The Good Life in Austin Texas

I have been tagged with the 7 mysteries of my life by my friends??!?!?!?!?

Paula Swayne and new pal Sherry Scales

Check out their blogs; Paula writes great Localism posts and Sherry is incredibly funny!

Seven things you may not know about me: 

•1)  I have a love/hate relationship with running. I hate getting started but after the first mile or so my body realizes we are out for a run and I start enjoying the challenge and scenery etc.I have run 6 marathons and 1 ultra-marathon and I am currently training for the Austin 3M ½ marathon in February. I am not a health nut but enjoy the benefits of feeling better mentally and physically as well as eating pretty much anything I want without swelling up like Jaba the Hut! Something I find ridiculous are people who use a picture of themselves running in their profile or bio with tag-lines like "Going the extra mile" or "the marathon salesman". Please...it's just plain is GOOFY! Runners don't care and you run the risk of alienating 95% of the population who thinks on a daily basis that they need more exercise!

•2)  I abhor liars, bullies and any person, group or entity that abuses a position of power to further their own self interests or abuse the rights and privileges of others. This has carried over into my business over time however, in the last few years I have become the "Voice of Reason" in many circumstances. I still do not respond well to threats, intimidation or coercion and sometimes feel compelled to take the Samuel Jackson approach for those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers... Okay, admittedly that's way over the top but as my previous broker used to say, "Russell is either the easiest person with whom to do a transaction or the most difficult and it's all in how you act at first".

•3)  Okay, now for something on the bright side. I love music, ALL KINDS of music and if you listened to my iPod you would certainly be baffled.As of today, I have 2764 songs to date with tunes from the 60's,70's,80's,90's and 2000's including Rock, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Blues, Jazz, Soul, Funk, World beat, Rap, Reggae and surprisingly about 20% of the play lists are Gospel and Classical. Right now I am listening to an interesting jam with John Lee hooker and Miles Davis. My musical tastes swing wildly back and forth and today my favorite songs are the loudly obnoxious I don't wanna stop... by Ozzy Osborne to the semi-maudlin Say what you need to say by John Mayer. Ask me tomorrow and my choice of favorites will be completely different!

•4)  For a brief time I studied Film Making in College and developed a lifelong love of all kinds of movies.If you ask about my favorites, I would have to give you my top ten in a bunch of categories like Weirdest, Comedies, Dramas, War Movies, Blockbuster, Independent, Foreign (this would have to be divided into lists covering Italian, French, German, and oriental although only Akira Kurosawa for Japan and with the exception of Ang Lee, a couple of lesser known Chinese directors). I can say without a doubt that Eraserhead (1977) trailer which I saw in Film School is still the all time most bizarre film ever. The best part about my film hobby is that my wife is a willing participant and accompanies me to anything that I get a hankering to see!

•5)  I am a passionate reader and my whole family is in on this too. We've read to our children since birth and I can tell you that the day you walk by your child's room and see them reading for the first time, something they want to read, you get the most incredible sense of accomplishment. The really cool thing is that now that they are older we often trade ideas for books. We spend too much money on books but our local Westbank Community Library has just about anything you could want and they also have a lend program with the Downtown library for books not readily on hand. An interesting thing about the library is that each time you check out a book you are given a receipt that lists what it would cost at a local bookstore. Towards the end of the year the tally can get very high. My daughter was there the other day and the Lewis Family has racked up over $4,800 in savings on books this year!

•6)  I love traveling as much as just about anything in the world and again, my wife is a willing partner in our wanderlust.We have traveled all over the United States, been to Europe twice and have spent time in several places in the Caribbean. My favorite parts of the world (besides Austin) are New York, Paris (I would like to live there for 3 or 4 months at a time) the countryside of Emilia Romagna in Northern Italy. I think more than anything I could be happy in a small place on the white sands of a Caribbean island, cooking, reading, listening to music, watching movies, eating, running, (chasing my wife!?!) following the lives of our children and well...you know, anything but WORK!

