Manor Downs

We love to go to the horse track. That is one of the things we miss about the Dallas area. We found out that there is a small horse track in Manor, so we had to go. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles that Lone Star Park does, but the horses run around in circles just the same. It's almost like being at a minor league game. My husband won about $250 on an exacta, so he didn't seem to mind!

South By San Jose

The Small Stars at Jo's.

SXSW sort of

Here are pictures from concerts I went to this week. These are from Roky Erickson's Ice Cream Social. Favorites from this concert include Black Lips and Spoon.

Trail of Lights

The Trail of Lights at Zilker park is by far the most fantastic display of Christmas spirit that I have ever seen. Different companies from Austin sponsor or design a Christmas scene throughout the mile long trail. I took pictures of some of my favorite scenes and have the best ones on display. Some of my pictures were too dark.

One of my favorite displays was a bunch of handmade trees, each one with a different color lights. They had the music from Charlie Brown and the trees were synchronized to dance along with the music! It was awesome. I wish I could do something like that at my house! LOL!

Suprisingly, this is a free event. You can park at Waterloo Park for $5.00 and then take a shuttle for $2.00. We found a parking space in some fields behind the Chuy's and walked over there for free. At the end of the trail we found a mailbox where you can make a donation, so we supported the event that way!

I'm really sad that I waited so long to see it, because now it is over and I would have liked to have gone back several times!

Blue Genie Bazaar

The 6th annual Blue Genie Bazaar is going on right now. This is a free event, however once you get inside that all changes. This is located on Springdale street behind the Goodwill. You actually have to go in through the Goodwill entrance to find it in the back. If you drive past the Goodwill, you have gone too far. We found that out the hard way!

Inside you will find very unique items of art. There are several different artists displaying their artwork in a variety of ways. There were a few interesting things that I thought I might be interested in, but it in no way is there bargain basement prices. They are definitely proud of their work. I found a couple of $20 - $30 onsies for my cousin's newborn, but had to pass because they are $20 - $30, and babies just don't get that kind of wear out of onsies!

It is definitely an interesting show worth going to, but don't expect the stuff to be cheap!

37th Street of Lights

Austin people never do anything half-way. They always have to find a way to weird it up a little bit. I guess that's why they have the saying "Keep Austin Weird". Well, Christmas lights are no different. Every year the people that live on 37th Street put out their Christmas lights and people drive from miles around to see how they are displayed. They don't just light up their houses, they use the electrical lines, cars, and anything else they can think to put a light on.

The neighborhood has been doing this since the 80's and rumor has it that the people that started the tradition have already moved out and they come back every year to decorate since the new people are more yuppified and aren't as into it. I have no way of knowing if this is true, but it sure makes for a good story.

To get there, you go from Guadalupe and turn on 37th. The Groovy Lube sign will point the way! We drove through, but walking would be much better so you can see the intricacy of all the lights and other displays.

Armadillo Bazaar

I love going to art shows. Since I've been in Austin, I've found that there are art shows almost every week. Most of the stuff in them are kind of bazaar, hippy type things that does not really reflect my tastes. This weekend I went to the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar. There was an entry fee and there were higher end artists showing their crafts. Most of the items were out of my price range, but there were some really nice things.

My husband found a little clay sculpture called the "Enchihuahua" and bought it for me. It is very whimsical and reminded him of our beloved chi-chi! It's really a fun accessory for our new house.

As a side note, I saw an acquaintance of mine that I met at a work conference a couple of weeks ago. He is evidentally an artist and has really nice work.

I would highly recommend this bazaar for viewing or for buying! The Bazaar is open from Dec. 9 - 24, from 11 - 11! http://www.armadillobazaar.com/