KEEPING AUSTIN WEIRD

Well, it's that time of year again -- SXSW time! The time when our son-in-law Nate gives up at least a week of his vacation each year, just so he can work his butt off heading one of their volunteer crews. The time when our daughter was forbidden to ever have a baby (she's cutting it pretty close), because he never wanted to be forced to choose between that or his child's birthday party.The boy plans ahead.

Last year Hubby got a bracelet so he could attend events all day every day for a week or more - and it just about killed him. He was a total couch potato for at least a week afterwards. This year he decided he could have almost as much fun just wandering the streets of Austin, and enjoying the sights there. Here are a few photos he snapped whilst doing that very thing, on the day which ended with a 9:00 PM stop at Voodoo Donuts!

A Set Piece From New Mini-Series Fixin' To Come Out Called "The Preacher"

People Lining Up To Get Into One Of The SXSW Events

Pedicabs

???

Hubby had no idea why she was getting handcuffed, as she didn't appear to be drunk or high.

So, weird enough for you?

WHEN YOU DO THAT VOODOO

This is the kind of stuff that happens whenever I let Hubby run amok in Austin without me.

I musta been pretty ticked -- considering I don't eat donuts, and his doctor had just warned him about his high triglycerides -- ...

'cuz, early this morning, I did this.

Partly it was to see if any of them was actually "to die for" (No, especially not the morning after!) but mostly it was just to get a rise out of him.

I guess he didn't even notice because, when I came back in from walking a minute ago, he said "If you want one of those donuts, better get it now. I'm taking them all to the gallery with me in a little while, and leaving them there for the workers.

Oops!

AACCK! & WHEEE!

Earlier today I went out in the early morning fog to do some walking up and down our driveway, and I'm pret-ty sure I just had my very first close encounter with a pack of wild hogs! Most mornings I hear rustling in the trees right behind our house, but it's usually deer who pause for a bit to stare at me, then go right back to what they were doing. So, when I heard rustling this morning, I didn't think much about it. However, when I got a bit closer, I suddenly heard a very deep grunt that sounded nothing like a deer. Next thing I knew a string of dark shapes went racing past me through the trees -- shapes that were much to low and squatty to be deer. AACCK! Never knew I could run backwards without tripping.

In other big news, Outdoor Woman just became a grandma! And, what better way to celebrate than with a toast at our first Sunday-Afternoon-At-The-Vineyard meetup of the season?

Guess it's time for another Grandma Book Shower. And then, in just about 10 weeks, it will be my turn to be the new grandma. WHEEE!

SCARY, PAINFUL, AND NECESSARY

A couple of months ago, when I was flipping through my latest issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine, I saw an article by Seth Apter, about stepping outside one's comfort zone. I skimmed over it, thinking "Yeah, makes sense", then set it aside and forgot all about it.

The newest issue arrived recently, so I went back through the older one once more, to make sure there was nothing in it I wanted to sketch, use, or do, before donating it to the library. When I came across Seth's article again, it was like "Whoa! He's talking to ME, isn't he?" You see, much has happened in the last couple of months, and I'm pretty sure it was Synchronicity's way of leading me back to something I should have paid more attention to the first time!

First of all, I realized that it had been quite some time since I'd signed up for any art classes -- so unusual for me! I had a favorite teacher online from whom I had taken numerous classes, and learned so very much from. But, the last couple of times I'd registered for one, I'd only completed two or three projects before losing interest. What was wrong with me?

Second, we went to Sudan -- a humongous step outside of my comfort zone!

Third, when working in my travel journal afterwards, I started out using my usual sketch and watercolor techniques that I had learned from that favorite teacher, and created several uninspired pages. Then I got a wild hair and decided to fill those beautiful saris with bits of colored paper instead of paint and, suddenly, sparks flew!

When I mentioned in a blog post how much I enjoyed doing that bit of collage, and shared that post on Facebook, I suddenly started seeing links to a certain collage artist from California in my Facebook feed -- one who "paints" with paper, as I had done.