•7)  My birthday, May 24^th is the day before my anniversary, May 25^th and for years I used to complain that it in some way detracted from my birthday. You know, sort of like a person whose birthday is in December so that Christmas overshadowed the occasion. However about 9 years ago, I came to realize that my wife was the best gift I had ever received in my entire life. I know, it may seem corny but it's the truth and for that I am eternally grateful!

Alrighty now, I finally got that out of the way and I procrastinated so long that all of the people I was going to tag have a been tagged by others and even written their respective posts so... Everyone gets a free ride today! Happy New Year!

Many years ago, during the Holiday Season, my brother along with some others would rent a bus to tour Austin and look at all of the various holiday lights and decorations. A theme party of sorts and an annual affair, the bus was filled with all types of people in the party mode and stocked with snacks, a couple of kegs of beer and other assorted party favors. I think Wild Turkey may also have been involved. For several years I had the duty of taking the role of Santa Claus and dressing the part. It may seem silly to some of you but I was single and more mischievous back then and you have no idea how many girls want to get to know Santa...But I digress. After touring various decorated areas in town the last stop of the party bus tour was always the celebrated Zilker Park Christmas Tree .

The Zilker Park Christmas Tree is not real but man-made and constructed of strands of Christmas lights. The lights are strung from one of Austin's Moon Towers, which were built in the early 1900s to illuminate the city at night. Most are gone but originally were laid out in the city, miles apart and if you were to fly over you would have seen that they were in the shape of an enormous Texas Star. The tower stands 155 feet tall and has 39 strands of lights with 3,309 bulbs that are attached to 19 utility poles, each 14 feet tall, arranged in a circle around the Moon Tower. The diameter is said to be 120 feet and the circumference the tree measures 380 feet. At the top of the tree, a double Texas Star measures 10 feet from point to point and has 150 white frosted bulbs.

Apart from the obvious fun of visiting the tree there is a surprising phenomenon that all first time visitors experience. The strands of lights each hold 81 multicolored, 25 watt bulbs, however, City of Austin electricians created a unique spiral pattern of yellow lights that cause the naked eye to flicker when you look up from beneath the tree. First timers are always surprised and of course nearly everyone stands near the center of the tree and begins to turn slowly at first and then like some whirling dervish while staring straight up. It's a remarkable experience and the funniest thing is watching people of all ages having a ball! Children, old folks, teenagers, the stoic and silly, all laughing and carrying on while many collapse dizzy from the experience. I always succumb to the urge everytime we visit!

It was on my very first occasion as the "Party Bus Santa" that we pulled up in one of the nearby parking areas and begin to unload for the short walk to Zilker Park Christmas Tree . It was a chilly evening and everyone was feeling frisky and "in the spirit" and Santa was having a field day hearing from the girls about who was naughty what they wanted for Christmas etc. One of them told me that the reason Santa was always so jolly was because he knew where all the naughty girls lived! The back of the bus operated as our refreshment stand and we all refilled our cups with beverage and I lit up a cigarette. (Yes...I used to smoke many years ago but quit in 1986). Then with a young lady on each arm, I began to lead the lively crowd to the tree and I have to tell you I was thoroughly enjoying myself. When suddenly, (it's always "suddenly" in these stories) I noticed some sort of commotion across the distance between us and the tree. It appeared to be a group of elves shouting and waving madly and they seemed to be heading for our group. Confused at first, I was suddenly struck by the shocking realization that they were not elves but...CHILDREN! In a blinding flash I forgot about the party, the girls, the revelry and panicked. I was having fun but I KNEW I did not want to ruin a child's innocent view of SANTA CLAUSE!

