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March 25, 2013

Mapo Tofu You.

one of the recipes I had bookmarked early this year (when I was not eating land animals) was this vegan mapo tofu.  the author claims his family likes it better than the regular version.  the recipe is hard to follow, I stressed over it for a while, and I gave up on finding broad bean chili paste.  I didn't want to drive north to the asian market.  I substituted it with gochujang. 

On the second attempt (yes, it's so good we had it 2x in a few days) we left out the kombu, nobody missed it.  I have this one solved.

vegan mapo tofu mushroom

I'll give you the cheat sheet to make the recipe easy.  just chop and fry up 6-8 oz of button mushrooms to replace the pork.  rehydrate and chop some woodear and porcini mushrooms, retain the mushroom broth and use that instead of chicken stock.  chop the rehydrated mushrooms along with some pickled mustard to stir in with the fried mushrooms (pork substitute).

frying mushrooms for vegan mapo tofu

(about 8 oz of chopped button mushrooms in the wok quickly reduced by half)

fried mushroom mapo tofu vegan

finished fried mushrooms are about 1/4 original volume or less.  the oil is drained off and reused. 

fried szechuan peppercorn

another adjustment we did, we fried and removed ALL the szechuan peppercorns (above).  we tried it as written the first time, crushing half and adding them before serving.  nobody appreciated biting into peppercorn chunks.  I also added some thai chili flake, because we like it really spicy. 

mapu tofu vegan mushroom wok chinese vegetarian cooking

we put in a little extra pickled mustard, because we love that stuff.  sauce bubbley and thickened, tofu added... 

vegan mapu tofu and sake vegetarian chinese cooking

I need to adjust further to increase the portion.  it's really good. 

empty bowl

when I was done, it all made sense.  I figured I could cut the time it took me by more than half (and I was right).  it also helped for me to read a regular mapo tofu recipe, this one is very similar but uses pork.

WIMBERLEY:

real salsa texas trudy's

like mother, like daughter.  we often stop off at Trudy's (half way point between our wimberley place and our austin home)

real salsa verde texas trudy's

this is what real salsa looks like.  you can see individual components, including fresh ingredients.  back on the east coast (90's), I had a hard time finding real salsa.  most tex-mex/"mexican" restaurants there treated salsa like catsup, they ordered it by the jug from Sysco.

cedar mulch

we hired a tree service to mulch up our mountains of cedar trees.  we have NO more cedars!  of course there is now a clear view to the tear-down.  I've started the deconstruction, and we have most of the contents removed. 

wimberley cedar mulch

wimberley big tree cabin

all the trees are coming back to life.  we have several BIG healthy trees.  we went down to the river... and somebody took a kat nap on a rock. 

kat nap on the blanco river

March 19, 2013

Minor Mishap Marching Band and PEELANDER-Z at springdale farms

it's really the day AFTER sxsw 2013.  and Springdale Farm is normally a working farm.  and by now, most people have had enough and will take that day of rest, but I'm insatiable.  I woke up and organized our trip to the farm.   

springdale farm picnic family jamboree

Chicken Ranch Records was having a SXSW closing party... or family jamboree. 

springdale farm cock sxsw

MINOR MISHAP BAND:

they even had free brooklyn lager, but we brought our own picnic and avoided the line.

minor mishap marching band sxsw 2013 springdale farm

#2 son and I watched the Minor Mishap Assemble so we could march along with them. 

minor mishap sxsw 2013

minor mishap marching band sxsw springdale farm

peelander yellow sxsw 2013 austin

as I marched along with the band, I danced with Peelander Yellow!

Minor Mishap took to the stage and played a few songs while #2 son and I walked around the farm.  then, I noticed Minor Mishap leaving the stage... then, I noticed they had RE-assembled around my picnic blanket!  I pushed my way through the crowd, I knew the daughter and #1 son had been there reading. 

minor mishap marching band austin sxsw picnic

I was surprised to find #1 son STILL reading.  when he is reading, he doesn't notice the world around him.  I tapped him, "hey!  check it out, there's a big-ass drum being banged behind your head". 

minor mishap marching band picnic sxsw 2013

daughter was pretty casual about the whole thing as well.  kids in austin are spoiled, live music EVERYWHERE, even on our picnic blanket. 

minor mishap band washboard sxsw 2013

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minor mishap happy hour sxsw 2013 austin

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shared our beer with our favorite washboard player. 

