…and more wine! I had the loveliest of evenings at Kini and Heidi’s Annual Mayfest Wine Tasting Contest and Sipping Party. Their Austin home is nothing short of magnificent and the perfect venue for all of their famous soirees.
One of Austin’s most beautiful yards
Hosts with the most!
My scintillating Sicilian wine was the winner in the red category
No whining here!
Hoping to always be on Heidi and Kini’s guest list…Austin LOVE to all, Lisa
Surrounded by the Lost Pines Forest and situated on the banks of the Colorado River, is the oh-so-very-charming town of Bastrop, Texas. Only a short thirty mile ride southeast of Austin, this quaint town has existed since 1804, when it was first established as a fort by Spanish soldiers. It was formally established in 1834 by Stephen F. Austin and named in honor of the Baron de Bastrop, a longtime friend who had previously attempted to settle a German colony on the site.
Strolling in Historic Bastrop is like stepping back in time
Easy to see why Bastrop is known as “The Most Historic Small Town in Texas”. I barely scratched the surface during my two visits this week. Immediately, I fell head over heels in love with the historical area with its inviting antique shops, art galleries and down home restaurants. I had the good fortune of dining at Maxine’s on Main Street, which was truly an gastronomical experience unto itself. My blueberry pancake was incredible and nibbles off of fellow diners’ plates proved they are deserving of many more visits by moi!
Very close to Bastrop and also settled on the banks of the Colorado River is the expansive 400 acre Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa. This very Texan and secluded resort has so many amenities: tennis, golf, award winning spa, hiking, horseback riding, lazy river, and sparkling pools, including the one below with a beach.
Love the Hyatt Lost Pine’s beach pool
Delectable Texas goat cheese BLT at the Hyatt Lost Pines Pioneer Wheel restaurant
As much as I adored Bastrop, the best part of my two-too-brief visits there was fun times spent with my fabulous Austin friends. Austin LOVE to them and you, Lisa
Day trip with Austin besties
Didn’t know this was on my bucket list…but CHECK! After a brief hesitation, I joined Nina and Zack for this exhilarating thrill ride. We booked with Lake Travis Zipline Adventures. All we did was show up and they took care of the rest with VIP attention to every detail! 
After a brief boat ride and orientation, we geared up in our harnesses, helmets and trollies and hiked (whew!) up to the first of five different ziplines.
Geared up and ready to fly!
Imagine jumping off a 20 story high platform and flying over treetops and magnificent Lake Travis at speeds of 45 miles per hour for a half mile! Our 2 1/2 hour adventure included five ziplines that ranged from 250 to over 2,000 feet. The final 20 story zipline is the biggest in Texas, third in the country and ninth in the world! Can’t say that I mastered the zipping technique as easily as Zack and Nina. I had more than a couple of rocky (and missed!) landings. What we didn’t catch on video was my unintentional gainer flip on the landing of my last zipline! Our guides had never seen such a feat performed. Come fly with us in my short zipline action movie:
We were blessed with the most talented guides: Chris and China. They have been with Lake Travis Zipline Adventures since its opening last summer. Not only ultra professional, they were incredibly warm and friendly. We bonded with them immediately. We were especially in awe of China’s battle cries and Chris’ videotaping skills while zipping down the line. If you decide to have your own spine tingling zipline escapade, be sure to request their services. You won’t be disappointed. Thanks guys for a Lake Travis encounter we will always remember! Austin LOVE to all, Lisa
Super guides China and Chris
There’s a new tour in town…the West Austin Studio Art Tour! This self documenting Austin newbie was thrilled when she was invited to tag along with Robert and Meredy on this inaugural tour that celebrates a wide array of talent in Austin’s diverse and creative art community. They are such wonderful friends!
Meredy and her man, Robert
The cool thing about this self-guided tour was the opportunity to visit artists at work in their own studios vs. a gallery. We visited home studios of sculptors, painters, mosaic tilers and photographers right in our own neighborhood and beyond. Regrettably, we were only able to visit a small fraction of the art exhibited by of over 200 artists participating in this two day event.
I loved the mosaic tile works at this studio:
I would love to look in this mirror every morning…
AMAZING mosaic tile floor!
This studio even had a mermaid performance the evening before our visit. Our friends, Kini and Heidi, caught the act and captured this photo:
I thought this working pizza oven, made by a nearby sculptor with an inspirational studio and garden, was quite fabulous!
My tour highlight was visiting the home of our friend and fellow book club member, Terri St. Arnault and her husband, Frank Yezer. Their Platinum Portraits and Fine Art Photography studio was lovingly showcased. Terri and Frank have over fifty years of combined photography experience and process their own black and white prints. They even mix their own chemicals and coat papers for their platinum prints.
Terri and Frank
Terri and Frank’s most recent projects involve unique woven photographs that are hand-coated platinum on 100% cotton rag paper. Each finished product requires two prints that are woven to produce unique and wonderful works of art. In this photo, Terri is describing the intricate process involved to create these fascinating images.
Meredy is an accomplished artist in her own right and will soon begin construction of a studio in her new home. Bet I will be visiting her house on next year’s tour! I can’t wait. Austin LOVE to all, Lisa
The Omelettry has been an institution in Austin since opening on Burnet St. in 1978. You know when you walk in that many of the customers are regulars and that the restaurant is still run by family. My kind of place! And LOVE that it is right around the corner from our home.
Of course, omelets take center stage. My favorite so far is the mushroom (sautéed with wine over cheese!) omelet. My most recent order was the guacamole one:
Yummy guacamole omelette!
Many more omelet varieties on the menu. Thinking of trying the chile con queso one next. That is unless, I fall off our Sugar Busters diet and order the sinful gingerbread pancakes! Haven’t made it there for lunch yet, but the menu looks very inviting.
And don’t forget:
…and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.” Mark Twain
Yet another perk of being Paul’s wife…I am now a member of his Austin book club! This is quite an honor as this book club has been meeting for over 20 years. This week we met to discuss two great books: Land of Lincoln by Andrew Ferguson and Too Loud a Solitude by Czechlosavakian author, Bohumil Hrabal.
The member who makes the book(s) selection also hosts the gathering. This month it was Mary Baughman. To set the tone, she baked Abe’s favorite cake and served Czech beer (along with other delish nibbles and libations) to accompany the scintillating discussion!
Mary with Abe’s favorite almond cake
Unfortunately, we will be in Saigon for the March meeting. The book selection is Cutting for Stone which I read for my Saigon book club. Easily, one of my best reads last year. As Paul and I are hosting the April meeting, we get to choose a great book to share. Suggestions welcome! Austin LOVE to all, Lisa
P.S. You may have noticed that I have learned how to insert links in my posts! If you want to learn more about the books mentioned above, check these out.
Land of Lincoln: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/22/books/22book.html
Too Loud a Solitude: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Too_Loud_a_Solitude
Cutting for Stone: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3591262-cutting-for-stone
A few years ago, before I started dating Paul, he sent me photos of his Austin bathroom floor. I have to admit that at the time I thought it was a wee bit “weird”. I mean who tiles their bathroom floor with a map of Saigon? Maybe a creative engineer who loves Saigon? I have since revised my opinion…it is truly an astounding work of art:
Layout of Saigon street map…to scale!
Cutting and installing the tile
Four months later…a finished masterpiece!
Picasso once said, “Everything you can imagine is real.” Since reuniting with my Pablo, my most beautiful imaginations have become a reality. Thank you for being my valentine, sweetie. I love you.
