Vacation pt. 2: Austin

This is about 2 months late but late props are better than none.

Had a great time around Austin for a few days in early July. Got off to plane and had our first big taste of humidity in a long time. We got a more welcome taste of Fiesta Market the next day, it really is an amazing grocery store that combines the good cheap produce of Mexican markets with a huge selection typical of a college town. 4th of July was a nice bbq w/ friends and we enjoyed watching others engage in fireworks fights. Saw some sights around Austin, too, including the scenic loop near Fredericksburg that reminds one of how it's the rolling hills of the Austin area that make the landscape more interesting that the rest of Texas. Took a trip down to San Antonio, too, where we went on a walk thru the Alamo and for some reason the whole place failed to make me see what was so brave about staying there to die when, as Molly Ivins said, "even Sam Houston told them to get the hell out of there."

One of my highlights was (again) the incredible 1-2 punch of Waterloo Records and Amy's Ice Cream. They're two amazing places right in the same strip mall and if I lived in Austin I'd go there at least once a week. Got some good food in Austin, too, and not just from our very gracious hostess. Had a good vegetarian meal at Veggie Heaven one night and then before we flew back to Vegas we made a great pit stop at Polvo's (and I thought Polvo was just a noise band).