Turn the car around

No seriously, I swear there are zebras back there. Nothing like classic weekend Americana in Texas Hill Country. Best unexpected zebra detail: fuzzy ears I just hope they aren’t for selling zebra meat.

SXSW 2013 – a first-timer’s film festival wrap-up.

Counting shorts, I managed to see 41 movies in 8 days. Of course, looking back at the screening list, there are so many more that I wish I had seen. However, in those days I could sit no more, nor absorb more visual input. It was great and very intense. Only a bit of movie […]

SXSW 2013 – first days at a film festival

I’m taking a short break from reality to take advantage of SXSW being in town. Since it is spring break, I have a partner in crime who doesn’t have to work, since she teaches, and is the perfect movie-going companion for an unemployed gal. The program of movies alone is overwhelming, and that doesn’t even […]

There’s always something else

Well, my new Texas driver’s license says that I am officially a resident. It’s nice to be back to reading a paper each morning, including the crossword in a language where I stand a chance. Sundays seem to just disappear into the big ones. Still, I didn’t expect it to be like this… What is […]

Wild and crazy gals

And two definitely wilder canine boys. You know who is the perfect picnic companion when you aren’t drinking? Yes, real question, not the set-up to a bad one-liner. Pregnant ladies make the best friends when you can’t drink either. Abbie and I got real crazy in the park on a beautiful President’s Day afternoon with […]

This is crazy… but you called me, maybe?

Sometimes you just have to take the call. As someone in the midst of the job search, I certainly understand the importance of a phone call. So, I didn’t mind that our beautiful Saturday ride down to the beach was occasionally interrupted to finish making evening plans. I don’t think this is what was initially […]

A new perspective

After visiting the place many times over roughly a year and a half and climbing there for nearly as long, the one thing that was missing from my Bernal experience was actually climbing up the whole damn thing. Well check that off my list in a most pleasant way. We picked one of the classic […]

Marvelous Mexican Mountains – Malinche

If only that title was also a palindrome, that would be like infinity in word-nerd points. However, even without a perfect nerd score, it was wonderful to get back to the mountains with a little light mountaineering and an intense hiking day. We started a little after 9am and made it to the top in […]

Yawn, Snub, and Sigh

These hipster city dogs are so disaffected. You can force them to lay down in line, but you can’t make them like it. Needless to say, Inspector Wigglesworth is not impressed. He has more pressing matters to attend to.

Where not to climb

Everything looked good until the rope started to bump the wasp nest on the way down from the anchor. Guess that is an active nest after all… I didn’t have the big lens with me, but the growing swarm of wasps was quite evident, and they seemed agitated. Good thing there are plenty of other […]

Beautiful and fun

No, no, I’m not talking about myself, like always, but instead the river, canyon and waterfalls at the Río Escanela near Pinal de Amoles. Saturday was a perfect day for a hike in and besides the river. I didn’t wear the best clothes for swimming, but that didn’t matter when we got to the real […]