Austin, The Not Food Day 5 in Texas, Part 1 -

With only one full day in Austin, I had am ambitious “eatinerary.” So I had to also find things to within all those meals! A friend recommended checking out the Ellsworth Kelly’s Austin at the Blanton Museum of Art. Admission being free on Thursdays sealed the deal. I would look at man-made beautiful stuff I wouldn’t have to hike for… which I like just slightly less than nature-made beauty. The bright blue sun in the big blue sky was part of this exhibit, however.

Though he died in 2015, the year this structure was gifted to the museum, Ellsworth Kelly was a big deal in the art world. A minimalist who was inspired by color, Austin is a bit of a cathedral—so I (and others) may enter and worship it. I loved that opportunity.

The panes of stained glass and the ever-moving light make this space different every time you enter it. And I entered several times because I wanted to see how it changed and to ask the staff person more questions. It was blowing my mind that he had designed a sort of stationary kaleidoscope that I could walk within… but the light would be the variable and not the structure.

How I love new ways in which to see and capture light!

Austin was very inspiring to me. I have all sorts of ideas on how I will incorporate what I saw. That’s DOK 4, ya mofos! Teacher-talk for the highest order of thinking: application. What is knowledge if not applied to a purpose? That’s why I appreciation Do-smart over Book-smart.

Back at my room for a little escape from the very hot sun. Honestly I wasn’t ready for it, though glorious. Spring in New York was slow-going. I also had time! Everything is easy to get to here in Austin. And I no longer had to drive 3 hours in between each thing I wanted to do. My motel room was right in the thick of the action, so I kept going back to regroup. And put my feet in the pool.

This is Austin me. In the vegan cowboy boots I got on my last trip to Memphis.

Ok, there was a bunch of food that happened, which will be a different post, and then this lofty mission. Bats. When I planned this trip I looked into several places that would allow me to see bats along their migration path–Old Tunnel State Park and Devil’s Sinkhole State Natural Area. Both get flooded with bats… but a bit later into the season. I was bummed I wouldn’t get to see a ton of bats emerging from a cave… until I realized I could see a ton of bats emerging from a bridge right in downtown Austin.

Yes, the Congress Avenue Bridge, which spans Lady Bird Lake in front of Austin’s skyline, is not in the migratory path of bats like the parks above. It is actually their habitat for most of the year! It is home the the largest city-dwelling bat colony! It became my day’s mission to see these bats emerge for feeding after sunset.

Sooo, I did a touristy thing and booked a tour to be on the lake when it happened. Though tons of folks line the bridge to witness the flight, I wanted to have a vantage point that would allow me to photograph them without the dark backdrop of the water. Before my boat boarded I checked out the bridge. It was a regular bridge… but within those concrete alcoves, hundreds of thousands of 🦇’s.