How many things can you cram into 28 hours-Part Two

Supposedly Norm would be finished with his Rio Grande Compact meeting at the Texas State Capitol building

 by 11:30 and everyone on the team would go to lunch.  At 11:00 Norm called to say it looked as though they would work through lunch and be done by 1:00 or 1:30.

Halleluiah!  Time enough to drive by the first house we purchased when we lived in Austin in 1974 and see how it looked.

New wall obscures the view of the house from the street but I am sure it helps keep the traffic noise down as well.

This house was purchased for hardly any money, although at the time we were struggling to make the payments on the down payment we borrowed from Norm's parents, the first mortgage from the bank, and the second mortgage supplied by the seller who was very anxious to unload this property.  But it had wonderful bones and just need some cosmetic attention.  We sold it for what we considered a windfall.  The last time we visited Austin about fifteen years ago, it had been badly neglected and we were so sad. Here is what it looks like now:

If you were driving by, you catch a brief glimpse.

Trim has been painted and new foundation plantings soften the linear limestone house.  A new metal roof adds to the street appeal.

Flowering tree replaces a live oak that used to dominate the front yard.

I am cheating just a bit by using this flowering tree which is outside of what is no longer my house to link to Jane's Monday "Flowers in the House" party at
Small But Charming.
 Head on over there to check out all the beautiful flowers.


After spending a nostalgic few minutes taking photos (with the permission of the new owners), I headed downtown to pick up Norm.  The meeting WAS STILL NOT FINISHED! So I picked up some gifts for my granddaughters at the Texas History Museum and walked over the the Blanton Art Museum at the University of Texas where a wonderful surprise was waiting for me.  I have always loved the Hudson River School of painters and this show was paintings of all the artists in that group owned by a private collector, so I had not previously seen any of the paintings.  What a treat!  I practically sprinted through the exhibit in order to be ready to leave for the airport, but still felt like the admission charge was well worth the 25 minutes of pleasure.

"Founded in 1825 by Thomas Cole, the Hudson River School drew its inspiration from America’s landscape. Its artists shared a spiritual awe of nature and believed in the notion that the country’s untamed wilderness reflected aspects of its national character. American Scenery investigates the group’s shared aesthetic and philosophical principles and situates the paintings in the context of nineteenth-century American values. The exhibition’s unique point of view stresses the artist’s eye, pairing and grouping paintings that explore the visual characteristics of particular sites, or that examine the subtle changes that can be observed during varied seasons, times of day, and weather conditions."  I highly recommend this show if you are visiting Austin, Texas.