Austin around town...

We spent the day taking advantage of some Austin area attractions. It had been several years since we'd climbed Mt Bonnell, so we paid Bonnell another visit.
Long stairways leading to the lookout.

Overlooking the Colorado River.

Austin skyline.


The Austin Nature center is one of our favorite hangouts. The museum and mini zoo is free for the public.

Many native animals to see -- wildcats, coyotes, foxes, birds...

My favorite area is their hands-on classroom located in the visitor center. Lots of fossils, bones, rocks, microscopes, and interesting gadgets to hold in your hands and examine.

Walking some of the jogging trails near the Nature Center.

We next visited the Austin Botanical Garden - located right beside the Nature Center. One of Austin's best kept secrets. This park is also free to the public.

One of the first one-room school houses in Austin- Travis County.

For lunch, we went to WHOLE FOODS. When I was doing marketing research for Splenda, I'll never forget what the research scientists (from New York) said about this store. They called it the DISNEY LAND of grocery stores.
This is one of the most organized and cleanest grocery stores you'll ever see. Everything is fresh and organic. The place will spoil you rotten --- it makes the Super Wal-mart produce section look like something from a third world country.

Several deli's and mini cafe's are spread throughout the store. We decided to eat BARBECUE!

The meat is non antibiotic, no hormones, and the livestock is raised on PURE GRAINS. Nothing but the best. The food is a little more expensive, but WELL WORTH the price.
We sampled delicious scones, vegan cheesecake (cream made from nuts) and vegan sour cream! WOW!

We picked up fresh tomatoes, garlic, Pomegranates, and Mango's. We had to cut our day short as I had to head for work tonight, but after looking at today's events, I think we had a FULL DAY!