Looking back at my time in Texas over the last year (plus travels to California, Washington, D.C. and Chicago).
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Saturday 50-miler
Austin Cycle Camp had the hook-up this weekend with a great ride out of Blanco. For a small fee, about 20 of us got shuttled out to the start, treated to solid ride support (SAG, snacks, ice cold water, the works!), lunch at Riley's BBQ, and a swim in the Blanco River afterward.
Heaven on earth.
It's been too long since I went on a long ride -- nice to spend some time in the saddle with friends.
Bonus! It was a delightfully cool 65 degrees when we rolled out this morning. Very unusual for Texas in August, but I'll take it!
Bikes & gear packed -- ready to depart Austin at 7am.
Open road in the beautiful hill country.
BBQ at Riley's. Delish.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Galveston: Rebuilding
The Gulf has not had it easy lately: Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Ike wreaked havoc on coastal communities -- and they are still recovering.
UMCOR (the United Methodist Committee on Relief) has been in the Gulf coordinating relief efforts since the storm hit. Driving through town, you might not even realize that two years ago, Hurricane Ike dropped enough rain to flood and destroy countless homes.
It was the third worst storm in U.S. history.
You have to look closely to realize that piles of debris and trash are remnants of the ongoing clean-up efforts. From the outside, houses may appear to be structurally sound, but inside the walls are broken and the floors have rotted. Paint is peeling. Roofs need to be replaced.
I think one of our group leaders mentioned that thirty to forty percent of people displaced by Hurricane Ike have still not returned to Galveston. It's easy to forget that it takes years for an area to recover from a disaster like Ike, long after the media has moved on to other stories.
Enter Sandy Langston, UMCOR, and Crockett Place United Methodist Church in Galveston -- a church that has been transformed into a headquarters for disaster relief. The pews in the sanctuary are stacked with hardhats and water coolers. The yard is strung with clothesline and houses an 8-shower mobile trailer built by volunteer Texas A&M students. The dining room area can seat at least 30; people rest in one of the two bunkrooms or five bedrooms.
Crockett is ready and waiting for volunteer groups, like mine, to arrive for the weekend. So a few weeks ago, 12 volunteers from Austin took on the recovery task for the weekend. We arranged for our own transportation and food, and UMCOR did the rest.
Here are five lessons learned...
1. Prepare to get dirty. And sweaty.
Even though I was a mission trip rookie, I expected to get dirty. Sanding. Mudding. Hauling trash. Painting. I packed shirts I didn't care about, and ended up covered in dust, dirt, grass, mosquito bites, and splattered with paint.
2. Bonding is the easiest part.
And possibly one of the best. After signing up for the trip, I wondered what I had gotten myself into. Loading in the van to drive to Galveston, my worries quickly faded. These are "my people" -- friendly, hilarious and goofy, curious, politically savvy... others who are committed to social justice and willing to take time out of their lives to serve others. When you spend three days working, eating, and sharing an experience together, it's easy for strangers to become close friends. The trip was not just a great opportunity to help others, but to build meaningful relationships and a community.
3. Expect anything -- the ordinary and extraordinary.
Flocks of pelicans gliding overhead as we crossed the bridge into Galveston.
Evening laugh sessions over ice cream at Sonic.
Jumping around in the waves of the Gulf Coast. (No tar balls... yet.)
Finding out that our UMCOR relief coordinator, Sandy, used to work in Hollywood -- and designed the giant boulder in Indiana Jones!
4. It's about the work. It's about the people.
It's both. Each house and project we worked on that weekend provided a new experience, a new skill, a new conversation, and a new connection to Galveston.
A few stories...
Pastor Bill shared a story during our evening group devotional. He said that he loves volunteer work, but finds that the rewards are often complex – why do we do it? How do we show God's love and spirit in the work that we do? He recalled a mission team trip to Kentucky with a group of college students from our church. The work was much-needed, but the recipients were not at all what they expected. One was a welfare cheat. The other was a racist. It put a new spin on their work, and yet, they were still able to bring their labor and gifts to that community. Pretty admirable.