PEELANDER Z:

peelander z sxsw austin 2013 springdale farm

peelander spaceship landed...

kids at peelander z sxsw 2013

#2 son was very impressed!  he said "the heros are here!"  (he's been watching their Ninja High School video)  he got the VIP access.  he could have gotten on stage with the band, but he refused. 

peelander z sxsw 2013 austin

peelander z taco sxsw 2013

taco, taco, taco, taco, taco si yay!

 

peelander z jump sxsw austin 2013 springdale farm chicken ranch records

 

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before he jumped, he said "HEY, I ROOKA RIKE A LOCK STAR UP HERE"

peelander z stage dive sxsw 2013

he mounted the speaker on our side of the stage, but it wasn't strapped down.  he was afraid.

peelander z sxsw austin 2013

peelander z sxsw 2013 chicken ranch records party

they asked for volunteer musicians from the audience.  some guy took the bass, another volunteer took over the drums, and our washboard playing friend ROCKED the guitar. 

minor mishap marching band washboard plays guitar for peelander z sxsw austin 2013

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March 18, 2013

final day of SXSW 2013, Saturday. let's make it count.

started the day back at Urban Outfitters to see Pure X

Pure X band austin tx 2013 sxsw urban outfitters

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pure X sxsw 2013 urban outfitters

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haddington's brunch w 6th street sxsw

the wife had worked hard and long hours all week.  her sxsw pace was not up to our speed, and we were slowing down to her speed after the three previous days.  so we saw one band, and went and enjoyed a fancy brunch (and bloody marys) at haddington's.  some friends were near so they stopped in and we were a mobile party.  but it's also harder to get into places when your group is larger and nobody RSVP'd to the day parties.  so we went back to swan dive for the quebec party

quebec sxsw karim ouellet

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Karim Ouellet was a good show!

karim ouellete quebec sxsw 2013

we go back 25-30 years.... 

stepped next door to barbarella...

kid congo and the pink monkey birds

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KID CONGO AND THE PINK MONKEY BIRDS WERE AWESOME!  I had to dig and pry to find out who they were.  never once did he say "we are blah blah from there and here"  turns out the guy played guitar for the cramps and nick cave.  this was a real surprise.  we really enjoyed this show, and just about had the band to ourselves.

kid congo and the pink monkey birds

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side story: the next day I was checking kid congo out on my ipad, found an interesting video (NSFW video linked below).  my 4 yo son comes over to watch with me and I ended up closing the case.... he asked real nicely if he could finish watching.  I gave in, I was guessing what had made it so interesting to me, probably wasn't to him.  so we watched it together.  I asked him WHY he found it so interesting.  and here is what he said "I think they should CLOSE THAT RESTAURANT!  they serve POISONOUS SALAD!"  so funny I just about fell over.  I agreed, there must've been something bad about the salad. 

http://youtu.be/-PRHypvy-j8

 

virgin house mystery artists

we were walking near red river when we noticed a crowd outside the virgin house.  then a tall-boy lonestar comes FLYING out, probably 20 feet up in the air and lands in a group of people (somebody nearly got brained by it).  for some reason, this made us want to get closer and see what the commotion was about.    security guy said prince's crew/band had been there all day and the place was going crazy.  I don't know about all that.  we had plans so we kept hiking across town to our next party.

prince crew sxsw virgin house

lavaca teppan japanese food near UT campus

arrived at the scottish rites in time for check-in wristband.  stopped for some asian food at lavaca tepan.  it was good.

deep eddy rio red star grapefruit sxsw scottish rites

holy crap!  open bar with free deep eddy vodka with rio red grapefruit.  yes bartender, I did say give me SIX. 

PHOX, yes, this was the third time I saw them this sxsw.  but my wife was working too hard during the week to attend and she wanted to see them as well.  it was worth it.

