Posted by Sara on Apr 6, 2010 in
Texas,
Travel 
When I was 11 years old, my family moved to Mobile, Alabama. For the first time, we lived someplace hot enough long enough to own a swimming pool. As we moved in our house in the winter, I was marking down days ’till I could give our new pool a try.
When the pool’s temperature reached 68 degrees, I was sure it was plenty warm. The family breakfast table conversation went something like this:
“Can I go swimming today? The water is 68 degrees,” I asked my parents.
“No! That is too cold,” my mom replied.
“Just let her,” my dad replied, “I doubt she’ll stay in long.”
What a wise man. One dive in, one lap across the pool and I was done.
Fast forward…ahem…a few years to last summer.
Read more…
Tags: Barton Springs Pool
Posted by Sara on Mar 30, 2010 in
Texas,
Travel I love farmers markets.
You might think I’m just another girl following the crowd. After all, organic eats are all the rage and passionate people everywhere demand support of local farmers.
But no, I have no consistent lofty conviction regarding that kind of green eating.
Rather I seek a simpler sort of green.
Truth be told, I like fried green tomatoes.
Since I’m handier with a frypan than I am with a garden, come summertime, farmers markets are a reliable source for the otherwise elusive green tomatoes.
With visions of tasty summery goodness, I was beyond thrilled to learn a new farmer’s market was opening practically in my own backyard.
Read more…
Tags: Cedar Park Farmers Market
Posted by Sara on Mar 16, 2010 in
Texas,
Travel This post is first in my new ongoing series about the parks along the Brushy Creek Regional Trail system in North Austin.
This weekend, eager to enjoy the Spring sun and gentle breezes, we took Titus to Champion Park in Cedar Park, Texas. Though somewhat small, this park offers unique discoveries particularly targeting the preschool crowd I’d say.
Read more…
Tags: Cedar Park Texas, Champion Park
Posted by Sara on Mar 15, 2010 in
Texas,
Travel Though the north side of Austin tends towards a culture of big-box stores, chain restaurants and suburbia, it does have one lovely natural feature – the Brushy Creek Regional Trail. Brushy Creek is a pretty little creek system, with a nice small lake for fishing and elbow-grease-only boating.
Williamson County put county dollars to great use by creating a nearly seven-mile trail system along the creek complete with six parks:
I thought it might be a fun little series for my family to visit these six parks and tell you all about them. As we’ve only been to one with our camera so far, this will be a bit of work-in-progress.
Enjoy!
Tags: Brushy Creek Lake Park, Brushy Creek Regional Trail, Brushy Creek Sports Park, Champion Park, Creekside Park, Olsen Meadows Park, Twin Lakes Park
Posted by Sara on Mar 12, 2010 in
Texas,
Travel I was thrilled to find this website today – www.austinboredkids.com
For all you local moms planning a staycation this Spring Break, I hope you’ll find it to be an inspiring and useful resource.
Happy Spring Break!
Tags: Austin Bored Kids, Children's Activities Austin
Posted by Sara on Mar 9, 2010 in
Restaurant Reviews,
Texas 
We recently celebrated the annual anniversary of Kenny’s 29th birthday. Few things say “man-grub” like hot dogs, so I thought lunch at Frank Hot Dogs and Cold Beer in downtown Austin might be a fun excursion.
Well, the food was an adventure…
After all, in what alternate universe would you expect Hill Country gourmet to shack up with Windy City street fare on a single menu? However, Frank makes it work.
Snooty artisan sausages made in-house and 100% Vienna beef hot dogs shipped in from Chicago are paired with creative and traditional toppings to deliver big tastes.
A nice selection of Texas grown-up brews, and my personal favorite – the sweet sudsy local Maine Root Beer- are all on draft to wash down every bite.
And I’m not even gonna talk about the whoopie pie…
Who am I kidding? Of course I’m going to mention the whoopie pie – rounds of chocolate cake sandwiching the richest cream in the world – whoooooopie!
If the food warmed my stomach at Frank Hot Dogs and Cold Beer, the people won my heart.
The owner made time stand still during the busy lunch rush. It’s as though he blacked out the rest of the room and shone the spotlight of his attention on Kenny and me. He easily chatted with us while we waited for a table.
Why? Because he heard we were first-time guests.
A few weeks later we planned to introduce our friends to Frank.
“It’s closed for Sunday dinner!” we realized as we stood disappointed at the door peering in to the dark restaurant. The two remaining employees saw us, opened the door and invited us in.
“Cathy! Look at all this gorgeous salvaged wood!” Our friend Bill, a fine craftsman, exclaimed about the interior of Frank.
And that was just enough to get the employees talking. They poured a round of Maine Root Beer on the house, hung out with us for about 25 minutes and showed us all the behind-the-scenes care that went into Frank’s interior design and menu. Then they sent us off with a list of their other favorite restaurants in town to try instead.
