A Piece of Olympic History

You're not going to believe this. I was sitting in the living room watching curling when suddenly the stone closest to the front of my TV fell off onto my floor!!

OK, so I know you're not believing it because the handles on the Vancouver stones aren't the same as the ones used in the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics, which is the origin of that rock.

Here's the real story of how it got there.

Last week while watching curling, I had already consumed a bottle of red wine while waiting on txrad to get home from an errand. He was running way behind, hence I consumed the whole bottle of wine as opposed to the half of it which was my intent. When he did arrive it was almost 9PM and he wanted a drink or six. He did a tequila shot and so did I.

I got on the internet to research something about curling and stumbled upon a website for a curling supply store in Madison, WI. Lo and behold, they had a stone for sale from the Salt Lake Olympic curling competition.

For many weeks after the 2002 games I had been searching online to see if I could find one. I looked everywhere and on ebay. No luck. I finally gave up after concluding that the Olympic Committee keeps a tight grip on them, or that there are so few available that the lucky ones who have an opportunity to get one are not so eager to part with it.

So with that bit of history behind me, I knew I had to do this. Mix wine, tequila, and beer with a credit card and internet access and well... a fool and his money are soon parted.

The next morning I woke up and it felt just like any other day, until I recalled that perhaps I had spent $800 on a 40-pound chunk of granite. An email from the curling supply shop confirmed it.

For about an hour I felt like I'd made a huge mistake... until the euphoria started to kick in. After contemplating that it could potentially be considered an investment, aside from being a true piece of Olympic history (OK, Olympic curling history; it's not exactly the swim briefs worn by Michael Phelps in the summer Olympics!), I started to get excited.

Over the weekend I was so hoping it would arrive by Monday but I suspected it would be Tuesday. And on an appropriately cold and snowy day in Austin, my rock arrived.

And oh my God, that box was heavy! You think 40-pounds isn't much but when it is condensed down to something this small, it boggles the mind.

I started looking for the serial number inscribed by the Olympic Committee and couldn't find it. For a few seconds I was starting to suspect I'd been scammed. Actually it's extremely hard to see unless the light hits it at the correct angle. I had to take 5 or 6 photos to get this one.

The owner of the curling supply store in Madison, Wisconsin included a handwritten note as well as an article about the rock with which the gold medal was won by Great Britain at the 2002 Salt Lake City games.

"After the British Olympic Committee purchased this [the winning rock] and the seven other yellow handle stones they used, we were able to purchase the other 8 stones used in the game from the Salt Lake Olympic Committee.

This stone is very special -- enjoy!"

And it was at this point that I realized just how special. This wasn't just a "rock used in competition" during the 2002 Olympics. This one was used in play by the Swiss team competing against Great Britain for the GOLD MEDAL! And it has a very legendary sister residing in the Scottish Hall of Fame -- Yellow C4, serial number 1829 -- which secured Britain's first-ever Olympic gold in curling.

2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics Women's Curling Championship:

Later this afternoon, I can settle in on the sofa to watch some Olympic curling, and occasionally glance down at my own rock. Sweet.

Crossposted at B3

Snow Day in Austin

I wouldn't go so far as to say snow is rare in Austin. We average about an inch per year. That being said, we can go 5 years without any and then get a rare 5-inches. What is unusual is seeing it fall during the day! Most of the snows I've seen here happen at night and you see it when you wake up in the morning.

This winter I've seen it snow during the day twice: some flurries back in December and today. The flakes today were very large and it has snowed off and on for about 3 hours now. This shit should be ending by around 2pm. That should make the commuters very happy.

Alice With a Hammer at the Cooper's Bar

Just because you don't see or hear much about Alice Cooper, that doesn't mean he's not maintaining a busy lifestyle.

Clever Germans.

Canada Rocks

Based on the score of 6-2 favoring Canada, you might not think this was an exciting competition. Quite the contrary. I'm amazed. Not that I was ever in doubt Canada was going to clinch it, but the Swedes could muster some precise deliveries.

Great throw by Sweden.

Great sweeping.

80 pounds of rock on the button. Canada grabbed that end by a hair. Literally.

What's not to love?

Friday Pussy Blog: Feline Motivation Edition

I get that from Sissy when I go take a nap and she stands on my chest looking down at me, just before sitting down with her front claws on my neck. Not very relaxing.

A Better Art Of Disguise:

The Tot loves that medallion! Happy Friday!!

