Austin

Jess picked us up at the airport Saturday and we had lunch at Shady Grove. It was 87 degrees. Then we went to our hotel and ventured on to Sixth St for a beer. Which we had at some rooftop bar and after much walking around looking for a better beer, we went to an Irish pub and had some Smithwick's and ended up sticking around to have some food and then crashed at the hotel because we had been up early and on planes etc etc.

The weather went downhill so it was about 63 most days so we had packed incorrectly but not so bad and still warmer than up here.

Sunday we had breakfast at Counter Cafe. Some pretty good eggs benedict with poached eggs on a biscuit with bacon and these overly crunchy potatoes, as well as breakfast tacos. Then we toured the Texas capitol and grounds and their visitor center and then cruised back to Sixth St for some beer at Casino el Camino, which has a lovely patio.

Dinner was at Ranch 616 where I had quail stuffed with beef piccadillo and Jenks had lamb chops. Six of them. And then went to see Todd Snider and Great American Taxi at La Zona Rosa. Todd was of course fabulous.

Monday we had breakfast at Diner 24 Jess picked us up and took us out for a drive in hill country, to Hamilton Pool. We saw the pool and walked the trail to the Pedernales River. Then we had lunch at Salt Lick BBQ and went to Wimberley, a cute little artsy town.

Later we went to Antone's for the Pinetop Perkins celebration of life and saw James Cotton and Willie Big Eyes Smith and Daiuna Greenleaf and Marcia Ball and The Peterson Brothers, who are 12 and 14 and played some great blues. Watch for them on the blues circuits. And Carolyn Wonderland who came on around midnight to a crowd of about 18 people.

Tuesday, we got some breakfast at Starbucks on Sixth and then took a taxi to the Austin Motel. Our room wasn't ready so we walked around and shopped at Tesoros where I bought some high price silver earrings and other stuff and then we had a couple beers at Wahoo Tacos then another one later at Perlas and after much poking into various stores, we checked in to the hotel and then had a little nosh at Guero's and around 6 went to the Continental Club to see Toni Price sing with Warren and Marshall Hood and Ed Pitkin. Which was of course unbelievable. Couldn't bring ourselves to see Southern Culture on the Skids there who came on at 11:30. PM.

After that we ate at Botticelli's right next door and it was delicious. I had duck and others had lamb chops and pork tenderloin and lasagna and some great appetizers of beets with goat cheese and smoked swordfish in puff pastry.

Wednesday, we had takeout breakfast on SoCo at a little coffee shop and Jess took us to the airport and now home.

Pictures of course later.
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