The Singing Christmas Tree

Here's an idea for next year's Christmas events… Join a production of your local singing Christmas Tree (like the Francis family!) or go watch one (our family!)

Here are 2 videos of the actual show of the 2008 Bannockburn Singing Christmas Tree. This year's presentation was even better than last year's! Enjoy!

Apparently, this Singing Christmas tree is a well-know tradition here in the U.S. So here are some other videos which clearly show that the choir is ON the tree! And how to construct a singing Christmas Tree for those of you, aspiring producers of next year's Christmas shows!

Do you have a video of your favorite singing Christmas tree? Or perhaps any Christmas shows? If so, feel free to drop the link in the comments below.

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It's Beginning To Look Like Christmas!

… even before the oh-so-rare Texan snowfall last Tuesday night!

Dripping Springs, TX (yes, that's the name of our small town) had its Christmas Bazaar last weekend and we checked it out. Not too many booths like the Founder's Day event but there are interesting things to see like:

• Ball décors with the Texas flag designs (Yup, Texans are proud!)
  
• Christmas clothes with Texas map shape designs (… really proud!)
  
• Carriage which Santa's supposed to ride on
  
• Mini-horse dressed like a reindeer :)
  
• Chandelier made out of elk/deer horns
  
• Wood furnitures
  

And of course, there were food booths and live music (after all, live music capital Austin is just a stone throw away) entertaining the bazaar-goers. Not much to see or do, really. So we did not linger much and then off we go...

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Yes, Virginia... There is Snow in Austin!

Snow, snow, snow... Oh, at last! I would have never believed them Texans had I not seen it with mine own two eyes.



It's official then... Austin indeed has a winter season :) Just a little bit more snow would be fun!

But not too much though ... don't want to resurrect the snow shovel from Boise, ID!

Meanwhile, see other Austinites' going-gaga photos of the rare snowfall! 

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Fall 2008 Pictorials

2006 is when we had our last Fall pictorials and that was in Boise, Idaho. Fall 2007 was an extremely busy time for us because of our relocation to Austin, Texas - so no photos then. So this year 2008, we've done it again!

Last Friday, we went to the McKinney Falls State Park. There was a bit of color to the autumn leaves but not as much as there are in Idaho or in the East Coast. Perhaps if we went there earlier, there would be more leaves and more colors. Still, it's a pretty place!

Some things to remember when taking group portraits in parks:

1. Choose clothes colors that contrast well with the surroundings lest you blend in with it totally. Remember the chameleon? Surely, you don't want that effect, right?
2. Color coordinate the clothes of everyone in the party. Coordinate the shoes as well. The group will look more "together" if they have the same color scheme.
3. Use solid colored clothes - no prints, no patterns - since the natural surroundings already provide the texture. Also, the prints and patterns draws attention from the face.
4. Men - you do need powder so that you don't look shiny :)
5. Women - wear some lipstick! The redder, the better. (I should follow this tip :) )
6. Eat a good meal before the pictorials or bring food. A full stomach brings brighter smiles :)

Of course, it goes without saying that you need to check the weather and do reconnaissance of the place for good locations even before the actual pictorial date!

I'm sure you have good tips, too. Any tip to add to my list?

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Cannoli Joe's

For a year now, we have been planning to dine at Cannoli Joe's in South Austin, but somehow, Buffet Palace always wins out. I see it often when I go through Ben White Blvd/290/71. Al has dined there a couple of times courtesy of the big company (or is it from the boss' wallet?) and says he likes it, but not for everyday meals. So, I was intrigued...

So finally, we have an excuse to check it out (Hi, Tita Rory!).

After church last Sunday, we all met up at Cannoli Joe's and here is my "review":

FOOD
It was buffet style, aka smorgasbord...

Anyway, food was okay - the different pasta dishes were tasty, the grilled vegetables were good, the salads were okay,too. Different from our everyday fare, but nothing really spectacular. Lots of oil - olive oil, I guess, since Italian cuisine is known for that.

I tried the cannoli for dessert because that's what the place is named after... and was disappointed. I really do not know what a good cannoli tastes like but that did not taste great by any standard.

On the other hand, I may not be reviewing the food fairly because I avoided the meat section because of the meat-heavy meal on Saturday night. I didn't see any shrimp, fish or any seafood though. Maybe that means, I have to go back and try them once more :)

And we are not wine people, so I have nothing to say regarding that.

