Long Hollow

A Saturday Morning at Austin's Franklin Barbecue

On the surface, getting up extra early on a Saturday morning to wait in line four hours for lunch doesn't sound very appealing, especially when the weather is kind of chilly and drippy.

But I did it this past Saturday anyway, just to experience Franklin Barbecue for myself. I'm on a continual quest to discover all the gems Austin has to offer, and from all reports, this sounded like one.

So I met my sons, daughter-in-law, her sister, and two of their friends in Franklin's parking lot down on 11th Street in east Austin at 8 am. I forgot a chair, but fortunately they came prepared with chairs, mimosa ingredients, and the game Uno.

Drinking mimosas and playing Uno with my grown kids would be enough fun for me anytime and anywhere, but doing it in a downtown Austin parking lot where you can watch people and make new friends and eventually eat your fill of delicious barbecue...well, that's my kind of Saturday morning.

Four hours is also plenty of time to take lots of iPhone photos, too...

 

Our little group is just this side of the building...in front of all the UT orange.

 

 

The females in our group.

 

The line.

 

 My boys playing Uno. My oldest gave me his chair and his jacket. What a sweetheart!

 

 Meet Kenzie. She was so good the whole time.

 

 

If you saw the movie "The Help" then you know what this means.

 

 

Another group played horseshoes instead of Uno.

 

 My oldest and his love. Getting close to the door!

 

We made it inside!

 

 So close. We were drooling by this time.

 

Now that's a pile of meat! Sausage, brisket, pork ribs, a beef rib, smoked turkey, and pulled pork. 

Add bread and sauce and that's a meal, right?

 

Franklin Barbecue is good about communicating with the people in line about when they can expect to be served. And they give samples.

They also go down the line getting a guesstimate of what each group is going to order so they can figure out who the last person is who will be served...that's the Last Man Standing. That way the latecomers don't stand in line for hours only to be told at the last minute "Sorry! We ran out!"

Good business!

That was a sweet Saturday morning, for sure. Here are some other sweet!s from the past week...

 

Monday: turning on the television just in time to catch an amazing lip sync battle between Jimmy Fallon and Paul Rudd

Tuesday: baby goats; touring new homes with a friend/colleague; hearing from old friends

Wednesday: rainy days; the return of blue skies, in time for a glorious sunset

 

 

Thursday: hearing a hawk and watching it fly in a cloudless blue sky; your mom receiving cards and letters from your friends to boost her spirits

Friday: somehow reining in your temper when people haven't done what they said they were going to do; showing your mom her birth certificate; getting an iPad on sale; watching "Ghostbusters" with your daughter 

Saturday: spending the morning with 3/4 of your kids, drinking mimosas and playing Uno; Franklin Barbecue, especially when you are really, really hungry; picking up good clients while on phone duty; watching "Ghostbusters 2"** with your daughter

Sunday: Texas Independence Day; Mass with your husband; helping a friend with an open house 

 

 

Monday: watching your mom play dominoes with Margarite, Jewel, and Lila Sue; your son vacuuming the dog hair from the laundry room without being asked; the sound of thunder, lightning, and rain outside your window, when there's a warm fire nearby

 

**Have you ever watched "Ghostbusters 2"?

All I had really remembered about it was the baby being kidnapped by the evil guy, which freaked me out because Daniel was a baby when it first came out.

Apparently baby-kidnapping was a going theme in the late 80's because that's also what happened in "Willow". What the heck??

Anyway, this time what struck me was its overall message that love and good-will toward one another can conquer evil. 

I wish they could have conveyed it without kidnapping a baby, but oh, well.

 

 

“I hope that real love and truth are stronger in the end than any evil or misfortune in the world.”

 

― Charles Dickens

 

 

A Home with History in Old Town Pflugerville

Beginning in my teens, I dreamed of renovating an old house. My aunt joined in on the dream project, picking out potential projects in the countryside around Killeen, where she lived.

Tom picked up on the dream. We loved touring Victorian homes that had been lovingly restored...or sneaking into neglected ones and imagining their potential.