PHOX band sxsw 2013 scottish rites do512

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PHOX band sxsw 2013 do512 scottish rite

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PHOX band SXSW 2013

sheepodgs were also good. 

the sheepdogs sxsw closing party do512

if you like dirty southern rock from canadians.... they worked hard to play us some hard rock.

sheepdogs sxsw 2013 closing party

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sheepdogs sxsw 2013

HEARTLESS BASTARDS! 

heartless bastards sxsw 2013

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heartless bastards sxsw 2013

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what a treat it was to see the Heartless Bastards close out sxsw 2013!

heartless bastards 2013 sxsw closing party

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heartless bastards sxsw 2013 gold top les paul

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heartless bastards sidecar party sxsw 2013

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heartless bastards austin sxsw 2013

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monica martin of phox

I said goodbye to my new friend monica.  she noted that I was yelling at people.  my wife had just told me the same thing so I knew it was true.  it's what happens to me when I've seen 20+ bands in just a few days, all with free vodka and beer... I was excited.  bye bye sxsw 2013...  except we already had plans for another sxsw after party for sunday...  peelander z family jamboree! 

POLYPHONIC SPREE SXSW Friday 15th 2013, brooklyn vegan party, PHOX, Flaming Lips

day three at full speed and it's starting to get harder to get up and leave the house... we went to whole foods and saw pentatonix (not my thing) and left before rick springfield came on (it was getting thick with cougars up there).  I checked my FB events and saw that PHOX was playing in an hour, we just had to walk the twelve blocks to get there.  my partner had a couple false starts and we didn't get far.  but he regained his legs and we made it with time to spare!

PHOX

PHOX monica martin

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then we hauled ass over to the brooklyn vegan party, caught the thermals again

the thermals sxsw brooklyn vegan

killdeer band austin sxsw

ran into one of our VIP friends from the Hype Hotel party. 

POLYPHONIC SPREE

polyphonic spree sxsw 2013 brooklyn vegan

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polyphonic spree (tripping daisy) sxsw 2013 brooklyn vegan austin

the show was loud!  but I'd picked up free earplugs from the PHOX show.  this enabled me to get up in front of the speaker where nobody else could stand. 

polyphonic spree sxsw 2013 austin

polyphonic spree sxsw 2013 austin brooklyn vegan

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I also took some pics of polyphonic spree with my iphone.  Tim DeLaughter (lead singer) saw me holding my iphone up.  he asked for it (by reaching out for it) , I gave it to him and he sang a song to it and pointed it toward band members and audience.  BUT, he never hit the video/record button.  I'd had it on camera....  so I got it back without any really cool video.  funny. 

best wurst sxsw 2013 brooklyn vegan

the best wurst cart was outside the brookly vegan.  we enjoyed one and it gave us the power to keep going. 

alt-j sxsw russian house 2013 austin

we stumbled on ALT-J.  not as good live.  and he ranted about how much he hated texas, "this god-forsake hell-hole of a state".  it didn't really inspire home town folks.  not sure what he expected from the crowd of people that were clearly enjoying their sxsw here. 

auditorium shores sxsw 2013

we met with some friends at auditorium shores.  Jim James was playing when we walked up. 

I got up front for part of the flaming lips show.

flaming lips sxsw austin 2013 girl gerbil ball

Wayne did not get in his gerbil ball.  BUT they did have a topless girl in there holding a disco ball. 

human gerbil ball flaming lips sxsw 2013

wayne flaming lips baby instrument sxsw 2013 austin

they played new music on a new instrument.  it looked like a human baby, with tubes coming out the back.  he would blow into the mouth of the baby and it made a sort of a humming sound, the tubes from the back flowed light out, over/around him and around the stage. 

it was really crowded.  they said it was the largest crowd for a sxsw show, ever.  wayne explained that justin timberlake was coming on stage to sing with him, but it ended up being jim james under a mask.  I laughed, some people were not as amused. 

jumbotron on auditorium shores sxsw flaming lips 2013

this was the view of the jumbo tron (right) and stage (left) from our friends picnic area. 

not my favorite flaming lips show.  but it was free... 

