Around San Miguel

Comida Outside the City My Mama Patrick Eating "Street" Ice Cream

Outside La Parroquia

Around the House

Outside the House with Flowers from the Market

Backyard
Dining Room at Night
Rooftop Garden
(looking across the street)

Above the Courtyard

View of San Miguel from the Balcony

P.S. The "bang" is a cannon being fired (lots of celebrations)

Alejandra and the Cats

Alejandra LOVES to play with the kitty cats in Mexico (they came with the house).

However, Mamasita and Zorro are NOT as fond of playing with her. Fortunately for Alejandra, the cats don't have front claws, so her favorite game can be played every day!

El Cerrito

Patrick and I spent last week visiting Mama and Papa Ackerman in San Miguel. I didn't take many pix, but I'll post what I did take in groups . . .

On Tuesday we went to the Pyramid of El Pueblito, known as El Cerrito (little hill). It is an archaeological site in the state of Querétaro, but it isn't really open to the public yet because they still have a lot to do. The pyramid, similar in size to the Pyramid of the Moon in Teotihuacán, was erected around 1300 year ago. For more than a millennium the site was exposed to the climate and negative human intervention, suffering enormously, and it was not until 1995 that Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History began restoration.

Below you can see how they have chosen to do the preservation and restoration. They are leaving what they can the way they found it, but they are also rebuilding some so that you can get the effect of the original shape (although it probably was covered in stucco and brightly painted). Where they are rebuilding, they are using a different colored stone (found nearby) so that the difference between old and new is clear.

They are also leaving the back of the pyramid covered in grass and trees so that people will be able to see what a site looks like before excavation.

In the open space dubbed Plaza de las Esculturas, work has recovered over 50 skulls from individuals between 18 and 35 years of age. This site hasn't been excavated fully, so they are not sure what exactly the area was used for. This picture is looking up the stairs that surround the Plaza de las Esculturas. The stairs on the left have been rebuilt. The right side shows the natural state (I thought the flowers were pretty!)

Take Me Down To The River . . .

We went out to the ranch a couple of times over the last few weeks.
Here are some pics:

On the back porch

Pretty girl

El Rancho Feldto

Hank was glad to have his Patrick back Ready for a golf cart ride

Look familiar?

After Hank got stung by bees on his face.

He was very sad!

And, he didn't want to stray too far from his Patrick.

Hank and I

The Rest of My Time in Austin

Lunchtime Picnic at the Capital

(frozen blueberries)

(note the Texas flag blanket . . . it was only appropriate)

A Few More Pix from Red Bud

A Few More Austin Classics We Visited

Alamo Draft House to see 500 Days of Summer

Kerbey Lane for the Famous Pancakes . . . I was not impressed!

Sno-Beach

Yesterday, we went to get Sno-Beach snow cones, which I'd been told are like no snow cones you've ever had. Patrick was not all that confident in my ability to seek out Austin gems, but his confidence is slowly growing. I got "cream" on mine (see below), which was kinda amazing. Patrick (again, no trust) did not, but he regretted it.

Sno-Beach on Barton Springs

Black Cherry and Orange (with cream, please)

The BATS

I haven't been very good about documenting this summer for one (or two) main reason(s):"The Crazy Twins"

. . . as one Barton Springs Doggie Pool Patron dubbed them yesterday. I think it came as part of the phrase, "oh great, the crazy twins are back!" . . . and while I think he was kidding around . . . I'm not really sure.

Anyway, having 90 + collective pounds of overexcited puppy who pull you this way and that, wind their leases around your legs, and jump in out of the water while rolling in God knows what, stealing other dogs' toys, barking at canoes (embarrassing, Hank, embarrassing), and "saying hi" to every baby in a stroller ( . . . yeah) kinda kept me busy, on my toes, and did not provide me much confidence in my ability to keep a camera safe.

But, now that Patrick is here, we've been checking some things off my to do list AND (some of the time) I have actually remembered to bring my camera. One thing on my to-do list was to go see the famous bats . . . (I didn't take this one, but I thought it was cool shot!)

So, on Monday, Patrick & Jenny picked me up, and we went to eat at the Hulu Hut and then to see the famous Austin bats.

Hula Hut

The Congress Avenue bridge is the summer home to North America's largest urban bat colony, an estimated 1,500,000 Mexican free-tailed bats that emerge from the bridge each night at twilight.

It was quiet except for a faint squeaking. Then, suddenly they all flooded out into the sky, staying clumped together like a long, black river.

Here is a pic and some videos:

Question: Where do they go?

Patrick: Uhhhhhh, College Station.