Wow! We came hungry and left as friends.
So while the humble hot dog may be out-of-this-world at Frank Hot Dogs and Cold Beer, the people are sure to make you feel right at home.
Important Info:
Location: Corner of 4th and Colorado, Austin, TX
Website: http://www.hotdogscoldbeer.com/ The photo above is just a teaser of the many enticing pics on the Frank Hot Dogs and Cold Beer website.
Note: Closed for Sunday dinner. Vegetarian options available.
Tags: Austin, Frank Hot Dogs & Cold Beer, Maine Root Beer, Texas
Posted by Sara on Jun 1, 2009 in
Restaurant Reviews,
Texas 
More prickly than pear, I was disappointed with my foray into prickly pears last summer. I continue to see them on menus across Texas, so I have wondered if my experience was more user-error than an inherent problem with the prickly pears.
I decided to give them a second chance. Kenny, Titus and I recently ate lunch at a Wahoo’s a quirky taco chain downtown. One to respect imperatives, I noticed the draft by the check out commanding that I, “DRINK PINK DRINK”.
What is Pink Drink? A prickly pear soda locally bottled by none other than the Maine Root Beer Company. My yummy experience with the Maine Root Beer at last summer’s farmers’ market was enough to convince me to give Pink Drink a try.
“What do you think of Pink Drink?” I asked the guy at check out.
“Here, taste a sample,” he said. “I’m a big fan. It’s sweet without the sugar crash.”
The prickly pears deliver in Pink Drink. Slightly sweet, slightly tart, with a good kick of fizz – this drink is yummo!
So do what you’re told and DRINK PINK DRINK.
Tags: Maine Root Beer Company, Pink Drink, Prickly Pears
Posted by Sara on May 25, 2009 in
Texas,
Travel I am a huge Dr Pepper fan. I simply cannot get enough of that good stuff.
Did you know Dr Pepper hails from the great state of Texas? Since I’m such a loyal customer, I decided it was time to make the pilgrimage to Waco to pay homage to the bubbly goodness at the Dr Pepper History Museum.
Kenny defected from Dr Pepper to Diet Pepsi a few years ago. Turncoat that he is, he agreed to accompany Titus and me on this spur-of-the-moment adventure.
The museum is a fun little outing.
There is a replica of the old drugstore where the drink was originally concocted in the 1800’s.
The original soda fountain bar is on display.
There are old bottling machines from the early bottling plants.
An artisan water well supplied water to the original factory in Waco. It was covered up in the 1920’s. When the old factory was restored to become the Dr Pepper museum, archaeology students from the nearby Baylor University excavated the well. Archaeology in action right here in Texas – wow! That’s something.
Our favorite part of the museum was a theater showing all the old Dr Pepper commercials. We laughed and laughed at those quippy ads.
We declined a Dr Pepper from the soda fountain and headed to happy hour at Sonic for our Dr Pepper fix. My friend Shelby says we missed the museum’s best offering – the original syrup mixed the traditional soda fountain style.
Maybe next time…
Tags: Dr Pepper, Dr Pepper History Museum
Posted by Sara on Apr 7, 2009 in
Restaurant Reviews,
Texas Texan’s are serious about their BBQ, and Cooper’s in Llano is reported to be one of the best in Texas.
My oh my, it is yummy.
Tender smoked meat, a peppery rub and a spicy hot BBQ sauce tart with vinegar – how can you go wrong with that combination?
INSTRUCTIONS FOR EATING AT COOPER’S
1. Wait in the line snaking outside the door.
2. Chat with the strangers next to you in line. Chances are their story is more interesting than your own.
3. Pick your own meat right off the smoker.
4. Load up with beans, white bread, onions and jalapenos from the bars of complementary sides.
5. Sit at the picnic tables inside with your new friends from the line. Add a few more strangers to the table for more lively conversation.
6. Enjoy!
P.S. Heed the warning: don’t forget to bus your spot when you’re finished.
Tags: Cooper's BBQ, Llano
Posted by Sara on Apr 6, 2009 in
Texas,
Travel A simple hour’s drive west to Texas Hill Country transports us from our day-to-day ho-hum, to a romantic world of rocky cliffs, scrubby cactus and longhorn ranches.
We are at peak season for the Texas bluebonnets and Saturday we drove a loop from Burnet to Lampasis to Llano in search of these wild wonders.
After an afternoon of driving we stopped in the charming little town of Llano.
The Llano River cuts through the heart of this town, and a bridge connects the otherwise divided downtown.
As we walked the pedestrian sidewalk on the bridge, a hot spring sun beat down on us, and we envied the people swimming and splashing in the river.
I perused several of the cute antique shops. Kenny protected the merchandise from Titus’ curiosity.
Have I mentioned that I love the Texas Hill Country?
Tags: Hill Country, Llano
