I live about ten minutes from the San Marcos River which is just South of Kyle Texas. Sometimes I'll finish work early and hop in the car for a quick swim in the clear and swift current which is also great exercise for me.
In this video we started at the Saltgrass Restaurant about one mile from the rapids where we decided to have some dinner and relax. Eve had just bought me an underwater housing the week before... so I told her to order her drink and relax a bit while I took a quick swim to test out the rig in the river.
After the swim I went to the parking lot, changed into a dry shirt and shoes... and went back for a great meal. I'm sure I'll be making more videos of the river as it is one of my favorite places to go.
If you get to visit the river please notice the wild rice grass flowing gracefully... it is endangered as this is the only place where it grows. It needs a steady, clear, constant temperature year round which the river provides. The river is between 68 to 70 degrees all year... people even swim here in the winter.
It was another hot June day here in the Austin area and we had a meeting downtown about 10:00, so we brought along our bathing suits "just in case" we decided to go for a swim. After the meeting we stopped by the local Goodwill to get some glassware and other odds-&-ends. Afterward we headed for Barton Springs Road between Congress and First Street where there is a really good snow-cone place. They also had some Sushi, Cajun, and Mexican food there, so we got a byte to eat, a nice cold snow-cone, and headed further down the road to Barton Springs.
Eve leisurely floated in the stream while I was busy playing with my new underwater housing for my camera. (A birthday present from Eve.) I met some guys who were moving rocks around and building a dam... so I joined in as I had the same idea last time when I was at the creek.
It's amazing what 20 guys, four hours, and 4000 rocks can do...
All in all... it was a lot of work, a great deal of fun, and it looks like it made a bunch of people happy. I'd love to go back and find out that others have added to the little dam and made it bigger and stronger. I wonder if it will be there next time... or if people and the currents will tear it down. I suppose I'll have to wait and see!
It's already June 15th for another half hour at least... and I still haven't posted about my birthday yet. This year was the BIG 50 for me... and it was bittersweet. I found out my divorce went through on my birthday... which means that all the effort I put in over the last decade with Carol (wife number 2) was for naught... all washed away with only rubble left behind. (Not something I wanted to dwell on during my "big day" you can imagine.)
On the other hand, I'm with Eve now, and things are at last starting to look up a bit... she passed her nursing exam... a real hard one too... she has been studying for months. This means that she now has her Texas license and can start to look for work... it also means that I'll be able to start catching up on the last of the debt acquired while with Carol... and hopefully be able to at long last have a happy life.
Eve really cares about me... and she wanted to do something special so she decided to take me to Port Aransis on the Gulf of Mexico (before BP screws that up too) for some swimming and fun. She also got me an underwater housing for my camera... which is WAY-KOOL because I can take pictures on the beach and under water now.
We made the 3 plus hour drive there... not bad really... and were able to park right on the beach. I used to go to the beach in Pensacola with Terryann (wife number 1) but we always had to park what seemed a mile from the beach. This was right there... I mean really... on the sand... walk into the water. It was great. There was a big pile of seaweed on the beach... about 6 inches deep... and there was plenty of it in the water as well. But it didn't really bother me... with all that "stuff" in the water there were no jellyfish, and it was not what sharks would swim in because it would likely clog up their gills. So for me... perfect.
The water was pretty wavy too... not huge "knock you down" waves... but about 3 foot so they packed a nice enough punch to go along on a boogie-board. (We ended up getting two... Eve bought them for us.) We spent a couple of hours in the surf... then went out shopping for an umbrella and the boogie boards... then went back in for another two or three hours. It was an all day affair... we got to Olive Garden about 10:00 and had a late dinner. (Not so good for my diet... oh well.)
After dinner we went home and pretty much wound down and headed for bed. All in all... I would call it a pretty good day.
This is turning out to be a pretty busy Memorial Day weekend, hot and sunny. Eve and I have a way of finding places to keep cool... but around this area of Texas there are plenty of places to go... a real hidden treasure of rivers, streams and places to enjoy nature if you know where to look.
Right in the middle of town is Barton Springs... we went there today to enjoy swimming by the dam in the area where people bring their dogs and kids. There is an area you can pay to go to... but I find it boring like a swimming pool. This side is more interesting with shallow and deep areas... quiet and with a current... depending where you go and what you feel like.
Yesterday we just went to the side of the road off Farmers Road 150, there is a place that has a few storm pipes under the road... it has a fast current but is only about 6 inches deep. It's nice to sit in and just cool off. But rather than tell you about it, let me show you.
Saturday's Side of the Road Cool Down
Sunday at Barton Springs
I like doing this videos for people... it is a great way of telling them about what we do. I would like to see what you are up to as well... so don't be afraid to share!
It's Friday before the Memorial weekend... usually a big deal, party time, etc. My plan was to drive to St Louis this weekend to get some of my stuff from the storage unit... but finances being tight, unfortunately that isn't going to happen for awhile now. I got the tax results... I owe a large amount... so it may be a couple of years before I can accomplish that goal. I'm looking for ways to make extra cash... and I'm staying as positive as I can given the circumstances.
I've got three days with no real plans, and I'm hoping that something will present its-self so I'll have something interesting to do.... hopefully nothing to do with repairs, finances, or work. Perhaps we will go to San Marcos and do some swimming... more likely not... the place will be crawling with people this weekend. Usually we like to go there on a Tuesday afternoon after I have finished my work... it's not too crowded, and we usually have a good time.