The good thing is that you don't have to order and wait long for your food to arrive.

AMBIANCE
Very nice place... the waiting area was large, warm and interesting. The bar was near the entrance and there were plenty of partitioned dining areas which made the place feel cozy.

The dishes are displayed in what looked like street stands. (It reminded me of Street Life in Glorietta - is that place still there?)

Got this clip from YouTube to give you an idea what it looks like inside...

STAFF
The Front person, the Waitress and even the Accordionist were friendly and accomodating.


PRICE
Sunday Brunch costs $13.99 for adults and $5.99 for kids under 12 years old. Not cheap.

Tita Rory and Tristan said that for the food we ate, it would have been probably less expensive to eat at Buca Di Beppo because they serve family-style. Hmmm... maybe next time, we'll try that place :)



Heard of either Italian restaurants? Care to share your experience?

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A Real "Cops" Moment

Last Wednesday, I was in such a hurry since I was already late for a get-together with the ladies in town... and I still had to drop off Daddy Ely at Josh's house... and I still had to pick up my "secret" Asian food :) for the Asian get-together theme.

It should have served as a warning to me when I saw a big truck being ticketed a few meters from the subdivision entrance.

But of course, I was so deep in my thoughts about calculating how fast I should drive on the backroads to minimize my tardiness.

Then as I approached the 20mph zone while running at 35 mph, I saw 2 motorcycle cops... 1 of them followed after me. No siren, no flashing lights. Phew!!!

But a few meters later, I noticed his flashing lights. At first, I was confused whether it was me. Aaaarrrgggghhhh!!!! But of course it was me since there are not other cars in the immediate vicinity. Panic!!!

So I pulled over and this is how my conversation with Officer S. Lucio went:

RELA: Good morning, officer.
OFFICER: Good morning, ma'am. Did you know that you were running at 55 on a 40 zone?

RELA: Ahhhh... not really...
OFFICER: May I have your driver's license and insurance please?

RELA: (Pulls DL and insurance and gives them to officer.)
OFFICER: (Checks the docs.) Do you still live in William Cannon Drive?

RELA: No, officer, I no longer live there. I live over yonder (no I did not use that word :) )
OFFICER: Since when have you moved?

RELA: About 10 months ago...
OFFICER: Okay, I will explain this to you later. (Goes back to his motorcycle, pulls out his folder and starts scribbling.)

RELA: (Thinking to self - Oh, no! My insurance premium will go up! I will pay for the speeding ticket - more expenses! Just when I am in a hurry, I end up being more late! I should have trusted my instinct earlier to drive within limits! I should have heeded my own mantra of "better alive and late than dead and on time")
OFFICER: (Comes back to the driver's seat area.)

RELA: Is there forgiveness here, officer? (Takes off shades, bats eyelashes... no, I did not do that...despite the "desperation".)
OFFICER: I will explain this to you...

RELA: (Thinking to self - Sounds hopeful!!!)
OFFICER: I will give you a citation for speeding as a warning only. Otherwise, the fine will be steep.

RELA: Thank you, officer!
OFFICER: As for your driver's licence, you will need to call the Judge before Nov 20. Before you do that, have your DL changed to your current address so that when you call they will dismiss it and will just charge you $10. (Only!!! Dance of joy!!! Anyway, I forgot what the $10 was really for, perhaps for processing fee or something like that???)

RELA: Thank you very much, officer!
OFFICER: You're welcome, ma'am. Drive safely.

So that is my first real "COPS" moment. I am just so grateful that I did not get a speeding ticket!

Praise God for being in control even in this small detail of my life!

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Where Do I Park the Boat?

Perhaps, here?

Really, I did not know that these places exist!

Actually, it is not a boat parking. It is actually the storage of rental boats of Aquaholics.

Anyhow, the Director of Al's department sponsored an outing in Lake Travis on a barge. According to Al, they anchored at some place in the Lake and they started jumping out of the barge to play in the water. (Al did not though.) Beware the water snake! Yikes!!!

Meanwhile, Al discovered that Aquaholics also rent out pontoons (small boat with "balancers" on each side of the boat) for about $65/hour. So one of these days, we will go.