It's So Frustrating

Friday is Day 2 of the Conservative Political Action Conference. Day 1 was a delight.

Speaker after speaker drew hoots as they mocked Mr. Obama for his use of a teleprompter, seemingly oblivious to the teleprompter that rose from the floor before them.

Yep. That sounds about right.

Poor John Shuster

I feel bad for the guy. Really. Just can't get the rock on the button.

The US lost in yet another frustrating nail-biter in curling competition against the Swiss today.

Jeff Isaacson, throwing a stone for the US today. The US lost in the extra 11th end.

It's Not Warm When She's Away

I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know...Leave a young thing alone.

Happy Damned Valentine's Day

With love,

from konagod.

Danger, Will Robinson!

I've been seeing emails going back and forth between my brother and some of his friends and acquaintances, some of whom are sensible people, and some of whom are dangling from the far right edge of the political spectrum by one middle finger.

Here is an email my brother and I received this morning which was obviously directed to others who share his passion for going off the deep end. Miserable has been redefined this morning.

Mitch,

I really like you, Carol, Buzz, HAnk, and a lot of others that I do not put on these Emails. You guys understand the US Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and Federalist Papers plus economics of freedom, liberty, and owning property. Which is, although the word is not used in the Constitution, the same as saying Capitalism.


With regards to the LEftist, tyrannical, Socialist/Nazi/Communist personnel of the Democrat party we are at a cross roads that requires a COUNTER Revolution. Just like John Adam, Alex Hamilton, Aaron Burr, Benjamin franklin, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington we will have to take up arms against the treasonous, treacherous, anti-constitutional personnel of the Democrat PArty.

I consider the Farrell family [this would be konagod and others of my ilk] as the RED COATS and should be shot on site as traitors to the US. Traitors and treasonous people to the US according to the US constitution shall receive Capital Punishment, i.e. death.


Mitch, Carol, Buzz,

Remove these boneheads from your CC line, so we do not have to interact with tyrannical, totalitarian, hippie, pot/heroine smoking idiots. I consider them dead men walking. Just like others here in NJ that I have to deal with.



Brian

Well. Brian gave me much to think about. First and foremost, I'm concerned about the "site" on which I would be shot. I might want to avoid that place.

Can you imagine what can make a person wake up on a Saturday with that level of anger? What must he be like on Monday morning? Sheeesh.

I'm purely speculating here, but I have a hunch this guy isn't a big fan of the arts. Doesn't get out and see much ballet or opera. Probably doesn't have any Creedence in his CD collection, or any Neil Young. He definitely doesn't read the New York Times -- that was covered in a previous email. He seems to have so much pent-up anger and hatred, you'd think he hadn't seen justice served since December 8, 1980.

During his name-calling tirade, he failed to mention homosexual and vegetarian, but perhaps those fall under the all-inclusive hippie label.

But seriously, if you had any doubts about how deranged and angry a certain segment of society has become, this should help to clarify. I am at a loss to explain what led to, and is feeding, this collective desire to rip the country to shreds. I used to think it was simply having a black man in the White House. And perhaps that was indeed the catalyst. But it's morphing into something unimaginably wicked and evil.

But let's get one thing straight: I don't smoke heroin. Never have and never will. Not smoking any heroines either.

There's a part of me that would gladly cede one or two states to these mouth-foaming imbeciles just to get them out of our political system, and out of our lives. But that really wouldn't be fair to our progressive allies in those states, nor would it cleanse this toxicity from our midst.

So I guess we are stuck here, together, and will watch this gut-wrenching morbidity unfold in 2010 and 2012 and beyond.

If this guy's version of America does prevail someday, please... can his leaders at least have some grammar skills and use spell check?

Friday Pussy Blog: Daddy Adoration Edition

Sweet Pea adores me.

Tiger adores me.

Sissy would like to have my kittens if she could. (OK, that's kinda gross.)

Tater Tot adores me. And supervises my every move.

Bonus Tot (because you just can't get enough Tot):

And Daddy adores the Supreme Totness. The Divine Totrosity. Totosaurus Rex.

It's Friday AND opening night of the 2012 Winter Olympics! Hot DAMN!

Snow Slams D/FW

It was one for the record books.

By 9 p.m. Thursday, a record 9.4 inches of snow had fallen at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, smashing the area’s previous record for one calendar day of 7.8 inches, set in 1917 and matched in 1964.

“This has been an absolute amazing event,” said Jesse Moore, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Fort Worth.

