Friday, March 20, 2015

WELL LOOKIE THERE!


Looks like some poor little buck is walking around a bit lopsided this morning!
 

Thursday, March 19, 2015

OUR LUCKY DAY: UNOFFICIAL SXSW

As a rule, I don't go anywhere near Austin, TX during SXSW. The older I get, the less tolerance I have for traffic jams and mob scenes. Plus, it costs a fortune to get into any of the "official" events. What I didn't know, however, was that there are many, many "unofficial" events going on at the same time, some of which are free of charge. Still, there's that bit about mob scenes and traffic jams. Plus, they were predicting thunderstorms all day Wednesday -- the day Hubby had invited me to go hear some music down on S. Congress with him. I was still dragging my feet when he said the magic words "The Trishas are playing." Even then, I wouldn't commit. I went to bed saying "We'll see what the weather's like in the morning.


Turns out, this was gonna be our lucky day! We woke up to an absolutely gorgeous sunny day, with all chances of rain erased from the forecast. We left home by 10:00, and the traffic was not too terrible. We thought we'd have to park miles away and walk, but not only did we manage to get a spot in the parking garage right behind Hopdaddy's, it was a spot on one of the lower levels! Then we managed to beat the crowd to Perla's, and enjoyed a delicious seafood lunch out on their terrace -- a most excellent spot for people-watching (though you will pay through your nose for that privilege). That's the very best thing about being in Austin you know. The people-watching! Luckily, we had some time to kill before our concert, so we had plenty of time for that, as well as my other favorite activities, just wandering S. Congress and window shopping.







Shiner Bock has been sponsoring this free concert event, on the outdoor stage next to Hotel San Jose and Jo's Coffee, for 17 or 18 years now. The Trishas are just one of many who will perform there this year --  but the only ones who could have drawn me down into the chaos, for I've been dying to hear them again ever since they performed at Susanna's Kitchen in Wimberley, a couple of years ago.


One of the band members, Savanna Welch, is daughter of musician Kevin Welch, who lives in Wimberley.


My only regret was that the bands were kept to such a tight schedule that they didn't get to sing my favorite song, High, Wide and Handsome (aka Mother of Invention).  Which really makes it Hubby's lucky day. Cuz if they had played it?


Well, I surely would have dragged him out there on the dance floor to join these brave folks.

Hubby's headed back down there today to see his personal favorite, Ray Wylie Hubbard. What a lucky boy!
 

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

THE BIG SURPRISE

Hubby came home from Austin the other day, as giddy as I'd ever seen him. "You won't believe the surprise I've got for you! But, you can't see it until tomorrow." Did you buy something? "Mebbe." Is it a new restaurant? "Mebbe." Is it a new art store, or a place to go walking? "Mebbe." Seems I'd have to wait until we went to lunch and a movie at Southpark Meadows in S. Austin the next day, then all would be revealed. 

Our first stop was to be Target. On the way through the parking lot my hubby kept trying to block my view, saying "Don't look left! Don't look left!" Turns out he's a master at misdirection. When we got to Target I headed straight for the restroom. When I came out, this was waiting for me.


Nope, that's not the big surprise, but it did crack me up. No telling how many people walked past him standing there in his bunny ears, before I finally came out!

After leaving there we drove all over that parking lot, before finally exiting it at the far north end and turning left. By then I was convinced he'd just been yanking my chain the whole time. But wait! Could it be? Yes!


Well played Hubby! That is a big surprise. I can't believe it's already been there three months, and we are just now discovering it!

We first discovered Rosa's back in our west Texas days, when we had very small children, and not a lot of moolah. Now, if you were to compare Rosa's to your favorite full service Mexican restaurant, it would probably come up short. But that's not what it is. It's a fast food place, where you walk up to the counter and place an order, or pull up to the drive-thru window, and have your meal in ten minutes or less. And if you compared it to Taco Bell? Oh my! It would come out miles ahead. Because you just can't meet a group of friends for a fun evening out, complete with margaritas, freshly made tortillas, sizzling fajitas, and melt in your mouth sopapillas, at Taco Bell. And you certainly can't have your hubby drive through any of the full-service Mexican restaurants, to pick up a Fajita Fiesta that will feed your family of four (if the kids are not yet teens) for twenty five bucks! Most importantly, there is no other restaurant, full service or fast, that will greet you with this level of festive color-madness.


It felt like coming home.

That hubby of mine...


Gotta love 'im!

Monday, March 16, 2015

COLOR-MAD MONDAY: PLAYING WITH PORTALS

Finally had the time to play in my Art at the Speed of Life workbook a few weeks ago, and this was the result.


This particular lesson was about how to make a window or doorway in an art journal, which gives one a little peek at what's to come.


I chose this location in my journal because I already had a fun page below it -- one left from an art journaling class I once took with the ever bodacious Miss Dyan Reaveley, along with my sister Gus.


But, then I realized that doors and shutters open both ways...


so I had to come up with something for it to peek in on, when opened from the other direction.

Many thanks to artist Shelly Massey, whose little "zine" provided me with some awesome Wee Bit Warped collage fodder!

Know what? Playing with portals is fun!
 

Sunday, March 15, 2015

SPECIAL GRANDMAS

Spotted this duo at the movie theater on Friday. Can you guess which movie they were planning to see?


I'll give you a hint: check out those "glass" slippers on grandma's feet!

Yep, I wanna be THAT kind of grandma someday.