a long weekend in Austin

Some of you may remember that my getaway to Lake Tahoe was cancelled last month. Cayce and I rescheduled for this weekend in Austin, TX, which happened to coincide with SXSW, a 4 day music festival featuring more than 1,000 performers at almost 100 venues. Initially I didn't care much about the festival, but it added a lot to the weekend. Every coffee shop, book store, and street corner hosted a different band. If you didn't like the music that came with your margarita, walk half a block and see what comes with a cupcake. Day time performances were free, and night time shows averaged $10. We crammed a lot into four days, starting with a visit to the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center.

A few additional highlights:

The smartest parents EVER make sure their baby isn't bothered by the often loud music at SXSW.

Dancing the Texas two-step at The Broken Spoke. Excellent people watching in this dive-y joint with live music and a packed dance floor. Low light and lack of a real camera left me trying to capture the ambiance with my iPhone. I broke in my new cowboy boots.

After a half day of indulgence at the Lake House Day Spa (excellent facial, mediocre lunch) we discovered their kitchen garden. Lunch would have been better if we'd eaten directly from the garden.

Texas BBQ at The Salt Lick in Driftwood, Tx. We got the sheriff's deputy to take our picture.