SATURDAY SPLORIN': TREEHOUSE

We've been hearing a lot of ads on the radio lately, for a new store in Austin called TreeHouse.  From what I could gather, they were an oh-so-Austin version of your standard home improvement store -- one where all the greenest, healthiest, most sustainable versions of all those items you need for your various household maintenance and home improvement projects, have been gathered together in one convenient location.  Since it happens to be located in West Gate shopping center, which has several other stores we love to visit, we decided it was time to do some 'splorin!

Here's some of the cool stuff we nabbed while there.  I'm especially excited about the strainers to put in the top of all our gutter downspouts.  I've been freaking out ever since Julie's friend told me about the rodent that ended up in their water catchment system's eliminator after a rainstorm.  They also had a very cool kitchen section, with all kinds of beautiful bamboo stuff and some great food storage options, to replace all that plastic.  The garden section had everything you would need for raised veggie bed building, composting and water barrel installation -- including a neat little solar powered pump to make it easier to get the water from the barrel to go where you need it.

Next stop was Genghis Grill, for a spot of lunch.  If you've never had Mongolian barbecue (you walk down a buffet filled with stir fry ingredients, spices and sauces, pile what you want in your bowl, then they cook it up for you on a big round griddle), it's a fun place to try -- but not nearly as fun as the first place we tried it back before we were married, Genghis Khan, down on lower Greenville in Dallas.  That's the place where, when asked if he served "authentic" Mongolian barbecue, the owner replied, "As authentic as you can get without the health department shutting you down."  By the way, you are allowed to go through the line as many times as you wish, trying a different combination of ingredients each time, but I've never made it past the first bowl.

After that we headed to the West Gate theater, where we had hoped to see Johnny Depp playing Hunter S. Thompson, the king of gonzo journalism, in The Rum Diary.  I guess it was not a big hit though, for it had ended its brief run the day before.  No worries.  We still had plenty of fun places to explore.  From there we went to Whole Earth Provision Co., and in addition to several Christmas gifts and stocking stuffers, you'll never guess what I found, in just my size, on the half-price table.  These!  Way better than smooth-bottomed Zumba shoes or backless, slip-on Skechers, for hiking to the top of Enchanted Rock, don't you think?

Last but not least was Central Market.  I just love browsing around CM and the Whole Foods flagship store pre-Christmas.  I don't usually buy much, I just love looking at all the eye-candy, and the festive atmosphere.  John picked up a bottle of wine, and I got two precious baggies filled with my favorite loose-leaf teas from Republic of Tea.

Oh yeah, and we saw some of the strangest fruit we've ever seen, outside of Indonesia.

How on earth would you peel/eat this sea-creature-like thing, which had a thick, citrus-style rind?

Have you ever seen an apple that's bright pink inside?

All in all, a most satisfying day.  The only spot we didn't make it to was Amy's Ice Cream, my hubby's favorite, but if he tries to tell you it's because I wouldn't let him have any, he's lyin'.  It's only because he was just too full after that Mongolian barbecue!  Also, 'though I certainly miss all the Borders bookstores that shut down (the only ones that were on our side of Austin),  I have to admit that a very cool home improvement store took the place of the one at West Gate, and I sure hope it takes off like gangbusters!  It would do my heart good to know that it gave up its life for something worthwhile.