Discoveries Archives - Page 70 of 72

Guest Blog: My Top 5 Favorite Parks in Austin

June 5, 2012 by Guest Blogger 2 Comments

Brushy Creek Park, my top pick

This guest blog post is by Ashly Howard.

As a mother of three, I want to make sure my children have just as much fun at the park as I do at the casino. I want to make sure their hair blows in the wind and their minds race deciding what they want to do next, as they explore their magical plastic wonderland.

But I may be a bit overprotective when deciding which park to take them to, and I do my research ten-fold. Though I want to get my children out of the house as much as possible, I don’t want to take them to a place that’s dirty or infested, or that is so busy that it’s impossible to keep up. [Read more…]

Best Texas Swimming Holes on Austinot Podcast Ep. 11

May 18, 2012 by Brittany Highland 21 Comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Deep Eddy

Click the Play button on the podcast player above to listen to this week’s episode of the Austinot Podcast!

When those scorching Summer days start hitting, a cool Texas swimming hole can be the best relief.

The Austinot has scoured the area for the best swimming holes in and around the Austin. Here’s the list we came up with: [Read more…]

Guest Blog: Girl Drives Ferrari Thanks to Lone Star Exotics

May 8, 2012 by Guest Blogger 2 Comments

This guest blog post is by Kristin Shaw.

You can hear the car before you step into it…a quarter million dollars’ worth of Italian engineering is warming up to the task ahead, seeming to protest loudly before settling into a content purr. The sleek lines of the vehicle attract me like a magnet, and I am in awe as I lower myself into the smooth leather seat, close to the ground.

Pulling onto the access road and then the highway, I feel a slight jerk as the car settles into second gear, third gear, fourth gear. The faster I drive, the smoother it rides.

“The Ferrari is happiest at 3-4 RPM,” Jacob tells me from the passenger seat. “You’ll feel it adjust.”

I had worn high wedges for the pre-drive photo shoot, but I switched into flat sandals with the idea that I want to feel the power of the automobile as close to me as possible. It proves to be a wise decision as I press my foot to the floor on the on-ramp to the new toll road, near the Lone Star Exotic Rentals office south of Austin. [Read more…]

Ronald McDonald House is a Quiet Hero for Families in Need

May 7, 2012 by Brittany Highland 6 Comments

If you have ever had a loved one sick with a serious illness, you know how life is turned upside down. Your ability to work is impeded by worry, and day-to-day necessities like eating and sleeping take the back burner to the nurturing of the one you care about. Having a sick child may be the most devastating scenario of all.

What if there was an organization that cared for families with sick or injured children, and met every one of their needs? What if that organization went the extra mile to provide all kinds of comforts, as a service to suffering families?

That organization exists. It’s in your community and you can be a part of it.

A few weeks ago, Austinot Eric and I had the privilege of touring the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of Austin. Although both of us had volunteered at other Ronald McDonald Houses in the past, I had an incomplete picture of how RMHC functions and how much it provides for the community. [Read more…]

Guest Blog: Austin Disc Golf Stirs Community Spirit

May 2, 2012 by Guest Blogger 8 Comments

This guest blog post is by Troy Herman.

Disc golf is not just a sport to be played; it is a passion that should be felt. I have played disc golf with some of the best players in the world and, while we have competed with much seriousness, we have never forgotten how it all started: throwing a bunch of discs in the park, making terrible shots, sharing many laughs and all of us wondering “Why did we try this…again?”

Disc golf is a sport that is often compared to and played like “ball” golf, but there are differences. In disc golf, you throw a disc or Frisbee rather than using a ball and clubs like in “ball” golf. Like “ball” golf, the objective is the same: complete each “hole” in the fewest number of strokes (or in this case throws) to be declared the winner.

Like all sports, there must be a start and a finish for the game of play. During this time of play, there are guidelines, rules and courtesies that should be followed – whether it’s a casual round or official sanctioned event. [Read more…]

American Bingo: This Ain’t Your Grandmother’s Game

April 26, 2012 by Dustin Vegas 13 Comments

What have you heard about bingo? When I learned about American Bingo last week, I first thought of slow-moving people absent-mindedly stabbing at pieces of paper while a bored man rattles off numbers. I figured it was a pastime reserved for retired folk.

I had no clue how wrong I was.

What if I told you, with all honesty, that one of the most intense, exciting and downright fun nights I’ve had in Austin took place in a bingo parlor? Well hold on to your hat – it’s true. The Austinots recently took a trip to American Bingo at 1919 East Riverside Dr. and learned how crazy a night of bingo can be.

Here’s what I mean: [Read more…]

Austinot Music Podcast, Ep. #4: The Hereticks

April 26, 2012 by Dustin Vegas 6 Comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

This week I am featuring a high-energy Austin band named the Hereticks on the Austinot Music Podcast. Straight out of West Campus, the Hereticks started making music in Spring of 2011. Three of the four members met while living in Pearl Street Co-op, which is somewhat of a haven for musicians and artists west of UT.

The Hereticks are: Ofer Shouval (guitar, vocals), Wesley Maffly-Kipp (bass, vocals), Will Johnson (guitar, vocals), and Peter Farago (Drums). [Read more…]

Parkour in Austin – There’s a Reason It’s Called Freerunning

April 11, 2012 by Eric Highland 7 Comments

My sons Darius and Javen are obsessed with freerunning, or parkour as it is known. So when they came to visit me during Spring Break, I searched on the web for parkour in Austin and ran into Matthew Lee Willis through my surfing.

More on Matthew in a second, but what is parkour? And why are my sons and so many others obsessed with this rapidly growing movement?

If you aren’t familiar, it may be tough to explain. Parkour is like gymnastics without a gym, skateboarding without a skateboard, and rock climbing without gear, all rolled into one.

Visually, it is reminiscent of those fantastical moves that Jackie Chan does in the movies – where he bounces off walls and slides standing up down a rail [Read more…]

Bastrop State Park Reopens After Fire

April 10, 2012 by Dustin Vegas 4 Comments

The fire around Bastrop State Park in September 2011 left many families and individuals homeless and confused. In the wake of so much desolation and grief, good news becomes twice as nice to hear.

Bastrop State Park will reopen most of its acreage on Friday the 13th. This is great news for nature lovers like myself. Though large sections of the park remain charred and desolate, officials are planning to open the majority of the park for you to enjoy. Hurry before the summer camping rush hits! The newly-opened areas include:

Copperas Creek camping area: This area was off-limits due to extreme fire damage. Nobody knew how dangerous sleeping there could be. By now, all the stong men with saws have trimmed the campground to a safe level. Time has passed, so you will see green life growing from the ashes. Spring time will be perfect for seeing the renaissance of Bastrop State Park. [Read more…]

Reenacting the Battle of Goliad, Texas and Goliad Massacre

April 3, 2012 by Brittany Highland 4 Comments

There are few Texans who don’t enjoy rubbing in the fact that Texas was once its own country. It’s one of the things that the rest of the country hates about us.

But many people, especially in my generation, don’t consider or even know about the decisive battles in the Texas War for Independence that led to victory over Mexico.

Growing up, I was lucky to have two younger brothers who were Boy Scouts. Because of them, I got to tag along on many camping trips and educational adventures. One such adventure was to Goliad, TX for the annual reenactment of the 1836 Goliad Massacre and the battles of Goliad leading up to the Massacre. Goliad was an important location during the Texas War for Independence. Though the events there were tragic for Texas and its allies, they compounded with the fall of the Alamo to galvanize Texas forces to continue the fight for freedom. [Read more…]

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