Tea’m Sweet Leaf Tea Rides Again!

By April on Jan 21     Filed In Activities, Austin, Texas     1 Comment

It’s that time of year again.

What time of year is THAT you ask? MS 150 time!! We have a tea’m of over 50 that will be riding in the name of CRUSHING multiple sclerosis. We have created a group on Facebook where folks like YOU can go and cheer us on! We’ll need all the love and $ we can get, as our team goal this year is $20,000!!

With the help from Austin Cycle Camp, we had our first training ride last weekend but TX weather got us again and rained it out.  Todd and I headed out to ride Saturday once it cleared up and did a nice and easy-paced 21 miles. Sunday we had 4 folks from our team head south and ride about 23 miles. It was awesome but it’s only going to get better and more fun when we ride out with our big group!

Todd, Brian and Cinda resting in Buda before heading back to ATX.

Stay tuned as we’ll be posting all kinds of fun stuff related to Tea’m Sweet Leaf Tea over the next couple of months. For now, it’s time to hop back in the saddle, cus 180 miles on a bike don’t happen by itself. (I sure wish it did!!)
Have a fun training route you’d like to share for Austin or Houston? We’d love to hear about it!!

The E.A.S.T. Experience

By Happy on Nov 23     Filed In Activities, Austin, Texas, Events, Food & Beverage, Live Music, Uncategorized, arts & crafts     4 Comments

I love living in Austin for many, many reasons — if I sat down and made a legitimate list, it would be very, very long.  However, the one commonality amongst each bullet point would indefinitely be the people here.  Austin has an intense sense of community, and the creativity and beauty that flows from this melting pot of cultures is incredible.  Plus, to see hoards of fellow Austinites out and about on their bikes in masses was an exciting thing to be a part of — a bicycle cultural phenomenon.

The East Austin Studio Tour (E.A.S.T.) graced us with its gloriousness for the past 9 days, and I had the opportunity to explore its wonders this past weekend.  E.A.S.T. is one of those unique chances to see not only some really impressive works of art, but also a community at its best.  The E.A.S.T. project started in 2003 as an artist-run initiative “to encourage creative dialogue among artists and their peers, as well as between artists and their city”.  154 East Austin studios open their doors to the public for 9 days every November, causing the streets of East Austin to suddenly bustle with curious Austinites mostly on bikes and foot.

This past Saturday, a gaggle of my friends and I met up at Progress Coffee, hopped on our bicicletas, and got our culture on in #DMC/#EAC style.  We made several stops along the tour, but there was no way we had enough time to hit it all up, so we went for the ‘cluster’ strategy and mapped out areas of town that had the most concentration of studios/stops.  What made this year different from years’ past was that the event spanned two weekends instead of just one, giving everyone a chance to pick a weekend or spread their time out over the wide array of studios.  Saturday looked a little like this:

  • Pump Project Art Complex: One of the better clustered groups of galleries with a wide range of artists and mediums.  I really loved their layout and how they retrofitted an old warehouse into a unique gallery space.  Some favorite artists include Monica Ceniceros and  Mark Johnson.
  • 1406 Smith Rd: A great collection of artists and other fun stuff, including G Kronke Studios‘s and RC Hot Glass‘s beautiful kilm formed glass sculptures, Flatfork Studio‘s awesome foam sculptures and such, Resonance Studios’s computer programed drum kits and music making tesla coils (the guys behind Arc Attack).
  • Bolm Studios / Big Medium: Probably the most concentrated patch of gallery spaces on the tour, so there was plenty to see and do.  My favorite piece has always been the tree made of used two-by-fours.
  • Fork ‘n’ Icehole: A not-quite-open-yet burgers and beer joint opened their doors as a gallery space for our friends at Austin Art Garage and had some bands play on the back patio.  Of course, more free booze from Live Oak Brewing Co. and Tito’s Vodka.  Score.
  • East Side Pies: Perfect mid-day snack, aside from the fact that we were in the right place at the right time.  We split a Moontower Pie, add spinach.  Hallelujah.
  • Bird’s Barbershop: My favorite place to get some hairs cut.  They were celebrating E.A.S.T. and Custodian‘s album release, complete with complimentary Lone Star Beers and other freebies.  Fun show, abundance of props.

On Sunday, we hit up Juan in a Million for their infamous Don Juan platter and Horchata.  Then we hopped back on our bikes to hit up the following stops:

  • Grand Hall of Art and Industry: A very cool, funky space in old repurposed hanger-style buildings.  They also held FEAST here, which looked like a pretty awesome space for an event.
  • Co-Lab: A neat new media space with some outdoor installations and a community garden.
  • Decoder Ring: These guys produce some be-freaking-yootiful flat stock posters.  Their space is impressive as well with the backside belonging to the Utility Research Garden, a beautifully landscaped garden space and greenhouse.
  • East Sixth: A large cluster of gallery spaces with everything from silkscreening to live public art to metalworking.  We got to witness Jose Acosta work on a new piece with his daughter — a rather neat experience.  I got a custom silk-screened t-shirt made.  Also home of Fast Folks Cyclery.
  • Super! Alright! Studio: This place has lots of interesting mixed media work in their awesome gallery, including some awesome long-exposure photography.  Jenny also knows how to make a stiff drink and gives good hugs.
  • Fistera Studios: Jennifer Chenoweth’s beautiful East Austin home decked out in beautiful mixed medium works.  What’s really cool about this space is that she and her children actually live in this beautifully remodeled 102-year-old home, which took 8 years for her to restore.  She also has chickens as pets.  Jennifer might be the coolest modern-day mom I know.
  • Domy Books: An intriguing art bookstore with a gallery space featuring their latest installation series called Monster Show 4 (on display until December 3rd!).  They also had an impressive installation piece by Dave Allen recreating the infamous Jack the Ripper murder of Mary Jane Kelly.  Worth a look-see, for sure.

There just wasn’t enough time to see everything, but thankfully there’s always next year.

New Belgium: Tour de Fat 2009

By April on Oct 20     Filed In Austin, Texas, Events, Food & Beverage     Add a Comment

What is better than a festival that is centered around bikes, beer, and freaks?

Thanks to the annual New Belgium Fat Tire party, the Tour de Fat you can have all three things and more! This event was FREE to attend and all you had to pay for was beer. The $5 fee for beer goes towards environmental and bicycle charities. I gave money by way of a new, super cute bike cap. I’m always happy to give my hard earned cash to a good cause.

There were awesome performers (juggling an egg, a 12 lb bowling ball & a chain saw at once!), great music,  (thanks March Fourth Marching Band!) a cool bike parade,  and lots of fun bike contests.

There are even folks that give up their car for a year in exchange for a SWEET, fully-loaded commuter machine. The winners got to take part in the Car Funeral and then a beautiful bike was bestowed upon them. I won’t lie when I say that I wish that I could give up my car (title and all) to fully embrace the commuter life-style. I ride a lot, including to work and back, but I like my car too. I commend the hard-core folks who entered this contest and won!

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