Easter In Austin Texas

I can't beleive it's already Easter time! Terry and I both had Good Friday off of work. Since we had a 3 day weekend, we decided to drive the 4 hours south to Austin. It was a really fun weekend. It was a really pretty drive down there as all of the Bluebonnets along the freeway were in full bloom. It's interesting but Ladybird Johnson (Lyndon B Johnson's wife) did all of this work planting bluebonnetts and wildflowers along Texas's highways. It seemed what she loved doing while she lived here in Texas until she died. When the wildflowers and bluebonnets are in bloom it makes for such a pretty drive. So thank you Ladybird for that!

Well we stayed in a hotel right in downtown Austin. We could walk to everything so that made it nice, and we got some good exercise. The Texas state capitol building is right downtown Austin. We walked up to there and took a tour of the inside. Of course being Texas everything has to big and over the top, and the capitol building lives up to that. It is Huge and very pretty inside and out. It was interesting to see all the history of the building and of Texas. I found out that Texas has been part of 6 different countries in it's history: France, Spain, Mexico, Texas Republic, Confederate States, and the United States (hence the 6 flags over Texas.) That was actually pretty cool.

It also is interesting that just a few blocks away from the capitol building is the University of Texas (the Longhorns). The campus is smack in the middle of downtown Austin. We spent a little time walking around the campus. It's funny but you really wouldn't realize that you are in the middle of a city. It is a very green pretty campus with lots of huge old oak tree's as you would expect at a southern university. It definitely is a big school though. It's funny but football is king here in Texas, and the Football stadium is Massive (holds 90,000 or so people.) The people love their Longhorn football team here. I would definitely go to school there. Austin is a very pretty city, and has a far more laid back vibe than the glitz of Dallas. We just had a great time the whole weekend. We met some fun people at the clubs there and were so glad we went.

Me at the Texas state capitol building in Austin

The rotunda inside the capitolThe Senate chamber in the capitol

Me at the University of Texas Belltower

Some gorgeous old oak trees on campus

Some more of campus

Spring is here...Let The Home Improvement Projects Begin!!

Well I think spring is finally here in Dallas. The trees have all greened up. The tulips and azalea's are out in full bloom. Home Depot is crazy busy with people doing their yard improvement projects. Ahhh the fun times of spring! Actually I am so ready for it to be warm.

Terry I and I helped our friends this weekend with their spring yard project. They needed to redo a flagstone path that leads to their pool. They also decided to build a new flagstone patio as well. Of course Terry and I spent 3 months building a rock patio in Utah, so we didn't mind helping them build theirs. It only took a few hours of tilling to get rid of the grass (the crappy clay soil here in Dallas resisted the whole way). Then came the fun of digging out the soil, placing the rock in the desired pattern, leveling each rock on a dirt and gravel bed, and finally filling in the cracks with sand and gravel. 6 hours later, and 2 trips to Lowes....a new patio and path!! No major injuries, and all limbs are still attached. We were sore and tired and hot afterward. Todd and Bill were sweet enough to spring for Mexican Food that night, and we all had to take a dip in their hot tub to sooth the aching muscles. I think it turned out really nice for a bunch of amateur landscaping gay men!

Here is Todd and Terry and Ryan tilling and digging.

Me playing with a giant piece of flagstone

The finished patio

The finished path.

We also had a fun trip to the Dallas Arboretum spring blooms festival (thanks again to Jerry for the tickets!) It was gorgeous as usual, and really put you in the spring mood. So here is a few pictures, Happy Spring!!!

The flowering dogwoods were in full bloom

Here is a gorgeous display of Tulips