Random Goings On in Austin

I've been in Austin a week now and am really enjoying it. I met up with an old friend from Maui yesterday, which made it even more fun to be here.

It's rainy these days, but still pretty warm. What I most like is how I can sit out on the creek on my private deck here, then still walk into a commercial area with local restaurants and stores in just 10 minutes. It's also very peaceful for walking the dog, once you get used to all the cars. These are only 2 lane streets, one in each direction, but it just seems like a lot of cars coming from the country life of Taos and before that living on a Regional Park.

Here's an interesting find, an albino squirrel across the creek.

Yesterday my friend and I went to see a Harry Potter movie that was accompanied by a live orchestra. We had great seats. You could actually see the musicians' fingers moving on their instruments. She took a photo before it began, and when she sends it to me I'll add it below.... Here it is:

Food here is terrific. Yesterday we had BBQ with lots of sides (greens, candied yams, mashed potatoes, roasted carrots) and freshly baked peach pie. In general I've been getting a lot of great food here.

Another thing I really like about this place is that for the most part, people are happy here. People are kind and friendly not as a performance (hear me California?) but because they're just happy, and that's what tends to spill out of people when they're happy. The people who live here like living here each day and that's what colors their world and all their interactions.

I'm definitely looking forward to my next few weeks here. This was a good plan.