Day 15: Austin (The Green Belt has turned brown)

The wake up and get ready and get out routine is a little bit lazier today, given that we are staying in a friend (or for some a friend of a friends) house. However, I find it really refreshing to spend a day doing something with much less of a schedule and alot more of a leisurely pace.

As this glorious roadtrip winds down I think we all find ourselves slowly savoring these moments more and more. Then I will do something like hrmmm disconcerting (a tick that was once a joke and now used as an annoyance) or Dave will say "No." or Alex will be sketchy and the magic is broken.

The call to Alex's 20-year-old half-nephew gets us mobilized and headed toward Chuy's, a very famous and venerated Austin establishment. Personally, I liked the Hula-Hut better (which is also owned by Chuy's), but fighting tradition is often futile. Dave laments that his hot green chile sauce on the 9-1-1 enchiladas hardly deserves and emergency phone call, not even a look into the first aid kit for Dave. I later tell him that us Heat Gods must understand that things must be tempered for mere spice mortals, Alex and his British/Indiana palette sighs heavily.

After being fully stuffed and plumped up, we head over to Austin's Green Belt and dip past Barton Spring to the Austin Animal Preserve (aka land of 8 cages). It was sad to see Zilker Park not as green as the last time I viewed it. The green green grass was now a brown brown dry dry field, more reminiscent of a uninhabitable West Texas than a metropolitan park.

However, the nature exhibit was entertaining enough. After being freaked out by the fact the bee exhibit leads directly outside and a quick laugh over an inside joke ("Dry Creekbed"), we head out back to the Animals of Texas exhibit. Bobcats, coyotes, raccoons and foxes all mystified us and looked so pretty. We note that, given a story we heard from our good friend Jessica Ferreyra, sticking the bunny cage next to the raccoon cage was a bad idea.

After a nice afternoon rest, we head out with Rachel and Burt to 219 West, a pretty good Tapas Bar where the drink is the guiding focus of the menu. Continuing the relative theme, my brother Neil joins us for dinner. Also continuing was the digestion of lunch, so Neil eats my order of chipotle mac and cheese for me.

We go to the Alamo Drafthouse and watch my favorite concert film Stop Making Sense (which is about one of my favorite bands Talking Heads). Alex's half-niece joins us for the film, which weirds out her and Alex and manages to put Dave to sleep. This is sort of my thing and so I give them a pass for indulging me while in Texas. After the film, we separate from Alex and his kin (failing to find an open pool joint that isnt in bar mode) and go over to Burt's to watch a very educational documentary.

Rachel falls asleep, Burt is clearly tired but awake, and I intermittently stay up and nap. Dave, well rested from sleeping during the movie I actually liked, manages to stay up, watch the movie AND book plane tickets to California. However, despite failing to group watch a movie I discover the wonderfulness of I Love Video and that was worth it.

MEANWHILE AT THE BAT CAVE.... Alex parties with his kin and their friends, deciding to crash over there and meet us in the morning.