Okay, I may have been a frisky Santa out partying during the holidays but I am still a decent person! I quickly stomped my cigarette  and shoved the beverage into the open coat of one of my companions who screamed when the cup spilled its frigid contents. The stampede of kids was nearing as I frantically rubbed the lipstick from my face on the front of the blouse of my other new friend who could not stop giggling. Just in the nick of time, I managed to get it together and shout HO HO HO to the children who were excitedly gathering at my feet. I was so nervous and sweating like a politician in church as I patiently listened to all of the three dozen or so kids while nervously eyeing their parents to see if I was doing alright. Eventually everyone went back to the tree and several of the parents said thanks for being such a good sport. You cannot imagine the relief I felt when we got back on that bus and I have to say, "Mischevious Santa" also scored "good guy" points with my companions and that's always a good thing!

If you live in Austin and have never been to the Zilker Park Christmas Tree or will be visiting during the holidays, you need to do yourself a favor and visit. It is truly an icon of the holiday season in Austin Texas. It's a lot of fun, silly and refreshingly simple. Just enjoy it and maybe even some hot caramel corn, funnel cakes or hot chocolate that are sold in nearby booths. These days you will want to leave the eggnog and other adult beverages at home as the park has rules and for good reason. I would not want to take the chance of meeting a rogue Santa who might not have the same ‘crisis of conscience" and if you saw the movie, you know how these things can turn out...

                         Season's greetings to all and I wish you the best in the New Year!

 

Hurrying through the ABIA airport terminal, I think I have timed this perfectly. Arriving about 5 minutes before the flight and allowing for baggage pickup we should be out and at the parking toll booth in under 30 minutes so it will be free! Glancing at the monitor, I see that the Southwest flight from Dallas is delayed and will not arrive for another hour. #%!*@! in my haste and excitement, I left the house without looking on line to check the status and also left my phone at home...What to do? I make my way to the coffee shop and look for something to read but no luck, it's the end of the day, all of the papers are gone, there are no magazines of interest and I don't want to start a new book. So I return to baggage claim area, take a seat to people watch until our sons flight from school touches down.

Our son was home a few weeks ago for Thanksgiving and it was an interesting and fun visit. We all enjoyed ourselves and when we put him on the plane back to Tulsa were relieved that he seemed to be doing so well while away at school at Tulsa University in Oklahoma. My wife remarked that she was so proud of him and how he was doing just fine on his own and did not really need us all that much anymore. We agreed and then the tears came; yes we seemed to have done a good job so far but with the realization that he is NOT our baby boy anymore. My wife's parents and my Father have always been an incredible inspiration and I know that we BOTH hope that we have in some way raised our children to be better people and to help them both keep their heads when all about are losing theirs.

My thoughts are interrupted by Willie Nelson's version of "Silent Night" over the speakers (yes this IS Austin, Texas) and the shuffle and clamor of people arriving to pick up baggage and meet their friends and relatives.I watch as people shout, laugh out loud, hug, kiss and exclaim how they have missed one another. Little children,  squealing with delight rushing to grandparents and parents, friends and lovers, husbands and wives embracing with joy. I see soldiers reuniting with families draped over them laughing and shouting. And tears...I see so many tears of greeting, happiness, welcome and relief. I read once that tears are the inability of a person to express themselves in words and for all of these people it is true! The airport is one of those places where there are many reunions on many different levels and never more so than during the Holidays.

The terminal quiets as people clear out and I am left listening to more Austin artists performing different versions of holiday classics. Checking the monitor, I smile as I see that our son's plane has ARRIVED. After a few minutes it changes to LANDED and finally, AT GATE 12.I start to get excited and move to the stairs and station myself behind a group of people so I can spot him first before he sees me! People begin arriving and taking the escalators and stairs down and I anxiously wait until I see him strolling down the stairs and looking for me or his Mom. I wait, just enjoying the sight of the young man as he continues down the stairs and when he finally spots me, he breaks into that huge infectious smile. As he reaches me we hug one another and while I am embracing him I feel the tears begin to well up in my eyes and I brush them away as we head for the carousel. I really cannot explain the way his mother and I truly feel about him (and his younger sister) so I guess the theory about tears is true for me too! We move to pick up his baggage and he says "I am starving and have not eaten since noon" so it's apparent he is healthy and normal. The funny part about all of this is that we will probably have some normal parent/child arguments over the next few days however, in the grand scheme of things, my wife and I are blessed beyond measure to have two healthy, intelligent, happy, fairly normal children and a family that that functions on a "normal" basis! (Whatever that is?)

