Austin autumn for real (November 22, 2019)

Papa and I checked out the Sony FS5 camcorder from Austin Public on November 21 and returned it on November 22 after making a few cat videos of Zephyr.  Get ready everyone.  We've reserved the camera for when y'all are here.  Hoping to do a family video. Red leaves are so rare in Austin that I had to take a photo of Papa with the tree.

Thanksgiving lunch with Kirk, Jake, and Lucy (November 21, 2019)

We had Thanksgiving lunch at Gullett Elementary with 4-year-old twins Lucy and Jake and their Dad Kirk, who's married to our niece, Sarah.  Sarah was in the Philippines on business.

Adorable Lucy.  

Beekeeping training (November 16, 2019)

We spent all day Saturday, November 16, in a beginner beekeeping class at Oakley Family Apiaries in Elm Mott.  We plan to start with two hives at Cornerstone in April.  

Hives hold eight frames.  This frame, filled with honey, weighs about six pounds.  We wore gloves to cover our hands against bee stings. Okay, what's with the purse?  Such a grandma!

A pollen-laden honey bee on Papa's shoe

Winter arrives early (November 11, 2019)

The first major cold front of the season arrived on Veteran's Day, plummeting temperatures to below freezing.  We usually don't have a freeze until Thanksgiving.  The north winds blew leaves out of the elms.

Einar knows where to hang out when the temperatures drop.  We baby him by placing a heating pad in his house.  You can see on the temperature gauge that it's about 45 degrees.

Meanwhile, back in Austin (October 31-November 1, 2019)

Papa Tom and his high school buddy Cary caught the Formula 1 time trials at the Circuit of the Americas.

Don't know which rock star driver this is.  We watched "Formula 1: Drive to Survive" about the 2018 season on Netflix after Tom's experience, to learn more for next year.

New York City (November 3, 2019)

Too cold to stand outside at the NYC Marathon, so watched it on TV from our hotel room

Hit Zabar's on the Upper Westside to get Tom's black-and-white cookies

Saw runners everywhere, including at Zabar's Deli.

Met and talked with Paula, a WWII concentration camp survivor who's been in NYC since 1953.

New York City (Saturday, November 2, 2019)

Our 21st floor room at the Hilton was so stuffy that Connie opened the window.  Luckily the hinges pulled inward rather than outward so Connie wouldn't accidentally ride the window out over the pavement.

The Oculus is the subway transit hub next to the Freedom Tower at One World Trade Center, lighted up behind the Oculus.

Conjunto on the subway

The Staten Island September 11 memorial frames the Freedom Tower in Lower Manhattan.

Individual silhouettes of Staten Islanders who lost their lives on September 11 are on either side of the angel wings.

On the Staten Island ferry, headed back to Manhattan

Caught some jazz at the Sugar Bar on Saturday night

New York City (Friday, November 1, 2019)

Can vouch that Hill Country Barbecue on 26th serves the real deal.  The owner has a Lockhart, Texas brisket smoker pedigree.

On the High Line, a former rail line 30 feet above the city that has been converted to green and art space.  

Touch of autumn from the High Line.  The Hudson Yards observation deck, looking like an arrowhead, is at the end of the High Line. 

The Vessel is comprised of 154 intricately interconnecting flights of stairs--almost 2500 individual steps and 80 landings--the vertical climb offers remarkable views of the city, river, and beyond.  We had to get to a Broadway show and didn't have time to make the climb.  Next time.

"Ain't Too Proud" is the story of the Temptations.  Think "My Girl," and many other hits.  The cast was amazing: triple threat of dancing, singing, and acting.

To Brooklyn for pizza after the show

Scariest post-Halloween photo of all??? (November 3, 2019)

The shop owner tried to please all the people all the time with both pro and con Trump memorabilia.  I only walked away with this photo.

Happy Halloween from Portland to Austin to Asheville (October 31, 2019)

Who could this Portland punchinello be?

Japanese spirit Princess Mononoke visited Austin

Honoring ancestors in Asheville

Halloween Parade in Greenwich Village (October 31, 2019)

My Williamson County Sun newspaper friends for more than 30 years and I spent a long weekend in NYC, starting on Halloween.  Gorgeous 70-degree night. NYPD has been replacing its three-wheeled scooters with Smart cars.  But suspects won't be taking a ride downtown in the car unless they're driving.  It's a single-person car.

Puppets stride down Sixth Avenue

No

Skeletons scare the crowd

Yikes!

After-parade revelers. 

Isn't this guy from a video game?

Scariest thing of all!  Giant piles of trash.

Scary Halloween parade puppets!