Most of the time, a connection to the family benefiting from the repairs is special and gratifying for both sides. This was the case in Galveston.
One house where we worked, mostly hauling debris to be disposed of, was the home of a retired pastor named June, her husband, and her son and daughter-in-law. When Ike struck, the lower floor of their house, including their septic tank, were totally ruined. We asked her how high the water was at her home. June, who is at least my height (5’ 6"), reached her hand above her head and tapped the edge of the door frame. It was amazing to see how far they’d had to come on their path to recovery, and how determined they were to remain in a community they love.
At another house, a multi-generational family made us lunch. While we worked to paint their house and their front porch, they were cooking a feast – BBQ, potato salad, fresh green beans and bacon (said the grandma, “I can’t stand the canned ones”), and white bread. One of the best meals I’ve had all year, and it was served with a lot of love. We got to eat with Miracle, the youngest family member. She gave us a hand painting the porch, rode around on her red tricycle, and then headed in for a nap.
We sure weren’t the most expert painters, but the transformation was dramatic. The owners of the home were delighted and I was happy that our work was worth it.
5. It's addicting.
I want to do more. I'd go back in a heartbeat.
P.S. Borrowed the pictures from Emily. Thanks!
UMCOR (the United Methodist Committee on Relief) has been in the Gulf coordinating relief efforts since the storm hit. Driving through town, you might not even realize that two years ago, Hurricane Ike dropped enough rain to flood and destroy countless homes.
It was the third worst storm in U.S. history.
You have to look closely to realize that piles of debris and trash are remnants of the ongoing clean-up efforts. From the outside, houses may appear to be structurally sound, but inside the walls are broken and the floors have rotted. Paint is peeling. Roofs need to be replaced.I think one of our group leaders mentioned that thirty to forty percent of people displaced by Hurricane Ike have still not returned to Galveston. It's easy to forget that it takes years for an area to recover from a disaster like Ike, long after the media has moved on to other stories.
Enter Sandy Langston, UMCOR, and Crockett Place United Methodist Church in Galveston -- a church that has been transformed into a headquarters for disaster relief. The pews in the sanctuary are stacked with hardhats and water coolers. The yard is strung with clothesline and houses an 8-shower mobile trailer built by volunteer Texas A&M students. The dining room area can seat at least 30; people rest in one of the two bunkrooms or five bedrooms.
Crockett is ready and waiting for volunteer groups, like mine, to arrive for the weekend. So a few weeks ago, 12 volunteers from Austin took on the recovery task for the weekend. We arranged for our own transportation and food, and UMCOR did the rest.
Here are five lessons learned...
1. Prepare to get dirty. And sweaty.
Even though I was a mission trip rookie, I expected to get dirty. Sanding. Mudding. Hauling trash. Painting. I packed shirts I didn't care about, and ended up covered in dust, dirt, grass, mosquito bites, and splattered with paint.
2. Bonding is the easiest part.And possibly one of the best. After signing up for the trip, I wondered what I had gotten myself into. Loading in the van to drive to Galveston, my worries quickly faded. These are "my people" -- friendly, hilarious and goofy, curious, politically savvy... others who are committed to social justice and willing to take time out of their lives to serve others. When you spend three days working, eating, and sharing an experience together, it's easy for strangers to become close friends. The trip was not just a great opportunity to help others, but to build meaningful relationships and a community.
3. Expect anything -- the ordinary and extraordinary.
Flocks of pelicans gliding overhead as we crossed the bridge into Galveston.
Evening laugh sessions over ice cream at Sonic.
Jumping around in the waves of the Gulf Coast. (No tar balls... yet.)
Finding out that our UMCOR relief coordinator, Sandy, used to work in Hollywood -- and designed the giant boulder in Indiana Jones!