SXSW Thursday 14th 2013 SPIN HOUSE at Easy Tiger and The Thermals

after about 4 hours of sleep, we jumped up and rushed out to the SPIN HOUSE party at Easy Tiger.  I was really hungry and I was hoping for some food.  I found it was on the other side of a security guard and a big red velvet rope.  I walked up and said "I'm looking for the food, I'm hungry!" 

she smiled, unhooked the rope.  I motioned for my friend to follow.  I scooped up a plate of the extra delicious easy tiger bratwurst and found a comfy space in the center of the wall. 

spin house sxsw VIP fitz and the tantrums

we soon realized that lots of people were trying to get across the red velvet rope, but did not have the black VIP wristband...  and of course we did not either.  I have no sxsw badge, no sxsw wristband... but I was hungry and there I was, enjoying my VIP bratwurst.  my sxsw partner looked over at me and asked "we are in the VIP area again, how does this keep happening?!" 

easy tiger sxsw spin 2013

the room filled up.  many photographers, a few of them took our pics.  easy tiger staff (delilah and friends) took real good care of us.  if we wanted something, they'd go get it for us.  we were livin' like kings.  it was also my birthday so I soaked it all up.  and by soaked it up, I mean that we rehydrated ourselves with several crispin cider, along with daytime decongestant and 5 hour energy (turned out to be a powerful combo as I was soon feelin' REALLY GOOD).

The Thermals really rocked that party.  that's how you do it!

the thermals at sxsw spin magazine party 2013

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the thermals sxsw 2013 SPIN HOUSE

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the thermals rocked the spin house party sxsw easy tiger austin 2013

the thermals at spin house easy tiger sxsw party 2013

fletcher c johnson sxsw 2013 spin house austin

spin house sxsw party 2013 majical cloudz

alibi american whiskey sxsw SPIN HOUSE VIP

crispin cider spin house sxsw easy tiger party 2013 austin

thank you Crispin Cider, thank you SPIN magazine and Easy Tiger and everybody that treated us so well.

fitz and the tantrums at easy tiger spin house sxsw 2013

later, I asked one of the many photographers why they were crowding us and taking pics.  turns out we were sitting next to fitz and the tantrums

quebec sxsw showcase 2013 swan dive

we stopped in for a (free) beer at swan dive and the quebec canada showcase.  I didn't take note of who, it was the right time to go home and recharge.  we still had three more days (I also had plans for sunday even though sxsw officially ends saturday)

quebec canada showcase austin sxsw 2013 swan dive

Foxygen, The Orwells, Twin Peaks, Calvin Love, Wet Lung, Pallbearer, Icky Blossom Hype Hotel Urban Outfitters back lot sxsw

urban outfitters back lot sxsw party kids arts and crafts

I had a friend in from Louisiana to enjoy SXSW.  we took the kids along to the Urban Outfitters back lot party.  they had free pizza, free beer, free bags with swag in them, and the kids enjoyed the arts and crafts table. 

urban outfitters sxsw 2013 austin crafts smile

mount moriah sxsw urban outfitters 2013

Mount Moriah

icky blossoms sxsw urban outfitters 2013 austin

Icky Blossoms (think, My Life With The THRILL KILL KULT)

icky blossoms sxsw 2013 austin urban outfitters

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pallbearer house of vans sxsw mohawk 2013 austin

My mom whisked the kids home while we made our way to 6th and Red River area.  stopped in for some death metal at the House of VANS (pallbearer above and wet lungs below)

wet lungs sxsw house of vans mohawk austin 2013

if I had to caption the pic below: three grizzly bears, and a drummer

wet lungs sxsw austin 2013 house of vans mohawk

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garnier vice party sxsw 2013 austin

we found ourselves at a garnier party.  I let some hairdresser girl put some spooge in my hair and we enjoyed open bar and DJ.  then, we decided that was enough.  we had a LONG walk back to the car and we'd already had a full day.  but sometimes, the day/night takes unexpected turns. 