Snow began falling at D/FW Airport at 3:53 a.m. and never let up throughout the day, Moore said. Alliance Airport in Fort Worth had piled up nearly 10 inches by 8 p.m.

Lots of folks are going to have a Friday off from work and classes!

There Ain't No Rest For The Wicked

Finally found something worthwhile to fill this space.

'Possum Night at Kona Ranch

I've seen this bad boy before.
Pink toes to die for!

You can thank me later for not including a shot of the 'possum saliva around the food bowls. YUM, that must be some good shit!

Feed Them to the Lions

One of the things that just upsets me so much about "Christians" these days, politically, is that I take so much abuse from them for being a pagan (feel free to substitute atheist since it's all the same to them), and yet I, and txrad, are doing good deeds, just as Jesus preached.

And I am annoyed as hell that we can't get a health care bill passed to cover those of us who are not as fortunate or lucky as others.

We get called all kinds of names, like "liberal" and "socialist" and "marxist" because we want a country, which we could easily have, but this is the measure which should be the standard.

So when the McCains and Palins and McConnells and Boehners start flapping their religious tea bags at me, pardon me if I need to leave the room. And to the Reids, and Pelosis, and Lincolns, and Landrieus, you are all just as shameful. You people have nothing to contribute. Because you don't fucking care for anyone except yourselves and your corporate contributions. Because you have no needs other than those.

It's a fucking shame.

And whom do you represent?

McCain Doing a Step to the Right

It's just a jump to the left
And then a step to the right
With your hands on your hips
You bring your knees in tight
But it's the pelvic thrust that really drives you insane,
Let's do the Time Warp again!

Apparently the Republican primary for the Arizona Senate race will be politics as usual.

Mr. McCain now finds himself jammed, moving starkly — and often awkwardly — to the right, apparently in an effort to gain favor among the same voters whom Mr. Hayworth, a consistent voice for the far right, could pull toward him like taffy come summer.

Mr. McCain now sharply criticizes the bailout bill he voted for, pivoted from his earlier position that the Guantánamo Bay detention facility should be closed, offered only a muted response to the Supreme Court’s decision undoing campaign finance laws and backed down from statements that gays in the military would be O.K. by him if the military brass were on board.

Aren't flip-flops just one of the reasons we're losing we've completely lost faith in the political process?

Monday Bonus Pussy

My friend Elizabeth sent me a picture of Lily so I decided to share since I have nothing else to report.

I'm a little mentally spent after Super Bowl night, and the subsequent Monday at work which ended with a call from my mother telling me everyone who had died or is dying, has cancer, etc.

And then we touched on politics which I usually try to avoid.

Mom: I still like Sarah Palin.

Me: Did you see where she was being interviewed and had written her talking-points on the palm of her hand?

Mom: Well, I don't care. Sometimes Obama screws up when he's reading from the teleprompter. Everyone in Washington is so crooked, but especially the Democrats.

Me: Not just especially the Democrats. ALL of them are corrupt.

{sigh}

Part of me wishes Sarah Palin would get elected just so the people stupid enough to vote for her could see the end result for four long years. But then I have to slap myself because the people that stupid actually want what she might bring to the table.

The mind boggles.

Caressing the Locks

txrad let me caress his locks tonight.

Factoids From The Deep

It has to be one of those getting older things that causes you to have these earth-shattering realizations about the passage of time that seem difficult to believe.

In 1950, Ella Fitzgerald released the LP Pure Ella which featured this song.

Just 15 years later, the Beatles released the Rubber Soul album. (I was only 5 years old and they had already released 5 previous albums!)

A scant 15 years later, the Police released their third album, Zenyatta Mondatta. Incidentally, this was also the year John Lennon was murdered.

And now that was 30 years ago.

Friday Pussy Blog: Sunny Afternoon Edition

The sun finally came out this afternoon for the first time since last weekend. Those long stretches of cloud cover and rain are one reason I haven't posted since Tuesday. Motivation becomes difficult.

Sissy was happy to see a bit of sunshine streaming through the bedroom window to warm her buttocks! She actually opened her eyes wide today. Sometimes I think I could just use the same picture of her each and every week since she is ALWAYS in the same spot on the bed at the same time on Friday afternoons.

The Tot was in the kitchen window watching the two outside boys waiting to be fed. I just noticed you can see Sweet Pea outside looking in!

The two boys waiting on some food to arrive. Sweet Pea looks surprised. I had only been out on the patio just a few seconds earlier and then I went back out with the camera. Does it look like he was expecting me to be carrying a bowl of cat food instead of a camera?

