We had to run a small errand in the mall before we headed to the skate park, but in the end we spent so much time at the park and in the mall we didn't have enough time to check out the skate park...next week for sure.

Leaving the mall parking lot I discovered there was a perfect view of downtown Austin. Here is my poor attempt at a skyline shot of downtown.

Park Hopping

During the summer we spent so much time on day trips that I have been feeling a little homesick for Austin. This week I decided to check out some of the many parks in the area that we still have not visited.

Not until I was sitting out in the blazing sun did I realize how hot it got today. We went to two different parks that were located right across the street from each other.

The first one, Patterson Park, had caught my eye a few months ago when I passed by it and noticed a skate ramp that screamed Summer's name. As I suspected, she took full advantage of it.




There was also a small playground..



The next park, Mueller Lake Park is a newer park in Austin. It's play equipment is definitely different from your usual playground equipment. I also like the park has lake filled with your usual mean geese. Toby got the pleasure of one biting him on his toe while he fed him scrap pizza dough.

Fishing

As you can tell by my recent posts I have not been feeling very inspired to blog. So, until the inspiration fairy decides to sprinkle me with some inspiration, only pics no words. You can make up your own story along the way. :-)

Pictures For The Day

Red Bud Center

The weather has been BEAUTIFUL the past couple of weeks. It's been hard to stay inside.

We stayed so busy throughout the summer that plenty of "honey-do" chores have piled up. Still, I didn't want to waste a whole day on house chores so I decided on a short "field trip" to The Red Bud Center.

Red Bud is an education center where you can learn about the Colorado River and why it’s important to conserve and protect it as our water supply. It also manages our river.

Funny how my goal in these little educational field trips is to enlighten Summer but I'm always the one that learns something. I learned a few things about our very long river and chain of lakes that I didn't know.

As we were headed to the center we drove through downtown. Not that I have much to compare it to, but I think Austin is the most beautiful city I have ever seen. There is just something about it that looks crisp, majestic, and bold. I would love to spend more time downtown but I have this aversion to driving and parking down there so the pics I take are usually from out of my car window as I drive through or by it.

Meet Austin's newest high rise Condo, the Austonian. It is now the tallest building in Austin AND the tallest residential building in all of Texas.




Here are a few pics from the Red Bud Center..









Lake Austin Dam





After our short tour of the Center we were off to the mall in search of new phones. Seems hubby thinks it's time we ditch the pre-paids and move on up in the world. I'm glad I have Sum around to help me out in the technology department.