4. It's about the work. It's about the people.
It's both. Each house and project we worked on that weekend provided a new experience, a new skill, a new conversation, and a new connection to Galveston.
A few stories...Pastor Bill shared a story during our evening group devotional. He said that he loves volunteer work, but finds that the rewards are often complex – why do we do it? How do we show God's love and spirit in the work that we do? He recalled a mission team trip to Kentucky with a group of college students from our church. The work was much-needed, but the recipients were not at all what they expected. One was a welfare cheat. The other was a racist. It put a new spin on their work, and yet, they were still able to bring their labor and gifts to that community. Pretty admirable.
Most of the time, a connection to the family benefiting from the repairs is special and gratifying for both sides. This was the case in Galveston.
One house where we worked, mostly hauling debris to be disposed of, was the home of a retired pastor named June, her husband, and her son and daughter-in-law. When Ike struck, the lower floor of their house, including their septic tank, were totally ruined. We asked her how high the water was at her home. June, who is at least my height (5’ 6"), reached her hand above her head and tapped the edge of the door frame. It was amazing to see how far they’d had to come on their path to recovery, and how determined they were to remain in a community they love.
At another house, a multi-generational family made us lunch. While we worked to paint their house and their front porch, they were cooking a feast – BBQ, potato salad, fresh green beans and bacon (said the grandma, “I can’t stand the canned ones”), and white bread. One of the best meals I’ve had all year, and it was served with a lot of love. We got to eat with Miracle, the youngest family member. She gave us a hand painting the porch, rode around on her red tricycle, and then headed in for a nap.We sure weren’t the most expert painters, but the transformation was dramatic. The owners of the home were delighted and I was happy that our work was worth it.
5. It's addicting.
I want to do more. I'd go back in a heartbeat.
P.S. Borrowed the pictures from Emily. Thanks!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Dirt worship weekend
I'm a roadie, but I love riding on dirt. So, I snagged one of these this weekend...
...and headed north to the Bicycle Sport Shop store on Parmer Lane for their MTB skills clinic. I pedaled all over the lawn with 35 other cyclists, playing bicycle limbo (how low can you go while riding your bike?), navigating an obstacle course (cones, logs, rocks, teeter-totters), and racing "slow" (last person to cross the finish line--without getting off your bike or touching the ground--wins). Then we rode behind the store into a park where we got to practice descending and plunge into and ride across a GIANT sand pit. Talk about skills -- that is a great one to master!
Afterward, with a couple that I met at the clinic, I headed over to Walnut Creek, an amazing gem of a park in North Austin. Over 13 miles of looping, twisting trails with sweet drops and descents, and short quick climbs. Lots of shade, a beautiful creek, and plenty of technical spots to practice skills (or walk your bike).
The aftermath:
Very dirty and very sweaty. In the best of ways.
P.S. I'm wearing my RoadID. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to have ID on them at any time.
P.P.S. The bike fun never stops: Bicycle Sport Shop and Alamo Drafthouse are hosting a screening of Bicycle Dreams (featuring the Race Across America event) on Tuesday night. Awesome.
...and headed north to the Bicycle Sport Shop store on Parmer Lane for their MTB skills clinic. I pedaled all over the lawn with 35 other cyclists, playing bicycle limbo (how low can you go while riding your bike?), navigating an obstacle course (cones, logs, rocks, teeter-totters), and racing "slow" (last person to cross the finish line--without getting off your bike or touching the ground--wins). Then we rode behind the store into a park where we got to practice descending and plunge into and ride across a GIANT sand pit. Talk about skills -- that is a great one to master!
Afterward, with a couple that I met at the clinic, I headed over to Walnut Creek, an amazing gem of a park in North Austin. Over 13 miles of looping, twisting trails with sweet drops and descents, and short quick climbs. Lots of shade, a beautiful creek, and plenty of technical spots to practice skills (or walk your bike).
The aftermath:
Very dirty and very sweaty. In the best of ways.
