Big Birthday Party for ... Eeyore?

Austin's bizarre. Really, it is. But that shouldn't be surprising for a city that uses "Keep Austin Weird" as an unofficial but widely used motto.

That weirdness was on full display this past Saturday during the annual celebration Austinites call Eeyore's Birthday Party. This year was billed as the 45th annual, although I'm pretty sure it started in the seventies some time. I'm not really sure how to describe what Eeyore's Birthday Party -- or "Eeyore's" for short -- is all about. From what I can tell, it's an excuse for the kooks and goons out there to dress up in costumes (often skimpy or involving insect wings), engage in recreational drug use, form a gigantic drum circle and bow down before the Eeyore of Liberty statue. Oh, and the event, while free, did raise over $15,000 for various nonprofit groups through sales of food, drink and souveniers. But really, it was mostly an excuse to people watch, which is what Rachel and I were there to do. Wanna see what I mean?

Two typical guys

Event security

The drum circle at 2:30 or so

Little drummer boys

Coonhound (Redbone) that we've seen before at Redbud Isle

Eeyore of Liberty

Sweet shoes

Kid in a makeshift Eeyore float

Jesus Christ, Superdelegate

I have no idea what that is!

Girl Oblio

A few of the winged creatures

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?

Film & Food at the Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Festival

We had a fun night of food, wine and film on Thursday evening at an event at the Alamo Drafthouse downtown. As part of the annual Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Festival, MacMurray Ranch winery in Healdsburg (Sonoma), California hosted a showing of the Caine Mutiny with a special menu paired with MacMurray Ranch wines. MacMurray Ranch was started by Fred MacMurray, who plays the role of Lt. Thomas Keefer in the movie. His daughter, Kate MacMurray, who works at the ranch, discussed the wine, her father and the movie after the film was over. The food, which was delicious, was prepared by guest chefs from local restaurants and the Alamo's own chefs.

The Caine Mutiny is based on a Herman Wouk's Pulitzer Prize winning novel. It takes place during World War II and deals with the ethical dilemma faced by those in charge of a ship during a typhoon, with lives on the line and no time to consider the options before making important decisions. The movie was very entertaining. Humphrey Bogart turns in a great performance as Lt. Commander Queeg. Fred MacMurray was excellent in his role, and Van Johnson and José Ferrer were good as well.

Of course, a sure-fire way to enjoy a movie is to match it with Crottin de Chevre with Mâche & Pinot Noir-Poached Figs paired with a nice glass of Pinot Noir!


Great scene with Humphrey Bogart at the end of The Caine Mutiny

... and then the visitors came

Our first out-of-state visitors came for a visit last weekend in the form of Sheila and Don Zinn (Jon's mother and step-father). Neither of them had ever been to Texas, let alone Austin. That gave us a good excuse to take them to our favorite spots and check out some new ones. Here's a list of some of the things we did. While the list might suggest otherwise, we didn't spend the whole time eating:

• Breakfast from the Kolache Shoppe on Burnet Road, which makes a mean jalapeno sausage kolache.
• Climb the steps up to the top of Mount Bonnell, where there's a great view of the Colorado River and downtown.

Jon flanked by Zinns atop Mount Bonnell

• Tour the University of Texas campus, providing an excellent opportunity to load up on Longhorn's gear. Hook 'em!

Although you wouldn't guess, none of these people went to UT

• Take a quick tour of the Texas Capitol.

Would we have agreed to pose for this picture if we had seen who was above us first?

• Grab a burger at Hut's, an Austin institution. Anyone up for a Buddy Holly?
• Walk off some of lunch on East Sixth Street, stopping at Tears of Joy for some of the Hottest F---ing Nuts and hot sauce that's so dangerous, you need to add it to your food with a toothpick.
• Very nice dinner at the Eastside Cafe, followed by a walk through the on-site garden.
• A Saturday morning visit to the Austin Farmer's Market Downtown.

Musical entertainment at the farmer's market


Don talking to a fellow member of the "Class of '42"


Tamalady, a weekly balancing act at the farmer's market

• A stroll down South Congress for some window shopping and a stop in Allens Boots.

Funky car on South Congress

• Drive to Lockhart, Texas for some serious Texas barbecue at Kreuz Market.

Meat, glorious meat!

• Walking off another meal, this time along the river from Auditorium Shores through Zilker Park, to the Barton Springs pool.

Turtles on a branch, outlet of Barton Springs at Lake Austin

• Stopped in for a quick beer at Uncle Billy's. Mmmm, hefeweizen.
• Crawfish boil dinner at the Shoal Creek Saloon.

A couple of guys enjoying some crawfish

• A late night visit to Book People, Austin's best bookstore, and Central Market, Austin's best supermarket.
• A trip with Lester to Red Bud Isle, where he had the nerve to growl and snap at a 150 pound neopolitan mastiff.
• Lunch at Taquería Arandas. Muy delicioso.

Hard to believe that was only 3 days, and we still had time left over to watch UConn lose to San Diego in the NCAA men's basketball tournament. Come visit us, and we'll keep you busy, too!

We're on to something

According to an Associated Press article, we aren't the only ones who came up with the idea to move to Texas recently. According to the article, "Census: Texas is the hot place to live," Austin was one of the top ten metro areas in terms of net gain in population from July 2006 to July 2007. It wasn't the only area in the state to post big gains either. Dallas-Fort Worth, at the top of the list, added more than 162,000 residents, while Houston and San Antonio also cracked the top 10. Other interesting facts from the article:

• Of the 50 fastest-growing metro areas, 27 were in the South and 20 were in the West. Two were in the Midwest, one — Fayetteville, Ark. — straddles the South and Midwest and none was in the Northeast.
• Detroit lost more than three times as many people as any other metro area — its population declined more than 27,300. Other areas losing more than 5,000 people were Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Columbus, Ga., Youngstown, Ohio, and Buffalo, N.Y.

So maybe it isn't the most original idea, but if you suddenly decide to do what we did, we promise to show you around to all of the good restaurants!

Even my spirit hurts

Rachel's tour of Austin's yoga studios continues...
Yesterday I went to Seventh Street Yoga, the first downtown yoga studio in Austin. SSY gets high marks for looks - two airy studios with bamboo flooring, high ceilings, reedy walls and lots of windows. Not to mention the modern cubbies that I would put in my house. And in contrast to the previously visited Kula Yoga, it's not unnecessarily air-conditioned.

It's kind of high on the intimidation factor though. You walk into the requisite yoga boutique ($44 spandex tank top, anyone?) to hear the self-conscious chatter of young hardbodied yogis, and then into class you go. Granted, I subjected myself to the advanced level class (a reflection not of my ability, but my schedule), but it's been a while since I was in any class of any level with no greeting, no "listen to your body". Just three oms and a punishing series of sun salutations A & B to start things off. And you better know postures, because there's no coaching here. I suppose once you do get to that level, you dispense with the niceties. And judging by the studio's website and their Ashtanga focus, they really want you to progress through their classes before jumping headlong into the "spirit-lifting" freestyle vinyasa class taught by Mike.

This is Mike, in Vrischikasana, or scorpion pose.

So the upshot? Well, I bought the new student pass, and with additional classes at varying levels, I could practice a little self-ahimsa and try something else. Or not.

Oh, and by the way? Standing on your head for a while makes a person kinda dizzy.