I like to expand my horizons... so while looking at some random blogs I discovered one from a tea aficionado who was very much into the Chinese art of Gungfu. Many people have heard of the Japanese tea ceremony and the many rituals involved, but not as many are familiar with the Chinese form even though it predates the Japanese version by centuries.
The Chinese version appeals to me because as an engineering type of person I like things to have a reason and function... with less emphasis being placed on just artistic appeal. The Chinese Gungfu is a series of steps which may seem overly ornate and elaborate to the casual observer, but what I like is that each step has a function.
You will see the host pour water on the tealeaves, then take that tea and pour it out over the cups for example. It seems wasteful to make tea then pour it out. But there is a reason for this... the hot water hits the leaves and starts a reaction that takes time... and the first flavors released are often bitter in taste. Pouring the tea out over the cups serves two functions, it preheats the cups for later, and it allows the aroma to fill the air which enhances the effect.
Later, when the next steeping of the tea is made, the leaves open up more and yield a more delicate flavor that the guests can enjoy. The cups are very small... and one may think that it would make more sense to serve a more generous serving... but by using a small cup, the tea is steeped several times, and each time the tea opens up more and it's flavor changes slightly. Each serving becomes a new experience and therefore more enjoyable.
At some point I may write a web page to explain the entire process... but for now I have found several very useful videos that cover this process and are very interesting if you want to experience something new.
The Chinese make several different teas... as does the rest of our world... so they created a Giawan from a different type of clay that can be cleaned and not hold the deeper aromas of some teas. It too has a ceremony or series of steps to allow the users to really enjoy the full flavor and aroma of the teas.
It's the middle of May already... not much has changed around here. I'm waiting for my divorce papers and Eve is still studying for her nursing exam. I've started putting images on Photobucket to keep the family up-to-speed as to what is going on in our lives... what little adventures we have had, etc.
I have been getting into photography as a way to deal with my stress... taking pictures and working on them in Picassa is calming for me... so I do as much as I can to keep myself occupied.
I have also been starting to put together videos for YouTube with a software package called Vegas Video that I got for work. I'm doing it because it's fun and it helps me to hone my skills so that I can make really good production and training videos for work. I figure that makes me more valuable to the company too.
Here is my video link: http://www.youtube.com/askjerry I have everything from family trips to robotics events on there... it's a real mix. Perhaps later I'll create another account and split up the works... perhaps not... time will tell.
It's a Wednesday just like last week, and the week before that, and the week before that. Nothing special, just another day. I'll take that as a good thing since I'm not stressing out more or less than any other day this last month or so. Valentine's day went as well as could be expected, I think I did okay. We saw a movie, had dinner, nothing really outstanding. It was better than some, not as good as others... but it was calm and nobody got their feathers ruffled... so I'll call it a success.
I'm resigned that at least for awhile this is how life is going to play out... I work, I pay bills, I do my workout, I watch what I eat, I live another day.
I am in what you would call a "holding pattern" for awhile. My soon-to-be-ex-wife was served her divorce papers, and I am waiting on my tax paperwork to see if I get anything back or if I owe a king's ransom. It can go either way... I have no clue. I set up things as best as I could considering that I was put in a situation where I pretty much lost everything I had, my home, my retirement, and my respect for myself. If I withheld enough tax I should be okay... if not, things will get very tight very quickly... I will be glad once I know for sure... the not knowing is difficult on me.
Now it's damage control and an attempt to move forward. Time will tell I suppose... I will see if the choices I made this time around are better than those I made in the past... and I will see if I can still make something of this life before it ends.
Well it will be Valentine's day tomorrow and I went out today to get a few things for Eve. I always feel like I am being graded... did I spend too much? Not enough? Did I get the right thing? If I buy too much candy they think you are trying to make them fat, if you don't by any then you don't care.
Guys are easy... tell us we are going to the movie and we call it a good day. Get us a tee shirt with something interesting on it... wow... a bonus. Well... I guess we wait and see how tomorrow goes.
I suppose I'll write here more often... sort of an online diary... not like anyone is really reading it... but it's a way for me to get my feelings and such out there I suppose.
Well it's that odd time between Christmas and New Year once again. When I was a child this time of year was wonderful... new presents, no school, no worries... and time to play. Now that I'm older, it is simply another week at work between two holidays... the anticipation of Christmas has now been replaced with the anticipation of all the things I need to do in the coming year... pay my taxes, save money for the various expenses during the year, and pay off the remaining bills from Christmas.
We got our Christmas Tree... made some video shorts to share with you too...
We got a tree...
Eve and our "Charlie Brown" Christmas Tree...
Eve Singing... with the help of Wild turkey...
I'm sort of looking forward to New Year... but sort of really don't care either. I do know that I need to get out of the house a bit...cabin fever is taking it's toll on me. My life pretty much has consisted of working during the day, at night working on Eve's web page, trying to loose weight, and passing what little time remains watching a TV show or two.
I was voted into the position of president at the Austin Robot Group... a position that will be interesting at the very least... this group has had an incredible history... so I have my work cut out for me. Having been the president of the Missouri Robotics Group, ROBOMO as well... I know that there will be surprises in store for me... and I hope I am up to the challenge.
My goodness... it's December already! It seems like just yesterday that we moved to Texas in the 105 degree heat and unpacked the truck. Only two weeks ago I went to Barton Springs and took a dip... now it's about 40 degrees.
You would think that since I came from St Louis where it's 20 degrees I wouldn't be cold... but geeze... I had to put a coat on. I guess I'm not a thick skinned as I once was!
Wow... 13 years of web programming and I never wrote a blog before. Or perhaps I did... does Facebook and Myspace count? I dunno... I thought it was time I gave it a try.
