Memories of Our Austin - Outdoors

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800

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Downtown Steam Locomotive

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 17:14:13 -0700

I was downtown today and, as sometimes happens to an Austin old-timer, I had a flash recollection of something long gone... the steam locomotive that sat on track in a park downtown. I couldn't remember where it was exactly but I did recall that it was maintained by the firemen from the nearby station. I also had some vague recollection that the O. Henry house was somewhere nearby. Right on both counts. The park is still there but the train is long gone. It's a good story though, engine 768 was refurbished and actually put back into service as a weekend tour train ride from Cedar Park to Burnet and back. I took that trip several times with my kids and remember the amazing power and noise that engine created.

On a happy related note, in doing the research to help my failing memory I found that Google has this delightful image of how the park is being used today. That simple image sums up a lot about the power of Austin.

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Rain

Wed, 11 May 2011 21:15:39 -0700

Tonight, we all thought it would finally rain. Austin back in the day was always a lush green place. These days, I feel that it is turning into a semi-desert. The radar showed promise tonight... the regular and expected line of storms moving in from the west, filling up our lakes, and then raining down the cleansing blast that washed away the debris of spring. This year however, that debris is still with us. Not a single rain storm has come since each species of tree has gone through its annual bloom and drop cycle. Mounds of spent pollen buds line the gutters even now, months after they should have been washed away and put to good use. No rain tonight.

Austin has survived many things... I hope an historic drought is one that it can take in stride.

Update! Shows you the power of thought... this morning, the rains came in full force, thankfully.

Ski Shores... another one bites the dust

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 11:24:14 -0700

Well, I really received a shock the other day. We had some guests from out of town who had spent enough time in Austin to know the cool spots. It was decided that we would all trek to Ski Shores for an afternoon of burgers, beer, and old-time Austin vibe. I suppose two out of three ain't bad but that vibe is long gone. Ski Shores has turned into little Disneyland with a bar... kids everywhere.

I don't fault the management for making a decision that will probably keep the business afloat and with us for many more years to come. It is just another notch on the list of "long gone" Austin places that personified the culture of our town. What passes for Austin culture these days seems to come out of a mayonnaise jar. Whether it's the artificial Bohemia of South Congress, the hipster popularity contest of East-side cocktail bars, or plastic playscape-themed conversions of previous dives, it all seems a little desperate.

Back in the 80's, Dallas seemed to "wake up" to what was happening in Austin and tried to manufacture hip culture: South Greenville, Deep Ellum, etc., were 100% contrived attempts at cool. I would look upon these with the smug satisfaction that here in Austin, we had the real thing. I look around now and and it seems that the pre-fab forces are gaining on us.

The Day John Lennon Died

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 09:49:01 -0700

Who was here that fateful day, Dec. 8, 1980? It was actually the day after that I remember. I was awakened, as always back then, to KLBJ-FM. Note, that was when KLBJ was good; before it changed into their current "Hey man, let's party!" blazing guitars and hair mode. Anyway, the DJ was very somber and announced that Lennon had been killed the night before. They played only Beatles and Lennon that day non-stop, no commercial breaks. I had to go to work but I was completely shocked into an altered sense of being. The Beatles meant so much to us all. Around 5:00pm or so, I was at my girlfriend's apartment and she told me of a gathering at Zilker under the Zilker Christmas tree... we had to go.

What we found there was a very large but quiet crowd of Austin under the tree. Some had brought candles to pass around and soon there was a large circle of folks, all holding candles, around the base of the tree, all facing in. We cried, we sang, we thought of the damage that Mark David Chapman had done. We all knew that things had fundamentally changed that night. Austin certainly never felt the same again. It seemed like from that day forward, the pace of change in Austin has done nothing but get faster, accelerating away from us.

Hippie Flower Sellers

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 06:23:57 -0800

Today, there are pan handlers on every street corner. Back in the good old days, there were hippie flower sellers. Remember them? I think they were officially called "The Flower People". They each had a white plastic bucket of long stem carnations and each had their own style of marketing and actually put some effort into it. The main technique I recall was their ability to twirl a long-stem flower on their index finger for hours. Much like watching someone spin a basketball or ride a unicycle, it look effortless and easy.