Happy Friday everyone! This one seemed to take its sweet fucking time in getting here, I must say.

Beat Someone to Shit... for Christ

Some days I wake up and I swear I don't even recognize the world in which I live.

Today is one such day.

I just can't wrap my head around the idea of a church/fight club. Let's go to church and kick some ass!
Hmmm. It makes about as much sense as me slicing myself up with razor blades to wake up in the morning as opposed to making coffee.

Recruitment efforts at the churches, which are predominantly white, involve fight night television viewing parties and lecture series that use ultimate fighting to explain how Christ fought for what he believed in. Other ministers go further, hosting or participating in live events.

The goal, these pastors say, is to inject some machismo into their ministries — and into the image of Jesus — in the hope of making Christianity more appealing. “Compassion and love — we agree with all that stuff, too,” said Brandon Beals, 37, the lead pastor at Canyon Creek Church outside of Seattle. “But what led me to find Christ was that Jesus was a fighter.”

It sounds to me as if they simply cannot deal with the fact that the lessons of Jesus were not full of machismo, so in order to accept it, they have to modify it.

Roughly 100 young men, many sporting shaved heads and tattoos, attend fight parties at Canyon Creek near Seattle, watching bouts on the church’s four big-screen televisions. Vendors hustle hot dogs and “Predestined to Fight” T-shirts. About half are not church members but heard about the parties through friends, said Mr. Beals, who is known as the Fight Pastor.

Jesus would be so proud.

Now if you will excuse me, I need to go back to my mancave and hide out until my nausea subsides.

Monday Dog Blogging

Because I'm not motivated to write anything. My brother sent me this picture of TJ. In case you aren't certain, TJ is a boy dog.

Friday Pussy Blog: Cat Yoga Edition

When I walk in with the camera, the Tot likes to be silly and roll around while chirping at me.

And he'll give me that I'm-the-sweetest-cat-on-the-planet look.
He likes to show off all his pink bits.

Meanwhile, I was hoping to catch Sweet Pea sitting on the hot water heater in the garage which is usually where he sleeps on cold days. Instead I woke him up on a really filthy old office chair.

As for Sissy, she was in her usual spot on the bed and almost managed to get her little eyes opened.

Happy Friday! I can't begin to express my joy after the week I've had at work. So let's just leave it at that.

Breaking News

Going Nowhere Fast

This New York Times front-page piece today is depressing. We voted for Change in 2008 and we got it. The Change is called Stagnation. We do not appear to have the capacity to move ahead with anything resembling progressive legislation thanks to our regressive Congress. And furthermore, all the signs are pointing in an ominous direction about our future.

Try to imagine us as a nation electing more Democrats or Independents in 2010 who are truly progressive. In a sane world, that is what we would be doing. The realization that Obama can't push through any moderate agenda even with Democratic majorities should be signaling to us that we need to clean house in Congress. We voted for change and we're not getting it. We can see the problem. And we should vote for even more change in 2010 and 2012 and keep at it until change happens.

Sadly, politics and the American voter don't seem to think that way. You voted for change and you're disappointed that change isn't happening fast enough? Quick! Let's get some Republicans back in office! Because, you know, that's bound to help get things moving again.

Increasingly confident of their prospects after the Massachusetts Senate victory, Republicans are disinclined to give ground in policy debates and appear willing to stick with their near-unanimous opposition to major initiatives unless Democrats offer significant concessions.

“House Republicans will seize the opportunity in respectful terms, but candid and frank terms, and make it clear to the president that we have better solutions,” said Representative Mike Pence of Indiana, the chairman of the House Republican Conference.

Umm. We have quite a bit of recent history with their "better solutions."

One of the clearest indicators of just how stagnated we have become is on the issue of gays and lesbians serving in the military. I am astonished that DADT is still such a hot-button issue in an era when we have so many more pressing concerns. DADT is so...1990s.

Officials said they were pressing ahead with one of the more controversial items Mr. Obama laid out Wednesday night: repealing the policy barring gay men and lesbians from serving openly in the military.

Senior Pentagon officials said Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had been in close discussions with Mr. Obama on the issue and would present the Pentagon’s initial plans for carrying out the new policy at a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.

Changing the policy requires an act of Congress, and the officials signaled that Mr. Gates would go slowly, and that repeal of the ban was not imminent. And it could be a hard sell for the president, even among Democrats; Representative Ike Skelton of Missouri, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, on Thursday restated his opposition to repealing the ban.