I am not very comfortable with it though... no one among us have done it before. Although our neighbor said it was easy to control and navigate. But what if the pontoon tips over? (that's why it has balancers!) What if there are water snakes? what if???

Any of you tried this already? Send me tips (aside from the sunblock and the life vest)...

Anyhow, I'm sure I'll get over those. And when we eventually go, you will see the photos here too!

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Everything's Bigger In Texas! (Part 2)

Ready for the North side of the Texas Capitol?

Unassuming grounds, right?

Wait till you find out that under these grounds are 4 floors of the Capitol Extension carved from solid rock and built in 1993 to the tune of 667,000 square feet area. That's about 200-300 houses worth of space!!! Underneath. the. ground. Visitors are only allowed to 2 floors, so I guess there's some secrets going on in the other 2 floors...

So let's look at the same picture again, but this time with a fresh eyes and
with the picture annotated:
Let's take a closer look at those 3 places in the Capitol Extension - the Open-Air Rotunda, the Skylights and the Elevator Pavilion...

From the inside of the Capitol Extension, this is what it looks like.

And you can see the dome from one of the skylights.

In the Open-Air Rotunda, there are more stars...

From there, you can see the dome as well.

And yes, this is just an Elevator Pavilion!

The roof is similar to the roof of the main Texas Capitol.
And the railing also has the ubiquitous star of Texas.

And even the elevator doors has them, too!

And here we are... goofing around at the Elevator Pavilion

Anyway, I could put more in here but then I would be stealing the script of the Texas Capitol tour guides. :)

So let me share my impressions and what pleasantly surprised me about the Texas Capitol:
- Although the Capitol is big, it is not ostentatious. (True!)
- The thoughtful marriage of the classic Capitol and modern Extension architectures. There seems to be a beautiful balance achieved here.
- The very detailed treatment of spaces, furnishings and fixtures. With all the stars and symbols of Texas all over the place, it is still tastefully decorated (except for the ballrooms chambers... but I guess I never was really a fan of solid oak and walnut and velvet draperies.).
- The strategic framing of grand views all throughout.

This has been a long post, so let me end with a few more trivia about the Texas Capitol:
- It is the largest State Capitol building.
- It is 15 feet (or 5 meters) higher than the National Capitol in Washington DC

Things are really BIGGER in Texas!

Hope you enjoyed the trip! Let me know that you visited by leaving me a comment!

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Everything's Bigger In Texas!

This could have been another great post last week when the Blog Around The World (BATW) ladies were visiting as I was showcasing Texas. But oh well... we just visited the Texas Capitol last Saturday and I got all excited about blogging about it. It's a shame to keep this post until the BATW ladies come back, so I hope you enjoy this new Texas treat!!!

Let me tour you around the Texas Capitol - home of the Texas Governor's office, Senate and Representative Chambers - which was built in 1888.

If you are a bird, this is probably how the Texas Capitol grounds looks like:

But since I'm very sure that you are not a bird, you will definitely go in walking at one of the entrances. :)

If you go in from the main entrance, this is what will greet you in the South Foyer:
No, no... not Mamang Luisa, the kneeling lady. Instead, it is the corridor whose terrazzo floors list the 12 battles fought on Texas soil.

Further in is the Rotunda which is also a Whispering Gallery. Stand in the middle of the star and whisper... and hear your own words much louder as the walls echo it back to you. This is really, really cool!


And since there are paintings of the past Texas governors and presidents of the Republic hung on the walls around the Rotunda, you can actually talk to them govs (including Dubya "W") while you are in the middle and no one would know you are talking to them!

Look up and you will see the that the ceiling of the dome has a star and letters around it spelling out Texas. The star is supposed to be 8 feet in length while each of the letters that spell out Texas is 15 inches long.

Here are the Texas Senate Chambers...
and the Texas House of Representatives Chamber:

which looked more like ballrooms than chambers with their fancy ceilings, chandeliers and solid wood furnishings.

Here's some trivia.... Look where more Texas and its star symbols are peppered inside the building...



I better cut this post into 2 as this has gotten to be a longggg post. So....

Come back tomorrow for the pleasant surprises at the North side of the Texas Capitol!!!

Meanwhile, tell me if you stuck around to the end of this post by leaving me a comment. If not, I would think that you were like the bird in the first photo who just flew by...

See you tomorrow!

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Welcome to Texas!

