Passing Austin on the Side

Last week, I rode the Amtrak train to visit my daughter and her family in Fort Worth. Someone asked me if I took many pictures on my trip. Ha ha ha....what a silly question. I held my camera and pointed it out the window for almost the entire 5 1/2 hour trip to Fort Worth and the entire trip back home. Altogether, I probably took about 600 pictures. That makes sense, because my obsessive personality keeps me glued to the window, for fear of missing anything at all. 

Today, I would like to share a few of the shots I took as we entered Austin. The train stops at Austin in a kind of grungy section of town. This derelict building was what I looked at while waiting for passengers to board and leave the train. Now, I have to admit that I love derelict buildings, so I didn't mind. 

We passed by one of the many places where several freeways interesect. It is unusual to see standing water under the freeways, especially since we have been in such an awful drought. Thankfully, there has been quite a bit of rain, this spring. It rained the night before, hence the standing water.

Austin is the state capital of Texas, and the self-proclaimed music capital of the world. It is claimed that there is more live music going on in different venues any given day than in any other city in the United States. That includes Nashville.

Austin is also the home to many high tech firms, including Dell, so there is quite a bit of money floating around some parts of the city.

It is incredibly expensive to live downtown. There are some very quaint homes, both large and small, built in the early twentieth century, but they cost quite a bit if they are near the center of town. Many people live in apartment complexes.

The tallest of the buildings, with all the chrome and glass architecture, have been built in the last few years, and there was a bit of squabbling about building them, too. It seems that Austinites love their downtown riverfront, which they call the Town Lake district. That confused me for a while, because I could never actually find the lake. They are really referring to the section of the Colorado River (not the one in Colorado, either...it is just a little Texas river with the same name) that flows through Austin. 

As you can see, it is gorgeous. There are biking trails, hiking trails, walking trails, doggie parks along side the "lake" and folks get on the water in colorful kayaks and canoes. The people who use the trails and nature parks complained that the tall buildings would ruin the view of the sky, and cast too much of a shadow over their fun. Well, anyhow, the ultra-modern, high dollar buildings did go up and they add elegance to the Austin skyline.

Here are a couple more pictures that I just had to include. This is the City of Austin Power Plant site. I love the art deco letters on the plain concrete plant. Even their power plant has charm. 

Riding the Amtrak Train

Thursday morning, bright and early, I arrived at the Amtrak station in San Marcos, Texas, to catch the train and ride all the way to Fort Worth, Texas. It was my first time to ever ride a train. I was a little apprehensive.

The Texas Eagle #21 departs from San Antonio, every day, and arrives in San Marcos at 8:32 a.m. to pick up passengers. San Marcos does not have an actual station with attendants. It is basically just two benches sitting right next to the track. 

 As you can see from this picture, you can drive right up to the bench. You don't even have to walk more than a few steps.

This is Anthony. He was a talkative young man who is a seasoned Amtrak traveller, so I asked him to tell me all about train travel. He filled me in a little as we waited for the train. He was going all the way to Saint Louis, Missouri to see his children.

 When we heard the train whistle, folks got ready to board.

 "ALL ABOOOOOOARD!"

The entire trip took just over five hours, which is about the same amount of time it takes to drive from my home in Seguin to Fort Worth. The ticket was only $30 one way, so for one person to travel back and forth, it is much cheaper to ride the train than to drive a pick up truck which only gets 17 miles per gallon.

We stopped in Austin, Taylor, Temple, MacGreggor, Cleburne and Fort Worth. As we neared the final stop, I asked the passengers if I could take a picture of the interior of the train so I could show my three year old grandson. One passenger suggested everyone wave, so they did.

It was a very interesting trip. Tomorrow, I will share some pictures I took of the sights and scenery I saw as I looked out the train window.

Chiro Java...Coffee and Chiropractic Combined!

Today, we are going to visit Chiro Java, a coffee shop located in the heart of downtown Seguin, across from the county courthouse. I used to wonder how to pronounce the name of the coffee shop until someone told me that Chiro was short for chiropractic...the owner of the shop is a chiropractor who has her office in the coffee shop. All of a sudden, the Chiro part of the name made perfect sense. 