Gays and lesbians are already serving in the military. Repealing DADT simply means these courageous men and women who are putting their lives on the line for our country will simply be allowed to be who they are, without hiding the fact for fear of being discharged.

Even this absurdly ridiculous homophobic piece of rubbish known as DADT faces an uphill battle for repeal. What does this say about the chances for far more complex pieces of legislation which are desperately needed?

Even some of Mr. Obama’s allies said that given united Republican opposition, the goal of more cooperation might be out of reach. “In order to dance, you need a dance partner and there ain’t no partner out there,” Senator Bernard Sanders, a Vermont independent, noted.

A vote this week on a proposal to create a bipartisan commission to recommend ways to attack rising federal deficits was seen as illustrative of the Republican strategy to thwart Democrats. Though the idea attracted 53 votes — 36 Democrats, one independent and 16 Republicans — it failed because it did not cross the 60-vote threshold.

At least six Republicans who had previously supported the plan voted against it, as did others who have backed the idea in concept. Some of those who voted against the plan suggested they did so because they did not want to give Democrats political cover by joining with them in a deficit reduction effort.

Feeling optimistic yet?

“If the president reaches out to the Republican leadership in a genuine way, the spotlight shifts from his overreaching to whether we can meet him in the middle,” said Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina.

Mr. Graham, with all due respect, there is no middle right now. You and your ilk have vaporized it with your collective knee-jerk accusations of "socialism" directed at anybody with a capacity to think and rationalize, even if they are, from my perspective, center-right.

I'm not sure there is anything I want or need badly enough to meet in Lindsey Graham's "middle," as if there was a chance in hell I'd be getting what I wanted or needed by doing so.

So, enjoy the stagnation while it lasts. It might ultimately be remembered in the coming decade as the best of times.

The Biggest Chiffonade in the Fucking World!

Believe it or not, I rolled up 12 or 14 outrageously large collard leaves tonight and did a chiffonade! That is an 8" chef's knife for those of you who like to measure.

Soon to be outdone by txrad's fluorescent macaroni & cheese sauce.

The collards are not from our garden although we have some growing. These came from California and I can definitely taste the difference. In a blind raw taste test, I'd know which ones are from our soil. We think the California fields might not have had a sufficient freeze to impart the perfect collard flavor. And we are probably correct.

Problems in the Factory

We certainly knew the Obama Administration was going to bring us change. And here we are. Obama, in his first year, does what George W. Bush took seven years to do: admit that mistakes were made.

When Mr. Obama presents his first State of the Union address on Wednesday evening, aides said he would accept responsibility, though not necessarily blame, for failing to deliver swiftly on some of the changes he promised a year ago. But he will not, aides said, accede to criticism that his priorities are out of step with the nation’s.

President Bush didn't get a bounce from his admission that mistakes were made, "where there were mistakes," and things are a hell of a lot worse now than in January 2007. Both of those goddamned wars are still raging without end, millions more unemployed, millions have been through or are facing foreclosure, and the economy isn't showing signs of life for the tens of millions affected by it. In additon we've seen racism refueled and an uprising by Tea Baggers and the hardcore Republican base is angry and energized in contrast to 2007.

It's a shame this health reform legislation wasn't passed already by late summer 2009. Perhaps Obama could have done more, pushed harder, had more heart-to-heart conversations with the American people about the urgency and importance of the legislation. Perhaps he tried to be too bipartisan in a new world where the differences between the left and right are no longer similar to a reconciliation between opinions in Oregon and opinions in Missouri. These days the contrast is more like Iowa and Iran.

Obama clearly has made some mistakes. But it is equally accurate to say he's not 100% to blame. Our dysfunctional Congress gets their share. Congress is like a faulty automobile assembly line trying to pump out vehicles which are acceptable to the public by welding parts from a Hummer onto a Mustang and thinking we wouldn't notice all the ill-fitting parts, and providing us with absolutely no clue when we can get the lemon fixed.

If we truly want to move forward, it's not enough to have a president who can move his mouth and make inspiring words. We need a president who isn't afraid to crack a whip. More importantly, we need to repair the factory. We need to stop outsourcing to corporations and lobbyists. The factory needs new management. The workers need better training and some workplace diversity classes. They need to learn how to walk and chew gum at the same time. And the assembly line might need to be stripped down and replaced.

Nothing coming out of Barack Obama's mouth tonight is likely to change those facts.

