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Saturday, December 31, 2011

Ring in the New Year

Whew.  A bit of a hiatus there.  I hadn't quite realized how much I had overextended myself until decamping to Texas for some serious sitting around.  There I had all sorts of unrealized ambitious plans to read and get caught up, visit some local Crossfits, answer some emails, etc.  I did very little at all besides the holiday stuff, a handful of morning runs, and reading some fiction.  Since the whole family was recovering from a steady onslaught of viral preschool nastiness that began before Thanksgiving, I sorely needed the rest.  A very mild but persistent case of walking pneumonia had settled in, so it was nice to take it easy and finally get well.

In the midst of the sitting around, I was able to visit two Austin "real food" restaurants, Hudson's on the Bend (where I had rattlesnake cakes - not gluten-free but very tasty, and Hudson's has several gluten-free options) and Foreign and Domestic (steak and pigs brains.  I have to say the brains at Animal were better, but the steak at F&D was fabulous, the yogurt with dill sauce sublime, and the atmosphere quintessential Austin).  I'm told the Noble Pig is also excellent (though it is a sandwich restaurant).

One of Lance Armstrong's yellow jerseys at Hudson's on the Bend
Pig brains and huckleberries
   
Yogurt with dill sauce
Perhaps the most ambitious thing I did all week was to go to the rail yard for the Austin Steam Train Association.  We were able to get a behind the scenes tour, and the kids were thrilled (kids love trains,  as do the adults at the Austin Steam Train Association).   


At this point I have numerous articles and a large stack of books waiting to be read.  I'm hoping that without my class, my schedule will be a bit more forgiving.  You never know what will turn up, however, and the backlog of emails and to-dos--formidable!

4 comments:

  1. Love the food porn shots! Would like to go have a bit of those pig brains!

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  2. Oh dear. I fear my book is on your To-Do list. The good news is that it's a "folksy" easy read. I'm so glad you got some R & R in. Thanks for the great pictures!

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  3. I'm sorry you missed the Salt Lick Barbecue in Dripping Springs.

    God, I hope it's still there!

    -Steve

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  4. Toni - yes, your book is on the to-do list - about three tomes down from the top :-). I'm finishing the first right now, which is "Sex at Dawn."

    Steve - I was born and raised in Austin and have been to the Salt Lick many times - they now have a franchise all sorts of places including the airport, along with other Austin classics such as Schlotzky's (http://www.schlotzskys.com/) and Amy's Ice Cream. In fact, it is my considered opinion that the Austin airport has the best airport food anywhere. Now, my father takes us to some old fashioned barn-style BBQ joints in Taylor and the boondocks… always yummy and always worth the drive.

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