Austin - In Texas, it’s weird.

In our efforts to avoid Baja California mayhem, we decided to detour our trip through Austin, Texas to visit our good friend Kathleen and finally see for ourselves what this iconic city is all about.


Austin is a delicious little secret. Even reading this, you will not believe me. Who would? Texas is after all home of Little Bush, big hair and big oil… you don’t mess with Texas, right?

The nature of Austin does nothing if not mess with the establishment of conservative Texas. Given all that Texas is in the collective mind of liberal Californians, Austin is truly an anomaly.

Austin is comprised of gangsters, gays, hip hop, blues, Christians and atheists; All of the polar opposites that make a city diverse.


Our two weeks in Austin ran the gamut of diversity. We stayed in the gentrifying hood of east Austin, where our neighbors wore grills like white girls wear bangles. We participated in the Dottie Jordan Park clean-up organized by our host, all star vollunteer,Kathleen McMullen.
And we went to a beautiful exhibit at the University of Texas at Austin, showcasing the works of the Beat Movement masters and equally inspirational yet infrequently mentioned poets of that infamous counterculture.


We ate barbeque. Oh, we ate barbeque. We listened to the sultry blues of Sarah Sharp and the rockin’ country of surfari collin: Shooter plays Antones'>Shooter Jennings. We witnessed the disgust and despair of locals protesting the development of open lands as bulldozers edged towards the Pecan Grove RV Park, immortalized in the ballads of country legends.
And how could I not mention the Mean Eyed Cat? The coolest Johnny Cash tribute bar this side of the Mississippi.



We swam in limestone swimming holes the size of two Olympic pools at Barton Springs. We fell in love with Austin as if it were a long drink of water after a year long drought.


If you find yourself in Austin, falling in love, tread lightly and be aware of our nature as humans to inadvertently destroy all of the beauty we stumble upon through overdevelopment and pollution. Buy used and protest the development of new condos along the river… go ahead and help KEEP AUSTIN WEIRD!


P.S. Thanks for letting us crash your pad Kathleen!