I had my hype hotel wristband for day parties, my partner did not.  I suggested we stop by and see if we could get one, they'd closed the RSVP.  I approached the person in charge of wristbands and tried to explain our situation.  the reply I got was "OK, you're part of the technical crew, go on in".  so I did, and I motioned for my friend to follow.  they were between day/night parties...  all we had to do, look technical for a few hours.

HYPE HOTEL TECHNICAL CREW SXSW austin 2013

we watched people with brooms sweep up the trash, Jim James did a soundcheck, we found a dark corner and waited.  I figured that unless we make and ass of ourselves (always a possibility) then nobody would take notice us.  our patience paid off.  we enjoyed free taco bell food and free tito's and monster (sorry but I can't stand monster, but it probably helped me make it through the night).  and somehow, it was suggested we might enjoy the VIP area.... it was good info.  we did enjoy it.  it was like being on stage with the artists, and it was open bar. 

twin peaks sxsw hype hotel austin 2013

twin peaks

Calvin Love sxsw hype hotel 2013 austin

calvin love

the orwells trash sxsw 2013 hype hotel austin

the orwells...  17 years old.  played hard, and just about got roughed up by the stage crew when the singer snapped the mic cord and it went sailing into the crowd and he then did a roundhouse kick at the mic stand that then went flying into the guitar player... 

the orwells sxsw austin 2013 hype hotel

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orwells sxsw austin 2013 music festival

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phosphorescent

phosphorescent.  keyboard player was late, did some dance up there while some girl said this to me, "I need something to throw! can I have a piece of your ice?"  at first I was a little protective.  I gave her one piece and she threw it at the keyboard player while yelling "YOU ASSHOLE!"  then I remembered I had an open bar in the VIP area, so I gave her the rest of my ice.  she let loose with a barrage that finally got his attention.  I laughed, a lot. 

foxygen band sxsw 2013 austin music

Foxygen came on late.  I was really looking forward to seeing them.  unfortunately, their live act didn't live up to the hype surrounding them.  we need more than just volume and jumping around on stage.  it's sxsw, you need to work at playing for the audience, and not just creating chaos and expecting it to be art.   

foxygen band live music festival austin 2013 sxsw

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and FOXYGEN's sound sucked, couldn't make out a single instrument or vocal.  but good things were in store for us, the patient guys all jacked up on tito's and monster drink in the VIP area

Jim James owned the show. 

Jim James SXSW 2013 austin hype hotel

I posted the Jim James pics on a different entry (thanks Jim and Hype Hotel and Tito's vodka... and all you beautiful people)

we rolled out after 3 AM.  the car was still a LONG walk away.  then I caught this guy (below), from London, as he was falling.  he was not so good at the whole walking standing thing.  we propped him and I tried to make sure he was safely back at his hotel.  drunk guy at sxsw 2013 from london

you might be in a bad way when guys like us are telling you to slow down...  just sayin' 

after 30 mins, he started to dance to a street band... we never did get him to his hotel.  he never did remember what hotel he was supposed to be at.  hope you made it back safely SXSW London guy.

6th street austin tx sxsw party

so we walked, and we walked.  my friend gave was about to give up faith in my ability to navigate, "we're walking in CIRCLES!  you're LOST!" 

sxsw wears a man down 24 hour party people

nah, I always knew where the car was.  it was just a long walk... UP hill.  I think it did us some good. 

 

Jim James SXSW 2013 HYPE HOTEL, LIVE

the best show we saw for sxsw 2013 was Jim James.  I usually don't go to the BIG events or night parties, but we got in, and they put us in VIP.  We put in the big effort to stay up late (I think he went on at 2 AM) and we were not disappointed.   

Jim James SXSW 2013 3-13-13 hype hotel

jim james yim yames sxsw 2013 austin my morning jacket

Jim James sxsw 2013 austin yim yames my morning jacket

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Jim James yim yames my morning jacket sxsw 2013 hype hotel

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yeah, it was like he was singing just for us. 

jim james sxsw austin 2013 hype

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Jim James SXSW 2013 Hype Hotel

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jim james austin 2013 sxsw

jim james austin sxsw 2013

 

March 12, 2013

What Made Milwuakee Famous / Quiet Company SXSW 2013 at Whole Foods World Headquarters Austin

we took the kids to see a showcase on the roof deck of the whole foods world headquarters (near home).  they have a big playscape up there near the stage, fun for the whole family. 