Effortless and easy... that pretty much describes the culture of the times that allowed not only the omnipresence of these hippies of commerce but also allowed one of them to rise up to run the circus:

River Raft Race

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 10:57:57 -0700

Note really an old Austin thing but surely a Weird Austin Thing - The Lake Austin River Raft Race. This event was actually quite the center of attention in its day and had everyone thinking about how to enter. Quite a bit of beer was consumed during the

Conception
Planning
Construction
Floating

of each of these creations. Some photo evidence remains...

Last Bash on the Hill

Sat, 17 Feb 2007 21:40:51 -0800

Probably the last time I got to see Willie Nelson live would have been at an event held somewhere out near Lake Travis (at least I think it was - time erodes memories...)

It was an all afternoon and evening event called "The Last Bash on the Hill", and featured all sorts of bands in an outdoor setting. it was an ampitheatre sort of hill, with the stage at the bottom so just about everyone (and their dog - there were lots of those, too) could see and hear easily.

Willie came on just about sunset, doing his ever polished set. And about that time, the full moon rose from behind him! It was fantastic.

I missed one chance to hear Willie here in New Zealand back in the 70s, but nothing since. I can't help but think I got one of the best performances ever that night back outside of Austin.

And then walked back afterward to find that my truck, like the vehicles of many, many other people - had been *towed* for parking something like 3" onto the pavement of the road. Bugger...

Christmas In Austin

Sat, 23 Dec 2006 17:47:43 -0800

Austin has always struggled for a mainstream Christmas tradition... the Zilker Tree, the Trail of lights, Congress Ave. lights. However, there has also always been a counter-culture season tradition as well.

- Take, for example, the (now!) well known "Hippie Christmas" on 37th street. Started off weird-as-you-please but it didn't take long for the Westlake set to start cruising through in Explorers with the windows rolled up.

- When was the first time that you saw a wild cedar tree on the side of the road in full Christmas decoration? Pretty common now.

- Before the Continental Club went legit, you could always count on them being there AND open.

- Christmas Tamales and Tamaladas: one of many Tejano traditions that I first experienced in Austin. Remember when they called it "Austin style Mexican food"?

- The town getting empty. Remember when the UT students leaving town made a significant dent in the population? Suddenly, everything was empty and the folks remaining had the bond of true Austin kinship.

All is not lost. I hear that there is a very healthy chapter of the Santa Rampage here in town. Good for them.

Forest Ridge

Sat, 11 Mar 2006 13:57:59 -0800

Back when trail riding was still pretty new, there were world-class trails to ride right here in our Austin City Limits. Forest Ridge stands out as one of the greatest. The entire length of old Spicewood Spgs. Rd. was bordered by cedar woods. These woods were laced with jeep track that was cut by the one-time residents of that area: the Jollyville Cedar Choppers. It was commonplace to enter the trail on the South side and be able to ride for hours and/or miles without retracing your path. You could make it to 3M, veer over to Jester, up to Great Hills, or just stay in the woods on highly technical, rocky paths. The water tower was the most common destination which reminds me of one of the greatest losses that has been incurred due to the zealousness of the nature conservationists.

Let's say your were heading for the water tower, once past it, there was a nice hill that had several highly technical paths to its summit. Once there, the landscape opened up to a beautiful open field about 1/2 acre in size. Who knows when or how it got started but in this open field, there were literally hundreds of rock sculptures, more like found object assemblies, scattered across the landscape. Some of these were random piles of rock yet some were amazingly artistic. They either resembled an intentional figure or had an abstract balance that conveyed beauty. In any case, this glade was one of those "secrets" that insiders enjoyed and the majority of the population had no concept of its existence. That is until the Balcones Canyonlands Conservation folks got involved.

First, fences were erected to deny access to the hill top (hikers, bikers, all denied). Artificially introduced plants were brought it to try to shield/hide previous trails. Weekly work teams spent time on the hill covering, hiding and generally trying to "naturalize" the area. I support conservation efforts and although I don't agree with some of their tactics, saving land as natural vs. developing it all is a good thing.

Barton Springs

Mon, 27 Feb 2006 21:46:13 -0800

Who here remembers when topless bathing was commonplace at Barton Springs. Where has the rebellious nature (and tolerance of our population) gone to?