Smile!

This was found at Auditorium Shores along Riverside Drive.

From Arguendo & Dixi's Daily Austin Photo

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Blue Gorilla

We found another gorilla this weekend. This one is located in front of the Arbor Car Wash on Jollyville Road.

From Arguendo & Dixi's Daily Austin Photo

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Waterfalls at One Congress Plaza

These waterfalls are located at the One Congress Plaza building. The building has a 1 acre sunken plaza with shade trees and park benches.

From Arguendo & Dixi's Daily Austin Photo

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Murals - Chevron Car Wash

This mural is on the wall of the car wash tunnel of the Chevron station at Riverside and South Congress. It show's music legend Stevie Ray Vaughn, the South Congress Bridge, Austin bats as well as the capital building. It also shows the Colorado River and the UT Tower. The artist's name is Russell W. Reid and it was completed in 2005.

From Arguendo & Dixi's Daily Austin Photo

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Murals - South Austin Music

This mural is on the side of South Austin Music on South Lamar. The artist is Aaron Sacco. More about him can be found here. There are 30 musicians images on the mural. It took me a while, but I can name most of them.

From Arguendo & Dixi's Daily Austin Photo

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Murals - Greetings From Austin

This mural is located in the 600 block of West Annie at the corner of South 1st Street. It was created by Billy Brakhage & Rory Skagen in 1997.

From Arguendo & Dixi's Daily Austin Photo

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Austin Motel

The Austin Motel is located in the heart of the SoCo District. Be sure to read about the history of the motel here.

From Arguendo & Dixi's Daily Austin Photo

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Home Slice Pizza

This is the entrance to Home Slice Pizza. You can get it by the slice or get a whole pie. Either way, it's really good pizza and well worth a visit.

From Arguendo & Dixi's Daily Austin Photo

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Deep Eddy Vodka

Came across this rolling advertisement for Deep Eddy Vodka on a recent outing to the SoCo District.

From Arguendo & Dixi's Daily Austin Photo

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Austin Guitar Town - Sixth String

Another guitar in the Austin Guitar Town installation. This one is called "Sixth String" and is located at 600 Congress in front of One American Center. This guitar was designed by Randy Rudman and signed by Reckless Kelly.

From Arguendo & Dixi's Daily Austin Photo

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Another Piano?

I came across this piano sitting outside of the Old Bakery & Emporium. It wasn't part of the Play Me, I'm Yours installation so I found it interesting.

From Arguendo & Dixi's Daily Austin Photo

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The Old Bakery & Emporium

The Old Bakery & Emporium is located at 1006 Congress Avenue. It is a City of Austin Parks and Recreation Consignment Store featuring handicrafts and fine art created by local citizens age 50 and over.

The Old Bakery, a registered national landmark built by Swedish immigrant Charles Lundberg, had graced Congress Avenue since 1876. The building was used as a community bakery until 1936 and following that, for a wide variety of purposes, including a night club.

The old bakery was vacant, deteriorating and scheduled for demolition, when it was rescued through the combined efforts of the Austin Heritage Society, which purchased the structure in 1963, and the Junior League, which donated $12,500 for restoration work.

From Arguendo & Dixi's Daily Austin Photo

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Austin Guitar Town - Twinkle Twinkle Lonestar

Here's another of the Austin Guitar Town installations. This one is by Amanda Dunbar and is located at 101 Congress Avenue.

From Arguendo & Dixi's Daily Austin Photo

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Angelina Eberly

In 1842, six years after Texas won its independence from Mexico, the capitol of the young republic was an isolated village on the western frontier whose name had recently been changed from Waterloo to Austin. President Sam Houston thought Austin was an inappropriate location for the capitol of Texas, and campaigned to have it moved to a city he found more to his taste--Houston. When the citizens of Austin resisted his attempts to move the capitol, Houston sent a delegation of Texas Rangers to steal the government archives. They would have succeeded if it had not been for a fiery local innkeeper named Angelina Eberly, who heard the rangers loading their wagons in the middle of the night. She hurried down to the the corner of what is now Sixth and Congress and fired off the town cannon, missing the rangers but blowing a hole in the General Land Office building. The cannon fire roused the populace, who chased down the rangers and recovered the archives near Brushy Creek. Had it not been for Angelina’s impulsive gesture, Houston would now be the capitol of Texas. In a very real sense, Angelina Eberly was the savior of Austin.

