Secret Oktober is a cool shop on South 1st Street. I stopped by to pick up a ticket for an event tonight. The store features “Goth, Steampunk, Industrial, Punk, Alternative & ’80′s”. It is the place to be for dresses with skulls and other groovy stuff.
In my world, it has been raining for two days straight. This is mostly awesome, unless the heavy rains try their best to wake you up in the middle of the night. Luckily, one of my super powers is sleeping.
As a result of the heavy rains, the San Gabriel River is flowing strongly. While walking this evening, I took a few photos to give you an idea of what things looked like. I will also leave you with a quote to think about.
What to do on a rainy day in Austin? How about some Bubble Tea? Short N Sweet Cafe is a good place to chill and get your Bubble Tea on. They have three sizes of drinks, Short, Sweet, and Big Boy. I typically order the almond milk tea with pearls, but as you can see they have plenty of choices. Yay, Bubble Tea!
My breakfast today while walking around the Clarksville Historic District was at Galaxy Cafe. I selected the build your own breakfast wrap, and my three ingredients of choice were Canadian bacon, potatoes, and baby spinach. This place is pretty yummy.
My second walk back into history today was the Sweet Home Missionary Baptist Church. Church was happening as I walked by and took a few photos, and I could clearly hear the sermon through the open side windows. Discover some more Clarksville history and ponder the Austin story of gentrification if you are interested.
So, the neighborhood has turned the backyard of the Hezikiah Haskell House into a community garden. Pretty cool.
I woke up this morning and started reading an interesting story about Austin, “Austin’s history of discrimination threatens its future”. It got me to thinking about the gentrification that is happening all around us. It led me to visit a few historic sites in the Clarksville District of Austin. My first stop this morning was the Hezikiah Haskell House. If you have the time, and are interested, read a little about the history.
My after hiking dinner was at Opie’s Barbecue in Spicewood. I had brisket, pork ribs, spicy corn, butterbeans, pickles, and iced tea. Check out their menu online and prepare yourself for a good meal if you happen to be in the area and decide to stop by.
Follow Hamilton Creek for about 3/4 of a mile from Hamilton Pool and you will get to the spot where it joins the Pedernales River. This is a nice, easy hike and you will probably see turtles, birds, and fish along the way. The water is typically clear and a beautiful emerald color.
Hamilton Pool is less than an hour outside of Austin, and a very popular swimming hole and hiking spot. A short quarter mile hike down some steps from the parking lot and you will be greeted with a nice view of the collapsed grotto and 50 foot waterfall. Take the trail around the grotto and enjoy the scenery. The beach there is a great spot to throw out a blanket and have a picnic lunch.
earthrobert 