P.S. I'm wearing my RoadID. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to have ID on them at any time.
P.P.S. The bike fun never stops: Bicycle Sport Shop and Alamo Drafthouse are hosting a screening of Bicycle Dreams (featuring the Race Across America event) on Tuesday night. Awesome.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Best deals in Austin
Zilker Park Boat Rentals: $10 for two hours in a kayak or canoe (with coupon). I'm partial to the ocean kayak myself. My friend's lab, CJ, would agree.
Barton Springs Pool: $3 for all-day admission to the fountain of youth (and the best people-watching in Austin).
Jim Jim's Water Ice: $1.50 for a "tiny" size cup.
Black Swan Yoga: $10-15 donation for amazing classes.
Bicycle Sport Shop: $30 for a half-day on a Specialized Stumpjumper 29er mountain bike.
I love the weekend.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Friday, July 2, 2010
Beginnings of Summer
The Texas spring was full of beautiful weather and bountiful bluebonnets. Now, the heat has settled in. Many of the wildflowers are gone, the days stretch on past 9pm, and thunderstorms rumble across the sky and douse the state with warm rain.
I'm living it up like all Texans do, despite the 90% humidity. I spend my weekends riding my bike through the hill country, lounging at Barton Springs Pool, running in local 5ks, eating BBQ, boating on Lake Austin, and kayaking through downtown on Lady Bird Lake. Seems like most things here involve exercise, water, and good eats.
You can take your pick of events every night of the week, but there's something wonderfully charming about those classic Austin sights, like the Congress Avenue bridge, where people gather each evening (on the bridge on or on boats below) to watch 1.5 million bats take flight. I picked a bad evening; apparently it's birthing season for the mama bats. On top of that, when it's very hot the bats won't fly until much later, once it's cooled down... between those two things, the bats barely trickled out. Next time.
The annual Keep Austin Weird 5k attracts some hard core runners (it was over 100 degrees, after all), and some of the best of Austin's weirdos. They closed down the S. 1st street bridge and filled it with local vendors (including one of my favorites: Gardener's Feast tamales), and then set up a rather atypical run course along Cesar Chavez. Mile one featured a "popsicle tree" with otter pops and a limbo game, mile two had a demonstration from Austin Parks Foundation, mile 2.25 had a Deep Eddy vodka & sweet tea station, mile 2.5 had free spoonfuls of Amy's Ice Cream, and mile 2.75 had water balloons and super soakers. Probably the slowest 5k that I've done, but I had a blast.
I miss my Bay Area summer fog, but life's good.
I'm living it up like all Texans do, despite the 90% humidity. I spend my weekends riding my bike through the hill country, lounging at Barton Springs Pool, running in local 5ks, eating BBQ, boating on Lake Austin, and kayaking through downtown on Lady Bird Lake. Seems like most things here involve exercise, water, and good eats.
You can take your pick of events every night of the week, but there's something wonderfully charming about those classic Austin sights, like the Congress Avenue bridge, where people gather each evening (on the bridge on or on boats below) to watch 1.5 million bats take flight. I picked a bad evening; apparently it's birthing season for the mama bats. On top of that, when it's very hot the bats won't fly until much later, once it's cooled down... between those two things, the bats barely trickled out. Next time.
The annual Keep Austin Weird 5k attracts some hard core runners (it was over 100 degrees, after all), and some of the best of Austin's weirdos. They closed down the S. 1st street bridge and filled it with local vendors (including one of my favorites: Gardener's Feast tamales), and then set up a rather atypical run course along Cesar Chavez. Mile one featured a "popsicle tree" with otter pops and a limbo game, mile two had a demonstration from Austin Parks Foundation, mile 2.25 had a Deep Eddy vodka & sweet tea station, mile 2.5 had free spoonfuls of Amy's Ice Cream, and mile 2.75 had water balloons and super soakers. Probably the slowest 5k that I've done, but I had a blast.
I miss my Bay Area summer fog, but life's good.
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