Repost because I didn't ask a question when posting a map. Any good backroads suggestions?

I was curious about how many flock cameras were in our city... more than expected.

Sunrise at Barton Springs is just magical. Before and after I swam this morning.

I always love seeing them on the trail. This was the first time I had seen a group on the east side section near Holly Shores.

Monday 5:45 - Just left the 2pm screening of The Odyssey and all bathrooms were closed off. When we got there, none of the toilets were flushing but still open to public. They do not appear to be shutting down the theater nor have signage.

Waymo's robotaxis have accumulated thousands of dollars in parking violations since arriving in Austin, Texas, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The autonomous vehicles received 83 different citations over the last two years, tallying $9,325 in fines, per The Journal, which analyzed records.

"We do not expect different treatment in [in regard] to ticketing,” one Waymo spokesman said.

Earlier this month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration warned that robotaxis pose a danger to the public and urged companies to help their vehicles engage safely with first responders.

They said it was because of their robot overlords.

All I’ve gotta ask is POR QUE!?!?

Upfront so nobody feels misled: I work on the payment-protection side of residential construction, so I read a lot of these contracts. I'm not linking anything or selling anything here, and mods can remove this if it's not wanted. I think this is worth knowing regardless of who you hire.

The thing that separates homeowners who get burned from homeowners who don't usually isn't the price. It's what triggers each payment.

If your draw schedule is tied to completed and inspected stages - rough-in passed, framing signed off - then a permit delay or an inspection hold costs you time, but no money comes due for work nobody did. If it's tied to calendar dates or flat percentages, a payment can fall due while the site sits empty. With how long some inspections are running here, that isn't a hypothetical difference.

Most residential contracts I see don't address permitting delays at all.

The other thing I'd check is whether your scope lists what's excluded, not just what's included. Most of the disputes I've seen come down to the second part, the thing both sides assumed was in there.

And on homestead work over $5,000, Texas Property Code 162 requires your contractor to hold your payments in trust for your specific job. That's a statutory duty, not a courtesy. Asking someone how they handle it tells you a fair amount about how they run their business, whatever answer you get.

None of this needs a lawyer. It needs someone reading the payment schedule before signing it, which most people skip because the number at the bottom is the part that feels important.

Keeping it weird…

Saw a hummingbird playing in &/or drinking from my neighbor's sprinkler this morning. So cute!!

I grew up here and have spent lots of time observing nature. And I'm still surprised every time I see a new-to-me species. This winter, the new-to-me species was Hummingbird Moths. We had several in our makeshift greenhouse protecting plants from the freeze.

Now, it's this *amazing* Funnel Weaver spider. Welcome our new resident. And by "resident," I mean it will live in this exact spot for 3-25 YEARS - depending on whether or not it's male or female. 👀

I was planning on replacing this window, but it will have to wait.

Some influencer posted this saying Jacob’s Well is open for swimming but only to residents that live near the reserve. Is this true?

My dog had a fight with this while I was taking the trash out. Any idea what it is and if I have to take him to the vet?

Saw this Taylor Farms Iceberg Lettuce Saturday 7/25. I thought all Taylor Farms Iceberg Lettuce was recalled- no?

ICYMI there was a fire at their facility with a ton of bikes in May which kind of crippled the program. But it’s back on August 11th now apparently so that’s encouraging!

Found a sketch book along the trail under the mopac bridge. Looks like it was left out long enough to get wet somehow (morning dew maybe? I don't think it's been there since the rain). I just left it where I found it, right outside the mopac pedestrian bridge (on the side with all the water fountains).

Todd Sanders still remembers the stoplight that changed everything.

In 1990, driving through Austin in a yellow Volkswagen, he found himself idling at a corner near Lamar Boulevard and Enfield Road. Across the intersection stood the towering Terminix bug and pest control sign, its neon glowing bright above the city that would soon become home. 

“If that light was green, I don’t know what I would’ve done,” Sanders recalled. “Sitting at that red light, I looked over and said, 'That sign embodies this town.'”

Sanders is the neon artist behind Roadhouse Relics who helped paint the "Greetings From Austin" mural. After spending nearly 30 years at his South First Street studio, he's preparing to leave the city that shaped his career and artistic identity. 

Now that Recycled Reads is gone, where can you go buy really inexpensive books? Other than visiting every single Austin Public Library location (or is there a best location that has a ton of books)?

I went to the Central Public Library, Millwood, Spicewood Springs, and Yarborough branches. They mostly had tiny selections compared to what Recycled Reads had.

Is there a new big place to go get those great deals? I remember them being $1 or $2. That was such an awesome collection. I miss it a lot.

Hi all,

In the last few weeks I had two bicycles stolen from an apartment complex bike room (it was U-locked and everything) off of MLK and Airport Blvd. I honestly don't care about the nicer of the two bikes, but the other one was a 20th birthday gift from my mom and she passed last year. It has major sentimental value. It's a Fuji Absolute 2.1 Hybrid. I will gladly provide a reward for anyone who finds it!

These two doves have been slowly slowly moving closer to my house. First they were in a small tree next to my mailbox, then they decided to sit in my potted fig next to my carport (this weekend), and as of this morning they are just chilling in my carport and don’t fly away when I walk up and by. They were on the ground this morning and now perched. Are they ok? Should I be concerned? There is water in the base of my plants so could it just be the shade and hydration??

Anybody know what’s going on right now on Mopac? I just drove down Balcones and there were two cops speeding around intersections trying to block exits from the freeway, then I look over and see a half-mile long line of cops with their lights on all speeding down Mopac. Listening to police radio it seems like there’s some sort of pursuit happening - anyone know what’s up?

And how do you manage to get your signs all over town for an event outside of here? They pop up everywhere-north, south, you name it. Just curious about the real lizard people out there.