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.

HELLO OCTOBER

October is one of my favorite months of the year. It's a cozy season with many fall activities to look forward to. I like being busy. I like having things to look forward to and the fall season brings those things...fall festivals, homeschool activities, holidays, cooler weather for outdoor activites, etc.

Lately we have been busy mostly with everyday activities that aren't really blogworthy...just a part of our daily lives.

I am posting a few pics from the last couple of weeks. Most of them will be self-explanatory...

Our hike along Walnut Creek. We got rained on, but it was almost fun being out on the trails in the rain.




Homeschool Day at Sea World...



Summer came running in one day and told me there was a white tornado in the sky. It was a rather weird looking formation...



New Rollerblades!!



San Antonio Zoo...






Looks like Sum may have been a little more interested in the "young bucks" nearby than the Hippo in front of her...