Austin’s Urban Farmers Market is Not Far from the Mosaic at Mueller Apartments

For a city its size, Austin seems to have an abundance of great farmers markets. It’s no wonder, though. Austinites seem particularly keen to eat well– and the freshest and often most nutritious produce comes from farmers markets. It’s possible, too, that folks in Austin find supporting local growers fulfilling.

We told you about a the very fine Manor Farmers Market to the west of our home at the Mosaic at Mueller Apartments. You can head the other direction, into town, and find an equally good, but slightly more urban farmers market– The Triangle Farmers Market, which meets at Triangle Park at 46th Street.

By “urban” we mean that the Triangle Farmers Market is designed to be an experience as much as a commercial space. Of course, the experience is exactly why some folks might enjoy shopping at the Manor market, but the one in Manor probably wasn’t intended to be an “experience”. In the case of the Triangle Market, in addition to the good, locally grown produce, you can also count on some live music to serenade you as you peruse the fruits and veggies. And there’s a place for kids to play.

In fact, since it’s in a park setting, the organizers urge you to bring a blanket, buy some tomatoes to go with your sandwich, and have a picnic.

The Triangle Farmers Market meets Wednesday evenings 4:00pm to 8:00pm– perfect for after work. It happens at Triangle Park, 4600 Lamar Blvd. at 46th Street. That’s a very short trip from the Mosaic at Mueller apartment community.

Go to the Triangle Farmers Market website for more information.

Photo used under Creative Commons from Laura Taylor.

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Big Bargains and Shopping Fun: Trash to Treasures Garage Sale

It’s a big weekend of bargains coming up.

A lot of people are bracing for the annual Texas Sales Tax Holiday, which is Friday, Saturday and Sunday (August 20 – 22). Most items of clothing, footwear and school supplies under $100 will be exempt from the 6.5% state sales tax this weekend.

That’s excellent. But here’s something else that’s potentially a major money saver… and probably more fun than braving the tax holiday frenzy at the mall– the totally awesome Trash to Treasure Garage Sale on the UT campus.

It’s a giant garage sale with everything you might want for your dorm, or in the case of the good people of Mosaic at Mueller,  your lovely, well appointed apartment.

There will be furniture, area rugs, clothes, books, lamps, mirrors, electronics and other stuff, all in good working order. It’s an annual project that collects items UT students plan to leave behind when they move away for the summer… and then sells them to UT students– and the general public– as the students return to Austin for the new school year.

It helps poor students– and the general public– save some bucks, and it  keeps a lot of otherwise good stuff from ending up in the landfill. And all the money raised from the sale goes to the UT Campus Environmental Center to fund student-led environmental projects. Not bad, eh?

The Trash to Treasures Garage Sale happens Sunday (August 22) from 9am to 3pm at the UT Recreational Sports Center, 21st and San Jacinto.

The key is to get there early. Most of the really good stuff goes fast. Shoppers know this. However, to sort of separate the serious bargain hunters from the amateurs, there’s a small entrance fee in the early hours– $4 for regular people, and $2 for current UT students. After 10:30, it’s free to enter.

Have a good time, and here’s hoping you find that perfect lamp for the bed side table.

Photo used under  Creative Commons from bark.

Volunteer at Dell Children’s Medical Center

Mosaic at Mueller is obviously very conveniently located for anyone who works at Dell Children’s Medical Center. But you don’t have to have a medical degree, or even have employment at the hospital to be involved in the good work done there.

The Hospital has a number of programs for volunteers to provide very important services to the young patients and their families, as well as the medical staff.

The volunteer jobs for adults range from manning the information desk to assisting customers in the hospital toy shop and coffee shops, serving in the hospital’s resource library and even playing with– and occasionally comforting– the children during their hospital stay.

The Hospital will ask that you commit to a certain number of hours per week, but it could be a very rewarding experience,  and it would certainly be a very short commute from Mosaic at Mueller.

Go to the Dell Children’s Medical Center’s volunteer web page for more information. on the programs.

Photo used under Creative Commons from adwriter.

Annie on Stage at Zilker Park

It took a while, but summer finally arrived in Austin. We mean the REAL summer– with temps scraping up against the 100 degree mark.

It’s too hot to spend much time in Zilker Park during daylight hours. But it’s a great time to be there after dark– for a show.

Continuing a 52-year tradition of outdoor summer musicals in Austin, Zilker Theatre Productions is presenting the much beloved Annie.

Zilker Theater Productions is a non-profit organization that produces the annual musicals for the sheer love of it. And they do an amazing job. They also do a lot to keep Zilker Park’s Hillside Theater in good shape–  including improvements to its wheelchair accessibility.

Annie is on stage Thursday through Sunday evenings through August 14. Curtain time  is about 8:30 (sundown). It’s free– and a lot of fun. See the comments audience members are leaving on Zilker Theatre Production’s Facebook fan page.

Zilker Park’s Hillside Theater is an easy drive from Mosaic at Mueller.

Come Out & Join The D-LIst!

Kathy Griffin claims she is, but with her recent popularity, she is fast approaching A-List status.  And she is coming to The Long Center in Austin, TX on Thursday, August 5^th.  Her sassy wit, and flowing red hair will make for a comical good time when she arrives in town.

With a set of Jokes ranging from skits about her mother, other pop icons and the current state of the U.S.A., this performance is sure to pack a punch!

Kathy also works as an actress, voice character and pop culture commentator.  Little known fact is that she even made a cameo appearance in 1994’s Pulp Fiction.  While her current claim to fame is her hit show on the Bravo Channel, My Life On The D-List

Tickets will range from $49-$89, but if you get a front row seat, prepare to be roasted by one of the finest comedians we have today!