We ended up building our country home from the foundation up. It's a perfect fit and I no longer dream of renovating anything.

But roomy front porches, leaded glass windows, metal roofs, spindle railings, clapboard siding...they still make me swoon. So when I saw that the one home on our office property tour Tuesday before last was this gray-headed grandmother of a house, the raindrops falling from that steely sky couldn't dampen my excitement. 

 

The original house was built in the '30's, but the current owners added a two-story section onto the rear which included more bedrooms, bathrooms, and a huge playroom upstairs.

 

 

I doubt the view out of this kitchen window has changed much at all in the past 80 years.

 

 

This bar with the gorgeous metal counter and sink are in the huge upstairs family room.

 

 

The perfect front door for this house, dont' you think?

 

 

I couldn't help lingering on the front porch a little while before running back out into the rain.
All it's missing is a swing right over there.

 

This property is listed by another agent, so contact me if you have fallen in love and I'll play matchmaker for you!

And stay tuned for my property tour adventure out into the hill country from this past Tuesday. I'll post it this weekend.

From rustic to urban...exploring Lake Travis- and Austin-area properties!

 

Tuesdays are my favorite day of the week, because of property tours! 

We started this week's tour by traveling back in time to the days of the pioneers. The Lake Travis pioneers, anyway, who braved the narrow, twisty road out from Austin to the north shore to enjoy life on the lake. (It's now four-lanes and much straighter...just twisty enough to make it scenic.)

According to the listing agent, the first home we visited belonged to an old trapper. It was built in 1950 from cut stone. 

 

 

 

 

The home itself isn't in great shape, as you can see, but it's in a gem of a spot on three waterfront acres overlooking Lake Travis.

Plus it has this cool old cistern...

 

And take a close look at the rock. It's covered in fossils. 

Priceless!

 

Let's walk down the road to the next property, three more waterfront acres overlooking Lake Travis, dotted with two homes also built in 1950.

 

This one is already divided into three separate lots, one with this white house...

 

...one with this red brick house...

 

...and the area in between where there's currently a playscape and a gazebo.

I bet there were some fun family reunions on this place!

 

All three share access to the lake via a winding path that zig-zags down the hill, wide enough for a golf cart.

There wasn't time to walk down to the lake, but I did step up on the balcony of the red brick house to soak up the views of Lake Travis...and snap a few photos.

You can see how low it is right now, but even at this depth, it's beautiful to me. Imagine how gorgeous it will be when the lake fills back up!

This faces west, which means glorious sunsets. (I've driven the ridge on the left of this bow in the river many a sunset - they really are glorious!)

 

I regret not getting a photo of the front of the next house, a Craftsman-style cottage. It's new, but truly captures that vintage look and feel.

 

See?

 

And it has built-in bookshelves!! That gave it bonus points for me.

These reminded me a lot of one of our previous homes where Tom built cabinet/bookshelves on either side of the fireplace.

 

 

A clawfoot tub maintains the vintage feel.

 

The next home on the tour was an upgraded 1972 townhome on the Point Venture golf course. With half a dozen agents milling about, the only clear photo I got was this peek at Lake Travis from the upstairs balcony.

 

The morning's tour ended at this gated one acre lakefront property right down the road from one of my listings.

Look at that view! 

 

It comes with a boat and boat dock for summer fun, plus there's this firepit for chilly nights.

 

A huge deck - part of it screened-in - runs the length of the house in back, facing the lake. 

 

 

It also features a large, open kitchen, perfect for a bunch of agents helping themselves to a sponsored lunch!

 

Fortified with yummy fajitas, I headed into Austin to visit one more property, a 1970's condo on the north side.

I loved this unique backlit, recessed ceiling in the kitchen!

 

A greenbelt ran through the development, rare for condo communities, especially one this close to downtown.

You could access it through the private courtyard in back, which featured a little rock-lined dry (for now) creekbed. 

 

So much personality!

 

I hope you enjoyed the tour as much as I did! Stay tuned for next week's!

All of these properties are for sale by other agents, so contact me if you have fallen in love and I'll play matchmaker for you!

