This is Austin . . . .

We've just returned from a little sojourn in Austin. Unlike the last time we were there, this time was just for fun.We stayed in South Austin, in a little rented bungalow. The house had a full kitchen (gas stove, no less!), and enough bedrooms for most of us. That is to say, Mike and I slept in the bed, and we set up Natalie's Pack n' Play in the large walk-in closet (we left the door open and the fan running for proper ventilation).The house was also superbly well-located. We were three blocks from a lovely outdoor coffeehouse (made for a lovely morning stroll) and one block from a lot where the yummy food trucks parked (yes, the one with the cupcakes is still there. And still delicious!). Also, three blocks from an ice cream store, and two blocks from a yarn store. I guess we know where I'd live if we moved to Austin!Our neighborhood was nice, but we did manage to get out and do stuff. On our first full day there, we ventured to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. The big spring bloom had come and gone, but there were still plenty of flowers to be found. The Center also had a few short trails that allowed one to go out and walk on the prairie. Since we were there on a weekday, we had the whole place to ourselves. It was lovely!On our second full day there, we went to see the move "Babies". I'd found a theater that baby-and-parent shows - and also really delicious food. The theater was packed with babies and their entourages. It was totally cute, and it made me sad that there's nothing like that here in Fort Worth. I was hoping that Natalie would view the movie as a compelling dramatization of one of her favorite books, but no dice. Perhaps she didn't like the darkness? She didn't cry the whole time, but she definitely wasn't happy. Luckily, Mike was there to take her out so I didn't have to miss a minute of the movie!

On our third day, we made the requisite pilgrimage to Title Nine, REI, and Book People (I think they call that the yuppie trifecta, no?). That evening, we drove out to Lake Travis and had a lovely dinner with and old friend of Mike's (and the friend's lovely family).And, the morning before we left, we stopped for a little walk around the grounds of the statehouse. Did you know Texas has the largest capital building of any state? Of course you did!But I bet you didn't know just how big the bugs in Texas are . . . .