We are in a time of great strife, problems and uncertainty. There is a lot of fear, loss and suffering in our country and throughout the world. I hope that each person who reads this will make the effort at finding some small connection to a person, place, idea, event or memory that will somehow help to magnify the glimmer of hope that this season is supposed bring to us all. I say this not to be unthinkingly optimistic but to remind myself as much as anything to be grateful. At times, I also get discouraged and have a tendency to allow a darker side to obscure my view and dwell on the negative. Our family, like many others is faced with challenges but we have it very good with so many blessings that our gratitude list overwhelms our troubles, doubts and so called problems. My wish for each of you this season is the gift of Joy, Gratitude, Hope and Peace. Peace be with you and yours (no exceptions)!

I am glad I had the time to wait and quietly observe and reflect. It did however cost me $8.00 in parking fees and...Oh, the parent/child squabbles that I mentioned might occur earlier? Yep, they started during the ride home from the airport when he began to criticize my driving! HAH! As, George Bailey would say, "It's a wonderful life!

Lady Bird Lake was known as Town lake for many years and recently was renamed in memory of the late Lady Bird Johnson. The trails around the lake are flooded with runners , bikers, walkers and folks who just want to get outside and enjoy some of  our "mostly" great Austin weather. On any weekend beginning late summer, you will see herds of people training for various runs in the fall and leading up to the 3M half marathon and finally the Austin Marathon in Feburary. I have trained for six marathons and one ultra marathon running on these trails and I can think of no better place to train, run, walk or just plain people watch than the loop around Lady Bird Lake! This post originally began as a Wordless Wednesday entry but since it does not fit all the parameters it is now just a post of pictures around my favorite place to run here in Austin, Texas. Enjoy and maybe I will see you on the running trail!

 

All photos taken by Russell Lewis, all rights reserved and may not be reproduced without express written permission of Russell Lewis, AvenueOne Properties, Inc. Austin, Texas.  Please check if Creative Commons License has been granted for this or other photography provided by Russell Lewis.  Permission usually granted if credit is given with a link back.  Thank you for your understanding. 

On the first Thursday of nearly every month, I meet a small group of people and make a short drive to the town of Lockhart, "The Barbecue Capital of Texas". The crowd varies in size month to month depending on who can make it. Today's group includes the founding members; Dave Bieser, who is kind of a "Big Shot" with Time Warner and Randy Merritt, a successful commercial real estate broker with whom I do business and share referrals along with me and our friend Kelly. When I say "Capital", it is no exaggeration as the town of 5,000 boasts four of the top BBQ establishments in the State of Texas. An estimated 5,000 people visit each week or around 250,000 people a year eat BBQ in Lockhart. Of course when you mention BBQ in Texas, you will always spark a debate on the merits of who serves the best.Our destination is Smitty's which is home to our favorite BBQ in the town. Smitty's originally started as Kreuz Market in 1900 by Charles Kreuz as a meat market and grocery store. Many years ago to prevent wasting meat, the proprietors would cook cuts of beef and pork along with sausage in barbecue pits. Customers would buy their barbecue and sausage then purchase some items from the grocery store to go along the BBQ. The origins of one stop shopping! Charles passed the business along to his sons and son-in-law who ran it until 1948, when Edgar Schmidt, who had worked there since 1936, bought the market from the Kreuz's. In 1984, Edgar sold the business to his sons, Rick and Don Schmidt, and they ran the popular restaurant until Don's retirement in 1997.

Now I do not know the actual circumstances but in 1999, there was some sort of dust-up in the family business and one of the brothers decided to move Kruez's a quarter mile away from of the old location. There was even a ceremonial moving of a tub of glowing embers from the pits to the new location to preserve the fiery/smoky heritage. However the original location stayed open with only the name change to Smitty's marking the transfer. Honestly, I never realized that there was a change and continued to patronize the place I had first discovered in the mid 1970's.