“Democrats are really looking for that spark again,” said David Young, chairman of the North Carolina Democratic Party. “We feel like we may be off track and we’re looking for the president to come out with bold initiatives and to lead.”

With a quarter of his first term behind him already, I suppose now is as good a time as any. Whether or not that will be enough to get us progressing remains to be seen.

I have my doubts.

Weird Quirks, Anyone?

I love quirky people and people who do strange things fascinate me. I feel like I'm relatively normal when I read the paper or venture out into south Austin, but I also have some quirks.

A few months ago I had a voice mail from one of my television station ad sales reps. I have worked with her for years and her voice is one of those which is immediately memorable. I would love to meet her someday to put a face to the voice which, by the way, I'm not saying is pleasant. It reminded me of Jezebel, my old cat who died a few years ago, when she was ready to be fed. Definitely memorable.

Anyway, I saved her voice mail message because I suppose I had a hunch I would someday lose touch. Not long after that, in November 2009 I believe, I got one of those emails that her last day was effective immediately. Now, I can replay her message anytime I'm ready for a flashback.

I also like to hang my shirts in the closet grouped by color: reds, blues, greens, yellows, browns, and then blacks.

So, question of the day: What are your quirks? C'mon, everyone has at least one.

The Strange World of konagod

A couple of weeks ago I was reading my neighbor's Facebook page and saw an interesting comment from someone. I clicked to her profile. Because I was having a few drinks I immediately sent her a friend request even though I didn't know anything about her other than we were politically of like-mind.

Subsequently I learned that she went to school with my neighbor's daughters. This weekend my neighbor told me that she had lived behind us and moved early in this decade.

It was around 1998-2000 that a black polydactyl cat started hanging around our yard. I named her Big Thumbs. She eventually had three kittens which she deposited on our back patio. Two of them are still with us: Sweet Pea and Sissy.

Big Thumbs disappeared around the time that house became vacant. Last night I posed the question to my new Facebook friend and this morning I got a reply. Yes, Big Thumbs was her cat.

Mystery solved!

Fried Avocados and Nature

We decided to try a couple of new things today. First, we went to Torchy's Taco in south Austin for a fried avocado taco which was truly sublimely delicious.

Fried Avocado Taco
Hand battered fresh avocadoes fried and served with vegetarian refried beans, lettuce, pico de gallo and cheese served on a corn tortilla with our poblano ranch sauce.

I will go back but it will require some strategic planning to avoid the crowds. It's well worth the effort though.

It's a small joint and we weren't sure any tables would open up by the time our food was ready so we ordered to go. We did get a table though. $3.50 seems steep for an order of chips and salsa, but both are made fresh on site, and the salsa was splendid. The taco was only $3.25 and coupled with the abundance of chips & salsa, it was ample for my lunch.

After that we went to the nearby Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center which offers free admittance in January, and for good reason since there are no flowers in bloom this time of year.

The organization, we learned, was started by Lady Bird Johnson and actress Helen Hayes in 1982, to protect and preserve North America's natives plants. The gardens, which are quite extensive, feature native plants of Texas, particularly the Texas Hill Country.

Despite the fact that we've lived here over 12 years, and the center is less than seven miles from our house, this was our first visit! Even though I wasn't expecting to see much in January, it was a nice outing. Many of the plants we also have in our yard, but I was also hoping to walk away with some landscaping ideas and inspiration.

There was a nice water feature on the left as we approached the garden courtyard.

There were some cute and friendly turtles in the pond.

The courtyard itself has various garden areas staged to showcase certain categories and themes.

I was amused by the aptly-named Horse Crippler cactus. Ouch!

I liked the spiny hedgehog cactus.

The sotol was stunning.

This agave was quite nice.

There were a number of beautiful streams throughout the grounds.

I didn't know there was a little tower on the grounds. Sheldon had to look for it and I'm glad he did. The climb to the top was short and the views were spectacular.

Looking north toward downtown Austin. The skyline is barely visible.

I had to use my zoom to really get a shot of downtown, or part of it at least. Most of the buildings are obstructed by hills.

A view in another direction. A cold front is passing through today so it was a tad blustery at the top of the tower!

Two hours after leaving home we were back home, but it felt like a little relaxing vacation getaway.

Three-Minute Nostalgia Fucked-Up

1973

And no, that was not Agnetha Faltskog on vocals.

In the absence of time to create a Virtual Outhouse on Fridays, I can always find a faster way to upstage another blog.

All fucked up?