Inks Lake

Saturday we did another little day trip (we're all about those now that there's no pharmacy school to study for) to Inks Lake State Park. Inks Lake is one of the many lakes in the lower Colorado lake system, just a few lakes north of Lake Austin and Town Lake! It was an easy and very pretty drive, we are so spoiled to have such lovely things all around us.

We did some serious hiking all over this place. We hiked a good 4-5 miles around the lake and through the surrounding woodland area. Most of it was intentionally hiked, but we went the wrong direction at first so we started off with a couple bonus miles under out belts. It was hot, but definitely bearable and it actually felt pretty good in the shade. We made the mistake of only bringing one water bottle though, next time, two fosho! Sharing water is hard, especially when physical activity in the heat is involved. Also, someone (me) didn't put sunscreen on their legs, awkward tan line alert! Luckily it's mostly disappeared already.

It was a truly beautiful hike. So many wildflowers, this spring has been good to us. Not pictured: the sweet little swimmin' hole at the tail end of the park. There's a giant granite rock brave folks jump off of, we had lots of fun watching. We didn't actually swim because I'm a huge wuss and scared of water. Also, there were a ton of people there. Children. Everywhere. It's pretty neat though, they have kayaks and canoes you can rent! Also not pictured: the awesome rash my legs were covered in from hiking through grass. I'm allergic to everything.

And if you're wondering why our pretty faces aren't featured:

Changing your settings between photos is overrated I guess. Blurry people everywhere. WHOOPS.

Inks Lake though, y'all. You should go. Get your hike on!

Town Lake East

Town Lake, or I guess it's Lady Bird Lake these days, is an iconic "Austiny" thing. It runs right next to downtown and is fairly scenic. Plus of course there's the trail. We live near Town Lake and visit frequently. But we'd never been to the eastern end (the butt if you will). It's definitely not the glamorous side that you see in Austin postcards, it's the end of the lake before it goes through the dam and becomes the Colorado river again.

The weather was great Wednesday so Brendon and I decided to explore this uncharted (for us) Town Lake territory a bit.

Pardon the black and white, someone was disregarding her white balance.

Yummy trash. While standing on the dam and leaning over to take this shot, Brendon was losing his cool. He was worried about me falling off. Not an outlandish worry, given my unstable qualities, but a little overkill. He's sweet sometimes.

I'm a little attached to the Colorado river and it's many forms, since I see it everyday. I work next to Lake Travis, drive over Lake Austin everyday, and live near Town Lake. I like living near water. Growing up in New Braunfels there was always a river nearby and here we are surrounded by lakes!

Although this east end of the lake isn't as classically "pretty" as the rest, I enjoyed it. It's still beautiful, in it's own quirky way. I mean, that's what Austin's about, right?

K&K in Austin

This past week we had a visit from our favorite North Texans, Kristy and Kennedy! They spent a couple days with us, chillin', eatin', and pretending that we don't live a few hundred miles apart. Mostly we hung around South Austin and stayed away from the craziness of the ACL nonsense, but on Friday we ventured out to the Oasis on Lake Travis. I'd been meaning to go since we moved here, but never made it out. So we went! The restaurant is meh (as I had heard) but the view is really great. Ironically though, it's just a few minutes from where I work. Who knew?

It's such a shame that these lovely people live so far away. I love hanging out with Kristy, it's so easy and relaxing. It doesn't matter how long it's been since we've seen each other, we pick it up like we hang out on the daily. And Kennedy is a blast! That little lady is SO smart. And probably the cutest two year old ever. You should see her dance to Gangnam Style, it's epic. It's so much fun watching her grow! She sprouted like a weed and grew a head of curls since the last time we saw her.

Move to Austin, y'all. I need more Kristy and Kennedy in my life!

Exploring!

Wednesday I got my first sunburn of the summer. My sister and I headed out to Canyon Lake to relax and catch some rays (trying to fight the paleness). Unfortunately there were swarms of these terrible tiny white bugs that caused extreme itching whenever they landed on you. It was the strangest thing I've ever experienced. They look like pollen floating around, and they made every exposed area burn and itch, so in a swimsuit you're screwed. So we just chilled in the water with only our heads poking out. Not a bad solution, the water felt great! But if you have any idea what these bugs or whatever are, we'd love to know! I tried googling them, but had no luck.

 

Thursday Brendon and I did some exploring downtown. We wandered around Congress and got Brendon some new glasses at the neatest shop ever. If you're in Austin and in need of some specs, Stars In Your Eyes Optometry is the place to go. On our way over we saw tons of little shops and eateries on South Congress. We are going to go back and explore that section next, and it's just a hop skip and a jump from our place. I love being so close to everything!

 

We also stopped by the Capital to steal some ac, use their bathroom facilities, and be tourists. Although I've been there tons of times, it's still pretty neat. You have to go through a metal detector now to get in! Who knew? They had the same thing going on in the courthouse in Denton. Times they are a changin'.

Thankfully I am feeling MUCH better and am able to enjoy life again. Pretty much back to normal aside from a lingering cough. Yay! And it RAINED the other day, or night actually. It was a pretty good storm! Nothing like the craziness we got in Denton, but I'll take it. Of course the next day it was back to being sunny again. Perpetual sunshine and heat, there's no escaping it.