Who I Am..........: SATURDAY ADVENTURE

I haven't been a very good blogger this month. I've been busy playing with my sweet grandboys and life in general. Life has been good - no, it has been GREAT!!! I haven't spent much time at the computer so I didn't update my blog. I didn't do much creating, so I didn't update my blog.

Yesterday we decided since it might be the last gorgeous day before some cold weather rolls in, that we would spend the day exploring. We started out heading to South Austin. If we don't have anything else planned for Saturday morning, we know we can get in some good exercise, good pictures, good breakfast, and a general sense of well-being by heading south. We begin by parking off Barton Creek between Daughtry Art Center and Parmer Auditorium. The grounds there are always beautiful and there is a very clean public restroom.

This Muhly Grass was pretty. It was heavy with morning dew and even though it was quite hazy out it still glistened as it bent over with the weight of the water droplets.

We headed across Riverside Drive to Auditorium Shores, We crossed over Lady Bird Lake on the First Street Bridge and walked the trails by the lake to Lamar. As we crossed back over the Lake on the Lamar Blvd Pedestrian Bridge we stopped to take some pictures.

Looking to the east is the railroad bridge. The sun peeked from behind the clouds just enough to make the water glisten with a silver sparkle. Two men were fishing from a boat making a nice silhouette, so I had to snap this picture.

And looking to the west, past the Lamar Blvd bridge the sky was clear and bluer. This picture and the one above were taken within a few moments of each other. It really shows how things can change in just a matter of moments as clouds roll in and out.

There is a planter of beautiful roses on the pedestrian bridge. They were so pretty covered in the morning dew. The bush that this pink bud was part of gave off a sweet aroma. It was good to just breath in and enjoy the beauty.

Back over on the grounds of Parmer Auditorium I found this plant. The blossoms were covered in dew with droplets of water collecting on each petal.

Mike snuck this picture in as I was concentrating on capturing some of the roses near the fountains at Parmer Auditorium.

Another perfect rose bud.

After our "nature" walk we headed to Torchy's Tacos on South 1st Street. They make a great Migas breakfast taco with fresh avocado and pico de gallo. YUMMMM.

After breakfast we headed to the Farmer's Market. Mike enjoys Hot Rock'n and Pop'n Kettle Corn and they have a booth there every Saturday morning, so when we are close by, we always stop to get him some.

We came home, did a little work around the house and then headed north to Belton to explore the historic downtown area. There are some cute little antique shops on the square around the courthouse.

This picture is taken from the corner looking up past a statue of one of Belton's forefathers to the Court House Rotunda.

The shops were full of wonderful antiques at very reasonable prices. Not only is it fun to explore, but there are many opportunities for still life shots that may someday grace the front of a note card.

I was fascinated with this rooster statue sitting on the sidewalk in front of one of the shops, so I snapped a picture.

My favorite shop was "BY GONE ERA" This wonderful store was full of vintage clothing and other treasures. The displays were thoughtfully done and there was so much to capture my attention. I will definitely visit this store again and again.

And this is my TREASURE from the day's adventure. My new bird cage is about 22 inches high and 15 inches in diameter. It is made of Teak Wood. The door "lock" and the legs are hand carved. I have no idea how old it is, but I feel like I got it for a bargain price. Now I will be on the lookout for the perfect bird to live in my cage. I am thinking something very eclectic and altered. My sweet husband thinks it should be KEVIN from the movie UP. We'll see.

After exploring Belton, we decided to head back south on the country roads to avoid any traffic that might be on the interstate because of the UT/Baylor Football game that had taken place in Waco earlier in the day. The UT Fans could be heading home by late afternoon and clogging the highway.

Heading down Farm to Market Road 1123 through Sommmer's Mill, we saw this house by the damn. It would be a wonderful place to live. The trees were beginning to change color making a peaceful setting to stop and enjoy the view for a couple of minutes.

It was nearing suppertime, so we decided to head towards Walburg and see if we could find something to eat. We got to the Walburg Restraunt just before 5 so we were able to get a table without a reservation. Mike had chicken friend steak, which he said was very good, but I had to have some real German food. My family heritage is German. My grandparents were 1st generation Americans. Their parents were all German immigrants.