What Made Milwuakee Famous:

what made milwuakee famous sxsw 2013 whole foods roof

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what made milwuakee famous band austin tx sxsw 2013

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our friend Chris Levack designed those awesome steel/wood shade tree structures.  I'm guessing photography didn't enter into his design process.  they cast mean linear shadows .

QUIET COMPANY:

quiet company austin tx sxsw 2013 whole foods world headquarters

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quiet company is a band from austin texas sxsw 2013

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quiet company taylor muse guitar sxsw austin 2013

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quiet company band sxsw 2013 whole foods roof

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go kat go!  dancing on the roof top deck of whole foods world headquarters

you know she was gonna dance on that rooftop!

kat has a heavy work load this week.  it was great that she was able to enjoy some SXSW on the weekend where she can also spend time with her children.  special thanks to everybody that helped make this family friendly sxsw event happen. 

bou with big giant flip-flop whole foods world headquarters austin

#2 son found a big giant flip flop inside whole foods.  it fits!

Jitterbug Vipers SXSW M.I.L.K. mom's that rock

We took the kids to a MILK (moms I'd like to know) SXSW showcase at Freddie's Place

jitterbig vipers austin texas band sxsw 2013

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jitterbug vipers sxsw milk freddie's place

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Jitterbug Vipers MILK SXSW 2013

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moms i'd like to know MILK moms that rock sxsw 2013

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freddie's place south austin porch sxsw kid friendly

Freddie's palce is an easy choice for people with kids (and dogs).  they have a nice playscape right next to the stage and a good assortment of board games you can use.  we played battleship.  

Clairy Browne & the Bangin' Rackettes T-Mobile sxsw party

we needed to charge our phones, walked about 50 yards to find the T-Mobile House Party.  they had charging stations for every variety of smart phones, and had gaming stations with prizes, free drinks, free tacos and you know they had live music.   

T-mobile sxsw party papi tino's

I didn't get the name of the band above, I was chowing down on delicious VEG tacos from papa tino's and charging my iphone... and free brookly lagers.

we did stay to watch Clairy Browne & the Bangin' Rackettes (from Australia)

clairy browne and the bangin' rackettes sxsw

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clairy browne and the bangin' rackettes

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austin tx t-mobile clairy browne bangin' rackettes sxsw

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guitar clairy browne bangin' rackettes sxsw 2013

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sxsw austin texas music festival

sammie from madison wisconsin

and somehow we still have Sammie near us.  we'd met him earlier in the day, at a different party.  this was not the last time I'd run into him either.  I'm not sure he's gonna go back to wisconsin. 

we walked west....  lots to see along the way.

6th street sixth austin sxsw 2013

gallery D sxsw red bubble party 2013

we finished the evening with a party for Red Bubble at Gallery D.  our friends Shannon and Alicia with Beth (center) of Gallery D

and from early in the day:  if you have ever wondered, "can I fit a cute asian girl in the back of my smart-car (car2go)?"  yes, and quite comfortably. 

asian girl in smart car luggage area

PHOX SXSW Covert Curiosity at Hotel Vegas

we were pleasantly surprised by PHOX from wisconsin.  this was their first sxsw, and first time to tx.  the audience was very attentive and appreciative of their efforts.  this music friendly environment was not lost on Monica (singer for PHOX), she was overwhelmed by emotion and started to cry. 

