SXSW by Day II

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The SXSW Interactive Festival never ceases to amaze me.  Have an empty parking lot downtown?  OK, we will install a Ferris Wheel for fun.  Or maybe an upside down church building.  Presidential traffic jams got you down?  Try to out grumpy old Grumpy Cat who is coming to town.  We also have R2-D2 and parties galore to boost your spirits.  This Festival is awesome, and it’s only the first day so far.

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President Obama at SXSW

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Getting near the Presidential Motorcade is probably the closest I will ever get to President Obama.  The Presidential Limo was looking pretty good today.  It was reported that he stopped for some Torchy’s Tacos in South Austin on his way to the SXSW event at the Long Center.  The crowds were out in force this afternoon, along with a few protesters and tons of security.  There were police motorcycles, vehicles, horses, foot patrol, boats, and helicopters.  President Obama then took off across an empty 1st Street Bridge on his way to the next event of the day.

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Google Photos – Editing

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In a post from June of last year, I praised Google Photos.  I said it was good for backing up, organizing, and storing photos – and it still is!  I recently read an article that said the editing process was pretty cool.  I thought to myself, why would you use Google Photos to edit your photographs.  There are so many other applications available.  Oh well, why not give it a try?  It is super easy.  There are options in my Google Photos iPad App to fine tune, crop, rotate or add filters to your photos.  Using the “Back to original” feature, you can easily revert to the original photo in case you don’t fall in love with your edits.  What you see above is an edited shot from my walk along the Town Lake Hike and Bike Trail in Austin last weekend.  Below is the original photo.  This will give you an idea of some of the fun you can have with their simple photo editing process.  I suggest that you give it a try and see how you like it.  ðŸ™‚

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Zilker Kite Festival II

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The Zilker Kite Festival was as crazy as ever!  The weather was a perfect overcast, cloudy, and windy day.  There were tons of people, dogs, kites everywhere, bubbles, a biplane buzzing by, food trucks, beverages, kettle corn, free ice water, t-shirt sales, and art.  I met the artist who submitted the design for the official t-shirt, Aileen Fitzgerald, and she was super nice.  I thought her artwork really captured the spirit of Austin.  All in all, it was a most successful Kite Festival.

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Sunflowers II

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I was in search of more wild parakeets today, but ran out of daylight before I could discover what I was looking for.  Lucky for me, the Electric Garden was nearby.  It has been a while since I walked the gravel path beneath these photogenic sculptures of steel.  As the sun continued setting, I enjoyed the lighting conditions and used the opportunity to take some photos.

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Black’s Barbecue Austin

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I have been wanting to try this location of Black’s Barbecue for a long time.  It is located near the University of Texas campus on Guadalupe and 31st and 1/2 Street.  It is a small restaurant and today there was a smoker outside and a short line of people on the inside.  The brisket was perfect, just as you would expect from a Black’s site.  You line up, order your sides, have them slice and weigh your meat selections, pay for everything, get your drinks, then find a table inside or on the outside patio.  I highly recommend it if you find yourself in the area.

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