I felt strange saying that... having been here for some time but still just less than a year. Oh well, I in Texas now, so let me try that one more time and give you a proper Texan welcome...



Blog Around The World guests! I think you know US history and how Texas came about better than I do so I'll probably avoid that. Perhaps the other Texan bloggers will cover that. :)

Instead, let's just have a little Texan geography here and hear towns called Turkey and ranches called Deep Sh*t:

Isn't YouTube great? I would have not known of that song if it wasn't for YouTube (and of course, the maker of the clip who travelled 10,641 miles so that I do not have to!).

I dug more on the song "I've Been Everywhere" and it seems that it has been adapted to a lot of places - the original being in Australia.

Anyway, I digress. Let me continue with my welcome ...

Just to make sure that the previous clip did not give you the impression of Texas being just all roads, here's a Tribute to Texas:


Anyway, I live in Austin - the capital city of Texas. But I have to admit I am beyond city limits where you see miles and miles of live oaks, cedar and pecan trees; and where you see large birds always flying above. The Hill Country, as Texans lovingly say.

Anyhow, Austin is also the "music capital of the world". That's where you get all that live music shown in PBS :) And on the last weekend of this month, the Austin City Limits Music Festival is on!!!

If you cannot make it, here are some photos of the 10-feet guitars around town which were installed as public art last year. They were made by local artists, sponsored by companies and signed by supposedly well-known folks!

There are supposedly 50 of them but I have 35 here only. (I hope I don't get into trouble pulling these stuff from the net!)

And here's a sampling of Austin places to go visit!


Meanwhile, enjoy a little taste of Texas today and come back soon!

Did I just day little? That's not acceptable in Texas, so...

Get a BIG taste of Texas today!

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105 Steps to Mt Bonnell

Another scenic place to check out in Austin... Mt Bonnell is the highest accessible peak in Austin. It overlooks a part of lake.

Not sure which lake it is - Town Lake? Lake Austin? Lake Travis? Oh wait, I'll check...

Ahh, Lake Austin. They're not really separate lakes - they're all part of the Colorado river that meanders through Austin. I guess they call them lakes because they are partitioned by dams? Maybe...

Anyhow, we were there at about 7:00 pm last Thursday and the stairs were covered with the shadow of the surrounding trees, so it was comfortable - not as hot as we thought. The climb (or should I say walk) was an easy 105 steps on a decent stairs, complete with handrail.

Great views of the lake, the houses on the lake and the city.


Best to come here with a picnic basket early in the morning!

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Who Knew Facepainting is Soooo In Demand?

The church did facepainting first at the Dripping Springs' Founder's Day. Then we did it again at the Dripping Springs' Fourth of July Celebration, like I mentioned in yesterday's post on the fireworks.

The facepainting team worked with no break from 6:30-8:30pm on a long line of customers until it was dark and even after the fireworks already started.

Check out the many, cute painted faces below - the butterflies, the flags, Spiderman, kitty-cats, the leopard, the in-demand dragons and even yellow skeletons (hahaha!!!)



It's fun! Maybe you can do facepainting on your next event too - or maybe at your child's birthday party? What you'll need is just materials and designs.

Materials - you can just search "face paint" from these websites:

• S&S Worldwide - Free shipping on order $49+. Use coupon code W2437 during checkout. Valid until 12/31/2008.


• Oriental Trading - Free shipping on order $60+. Use coupon code rls 100 during checkout. Valid until 10/4/2008.


• Kuzsports

Designs - here are sampling of resources:

• There are 11 free designs at Face Painting Designs


• There are 40++ for sale designs at Easy Face Painting and lots of tips.


• More tips at Face Painting Tips.

Enjoy!

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How Did You Celebrate the Fourth of July?

We celebrated the 4th of July with a small town feel in Dripping Springs, TX. We were in the Sportsplex early at 6:30 pm because the church has a publicity tent where Al joined the facepainting team. (More on facepainting tomorrow!)

Anyway, here is the video I caught of the firework's last stretch:


That was the end of the $11,000-worth of fireworks!!! Not too bad for small-town Dripping Springs, huh?

We actually really liked the small-town feel of the celebration though. The Sportsplex had plenty of space for all the people who came. We were seated on our camp chairs and the fireworks were just above us! No jostling for position to see the fireworks.

The only thing I missed was that there was no interesting architecture to get fireworks pictures or silhouette with.

