January 2, 2011 by Misty.

Today, my husband and I decided to venture out to the Capital of Texas zoo (link here: http://www.capitaloftexaszoo.org/)  in Bastrop County.  This was not our first trip there, nor will it be our last.  It’s quite small, as far as zoos go, but the assortment of animals this facility has amassed makes the drive worth the money.  Personally, I have a thing for anything that looks like I might be able to “cuddle.”  The pygmy goats are among my favorite! My favorite “exhibits” are the guinea pig corral, the fruit bat enclosure, and the macaw that says things like, “hello”, “hello, baby”, and my personal favorite, “I love you, baby.”

Among the bobcat and pea fowls, there were 2 Asiatic black bears which were rather pleasant to look at.  One of the bears decided to be an “exhibitionist” and treated us to a little show, which was complete with grunts and gurgles.  It was quite comical.  My husband suggested I should step back 5 feet or so, in the event this bear’s climatic dispatch had some distance to it!  *laugh*  To see a video and hear the noises he emitted, click here.

What I meant by the guinea pig corral is, there is an area that’s probably 25 - 30 feet long and about 15 feet wide, with a log style fence only about waist high that was home to probably 40 - 70 guinea pigs.  In the Cavy Corral, there were big piggies, baby piggies, and all size piggies playing “follow the leader.”  It was hard to refrain from climbing into the enclosure with the pigs to cuddle with them, but somehow I managed!

If you haven’t been to this zoo, I would definitely recommend you check it out.  There are lots more animals that I didn’t mention, but made the trip worth the short drive.  I did make a point of taking some pictures click here (I love pictures!).

Posted in Sights, Diversions, Goats, etc., Reviews | 1 Comment »

September 6, 2009 by Misty.

Let me first give you a little explanation into why I like cemeteries so much.  It’s not the modern day, headstones sunk in the ground, type cemeteries; we’re talking either old from 1800’s - early 1900’s type old or just HUGE cemeteries that include both old and new.

To me, they are artistic – in their own way.  The old headstones - the colors they become, the different styles, the mature trees that surround them - I think they’ve beautiful.  I envision everything as a black and white photograph.  If it’s something I really like, I print the picture in black and white and add it to the collage of photos already in our living room.  So, to me, they are beautiful artwork.

Of course there is an abundance of history in Upstate NY, so I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity.  We went to several different ones.  Some in Albany and some in surrounding towns.  If I remember some of the names of cemeteries or towns, I’ll update the post.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Posted in Sights, Diversions, Goats, etc., Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

July 13, 2009 by Misty.

This weekend, the hubby and I decided we would get to Lake Travis early to try and beat the crowds. It worked! We’ve gone to the same location on Lake Travis for the past few weeks and every time we go the water is quite a bit lower than the time before.

The first time we went to Bob Wentz Park, on the drive there, you could see a couple of big islands in the middle of the lake. You park your car on this big jetty type thing that used to be well under water (years past). And from there you had to walk about 50 feet (or so) to get to the water’s edge.

We were standing in the water (about shoulder deep) and noticed people swimming out to this small island not too far from the swimming area. There were children on the island, so I was certain it wasn’t terribly deep to begin with.

Two weeks later, we go to the same exact spot. We park in roughly the same location. I didn’t notice if the walk to the water’s edge was longer, but I did notice the water between that small little island and the “mainland”was MUCH shallower. Now I witnessed people walking over and it was merely up to their ankles/calves.

How much worse could it possibly get?! This weekend that little island no longer exists. And the parking is now at least 150 feet from the water. The lake is so beautiful and it’s a great way to relax on these hot summer days, but how much lower is it going to get before we can no longer enjoy it?

Check out the current conditions at Lake Travis: Lower Colorado River Authority

I’ve been going to Lake Travis for as long as I can remember. We’d pack a lunch and get to the lake early in the morning and wouldn’t leave until late in the day. I would get so sunburned! That was also back when you still drove across Mansfield dam. Those were some happy times.

I can’t recall ever seeing Lake Travis this low. I’ve had the chance to experience it when it was at a much higher level. Even though it’s not as nice as I remember from my childhood, I’m glad that I get to experience Lake Travis all over again with my Yankee husband;-)

Posted in Sights, Diversions, Goats, etc. | No Comments »