Arriving at the back of the building and parking in a large dusty parking lot, we enter through the back door and the first thing you see is a huge L-shaped pit fed by an open fire on each end. In the middle of the room is a large cutting block table and a counter with two scales. Standing in line you order and the items are weighed and then placed on red butcher paper (fine china or even plates are not available) with either crackers or white bread. Paying for your items, you enter the main store and order pickles, onions, cheese, avocados along with potato salad or beans and you are ready to eat! In the old day you were given butcher paper for and the knives were actually chained to the long tables and there was NO BBQ SAUCE. Now days BBQ sauce is served for those who care to indulge. I like mine mixed with some hot sauce.

I have been thinking about this meal since I my morning run and have ordered all of my favorites; brisket,3 ribs and a hot link along with some onions and pickles and an avocado. I think my eyes were bigger than my stomach! I offer some avocado slices to Randy but he is a purist and says he does not want any "vegetables" today. I will say this is NOT a spot for vegetarians or as Anthony Bourdain describes them, "their Hezbollah like allies, the vegans!" This is always a good time with plenty of conversation from my "First Thursday" friends and more than enough of some of the best BBQ you can find in the state. Oh...and that white bread? It is the best thing ever to sop up the grease that is in ALL good BBQ. I keep meaning to try one of the other places in town, which I know must be good but it's never "convenient" to do so. Smitty's is only a short drive from Austin and you can make it out, eat lunch and back in about an hour and forty five minutes so if you do have some time, make the trip. You will be glad you did and take a friend too!

My friend Paula Swayne tagged me in the newest MeMe, the Christmas MeMe. Here are the rules:

You have to name one gift you would like to have on Christmas. It has to be an object. We all want happiness for Christmas. If you could pick one single gift out for yourself-what would it be? Remember-it has to be something you can touch and hold.... Once you have done this, name five people or more and send this to them for them to name the one special gift they would like to have.

Frankly, I am one of those people who pretty much has everything I could possibly want. I have a wonderful wife and two great kids, a semi-crazed brother who I love, some incredible friends and for the most part, a good level of the intangible things in life like health, happiness, peace of mind, and a good outlook no matter what the day brings! Financial security would be nice but it's never guaranteed is it? My wife and I want to remodel our house (especially the kitchen) and would like to travel a lot more.

People always laugh when I tell them that if I won the lottery, I would do two things; Quit work to play (no, I am not one of those nuts who would go to work the next day) though I enjoy my job but simply have too many things I really enjoy outside of work. And the second thing would be to have someone drive me around in some kind of big safe extremely comfortable car with all the bells and whistles. I would also like my "chauffeur" to go through my magazines and take out all of those pesky "inserts" and advertising cards that fall out as you read, so I can avoid the irritation they cause. I believe this is called "magazine grooming". Like I said...I already have pretty much everything I need and I'm alive!

Okay, I seemed to have veered off track here. Paula also told me that it must be a "material" item so here goes and I have to tell you it's something of a "guilty" pleasure. Because I DO drive quite a bit and don't care for it that much (I blogged about this awhile back: Two Words...that could save your life! ) I like to be as comfortable as possible while behind the wheel. When I work with buyers I drive our Lexus which is nice but lately I have been eyeballing something different. I thoroughly  researched this, drove several and finally came to a decision. Granted, the back seat is probably crowded but maybe it would encourage buyer's to make a faster decision. OOPS, did I actually say that? I was planning on making a purchase sometime next year until the downturn and our son starting college and well, you know how it goes...So as long as we are wishing for something from Santa, I want one of these fine rides...I know, I can already hear some of you but I am built for comfort and it's truly a guilty pleasure!

Okay, now to pass this on and please forgive me if your not one who likes doing meme's like me!