Frances Nail

 

Today I went to a friend's Facebook page to wish her a happy 90th birthday, and that's how I found out author/artist Frances Nail passed away, sometime before Christmas.

So she probably didn't see the note I scrawled on my Christmas card to her..."I hope to see you in the coming year!" If she did, she probably just laughed, way too familiar with my good intentions.

Once upon a time in Houston, a special magazine came with the Sunday Chronicle. It was just named "Texas", and included a column called "State Lines" where each week you could read stories about Texas (of course!) - personal essays written by a different writer each week, as wide and varied as the state.

I read them voraciously.

"State Lines" was my first paid publishing gig, way back in 1991, with "A View from a Catwalk". I went on to publish two more essays in "Texas" before the Chronicle stopped publishing the magazine. 

Soon after "Catwalk" was published, I read an essay by Frances about things she had lost, which included the words to one of my favorite poems from childhood - "Little Boy Blue", by Eugene Field. She could only remember a few lines. 

Immediately I typed out the poem and sent it to editor Ken Hammond, asking him to forward it to Frances. Within a few weeks, I received a letter from her, thanking me for the poem. And thus began our friendship. 

By that time several more of her essays had been published in "State Lines"...

...so many that I couldn't help feeling discouraged, comparing my words and stories to hers. Mine seemed flat and lifeless, hers rich and vibrant, but she was always full of support and encouragement for my writing. After all, she pointed out, she didn't even start writing until she was seventy.

(I admit, that's more consoling to me now that I'm in my fifties and still struggling on my writing path, than when I was in my thirties and had it all figured out.)

When we moved to Austin, she invited us to the publishing party for her first book, a collection of essays, of course, named "Crow in the House, Wolf at the Door". It was held in a fabulous old Victorian home downtown.

TG was barely 4, Daniel around 6, and Tommy no more than 9, but when Frances read from her book out on the screened-in porch, with her distinctive soft, soothing, Texas accent, they sat still and listened. She was that good. Austinites enjoyed listening to her read her stories on pubic radio station KUT for years.

I wish I could say we grew closer once I moved to Austin, but we didn't. We kept in touch with occasional Christmas cards and phone calls, and in 2005 she invited me to a play based on one of her books, "I'm Not the Woman I Was".

But we lived on opposite sides of Lake Travis...I was busy with my three kids and building our home and broke. 

I didn't go see the play, just as I didn't take her up on an invitation for lunch when we first moved here, or follow through with any other good intentions I had to see her, except attending the Texas Book Fair panel she was on years ago, along with authors Leon Hale and Liz Carpenter, two of her good friends.

I really wasn't half the friend she was to me.

Frances was truly a remarkable woman. I have wasted many opportunities in my life, but I think one of the biggest is not taking advantage of the chance I was given to know her better.

I still have her words and her stories, though, and thanks to Jim Swift, I can still hear her voice...

 

 

Godspeed, and thank you for leaving a part of yourself with us, Frances!

I know the angels are enjoying your stories as much as we always have.

I look forward to seeing you again... and I mean it.

 

 

 

An Austin Winter

A sky of faded gray flannel. The swoosh of a cold wind bullying the treetops, making the old cedars creak and groan down to their roots. Frozen toes eager to be back inside, warming near a fire.

After days of sunshine and spring-like temperatures that sent juniper spores partying through the atmosphere, we're reminded that it's still just January.

I'm actually relishing this down time, despite the possibility of icy roads when I hit the highway after phone duty this evening, and it's not just because it shuts down the cedar fever party. If the forecast of snow in the morning comes true, it will be a good excuse to slow down and catch my breath.

But I know a day - or a few hours - of forced slowing down will be enough. I can only take so much gray flannel before yearning for golden mornings.

 

 

Whether your sky is wearing gray flannel or gold, I hope you're staying warm!

Exploring Austin (Homes) Again!

Ready to visit some homes with me? Buckle up and let's go...

 

 

Last week's property tour started in a townhome in this quiet neighborhood. 

I'm not sure if this stained glass goes with the property, but I love the idea and the effect. 

