We had a birthday celebration (2 birthdays totalling 120 years!) here Monday night, but this predator didn’t care. He was after the cake, and nothing would stop him.
River Monsters are everywhere.
It is no secret that River Monsters is my favorite television show. I love The Bachelor and The Amazing Race, of course, and Survivor is usually on the dvr list, but River Monsters?????
I love River Monsters.
MorePie and a Monster fish in Lockhart, Texas.
I think Jeremy Wade would be impressed, don’t you?
(The problem with loving this show is finding all sorts of fishy things to pose with–I can spot ’em a mile away).
My friend Sharon emailed to tell me that River Monsters was having a marathon Sunday, on the Animal Planet channel, so if you need some extreme angling and a little excitement, check it out.
Sharon, when she is not watching tv.
And….my brother let me know that River Monsters SEASON FIVE starts Sunday night, 9 PM ET, with a special two-hour show.
I can’t wait.
I’ll be blogging the show this season, despite the looming deadline for the next book.
Fish on!!!!!
It’s a coffee house. It’s a music venue. It’s a great way to spend a Sunday from 11 am-1 pm.
John Dee Graham
Sela
More Pie and Banjo Man enjoy the music.
Scrappy Jud Newcomb
Jeff Plankenhorn
Last night I slept for twelve hours. The last hours of that marathon were spent in a panic over breaking my violin bow and not being able to find another. I was in a strange town. I couldn’t access the internet to find the closest violin shop. The yellow pages were no help, as the music stores only sold cd’s and not violin bows.
I never did figure out what I was going to do without a bow. When I woke up I checked to make sure I really had a bow. In real life, I do need a new bow to replace the very inexpensive student bow that my fancy-schmancy violin likes a lot better than the expensive bow my cheap Texas fiddle loves.
I have just typed the word “bow” five times in one paragraph. Sorry.
So…I think this means I have missed playing my violin.
My friend Pat has a broken violin bow sticking out of her magazine rack. I asked her why she had that (Pat has many talents, such as writing and art projects, but playing music is not her thing) and she said, “Oh, is that what this is??? I’ve always wondered.”
It seems she uses it to retrieve yarn balls and anything that has been caught under the sofa.
Just the idea of that makes me queasy. Especially after last night.
Warren Hood at Jo’s Coffee, on South Congress in Austin, TX.
Be careful with your bow, Warren.
I’m home. And yes, Texas does sometimes feel a little like outer space. In a good way.
This guy will be hiding Easter eggs for his own little boy this Sunday.
I’m awfully tickled that I will be here in Texas to watch.
Happy Easter, everyone.
I’m still having technical difficulties here in Texas. The wifi stream is iffy and my ability to load photos from my computer (via Son #2’s camera) to wordpress is zero. While I have lots of Austin photos piling up on my hard drive, I can’t share them with you until I get something called an “IO error” solved.
In preparation for the upcoming Season Five of RIVER MONSTERS, my very favorite tv show in the world, I have taken various fish photos here in Austin.
Some of them are very strange. As are the fish in River Monsters, which is why they’re called “monsters” and are worth spending an hour of my life watching someone (Jeremy Wade, extreme angler) fish for them.
River Monsters, Season 5, premieres April 7th. I’ll be celebrating the show’s return with fishy blogs, including some of my own fishy triumphs.
You don’t believe I have fishy triumphs, do you?!?
Small green box at “Uncommon Objects”, Austin, Texas.
I think is the last picture from my 10-year old camera. Banjo Man surprised me with it one Christmas so I could take my own pictures at the local animal shelter. I used to write a weekly pet adoption column and it was great fun to photograph the animals myself.
It is all my fault. I dropped it from a stool at the Continental Club while watching HeyBale perform. My purse, with my giant old beast of a camera inside, tipped over and fell.
Not the first time the camera has hit the floor. I am nothing if not clumsy. I mean, really clumsy. The camera has survived much abuse.
So…does anyone have a suggestion for a new camera? I’m reading online reviews and thought I had a good option–a Sony Cybershot DSC-WX150—but Sony has discontinued it, though it is still available on Amazon. I’d like something compact this time.
And under $300.
Suggestions? Advice? Do you love your camera?
Would I love your camera?
You thought I forgot all about the music, didn’t you? We’re in Austin, it’s the opening day of the music portion of SXSW, so where is the music????
At the Continental Club, of course. 3 PM, no cover charge. Just a walk down the street.
This was after our second meal of BBQ ribs in Lockhart (downtown, at Smitty’s, where you walk down a smoky hall past firepits to order your food) and experiencing a slight “meat coma” that required a 20-minute nap.
Hot Club of Cowtown, one of the best bands ever! We all bought the new cd.
Elana James of Hot Club
Playing in the San Jose parking lot behind Jo’s Coffee was “Asleep At the Wheel”. Asleep At The Wheel???!!!!
We then piled into the van and headed to our favorite place, The Saxon Pub, for some blues with Johnny Nicholas. He grew up in Pawcatuck, CT and Westerly, RI and he is Banjo Man’s favorite musician in Texas.
Johnny Nicholas
Banjo Man talked to him for a while outside his truck.
Yes, this is a margarita in a beer mug. Please, do not judge. 🙂
Then Ben, Amber and John joined us for a late dinner at the Magnolia Cafe. After all those ribs, most of us ordered pancakes and eggs.
My grandson wasn’t thrilled with his father eating his home fries, so he stuck his fork in his dad’s blueberry pancakes. They ate off of each other’s plates for a while, which I think is going to happen for many years to come.
We couldn’t fit anything else into the day, but when you’re in Austin you have to see as much and eat as much as you can.
It’s the law.
Lockhart, Texas is a cool little town that boasts four bbq joints. The BBQ Adventurers and I decided to take a little tour before hitting Smitty’s for a second round of ribs.
Are these guys waiting for a plane? Admiring the courthouse? Looking at a really big cow? 
Confederate monument. 
Lockhart was part of the Chisholm Trail. 
Okay, I found an antiques store. And I went inside. I admit it. 
In Texas, if you only have one boot (damn those margaritas!) you make a lamp. 
I loved these. Too small, though. 
I liked her attitude. And her hat.
(more about Lockhart tomorrow)
Fourth of July
Glen the Banjo Man
LIVE at the Dump
is there any more pie? 