A few years ago, someone painted a huge mural on the southern wall  of the shop. From a distance, you can see how well the blue sky of the mural matches the deep blues of the Texas sky.

 Here is the mural up close....It commemorates the stagecoach that traveled through downtown Seguin in the late 1800's and the folks who lived in Seguin.

If you would like to see what the Magnolia Hotel looks like today, you can do so here.
http://wildabouttexas.blogspot.com/2011/02/magnolia-hotel.html

Inside the shop, there is a roomy yet cozy dining area decorated with an eclectic mix of vintage furniture,  and burlap bags, old coke signs and paper parasols.

Local artisans' work is displayed on the walls and on tables. There are comfortable seating areas so patrons can hang around and visit as they work on their laptops (wi-fi is available).

The folks who come for an adjustment  as well as a cup of coffee check in with Lori. Instead of waiting for their appointments in a boring office, they just have a seat in the coffee shop until Lori calls their name.

I spotted this guy laughing at me as I talked to Lori, so I had to take his picture too....not the typical coffee shop decor, that's for sure!

Lori was so helpful and nice. While I was sitting at a table with my friends, I heard her call my  name. She wanted me to meet the Chiro part of Chiro Java. Here she is...Christine Steinbrenner, DC, according to the business card I pulled off the counter. She let me take a quick picture as she brought her next client into her office.

Now, I did not need my back adjusted...I went to Chiro Java to have lunch with some friends. And let me tell you, their lunch menu is awesome.

At the counter, Laurie took my order for one of their turkey avocado sandwiches. I love them.

It was delicious, too. 

So, if you are ever in downtown Seguin around lunch time, stop in at Chiro Java. I am sure you will love it.

On Track Arts... and Other Odds and Ends

Today, we are going to get a glimpse into one of the many antique-collectibles-odds and ends shops that can be found throughout the state of Texas. This particular shop is located in the small town of Harwood, which is about an hour southeast of Austin, and about two hours northeast of San Antonio.

Founded in 1874 next to the Southern Pacific rail lines, the town grew in population and by 1892, it boasted a population of about 350 people. Harwood shipped cattle, cotton and firewood during its heyday, but since the late 1800s, the resident population has shrunk considerably. Now, there are about 100 people who call Harwood home. 

Highway 90 runs right through the middle of town, with the train tracks just feet away from the road. As you can see from the view looking south, there is not a lot to the town anymore.

Looking to the north, you can't see much more....

You may wonder why I made a visit to Harwood. Well, I am a member of the Seguin Oakwood Art League, and through my involvement in this organization, I met Hal Shipley, a stained glass artisan. He does wonderful work, lots of it with a Texas flair, and he told me about his shop in Harwood. Appropriately enough, he calls his shop "On Track Arts". It is one of three main buildings on the main street of Harwood.  He invited me to check out all the items he and his partner have accumulated over the years, so I stopped in after my mother and I spent time at the Rosanky yard sale.

This is Hal.

Hal told me he has been picking up odds and ends for years and years.  I love odds and ends... Here are some of the neat things I spotted in his shop...

 an owl, a well-worn ironing board, some colored cowboy boots....

 an elegant green sofa...

 a serene black cat...

 a turquoise desk and a painted bunny,

a bust of Homer (or some eyeless bearded man, along with a wonderful Donald Duck print...

a cocker spaniel (who is also a bank) in need of a good home,

 a treadle sewing machine, a game board, a dainty apron which looks to dressy to ever be used in my kitchen, an eagle,

and last, but definitely not least, a life-size statue of a black and white Dalmatian.

What a Texas-Size Yard Sale Looks Like

There are several ways folks in Texas sell their unwanted, unused household clutter. Craig's List may do for some items, and newspaper ads may work for furniture and appliances, but the majority of folks prefer to set out some tables in their driveways or yards and put up a few signs around the neighborhoods and have a yard sale. The best days for yard sales (or garage sales, if the goods are actually inside the garage rather than in the driveway) are Fridays and Saturdays.

Rosanky, Texas, a small community about an hour southeast of Austin, holds a community-wide yard sale a couple of times during the year. Everyone who wants to participate pays $10 for a spot in a field at the intersection of two busy farm roads. Sometimes, there are just a few folks who set up tables, and sometimes there are many.