 

 

But then, I have a weak spot for stained glass. 

The next house was an older home that had been beautifully updated. I didn't get any good photos of the inside, but it had a lot of great details while retaining that vintage feel. 

 

I loved the location of the next house more than anything...an older, upscale neighborhood in West Austin not too far from Mount Bonnell. The home had been given an extensive update, but I didn't get many photos...

 

 

The next home was my favorite of the tour. It was an older ranch-style on the northwest side of Austin, with a huge front yard and gorgeous backyard. 

What I loved most about it, though, were these custom touches...the glass block shower...

  

 

...and all of these storage cabinets in the long hallway. I love cubbies and closets and cabinets. 

 

 

But the room below, which adjoined a large open kitchen, was my favorite part of the house.

When I was little, I spent hours sketching floorplans just for fun. More often than not, I included a sunken livingroom.

With this wall of books, fireplace, and low railing, this room made me feel I had stepped into one of my own designs!

 

 

These next homes weren't on the property tour. They just caught my eye while driving through Hyde Park one day.

 

 

I hope you enjoyed the tour! Be sure to join me next week!

Property Tour Tuesday (wherein I get to explore some Austin homes)

The sun was victorious today in this recent game between it and the gray skies.

That in itself was enough to make me happy, but I was especially grateful to see it today because there were four houses on our property tour! One a little east and north of our office, one close to downtown, and a couple out in the hills to the west, although not close to each other.

But since I missed posting last week's tour, today I'm going to show you one of those homes, because I took lots of photos!

It was on the west side of town, in the hills, near Emma Long Metropolitan Park. We passed dozens of decorated juniper trees like these along the way...

 

 

The front was pretty nice...

 

...but this is the first thing that caught my eye.

Now I want to make one!

 

But this drew me out to the back before I even explored the inside of the house.

There's a one-bedroom cabana next to it.

 

Take a look at this back porch. 

 

And when you're tired of the pool and socializing on the porch...

 

Every bit of the outside areas was put to good use.

Isn't this a cute little game court?

 

Such a great gathering spot in the kitchen...big enough for snacks for touring realtors!

 

Spotted this sign on a wall inside. Amen!

 

Isn't this an awesome ceiling?

 

This wine closet was tucked under the stairs.

(Great use of space, in my opinion!)

 

The view of the neighborhood from an upstairs balcony...

 

I loved these little round chalkboards painted on the wall. 

 

You can see downstairs from a small landing on the stairs.

For a large house, it felt very cozy and connected.

I would love to represent a buyer for this gorgeous place. (Maybe they'll invite me over to swim in the summer!)

So feel free to share and let me know if you, or someone you know, might be interested!

Twenty-Eight, and Wishes Come True

"May your coming year overflow with love and blessings and wishes come true!"

Last year I wrote that in my oldest child's birthday post, in honor of his 27th birthday. A few months later he married the love of his life, honeymooned in Italy, and bought a home in a city he loves. My wish for him came true.

 

Now I've blinked and he's somehow a year older, as of yesterday, around noon. He celebrated first thing in the morning by running 10 miles from his home to the state capitol building and back, stopping at the State Library long enough to say hi to his little brother, who works there.

Considering his struggle with asthma when he was younger - all those hours I spent giving him nebulizer treatments, waiting in doctors' offices, keeping up with medications - his ability to run long distances (his second marathon is coming up) is definitely a wish come true for me.

I'm not sure how he's going to top the highs of the past year, but my wish for him is the same, for overflowing love and blessings and wishes come true, because he deserves them. 

I would say that even if he wasn't my son. His thoughtfulness and compassion for friends and family - especially my parents over the past year - inspire me to be a better person. What more could a mother ask for?

I didn't get to see him yesterday, but that's okay. I saw him on Thanksgiving and on the weekend when we both visited my mom and I know I'll see him again soon, because for the first time in ten years, he lives in my city. 

Just another one of my wishes come true, although it doesn't top the one that came true the day he was born, making me a mother, the toughest and best job I've ever had.