We met a couple of folks who were actually from Austin or the other nearby cities like Wimberly and Johnson City. For the Austin folks, it was a good alternative to the traffic galore of downtown Austin's celebration. For the visitors from other nearby cities, their own cities did not have the fireworks celebration.

How about you? How did you celebrate the 4th?

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Austin Town Lake Bike and Hike Trail

Finally used my "new" bike at the Austin Town Lake Bike and Hike Trail last Saturday. Al and I met up with Joey there. We covered about 4 miles only but it was a good exercise both for the body and the "soul". It felt great being outdoors biking, with the wind on my face while enjoying the view.

The Town Lake trail is a beautiful place - lots of canopied trees, with clear views of and access to the waters, with the city skyline in the background. Reminds me of the Boise River and greenbelt where June and I trained (partly) for the Robie Creek Marathon in 2006 - without the skyline view. The trees are different too - most of the trees in Boise were cottonwood. I do not exactly know what the trees are in the Austin Town Lake trails but I suspect, there are a lot of live oaks (I think!).

Check out our route through the Town Lake trails!

View Larger Map

There were plenty of people on the trails and an eclectic bunch at that! From babies to grandparents, from the midriff/chest-baring buffs to the modestly-dressed folks, from different races as well. I was surveying (in my head) what the most common activities were at the Town Lake trail and they are in this order - walking (briskly), running, strolling, biking, kids playing on the sides, and there was even one man sitting atop a retaining wall, playing the guitar, singing and greeting passers-by!

One common thing though seems to be that everyone came out to enjoy the nice weather - warm, overcast, comfortable! Even the turtles!!! Check them out in the slideshow below :)


On the Austin Town Lake waters, it was exciting to see vigorous rowers and relaxed kayakers at different places. Rowing looks hard but I would like to do both in the future!

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To Market, To Market...

Aside from Walmart, where else can we do groceries in Austin?

1. There is H-E-B which has a location in the cross-street of our apartment complex and a location in Circle C - where we want to get a house. Wonder what H-E-B stands for? Here is an excerpt from Wiki

"H.E. Butt Grocery Company (abbreviated H-E-B) is a privately held San Antonio, Texas-based supermarket chain with over 300 stores throughout Texas and northern Mexico. H-E-B ranked No. 11 on Forbes' 2006 list of "America's Largest Private Companies" based on 2005 revenue of $12.4 billion.^[1] Supermarket News ranked H-E-B No. 14 in the 2007 "Top 75 North American Food Retailers" based on 2006 fiscal year estimated sales of $12.4 billion.^[2] Based on 2005 revenues, H-E-B is the twenty-seventh largest retailer in the United States.^[3]"

2. There is Central Market - which is supposed to be owned by H-E-B also and an answer to Whole Foods (see below). It's supposed to be an upscale version of H-E-B. The aroma in the store actually reminds me of Boise coop. The Lamar location has a restaurant with a patio and a playground for kids. There is actually another location just a block away from us which we have not checked out yet.

3. Then there is Whole Foods - which is headquartered in Austin. (They've got this beautiful building downtown!) Whole food specializes with organic and natural products. When you walk into their store, the pastries, the deli and the salad bar greets you and entices you to sample and buy. I made a mistake once of buying their grilled wild salmon and paid $$$ (greater than $20!) for it! I have learned now that I can get by with soup and bread for less than $5.

4. Up north, there is MT Supermarket - a big Asian food and goods wholesaler. Methinks it is actually mainly a Vietnamese supermarket. It was funny seeing the Filipino and Japanese food under "international" section! It is a large store, easily as big as Walmart (not the supercenter). It's just over a year old so the store is very clean!

MT Supermarket

See more at www.mtsupermarket.com.

5. Just near AMD is the Cebuana Filipino Store. It is a small store but the best things about it are: 1) it is near Al's workplace, so I could just ask him to drop by after work; 2) it carries Magnolia/Selecta ice cream and the commute is shorter (than MT Supermarket) so the it is not yet molten when Al arrives home; 3) they have frozen, clean ampalaya leaves, malunggay leaves, sili leaves and saluyut! The last item is very important to me since I don't have to clean them up and it does not rot (which has happened to me a lot in the past since for the fresh leaves, I sometimes feel lazy cleaning them up!)

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