PHOX sxsw austin tx 2013 cover curiosity

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monica martin phox band sxsw covert curiosity

we chatted with the band afterwards.  this was just monday.  they will have a week of playing multiple shows a day, this is just the begining for PHOX

PHOX hotel vegas sxsw 2013 austin texas

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PHOX from wisconsin sxsw

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monica PHOX sxsw 2013

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monica martin PHOX sxsw austin tx

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six hours later, I was walking home and I saw her on a corner near whole foods, waiting for a cab.  "MONICA!"  I yelled, she looked up with a smile and yelled "PAUL!"  she opened her arms and gave me the biggest hug, I stayed chatted with her until her cab arrived, she asked the cabbie to wait a minute so she could give her new friend a hug goodbye, he did and I thought she was going to cry again.  not bad for a monday.  I hope PHOX achieves the success they deserve.  and they have a friend named sammie that is also from wisconsin... I also ran into him three times that monday.  if I see him again this week, it's gonna be epic.  although I'm not sure he can continue his current pace.  there is a lot of sxsw between monday and saturday.   

March 06, 2013

BARRELED by Dulce Vida and Collings Guitars

thanks to Dulce Vida organic tequila and Collings guitars for allowing a few Yelp people to attend your very awesome event.

dulce vida barreled 2013 organic tequila

dulce vida barreled lanyard austin texas organic tequila

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dulce vida organic tequila austin texas barreled

guac n roll peached tortilla food trailers austin tx

delicious food was provided by:

Guac N Roll

Dock & Roll Diner

The Peached Tortilla (I especially enjoyed their banh mi taco and brussels sprouts)

dock and roll diner food trailer austin lobster rolls

dulce vida barreled anejo reserve organic tequila

kat liked the Dulce Vida reserve Lone Star Edition, aged for two years in barrels from Garrison Brothers (a texas made bourbon).  Garrison was also a sponsor for the Barreled event

dulce vida organic tequila world headquarters party barreled

dulce vida organic tequila world headquarters austin texas usa

we secured a booth in the VIP area.  ok, it was a pallet hanging from chains that could be challenging to sit on. 

dulce vida tequila barrel cocktail four seasons

the Dulce Vida guys demonstrated how they make this cocktail that will be aged for two weeks and then served at the bar at the Four Seasons Hotel. 

music provided by:

milk drive austin texas band

Milk Drive (above)

Grammy winning artist REDD VOLKAERT (below)

redd volkaert

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redd volkaert collings guitars dulce vida tequila

redd volkaert collings guitars dulce vida tequila organic

and while REDD was playing, we happened to notice the freshly loaded barrel had been moved to the side. RIGHT next to our VIP area (pallet). 

dulce vida organic barrel aged tequila cocktail

four seasons hotel?  two weeks of barrel aging?  "ain't nobody got time for that"

dulce vida barrel aged cocktail barreled party four seasons bar

Sons of Fathers

"sons of fathers" band austin tx dulce vida barreled collings guitars

BIG

dulce vida barreled collings guitars sons of fathers band austin texas

BIG

sons of fathers austin tx band dulce vida barreled collings guitars

BIG

other event sponsors include:

Thirsty Planet Brewing Company

Richard's Rainwater

MOONSHINE Sweet Tea

The Nationals (women's pro soccer team austin tx)

 

March 03, 2013

throw some rocks, deconstruct some house

blanco river fischer wimberley

a brief stop at our blanco river park. 

throwing rocks in the blanco river

rocks needed to be thrown.

blanco river march 2013

blanco river rock tosser texas

front yard monopoly wimberley texas

weather was nice, they played monopoly in the front yard.  #1 son LOVES monopoly, he usually wins.

blanco river rapids deconstruction

looks like a crap bomb went off!  kat and I made some progress with the trash removal and deconstruction of the old house. 

texas hill country oak trees

3rd floor stairs of death

the stairs out of the odd room on the 3rd floor.  I wouldn't trust them. 

we spent the night at the blanco river house.  I woke up at 1:50 am, but I didn't know what time it was.  my clock (iphone) was in the car charging.  I slowly and carefully went outside to get it.  we have no real neighbors, I didn't bother to get dressed.  it was cold, like 36 degrees.  I stood in the moonlight and felt the cold.  then I heard a twig snap, and a foot step.  all the land around us is thick with forest and pitch dark black at night.  suddenly I could hear many footsteps and the sound of tree limbs being brushed, but I couldn't see a thing.  first it was just to one side, then to the other.  it sounded like a stampede.  I stood still till all the deer (I hope it was deer) had cleared the area.  it was pretty magical and spooky at the same time.