The statue of Angelina Eberly firing off her cannon was erected at the very spot this historic event took place: Sixth and Congress in downtown Austin, TX.

From Arguendo & Dixi's Daily Austin Photo

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Shoal Creek

This is Shoal Creek where it runs behind Shoal Creek Saloon at the corner of 9th and Lamar.

From Arguendo & Dixi's Daily Austin Photo

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Horse Drawn Carriage

You will see quite a few of these around the downtown area, especially on the weekends. We spotted this one at the corner of 5th and Congress.

From Arguendo & Dixi's Daily Austin Photo

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Southwestern Writers Collection - Lady Bird Johnson

Beauty in nature nourishes us
and brings joy to the human spirit,
it also is one of the deep
needs of people everywhere.
-Lady Bird Johnson, 1912-2007

I know the stone doesn't show the year she passed. I added that myself.

From Arguendo & Dixi's Daily Austin Photo

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Southwestern Writers Collection - Barbara Jordan

What the people want is
very simple. They want America
as good as its promise.
-Barbara Jordan 1936-1996

From Arguendo & Dixi's Daily Austin Photo

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Southwestern Writers Collection - J. Frank Dobie

Great literature transcends its native land.
but none that I know of ignore its soil.
-J. Frank Dobie, 1888-1964

From Arguendo & Dixi's Daily Austin Photo

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Southwestern Writers Collection - Mary Austin Holley

They hesitate not to call it a
splendid country
-an enchanting spot.
Mary Austin Holley, 1784-1846

From Arguendo & Dixi's Daily Austin Photo

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Southwestern Writers Collection - Doug Sahm

You can teach me a lot of lessons,
you can bring me a lot of gold,
but you can't live in Texas, if
you don't have a lot of soul.
-Doug Sahm, 1941-1999

From Arguendo & Dixi's Daily Austin Photo

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Quotations From The Southwestern Writers Collection

This is one of a few stones around the pond in front of the Palmer Events Center in Austin. More to come...

From Arguendo & Dixi's Daily Austin Photo

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Bess Bistro

This is the entrance to Bess Bistro, located on 6th Street. Dixi and I have yet to give it a try but we've heard its very good. It's owned by none other than Sandra Bullock.

From Arguendo & Dixi's Daily Austin Photo

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Katz Deli

Katz Deli was located at the corner of 6th Street and Rio Grande. Katz closed at the end of 2010 after 31 years. This part of it is still there.

From Arguendo & Dixi's Daily Austin Photo

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Things You Come Across In Austin

Some day's are just made for coming across something interesting. We met this young lady and her monkey outside of the Whole Foods at 5th and Lamar. Sadly, in the excitement of actually seeing a monkey, I can no longer remember the name of the girl or the monkey!

From Arguendo & Dixi's Daily Austin Photo

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One More From Gruene

This is the patio area just outside Gruene Hall. Lots of tables and plenty of seating. The ground is covered in a really fine gravel which keeps dust down to a minimum but isn't uncomfortable to stand or walk on.

From RCPM in Gruene

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@azpeacemakers In Gruene, TX

Dixi and I arrived in Gruene around 5:00 on the afternoon of April 30th to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. We stopped in a couple of the local stores and were headed to a local eatery when we heard some Peacemaker music coming from inside of Gruene Hall. We both smiled and decided we'd go inside and have a beer and listen to the music before eating. Imagine our surprise to see the band actually up on stage going through their soundcheck! We were lucky enough to meet them and had a couple of pictures taken with them as well. Dixi was in heaven!

To Roger, P.H., Nick and Jim - Thank you for making this anniversary the best so far!

From RCPM in Gruene

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Inside Gruene Hall

This is a shot of the bar from inside Gruene Hall. The staff here is wonderful and friendly.

From RCPM in Gruene

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Downtown Gruene

Another view of downtown Gruene, TX.

From RCPM in Gruene

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Gruene Antique Company

This is the view of the Gruene Antique Company from the patio area of Gruene Hall.

From RCPM in Gruene

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Gruene Hall

Dixi and I spent our Saturday celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary at Gruene Hall in Gruene, TX. We went to see Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers play. We had a BLAST!

From RCPM in Gruene

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