So, Tommy, sweet son, may your coming year overflow with love and blessings and wishes come true! 

Love, 

Mom

Property Tour Tuesday!

Just about every Tuesday, a bunch of us grab a map, pile in someone's car, and ask Siri to navigate us along the route to the one, two, and sometimes three houses or condos selected for that week's tour, scattered in various neighborhoods in Austin and the surrounding communities. 

Road trip! A really short one, of course, but there's constant chattering while we get to know one another better, share advice and tips, and just explore Austin. We take turns driving and mix up the groups a little each week.

The purpose of the tour is similar to a writing critique - we pick out two things we like and two things we think need improvement to help the listing agent get a "sold" sign in the yard and money in their client's pocket.

But for me it's just fun spending time with the other agents and getting to see all of the different types of houses Austin offers.

Today I had the great idea to let y'all ride along with us! Each week I'll snap a photo or two of the properties with my phone and share a little of what we see (and what I think!) 

Today I rode with Sherilyn and Dawn. (They are awesome!)

 

 

Probably because of the holidays, there was only one house on the tour. My favorite thing about it? Curb appeal. 

 

 

Nice, huh?

It was very spacious - we counted six bedrooms, all good size, too, and lots of storage space, which is something that scores big points with me.

I missed last week's tour, but the week before we visited a cute older house that had been flipped. I love that about Austin, that the older neighborhoods are coming alive again, instead of just crumbling. 

I loved the leaded glass in the front door...

 

 

..and the whole house had a crisp, vintage-but-modern feel to it. (Great job staging!)

 

 

 

It wasn't a big house, but the unique touches, even in the bathrooms, made it stand out for me.

 

 

So what do you think about them? What's your style?

Stay tuned for the next Property Tour Tuesday!

1102 Cliffview Drive, Spicewood, Texas: A Slice of Pedernales Pretty

 

I stood near a rocky, cactus-covered cliff on Saturday, staring down at a bend in the Pedernales River that still sparkled with water, despite this drought that has lingered for so long here in central Texas.

What a sweet surprise and relief to see that water! When I listed this long, narrow acre-ish lot on Cliffview Drive in Spicewood, sight unseen, rumors of a dry Pedernales made me a little anxious about its marketability.

But even though much of the riverway is now covered in grass and dotted with grounded docks, the view from the cliff made up for the lack of jetskis zipping back and forth below me. We don't get views like that down in my Hollow.

I stood there longer than I intended to, soaking it all in and letting the breeze blowing up from the canyon wrap around me. It was easy to imagine sitting on a porch or a second-story deck of a home nestled on that rise above the canyon, watching the sun set on the hills stetching out to the west.

But here, let's go back to the front of the property and I'll give you a proper tour...

 

You'll drive in from FM 2322, a small highway that takes you to Pace Bend Park, the Briarcliff Marina, and Willie Nelson's Cut-N-Putt, otherwise known as the Pedernales Golf Club, in one direction, and Highway 71 in the other.

A short jaunt down Highway 71 will take you to the Hill Country Galleria, Hamilton Pool, and with a little more driving, either downtown Austin or downtown Llano.

Good barbecue no matter which way you go.

 

Follow me through this totally Texan gate. You can see the lot is already cleared for a driveway, but it's a little overgrown again. I hope you're wearing your walking shoes!

 

 

This stand of small trees provides privacy from Cliffview Drive.

 

 

Did I mention this was a long, deep lot? It's completely fenced, though.

You did wear your walking shoes, didn't you?

 

 

The view wasn't the only thing that caught my eye. I spotted this family of tiny cacti snuggling in the crevices of a large rock.

 

 

Besides the driveway, a building site has also been partially cleared, positioned just right for those awesome views.

 

 

It's a steep drop to the river from here.

 

 

Looking toward the north again.

 

 

Water!

 

 

Looking to the south.

 

 

The middle section reminds me a lot of my Hollow!

 

 

Time to head back to the car. Can you see it way down there? (Don't worry, there's plenty of cold water waiting for us!)