I started following her blog posts, only to discover that she is coming to New Braunfels (so close!) in August to teach a three-day workshop that will include instruction not only in her collage techniques, but also in painting your own unique paper stash to use in them. I had my deposit check in the mail the very next day!

So, this is what Seth had to say in his article, and why it resonated with me the second time around:

"To grow as an artist you need to develop and evolve. Growth is at the heart of creativity and the core of artistry, and nothing leads to this type of change as much as taking a risk and stepping outside your comfort zone...Being in that zone may put you at ease and give you a sense of control, but it can stifle your creativity and become a barrier to your growth as an artist."

New Work In Progress

He even went on to list ten or eleven ways to take a risk and step out of your zone. These in particular called out to me, because I've actually thought about doing them, but held back.

• take a class in a technique that's outside your wheelhouse
• sketch or draw in public
• if you work small, go large
• usually use a paintbrush? use your hands instead
• risk rejection by submitting artwork to a magazine
• call yourself an artist

Guess I have a new to-do list, huh? Which is kinda funny, when you consider that the very first thing I ever submitted to Art Journaling magazine -- one of my crazy illustrated to-do lists -- actually did get published. But, for some reason, I've never had the nerve to try it again. This travel journal just might be worth the risk, if I ever finish it!

THE HILL COUNTRY BOMBER

This is my hubby, shooting wildflower seed bombs off our balcony, using the handy-dandy sling shot that Santa brought him.

Sshhhh! Don't spoil his fun by reminding him that wildflower seeds need to go out in the fall. He scattered some seed by hand back then as well, but then the Halloween flood came and washed most of it down the hill. Fingers crossed that something, somewhere, managed to take root! I would give anything to have a repeat of The Great Poppy Year.

This one taken at Natural Gardener, not in my yard. Loved the way the poppies POPPED against a background of blue.

GRAPEY GRATITUDE

One big reason I fell in love with this property, as soon as I set eyes on it, was all the clumps of native Texas Mountain Laurel it had scattered across it. I remembered that plant from my college days at the University of Texas in Austin, and the way it infused the campus with the fragrance of grape bubblegum whenever it bloomed. They are extremely slow growers, and if I had planted them from scratch, it would have taken years and years and years for them to reach this size!

Some years are better than others. One year you get a pretty good show. The next they all get nipped in the bud by a late freeze.

But, never...

ever...

ever...

have I seen blooms as prolific as these!

A MIND OF HER OWN

My daughter has always had a mind of her own. We figured that out by the time she was two. My mom would come for a visit and freak out over me letting her go out to dinner in mismatched clothes with unkempt hair. "What will people think?" I told her "Mom, you just gotta learn to pick your battles. Save your energy for the important ones. Who cares what people think? We can force her to wear that cute outfit and fix her hair with the matching bow, and have an absolutely miserable dinner with a whiney, irritable child. Or we can just let it go, and have a fun dinner with a happy child. What's it to be?" The good news is that, by focusing our energy on the really important things, and letting her have her own way on the little things, I guess she never felt the need to rebel, 'cause her teen years were a breeze!

So, when she told me they had decided to host their own baby shower, since she was the only one of her friends who wasn't working full-time and/or didn't already have little kids at home, and since she really didn't want a traditional girly shower with goofy games, my first thought was "Oh my gosh! What would my mother think?" But, it only took a minute or two for me to come around to "Why the hell not?"

They ended up opting for an all day party where their friends could come and go at will, stopping in between birthday parties and ball games or whatever, to just hang out and have fun, and where Lex could show off all her pregnancy-projects, such as her very first herb and veggie garden!

Yes, she hauled all those cinder blocks and shoveled all that dirt herself!

We also got to see a few additions to the nursery, including the Best Baby Quilt ever, handmade by Nate's mom Holly...

which will go perfectly with these.

We even got to see some amazing baby-belly-henna-art!

The best part though was just getting to hang and have fun with family...

meet some of Lex's and Nate's wonderful friends and neighbors...

and, best of all, reconnect with childhood besties from her art gang in Plano...

and her elementary days in Indonesia.

All in all, one of the best baby showers ever.

My mom used to pray that I would end up with a daughter who was just as hard-headed as me. Thank heaven her prayers were answered!