I Love Austin
Suggested Listening...
It's true. I do.
A day in the life of my pygmy goats. Bahhhhh....
And I'm sure the rest of America is tired of hearing about it. It's on the lips of every Austin transplant, but you know what? You'll never understand until you walk a mile (or 7.25 miles, the length of the Barton Creek Greenbelt) in this city.
I'd just like to give you an example.
Today is Saturday, and a my buddy Steve and I decided we'd go out to the Greenbelt to try out some new photography equipment.
I woke up at 8am, it was 41º outside. I packed my things and drove 15 minutes from my house to the gloriously spectacular land of nature we Austinites proudly call the Greenbelt.
Here a map of where I took photos, and how many I took in each location. The "12" on the right represents home, and the 70 on the left show the you where the Greenbelt is.
It was chilly (if I were back home in Omaha I would say it was unseasonably warm), but nothing a thermal undershirt couldn't handle.
Breakfast was covered, as always, regardless of how late I'm running. Thanks to the authentic Mexican restaurant near my house that sets up outside with pre-made breakfast tacos, for a dollar. Win.
We parked, and entered, from the frontage road just west of Mopac.
By the time I gobbled down my tacos, three to be exact, I'd arrived at the Greenbelt. My buddy Steve arrives shortly after, and the three of use begin our hike (the third being Sid, but you've probably already assumed that).
Today, Steve and I were trying out different types of filters. So we had UV, polarizing and ND graduated filters. Here are a couple of the images captured using the filters.
Using a polarizing filter.
Using a polarizing filter and an ND filter.
Of course I had to snap a few shots of Sid...
And a few photos of Steve in action...
This is the side of Austin that SXSW, ACL and the rest of the Austin tourists never see. But it's the first place I'll try to take you if you come visit.
In my experience, there's nothing like it. Before I moved here, I had never visited Austin. I really knew nothing about it. When I discovered this area, along with Zilker Park and the other amazing natural springs that surround this city, I knew this was a place I'd be proud to call home.
Sid and I rarely go on walks anymore. We've replaced them with adventures.
I think he likes this a little better, so we'll probably be here a while!
Here's one more photomap of where my photos were taken.
And we're on our way home...
This is when the realization of how much I love this city really began to sink in, and provided me the motivation to make this post! Let me first refer you to the weather (I'm gloating), which was a bright and sunny 70º.
Below are photos of Sid. He was keeping an eye on things and stuff. Nothing of any importance, but image worthy never the less.
I'll be honest, the place I call home is really truly great. Living on the river is awesome.
Hold on, let me break to get a photo of the sunset really quick...
During this time of the year, our backyard is filled with migratory birds. Gorgeous cranes and humongous pelicans. It's truly a sight to behold. I recently purchased a nice telephoto lens, so i'll be creeping out birds on the reg.
:)
So I guess my point is, yeah, Austin's great. Plenty to do, plenty to see. Awesome people, and often it seems dogs outnumber humans (thumbs up).
But...
...dirty 6th will always be dirty, and we live in constant fear of drought. Because of these two reasons alone, please trust me when I say,