I know the right buyer is out there somewhere. Please help me connect them to this beautiful place! If you'd like more information on 1102 Cliffview Drive, Spicewood, Texas 78669, I'd love to share! Just ask!

 

Not-So-Hidden Treasure

I've been driving in, around, and through Austin for almost 20 years now, but for the most part, I have traveled the same routes over and over and over.

Lately, I've been venturing out into unknown territory so that I'm better acquainted this wonderful city and its neighborhoods, and that's how I discovered this vintage grocery store, now operating as a sandwich shop.

It's situated only a few blocks from familiar roads in all directions, but I never knew it was there until yesterday. I snapped this photo with my iPhone and drove on...but then turned around, parked, and stepped through those awesome screen doors.

Right away, I had a flashback to a small grocery store my grandparents ran so long ago I could barely see over the counter. The register, the counter, the shelves behind it were all in the exact same place. It was weird, in a very cool way, and I had a sudden urge for a candy cigarette.

Instead I wandered to the back and grabbed a Texas Tea from a cooler and started conversations with other patrons who were waiting on sandwiches. Alas, I had already eaten lunch, but vowed to return.

So I did today. TG and I shared a chicken salad sandwich (with cheddar cheese, avocado, and bacon!) and a small serving of quinoa salad, because the owner (I guess he is, anyway) gave us a taste of it when we first arrived.

Oh. My. Gosh. It was all so good! I can't believe it's been there all this time and I never knew it. 

The neighborhood surrounding the shop is perfect for Halloween night. Tall oak trees, picket fences and porches. It reminded me a lot of an upscale version of Scout and Jim's neighborhood in "To Kill a Mockingbird". 

Most of the houses were dripping in decorations. I had to snap some photos with my iPhone...but not enough to have the cops called on me.

 

 

The owners of this house mixed Halloween and politics, Austin-style...

 

Do you decorate? I used to, but in these empty-nest, pre-grandchildren years, this is the extent of my decorating...

Sigh. Where did the time go?

We won't have any trick-or-treaters - we live too far down a dirt road - so I think I'll just settle down with some popcorn and watch "Young Frankenstein" to celebrate. 

What are your Halloween plans? Whatever they are, have fun!

 

Halloween wraps fear in innocence,
As though it were a slightly sour sweet.
Let terror, then, be turned into a treat...
~Nicholas Gordon

 

Just Another Day at Work in Austin, Texas

 

Austin real estate in a nutshell:

Number of people moving here, wanting houses > Number of houses available

Consequently, it's important for an Austin real estate agent to be acquainted with builders and new homes. 

So today I attended a class on helping clients find and purchase new homes. We even had a field trip to this cute little subdivision only 10 minutes from downtown Austin. 

 

The homes had small yards and detached garages...some with small apartments on top.

(We had fun imagining who would stay in the apartments. Older children returning home? Visitors to ACL or SXSW, needing to rent a room? In-laws?)

 

 

It is so cool that part of my job involves exploring new homes, opening closets, cabinets, and drawers.

And getting free lunches.

 

 

I loved the pops of colors and Craftsman-style touches on many of the homes.

 

 

A MetroRail Station is adjacent to the neighborhood and all of these homes face a small dog park.

Very urban without being right downtown.

 

Yes, I love my job.

(Contact me if you want more information about these urban gems!)

 

P.S. Happy Halloween Week!

New Careers, Full Moons, Church Bazaars, and other sweet!s

Long ago I dreamed of having the job I have now...only I didn't know what it was at the time. Does that make sense?

As with any entrepreneurial endeavor, it's agonizingly slow getting started, but I'm confident in my abilities and that I'm on the right track. That's sweet! all by itself. (But if you, or anyone you know, needs/wants to buy, sell, or invest in real estate, please send them my way! I can use all the referrals I can get!)

Anyway, this past week I attended the Realty Roundup in Austin, a conference sponsored by the Austin Board of Realtors that brought together people in all different areas of the industry.

