Besides our usual enjoyment of the beautiful Arizona weather, participation in Justin's football and lacrosse activities, and "Saturdays with Suzie", not much has happened in our little world over the past two months.
Eric and I enjoyed one of our little hikes - something we don't do often enough. This time we went to up Fountain Hills which is an affluent little foothill community that is known for its
huge fountain. The trail wasn't anything to speak of, and it was really tough to find, but the real payoff of the day was spending time with my son (and pooch).
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Once an hour, the fountain sprays up 562 feet into the air and can be seen from miles away.
I've even seen it from an airplane!
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| Eric and Duke resting at the peak. |
I also got the opportunity to use "old blue" (aka my awesome new
KitchenAid Stand Mixer) to make some pizza dough from scratch. We each designed our own personal pizza - I cooked them on the grill and they were to die for. Seriously, one of my best meals EVAH! It was still a lot of effort (though totally worth it) but I learned from the experience and next time maybe it will be easier.
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| Nom-nom-nom... |
And as if I don't get there enough, I enjoyed yet another trip to Austin. This time it was business for about 5 days, but then I extended for a few and enjoyed time with my sisters and niece/nephews. We did pretty much all our usual things (which oddly enough revolve around my favorite Austin food stops - Bacon, Cool Haus, Gordoughs...) and a few new things too.
One day Allison and I went up to Mt. Bonnell, a scenic overlook. And by scenic, I mean you can see all the mega-mansions on the river.
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| My sister Allison |
Just after, we stopped at Mayfield Park and Nature Preserve. It being February and all, there wasn't much in bloom. Actually, nothing was in bloom at all. Except the peacocks!
My sister Danielle took me to an outlet center in San Marcos where we drooled over Coach handbags and Vera Bradley designs, then we headed to the Zilker Botanical Gardens to practice some photographic techniques.
I love Austin - it's such a unique city, filled with all kinds of creative people and has a personality all its own. Probably one of the best things is that you can 'be yourself' and do your own thing without getting any weird looks - they're
used to weird! This attitude really helped me get over my shyness with the camera and I got some pretty good street shots that capture the city's personality. Maybe one day I'll work my way up to taking photos of people instead of inanimate objects?
The following shots are just a few in the collection -
you can view the rest by clicking here.
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| The iconic Austin Motel |
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| Dia de los Muertos decor in a shop window on Congress |
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| Any how can you resist a smile at Cheer Up Charlies? |
Coming up for March:
- Lacrosse
- Lacrosse
- Lacrosse
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