Today was their spring yard sale. I invited my mother to go with me to see what kind of treasures were sitting on the yard sale tables. That's the reason people go to yard sales, you know. It's because in the midst of all the unwanted household items scattered in haphazard piles, there might be something of incredible value waiting to be found. Urban legends abound with stories of the treasures people have found at yard sales...old masterpieces, fabulous jewelry, rare coins, valuable antiques...the list is endless, and probably true.

So, my mother and I headed to Rosanky to see what we could find.

Would you like to see some of the sights? Here is a collection of photos from the Rosanky semi-annual community-wide yard sale.

Rows of tables line the field. Some vendors bring their own cabanas, some bring big umbrellas....  (that's my mom holding a music box she found.)

Some bring their own campers, like this vintage black and red camper named "Road King Blvd".

These two were sitting under an umbrella while they kept an eye on their goodies. It was hot today, so anyone who had a little shade had a reason to smile.

Today, I found an old door with intricate carvings of flowers under the glass window. It was probably the front door of some cute little cottage built in the early twentieth century. If I had to pick a decade, I would probably say the 1920's. The price tag said $75.

At another booth, I found what looks like an old school house bell sitting on a milk crate. If you look behind the white stool, you can see an old pump faucet. 

Here is an old gas  heater for $50. I have a couple just like this in my old home, and they put out the warmest heat on cold winter mornings. I love standing in front of the grill as the hot air radiates up toward the ceiling. 

Someone apparently has a green thumb. They brought several little pots of cacti, aloe vera and mother-in-law tongues to sell. In the upper right hand corner, there is a poster sized pink print of Hanna Montana. 

I decided this skull was the oddest thing at the yard sale. It is the skull of a javalina, a type of feral hog found in Texas. The teeth have been painted pink and a stylized sun with pink and turquoise rays have been painted in the forehead. 

This sculpture of a bearded gentleman smoking a pipe was not real heavy. It felt like some kind of pottery. He's not the kind of statue that works with my decor or I would have bought him. He's great.

This lady is looking through a table piled with all kinds of odds and ends. When everything is jumbled up like this, it is easy for a treasure to remain hidden for a long time, so even when the yard sale has been in progress for several hours, the shoppers who take the time to dig through the stuff occasionally find a hidden jewel.

Not everyone who pays their $10 fee for a spot in the field is a spring-cleaning home-maker. There are also vendors who make a living selling arts and crafts. This vendor specializes in Texas rustic wood items. The four crates in the lower left are from the Houston branch of the Carnation company bottling plant. I suspect they were used for milk bottles.

Texans like leather, and this vendor brought a variety of leather pouches, purses and wallets to sell.

Now, after showing you a bunch of the items that were for sale, I have to tell you about the best part of the Rosanky yard sale. First of all, as I walked around the tables, I kept hearing some pigs squeal now and then. I assumed some one had a pen of pigs for sale. I have never seen farm animals offered for sale at a yard sale, but, hey, this one is in the middle of a field just outside a farm town, so it could happen....

Suddenly, a man came walking across the field, holding a little piglet by the hind feet, and he was carrying on a conversation with folks as he passed by.

I didn't hear what he was saying. It wasn't long until I saw him running off to the edge of the yard sale field with a big net in his hand, the kind fishermen use to scoop big fish out of the water. Folk were following him and grinning. I asked, because I am just plain nosy, "What's the deal with the pigs?" The vendor closest to me answered that he wasn't sure, but he thought it was some kind of contest. "So what's the prize?" I asked him. He wasn't sure, maybe some bar-b-que or something. 

Looking up, I saw a young girl running toward me, chasing another little piglet. Folks were laughing and cheering. They were yelling directions to the girl, giving her advice on how to catch the piglet. Meanwhile, the piglet ran right past me. 

After asking some more questions, the story I finally got was that the piglets had gotten out of their pen, and kind-hearted folks were all doing what they could to help the farmer catch his pigs. This one got away.

What a yard sale! I had a wonderful time and hope I get the opportunity to attend the next one Rosanky holds.