Toy Joy

The happy happy Toy Joy building on Guadalupe in Austin, TX.

Quackenbush

Quackenbush Bakery in Hyde Park at night, Austin, TX.

Downstairs

The banister at Hyde Park Inn, Austin, TX.

Sandwiches

Sandwich shop tucked in between houses in the Hyde Park neighborhood, Austin, TX.

Hamilton Pool

Trees at Hamilton Pool Preserve near Austin, TX.

Omni

Caitlin in our giant suite at the Omni Hotel in Austin, TX

Austin Farmer's Market

It's apparent to any one who looks at my blog that I love taking photos at farmers markets. This one in downtown Austin, TX has gotten so big since I have lived there. The city is growing so much!
All this despite the 100 degree heat.

Happy Dogs

A couple of really cute, happy dogs trying not to get too hot at the Austin Farmers Market in Austin, TX.

Balcony

Emily on our balcony on the 17th floor of the Omni Hotel in Austin, TX. We had our own special elevator.
Reflection of the cars below.

Looking south towards 6th street.
East towards I-35.

Details

Some pretty touches in our room at the Hyde Park Inn in Austin, TX.

Signage

Street sign, burlap coffee sack, and construction in Austin, TX.

Sapling

A little tree growing in Barton Creek in Austin, TX.

Hyde Park Inn

Two weekends ago, Thomas and I check ourselves in to the beautiful Hyde Park Inn Bed and Breakfast. I used to live in Hyde Park and love the neighborhood, but have never stayed here on vacation. The house was just gorgeous and the price was right too! Our room was small, wood-paneled and balconied, and very, very comfortable.
It overlooked the pool. Thomas was still nursing his ankle sprain, a nice cool soak helped a lot at the end of the day.
That's our balcony.
Breakfast was served daily in the elegant dining room underneath us.
Fancy!
Breakfast was granola with berries and angel-food cake and some sort of egg-cheese-tortilla bake. There are so many places I love eating in Austin I expect yumminess and our kind hostess did not disappoint. She was very careful to have vegetarian options for us as well.
The formal sitting room contained many elegant, breakable things. They let us stay there anyways, which I though was sweet. In addition to all of the pretty things this room also contained a bowl of Hershey's Kisses, so it was pretty much my favorite place.
What great old home would be complete with out a great old porch? That's a very comfy swing, by the way.
Too hot right now to make much use of the outdoor dining table but I bet some great meals have been had here. I love old houses and this one is just stunning. The proprietors should really be commended on how much love they've given this place. We'd definitely go again.

Toy Joy

Austin, TX. I like the weirdness.

Austin Pets Alive! Brings You Rent-A-Puppy at Town Lake

This is a fantastic idea: Austin Pets Alive! regularly sets up adoption events along the Town Lake trail. You can stop and say hi to the puppies in the middle of your run. You can even stop by and volunteer to take on for a walk around Town Lake--how fun is that? I bet they adopt out so many puppies this way. I would have taken one home were home not a four-hour car ride away.
Austin Pets Alive! seems like a pretty good group. Their very noble mission is to turn Austin into a no-kill city--a big goal, but the strategies that they talk about on their website seems well researched and give me a lot of hope. Events the these bring the animals to the public and increase their likelihood of adoption.
It's the same theory that's behind those cat adoption centers at PetSmart. This is anecdotal, but one of my friends felt so sorry for the kitties living in those little booths, she asked the volunteer working their how long each cat's typical stay was. The volunteer told her that with in a week of going on display, they vast majority of these cats found adopted homes and very few were returned to their shelters.
No-kill agencies theorize that there are actually enough homes for all of the homeless animals in our country. The problem getting the animals to these homes. The solution, among other things, is methods to make the adoption process more palatable to the public.
Although I'm not an Austinite anymore, I'm considering making Austin Pets Alive! next's month's charitable donation. Hopefully success here will have ramifications for pets all over the country.