A New Spot to See the Fireworks in Austin

Everyone knows the best fireworks show in town will happen Sunday night over Town Lake. Lots (and lots) of people will gather at Auditorium Shores to enjoy the Austin Symphony’s annual concert of patriotic music and then the fireworks.

But here’s a new place to check out the fireworks, and enjoy music more in a bluesy funky vein. It’s the Fourth of July Celebration at Seaholm Power Plant.

Live (very funky) music will be provided by T Bird and the Breaks and the Bright Light Social Hour and Til We’re Blue or Destroy. There will also be plenty of great food, cold beer and soft drinks. And this will be a terrific spot for watching the fireworks over the lake.

Admission is free, but donations will be gratefully accepted to benefit Anthropos Arts, a non-profit organization that brings professional musicians into low-income middle and high schools to teach free music lessons.

The festivities begin at 4pm and continue until the end of the fireworks. It’s all ages and family-friendly, too. Access to Seaholm Power Plant is at 214 West Ave. There will be valet parking available, we’re told.

(Power Plant photo: Some rights reserved, Evan Doyle)

Seriously, The Band Isn’t Going to Happen: Donate Your Equipment to Some Girls

It’s time to face facts. You’re a grown up. You have a lot of good things going in your life, but there comes a time when you have to let go of some of your outdated dreams.

That band you were going to start? It’s not going to happen, and the amplifier is just taking up space in your closet.

Take a deep breath, drag it out, and contact The Girls Rock Camp Austin. They will be thrilled to take our old band equipment.

They’re looking in particular for P.A. and speakers, bass amps and guitar amps, drum sets, electric basses and guitars– all in good working condition, please. (High-end quality not required, but welcome!) New cables, tuners, sticks and picks are also needed.

Girls Rock Camp Austin is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering girls and women of all backgrounds and abilities through musical education and performance. The camp stays alive only through fund raising, volunteering and donations from those who want to help enrich the lives of girls.

Imagine what you could do for a budding musician… and the closet space you’ll suddenly enjoy! And don’t worry– you still have dreams to follow. Only now, they’re a bit more realistic.

If you have questions or want to arrange for pick up or drop off, contact Emily Marks <director @ girlsrockcampaustin . org>.

And if you’d like to buy them something new, you can also check the camp’s wish list on Amazon.com–> here. The camp would seriously appreciate that.

And by the way, this summer, the Girls Rock Camp Austin is holding two sessions– June 14-18 and July 26-30.

Campers learn to play instruments of their choosing (guitars, drums, bass, keyboards, or vocals), form bands, write songs and perform live at a showcase at the end of the camp. They also attend workshops on women who rock, self-defense, images of girls and women in popular culture, the music business, rock writing and zine-making and more.

Maybe you know a girl between the ages of 10 and 18 who’d like to do this. Then check out the Girls Rock Camp Austin website.

(Photo: Some rights reserved, Jérôme)

A Foreigner’s View of Austin: “How Austin Made Me Love America”

It’s always fascinating to hear visitors’ impressions of our home. Maybe we need to be reminded that Austin really is one of a kind.

This week, the British newspaper The Times published an extraordinary travelogue of a trip to Austin. It was written by Amber Marks,  who had a very bad opinion of the United States. Some of it was the fairly common knee-jerk dislike of anything American. But Marks also had some emotional reasons that make her feelings kind of easy to understand, even if she was being unfair to our country.

What makes her account of her reluctant trip to Austin so compelling is, in the end, Austin’s culture of openness, diversity and weirdness completely turned her around.

She describes wandering around parts of town, and marveling at the funky bars, independent shops, art, friendly people, and just the whole Austin vibe.

Residents of Mosaic at Mueller will recognize several of the places she mentions, even if she doesn’t name them.

Take a look at the article, linked here. And remember why Austin is such a terrific place.

(Photo: Some rights reserved, Nathan Borror)

Pack a Picnic and a Blanket: Shakespear in Zilker Park

Here’s what you need: a picnic basket with some snacks–  maybe some white wine and mild cheese?; a blanket; a couple of pillows, perhaps; shorts and sandals.

Now, make plans to enjoy a warm late spring evening in Zilker Park watching a performance of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It’s a slightly updated staging of the comedy, with a 1960s look and feel to it. There’s even a four-piece rock band on stage throughout the show.

Austin Shakespeare performs Thursdays through Sundays at the Hillside Theater in Zilker Park through the end of May. Shows start at 8pm, except Mother’s Day, when the production starts at 2pm.

See the Austin Shakespeare website for more information. The City of Austin also has a Hillside Theater at Zilker Park web page.

Austin’s Weirdness Gets National Attention

What was pretty much a local Austin story is now international news.

We wrote about a month ago here on the Mosaic at Mueller community blog about Austin’s famed Cathedral of Junk.

The massive yard art structure is under scrutiny by the city of Austin for possible code violations. According to news reports, inspectors are due to visit the Cathedral on Tuesday (April 27) to see if volunteer efforts to bring it up to code have been successful.

But we wanted to point you to an online report about the Cathedral of Junk published by the Wall Street Journal. The article about it is interesting. But even better is the slide show of photos showing the Cathedral and some of the volunteers working to make it legal. There’s also a fun interactive game, sort of like Where’s Waldo, where the task is to find various pieces of junk in a photo.

(Image: Some rights reserved, Andreanna Moya Photography)

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