And people in the real estate industry are some of the friendliest, most giving and supportive people I've ever met. In fact, just a chance encounter on the stairs turned into a friendship with an agent from another Keller Williams market center in Austin. We hung out together the rest of the day, going from booth to booth picking up freebies, talking to vendors, and tossing business cards into fish bowls in hopes of winning a drawing.

She won a big basket,  but my name was never called. However, I don't hold a grudge. We look forward to getting together again soon. 

Dr. Jim Gaines from the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University was one of the main speakers at the Roundup. Using lots of charts and graphs, he assured us the Austin market was just going to get bigger and bigger and bigger.

For an Austin Realtor, the news that everyone wants to live in Austin is pretty sweet! As good as a gift basket any day!

And here are some other sweet!s from my past week...

Tuesday: spotting old trucks when you're out on a property tour with friends; photo shoots; meeting clients

Wednesday: rush hour traffic in the rain when you share it with your daughter; rain; a random encounter with a stranger turning into a friendship; great news about the Austin real estate market 

Thursday: walking at sunrise; meetings with vendors over morning coffee and lunch; an afternoon walk with your puppies; baby geckos; playing around on MLS; a longtime friend getting married; homemade pumpkin bread, courtesy of your daughter-in-law

Friday: friends becoming prayer warriors for other friends; dancing under a full moon with friends and strangers in your church parking lot; making it home in time to watch the end of "The Lost Boys" with your daughter

Saturday: sleeping in; walks with your puppies on crisp autumn days; butterflies and fall wildflowers; sipping on a Bloody Mary while you work at your church bazaar; cake walks, washer tournaments, and ziplines; watching Monty Python's Search for the Holy Grail for the zillionth time with 1/2 of your kids

 

Sunday: waking early without an alarm clock, in time to walk your puppies before Mass; chipping away at your to-do list; working on your laptop on the back porch, watching the sunset, listening to the little creek below you singing its gratitude for the recent rain; a good report from a friend with cancer

 

Last, but not least, getting comments on your blog even though you haven't had time to make your rounds lately.

Blogging is a give-and-take thing, and I'm so grateful to those blog friends who continue to have patience with me as I try to find my balance in this new time-sucking career of mine. I miss making my regular blog rounds, but I'm finding my footing and will be back soon.

The essence of true friendship is to make allowance for another's little lapses. 

~David Storey

Please share one of your sweet!s from the past week in the comments! And don't forget to keep your eyes open for them in the coming week. They're there, I promise!

Six Things on Saturday

 

1.

Wednesday night, as I drove home from a meeting, the huge Harvest Moon broke through the clouds, beaming bright on the road ahead of me.

I relished the beauty of it, but would you believe I didn't even think about grabbing my camera when I got home?

Something must be wrong with me.

 

2.

I've now experienced my first huge convention -  the Keller Williams Mega Camp, held here in the Austin Convention Center.

It started Thursday. Vendors, freebies, inspirational speakers, live music, and thousands of people from all over the world...so it was pretty amazing that a friend from high school, another new agent based in San Antonio , was sitting just a row behind me that first day.  

3.

I haven't met with my writing group in...well, I think it's been a few months. But this week I got a sympathy card from them in the mail because of my daddy's passing. Inside, there was another card containing a Best Buy gift card. They had chipped in to help me buy a new printer. 

That just blew me away. 

I'm glad they haven't given up on me!

 

4.

Tom's brother Steve and his wife, Kim, are visiting from Arizona. She's an agent with Keller Williams (my sponsor) and came in for the convention, and they just planned their trip to stay over for the weekend.

The last time they were here, six years ago for Tom's big 50th birthday party/Shallue family reunion, it rained and rained and rained. 

Then it stopped and we've been in a drought ever since.

Well, Thursday night it started raining and it didn't stop until early this morning.

Obviously, Steve and Kim need to visit more often.

Today...the first day of autumn...the sky cleared to a vivid blue, there was a golden tint in the sunlight, and temperatures dropped enough to enjoy lunch on a patio overlooking Lake Marble Falls. 

Hallelujah!

 

5.

Friday was Mama and Daddy's 64th wedding anniversary.  Sigh.

 

6.

 

Amen.