Bob Cumiskey  and  Alan May 

and let's see...oh yes, how about these three:

Mike Jones            Pippa             Betina Foreman

ABoR Press Release

Best of the Best Honored with Industry Awards

The Austin Board of REALTORS® (ABoR) is pleased to announce the winners
of the 2008 industry awards. Members will be recognized in the following categories: REALTOR®of the Year; Affiliate of the Year; Rookie of the Year; Community Service; and Cultural Awareness.

Community Service: Russell Lewis, AvenueOne Properties

Russell Lewis has been an ABoR member for more than 15 years. In that time, he has donated his service to numerous volunteer organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, the Boy Scouts of America, the Blood Center of Central Texas, the Eanes School District and Mobile Loaves and Fishes.

I have to admit that this was a very gratifying surprise when I learned from the press release above that I had been honored and I was humbled by the experience. I am no saint; just ask the person I adore more than anyone in the world, my wife of 22 years or my children or my partners and associates at work. I have my "days" and often I am not the pinnacle of patience or reason and I tend to be rather intense when involved in negotiating (though I have improved immensely over the years.) People ask me, where I get the time and honestly, it does not take much One thing I have done with some regularity over the years is pitch in when asked or when I see a need. I know in advance when am going to participate in many of my endeavors and it's no more than a couple of hours at each project and maybe a couple of times a month. Since this is the Christmas season and a time of giving, I thought I would take the opportunity to show you some of the groups I enjoy helping and some of the people involved.

Habitat for Humanity - I have been actively involved with Habitat since my first project in 1996 and wrote a blog about this wonderful organization here:

 The Luxury of Actually Owning a Home - Giving back in Austin Texas and Beyond!

Troop 5-Boy Scouts of America - I have had the great pleasure of helping with my son's Scout Troop, as one of a number of Assistant Scout Masters since he was 11 years old until he achieved the rank of Eagle last year. This is a picture of a small group of us (the kids were 12) along with his second Scoutmaster and family friend, Tom Martinec, at the South Rim of Big Bend National Park. We were so proud that they had backpacked all of their gear on their first strenuous trek (especially at that young age). The young man in the green vest is my son! This troop has offered a lot of fun and learning and has been a great ride through the years taking him to the jungles of Costa Rica, the mountains and rivers of Canada, The Caribbean and to camps all over the USA. I even had the chance to go along on several myself!

 

Eanes School District Volunteer Since 1994, I have served as a parent volunteer, parent reader, fund raiser, committee member and health education educator with many of the Eanes elementary schools, West Ridge Middle School, and Westlake high School. The picture is part of a costume that I still wear a couple of weeks every year and I will probably write a blog post about it when I can figure out a way to not appear too crazy for doing so...Stay tuned!

Mobile Loaves & Fishes A charity group dedicated to feeding the homeless and bringing dignity to those in such poor circumstances. The group was started here in Austin Texas ten years ago by Alan Graham. Please read more about them on the blog I posted awhile back: No One Goes Hungry-Giving back - An Austin Texas Solution The picture at right is from a newspaper article a couple of years ago. A friends daughter went along to see what it's like to help out!

Central Texas Regional Blood & Tissue Center In 1994, I decided I wanted to try and get over an un-natural fear of needles that I had carried with me from childhood. It had gotten so bad that when my wife would bring home flu shots, I was beginning to frighten the children and wanted to be a better example. I can say that it took a long time for me to stop being squeamish about it all and now I am a regular "Platelet" donor. I just passed the 25 gallon mark in donations last year and I am pretty much over my fear of needles... Learn more about this excellent organization here:

http://www.bloodandtissue.org/

I was hesitant to write about this award because I did not want to "toot my own horn" but was reminded that this award would give me a means to bring these groups to the attention of others and maybe help generate more volunteers and donations.I hope it does because every time I show up to help in some way I get an huge sense of gratitude. Not only from helping out but knowing that whatever problems I may have or any resentments that I might want to harbor, it's all good. No really, trust me on this, we are all better off when we see the world from the vantage point of those in lesser circumstances. I am reminded every day how fortunate I am to be alive and doing well in spite of any self indulgent "wants disguised as needs". It's the season for giving and it's a gift you give to yourself!