Austin ModHouse

THE HOME PROJECT PORTION OF THE SHOW: 

we had some shade cloth stapled up to cut down on the heat.  it was a temporary solution and it looked temporary.  to fix this I used the mig welder to attach some small metal L pieces and then welded on sections of 3/8 inch solid rod.  I only welded one end of each rod and the other side rests in a bracket (made of two L pieces making a U). gravity keeps the rod in place but I can still pop it up and out if I need to remove the curtains. 

a piece of advice for all you future welders out there, I recommend you not weld in T-shirt, shorts, flip flops and no scalp protection.  OUCHIE!

thanks to my mom for hemming the shade cloth and thanks to Hill Country Awning and Shade for installing the grommets at a great price.

each section of cloth was $25, grommets and installation set me back $20 ($1 per), bought a pack of carabiners on ebay for $10, and the 20 ft solid steel rod was $8.  total cost was $138! 

the heat reduction is phenomenal and I'm happy with the look. 

the guy at the pool chemistry store said it was time for us to dump our pool water and start over.  then I overfilled it.

kids riding their boogie boards in the brand new crystal clear water.

THE EATING, DRINKING, PLAYING ART AND MUSIC PORTION OF OUR SHOW:

we attended a reception at Lambert's for our friend caroline wright.  kat really liked the hanger steak and we also had the chick peas.  the belgian beer with slice of lemon was a nice way to cool down from the heat outside. 

I have a special envelope where I stash a few bills away every once in a while to eventually purchase a piece from caroline.  I especially like her migration series.

another friday afternoon at red bud island.

it may be triple digits hot outside, but you won't hear any complaints around here.

some guy always has to come along and show up the rope swingers.  he climbed up above where the rope attaches and walked out on the limb before making the leap.  he clearly does not share my fear of heights/death.

kids made clay (mud) balls.

I can recommend the club de ville.  another great mexican martini down the pie hole.  bartender threw in a splash of olive juice as well as, a dirty variation.

we saw Spoon at Stubb's bbq; the link is for a short clip shot with my cheap compact kodak camera that does HD video.  it does a decent job but I don't care for how it looses focus while zoom is used.

bartender Dianna at stubb's mixed us a great top shelf margarita, and a special thanks is due to Tim for he had ibuprofen to help my wife's shoulder when it started to ache.

I ran into the spoon front man after the show at Casino El Camino. 

met some people at the casino el camino who said they came there after seeing it on tripple D (diner's, drive-ins and dives; episode #404  you can watch a video of it here).  that burger was every bit as good as I've heard.  worth seeking it out if you have not already done so.

I don't eat much bbq, but that brisket at rudy's (360 location) is the best!  they have a huge back yard where the kids get to run free.

(maybe I need to hold the camera level next time).  hopper (the frog we have been caring for) had his humans return after three weeks in Greece. 

 saturday night we enjoyed more art and entertainment at bay6 studios.  our friend alec drummond has a great series based on the views of other motorists and commuters as seen from the vantage point of a motorist/commuter.  a fun snapshot of transportation as known by our generation.  I wonder how this work will be viewed by future generations, will commuting and transportation evolve from it's current mess?

live music at bay6 gallery was provided by THE TREACHERY OF OTHERS.

one man band Gerald Friend, was found performing outside the bay6 gallery.  his performance was great fun.

sunday morning at a local park.

after a morning at the park, riding bikes etc., we had an urge for some healthy sandwiches.  this led us to Lift.  although we almost went to defresh mode (with a name like that and being housed in an airstream I have to eventually try it). 

we noticed our elvis smoothie came in a biodegradeable corn cup.  the specs on it mention "for commercial composting".  we figured we'd throw it in our home composter to see what happens.

enjoying tomato and basil from our garden last night.  we had a bunch of tomato ripen while we were away at the beach last week, most spoiled.  currently awaiting a new batch to grow.

for the local live music folks, Toni Price will be performing for free this fridat at 6 pm at the Bob Bullock Museum music under the stars series.