Ben Broussard shows off his gymnastic talents (Credit: Jessica Teseny)

When I was five years old, we lived in a small house with a detached garage. This garage had a tree growing next to it. It was my goal to climb this tree and get on the garage roof. What really ended up happening was that I climbed most of the way up the tree, decided to climb down, got scared and had my little brother get my mommy.

Later on, I joined the Army against my dad’s advice because I thought they had a cooler obstacle course than the Air Force (true story bro). I then missed the obstacle course because I had kitchen duty scrubbing pots and pans. Both stories came up in a conversation I had with Ben Broussard at Bennu Coffee. You see, Ben and his wife, Kate, are the co-owners of the new Hot Lava Obstacle Course. That’s right, I said “obstacle course!” [Read more...]

Walnut Creek Park

Though you couldn’t tell by the heat, summer is officially here in Austin. The colleges have closed their doors and the river is filled daily with kayaks and stand up paddle boards. Since the Austinot has already given you some tips about how to beat the heat in Austin, I’m going to tell you about my favorite park in Austin: Walnut Creek Park.

Walnut Creek Park is a spot of wilderness among Austin’s sprawling northside. Just shy of 300 square acres, the park’s spiderweb of trails criss-cross for miles.

I feel like the protagonist from Heart of Darkness every time I enter the trees. Sometimes I half expect to see Marlon Brando and his skulls upriver when I play fetch with my dog in the water.

There are a million reasons why I love Walnut Creek Park. To save you some time, here are my top three. [Read more...]