More visitors, more food, more fun

Rachel's mom came to visit recently, so we spent some time exploring new (to us) Austin sights and revisiting a few old (for us) favorites.

If you like sculpture, you can check out the Elisabet Ney museum, which is tucked away in Austin's Hyde Park neighborhood. Ney was a 19th century European sculptress who rendered the "great men" of frontier Texas in stone. If we've dragged you through the State Capitol, you'll have seen the life-size figures of Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston by Ney. She also sculpted a number of European notables, including King Ludwig II of Bavaria, King George V of Hanover, Otto von Bismarck, and Arthur Schopenhauer.

While you're in Hyde Park, step back in time and drive past the Avenue B grocery. Actually, go in. Mr. Avenue B grocery man is really friendly and we hear he makes a mean sandwich. (I am going back to try the Queen B, which is all veggie and has avocado on it. He says that's a local favorite.)

Also in the Hyde Park neighborhood is the first built of Austin's moon towers, of which 17 remain. Thirty-one towers were built in the mid-1890s to provide artificial lighting in the city. The moon towers are official archaeological landmarks and are listed in the National Register of Historic Places, but you may know them from the movie Dazed and Confused, which was shot by Texas native Richard Linklater.

Moon tower

We also visited the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center on the outskirts of Austin. The late Lady Bird was dedicated to protecting and preserving native plants. She was responsible for the campaign that led to the slew of wildflowers that bloom on the sides of roadways. The Wildflower Center is both a showplace for native plants and a research institution.

And of course, we ate. Highlights were a weekend brunch/lunch - enchiladas verdes, chili relleno and huevos rancheros - at Habanero Mexican cafe. We haven't gotten there that much since it's on the south side of town, but really we should go there more. And we dragged Mom to Billy's on Burnet for fried green tomatoes and beer out at the picnic tables. And the crowning glory was Louie Mueller Barbeque in Taylor (home of ERCOT, where Jon works), where you can get probably the most delicious cube of brisket anywhere in the US, if not the world. While you order, you get a little square, juicy and warm, on your tray.

On the way back from Taylor, there was no stopping me from seeking out a symbol of Texas. The Longhorn. Shown below, in all his glory. Except of course, that he's confined in a field next to a Westinghouse facility.

All in all, it was another good weekend where we dragged our visitor all over town, fed them til they popped and dropped them off at the airport, wondering when they could come back. P? Rob & Barb? Are you ready?