Kites!

What an awesome day for the Zilker Park Kite Festival!

I've never been to one before, even though it's a decades long Austin tradition. This weekend was just perfect for an outdoor event like that, and I am happy that all three of us were able to go together. Apparently, some 30 thousand other Austinites had the same idea to go, so the traffic was horrific. We quickly decided to park a bit father away and walk. It only took us about 25 minutes, a time much better spent walking by the lake then sitting in sit-and-go traffic.

The event was an all-day one, but we came after the main "competition", or whatever that meant. There were so many people and kites there, that any organized activity I think was probably more chaotic than organized. We found a nice spot under a large tree closest to the open field, spread our picnic blanket and snacks, and just enjoyed the views and our time together.

St. Edward's Park (and University)

My friend Amber introduced me to this park just a year ago. It was the last on my list of new parks in Austin to show mom this year.

It was such a nice day for this hike. Since I've only been here once, I felt a thrill having to explore the trails on our own. It felt like a real adventure when we encountered a long snake on the trail! When we reached the first hill, we set our blanked down and had some snacks enjoying the scenic view. After conquering another large hill, we came down to the creek. We packed our dinner with us so we found a nice secluded area by the water and ate there. On the way back, we spotted some horse footsteps and followed them to the water. There were two of them, and the owners brought them there to play in the water. Literally. They were splashing around like little kids. :)

Next we went for some Amy's ice cream in the Arboretum and then drove down to St. Edward's University for my rehearsal. We will have two concerts, on March 6th and 10th.

Hamilton Pool and Mandola Winery

The Saturday morning weather was not at all promising. It was drizzling and cold. We planned to go to the Hamilton Pool park today, but until Zoran actually set in the driver seat, I wasn't sure if we'll go. So glad we did. We started later than planned and got extra delayed because of an I35 shutdown, so when we got to the park around 1, it was already warmer and started to clear up.

First we walked down to the pool area, which was open for swimming. :) And actually there were few 'brave' swimmers/tanners. We haven't had too much rain lately, so the waterfall was more like a water drip. Part of the trail under it was closed due to damage. We rested and goofed around a bit, and then continued on toward the Pedernales river.

The hike was only maybe 20 minutes, but the trail is in a canyon which was warm and humid. Having layered clothing was a smart idea.

The river was just a bit cold, but walking in it felt good. I wouldn't go swimming in it just yet.

We worked up a little bit of an appetite and drove down to the Mandola winery in Driftwood. There were two weddings there that day, and Emilia was picking up some ideas for their wedding. We really enjoyed the food and atmosphere there. We got back to Austin after 7 PM. I have no idea how I thought we could make it to San Antonio that same afternoon! Another day.

Quarry Lake Mischief and Gardening

I wanted to visit the Quarry Lake Park for some time. Since today was not quite a day for longer hikes (it was drizzling on and off), we decided on this location for today.

There is a fence all around it, with a coded gate. A sign next to it said it's a private property reserved to members of the Pure Austin Fitness, which is right next to it. I went inside and found out that only their members can get access to the gate, and I could maybe try through Estates On Quarry Lake Apartments on the other side of the lake. Being mischiefs that we are, we pulled in to gate, luckily someone was just coming out through the other side, so we snuck in. We walked behind the buildings down to the fence, and it was not fully closed, so we found a way to the trail. I even later got a code from a little girl walking her dog, just in case we needed to open the gate with the code on the way out.


I love these little adventures of ours! :)

It took us only twenty minutes to go around the lake, but we were already hungry. We had a late lunch at the Roaring Fork restaurant, which has a nice screened patio overlooking the lake. We got back just in time for mom's English class at the Wells Branch library.

Another item on today's agenda was to get some plants for the in-front of the house, and get closer to choosing a tree for the front yard. Early in the morning we picked up some 20 ornamental red kale and 18 yellow dragon-snaps at the Newtown Nursery, and I planted maybe a third of those in the evening. We also stopped at three other places to look at tree options. I am looking for something that is evergreen, but has leaves, not needles like pines, grows to medium height and width, is draught tolerant, and generally low maintenance. All those equalled to Mexican White Oak. The prices very greatly between container/tree sizes and nurseries. The least expensive one was Whittlesey Landscape Supplies on I35.

Mayfield Park Hike

The weather is just awe-some! Perfect for outdoor activities.

This weekend we decided to check out a new park, Mayfield Park, off of 35th st., close to Austin Museum of Art. There are few trails around the preserve, some all the way down to Lake Austin. We had our coffee and picnic there.

When we were down hiking, we visited their beautiful cottage garden, with ponds and peacocks!

I am so glad we discovered this new Austin gem!

Family Time

Last weekend we enjoyed some family time with Zoran and Emilia.

We first went to late lunch to Tony & Luigi's Italian Restaurant in Round Rock. It is actually owned by a family from Bosnia, but since not many people are familiar with what Bosnian food is, they opened this Italian and Mediterranean food place. Faruk, the owner, moved his family from Los Angeles, where he worked as a plumber, to Round Rock a three years ago thinking the restaurant business will allow him to work less. He was wrong. He didn't have a day off since they opened, and now they plan to move back to Bosnia in a few years.
Obviously, we had a nice chat with him while we were there. Oh, and the food was really good - we went for some local dishes, and Emilia went vegetarian.

Afterwards, we went for a walk in the Red Bud Park. I which this park was bigger, it has a nice setting, being on an island, but we had just enough time before dark to do one loop.

We finished the evening with coffee at the Mozart's. We can never go wrong with coffee there!

Lake Pflugerville Picnic

Oh, winter Texas weather. How I love thee.

This weekend the weather was absolutely wonderful. Mom and I got to enjoy it on Sunday. After coming home from Mass, I gave her two options: Have coffee in the backyard, or bring a picnic and have coffee at the lake. Of course, we both choose the latter, especially because some cold weather was coming into town next week.

Lake Pflugerville is about 20 min away from where I live. It's a man-made lake on the outskirts of a neighbourhood, with a 3 mile trail around it. I was there once with some friends, and knew I wanted to come back.

We placed our folding chairs and cooler on a grassy area near water. I brought coffee in a thermos bottle, milk and chocolate milk, agave syrup, fruit, juice, cookies and beer, for just in case. :)

We first went for a nice walk around the lake. The temperatures were in the 60s, but at times we were a bit cold when the breeze came, and at time even warm when the sun got really bright. We were in shorts and t-shirts.

Then we got back to relax and have our coffee by the water. It was one of those special moments to savor.

Love Spring in Austin!

This time of year, the weather in Austin is just gorgeous. :) Mid 70s, low humidity, grass is green, trees are in full bloom, because of all the rain we've had, the creeks are full, and with the time change, the days area already long, even for evening walks.

I just love this time of year here! And am taking the full advantage of it. Aside from spending the time in my backyard, I like being adventurous and exploring the nature.

Last weekend, I went to the St. Edward's Park, with my dear friend Amber.





The weekend before, my brother and I hiked the Wild Basing Preserve Park.




Next weekend....another adventure, yet to be planned!.