Austin on the water…on Wordfree Wednesday

Posted on December 3, 2014 by Lindsay S

A walk along the boardwalk, at sunset.A chance to see some beautiful autumn color…

And watch the sunlight illuminate the buildings.

We couldn’t help watching these beautiful spiders spinning webs along the railings…

Or trying to figure out why there were belts on the handrail along the board walk…

But in the end, we kept coming back to the view…

If you haven’t checked out the new boardwalk, please do! It’s stroller/dog/kid friendly, and the perspective on the city is beautiful.

Twin Lakes Park on Wordfree Wednesday

Posted on October 16, 2013 by Lindsay S

Let me be clear…I am not a desert rat. Anyone who knows me, knows I need to be around water to be truly happy. Flowing, splashing water. Which is why I was thrilled when we found Twin Lakes Park in Cedar Park….I could say more, but since this is Wordfree Wednesday, I will let the images tell the story.

Wordfree Wednesday Heads to Zilker Park

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Lindsay S

Loving this new side of Ais4Austin, with the daily themes! And today is the first edition of Wordfree Wednesday. And so, without further ado, I bring you Austin’s Zilker Park!

Is that a….

Zilker Botanical Gardens invite you to build a Faerie House and Garden

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Lindsay S

Calling all lovers of imagination and whimsy! Zilker Botanical Gardens is inviting you to design and build your very own Faerie House and Garden, in Zilker Park!

That’s what I discovered when I was playing around online, looking for cool images to pin to my Secret Garden Pinterest board. So of course, we had to head over on Sunday to check this out. Could it be? Could we really indulge our creativity and my love of all things Faerie and magical and build an actual space in the garden for everyone to see? (Okay, so I’m an overgrown kid…everyone who knows me already knows that!)

Yes! It’s true! It turns out that I had stumbled on the very First Annual Faerie Home and Garden competition in Austin. We went to the free workshop on Sunday, and learned some Faerie lore (for instance, did you know that every time a flower blooms, a Faerie is born? News to me!) We also got a chance to talk to the people in charge of the whole series of Faerie-focused events at Zilker Botanical Garden now through May. (The poster for the events is below, or you can download the Fairy poster PDF to print yourself.)

Anyone can enter the competition to build their very own fairy house and garden (and yes, our family is already registered!). The fee is $25 for families and $45 for designers and architects. In return, you get a 4′ by 4′ space to construct your own vision of a fairy dwelling.

The rules are simple. You’ll be assigned a space in the garden. You have to construct the dwelling using natural materials gathered from the designated area of the garden, or from your own home or favorite natural spots. You can build a home, add furniture (made of twigs and other natural materials faeries are likely to find, or you can create an entire faerie wonderland with multiple buildings. The choice is up to you and your family!

The masterpieces go on display in March (with setup the weekend of March 9th) , and will be in the garden until May. The deadline for registering is February 9th. Download the forms from the Zilker site, then mail or fax in your registration and fee.

I was so excited, I’ve already gone to Michael’s to buy a little fairy figure to use as the scale for our creation! And it’s not just me. My daughter started her sketches for the furnishings, and my husband has been brainstorming design ideas to keep our creation true to fairy-lore. This is going to be fun!

Dog-friendly Austin welcomes Great Outdogs, a mobile dog supply truck

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Lindsay S

In the land of food trucks and pet-friendly businesses, I probably shouldn’t be surprised that someone decided to combine the two to create Austin’s first mobile dog supply truck. After all, we all love Austin’s food trucks, so why should our pups be left out of the fun?

So I was happy when I discovered Great Outdogs, the brain-child of Austin entrepreneur Matt Edwards. “I had the website for awhile,” he said, “and this was the dream, to take outdoor dog supplies to the places where dogs play.” Then a serendipitous discovery of the perfect truck made it possible. “I found the truck, spent a few weeks making it over, and here I am.”

We met Matt at the off-leash dog park across from the Long Center while we were waiting for the Boxer Meetup to start. The truck really is a one-stop shop for dog lovers who enjoy Austin’s outdoors with their pets. There were leashes, collars, toys, treats, water bowls, and of course, a good selection of dog waste bags ( a must-have for all of us owned by a dog or two!) He even had safety flotation vests in all dog sizes for people planning on taking their pups out on the river. In fact, his truck offers over 1,300 eco-friendly, pet-friendly and budget-friendly dog items.

Matt’s truck can be found most days at the Auditorium Shores off-leash park, although he said he has plans to create a schedule for visiting several dog parks in the future.

This unique truck may be destined for great things…Matt told me the Statesman had just published a story on his business, and he had been interviewed by local Austin TV station KVUE. That’s great for his fledgling mobile business — and for dogs like mine who are already enjoying some of his great products.