Spotlight: AUSTIN TEXAS ("Baybee!")

All right you Squares! We thought in light of Aryn and Schuyler's fast approaching visit to Austin, we'd spotlight a bit of what this fine city has to offer. No one ever seems quite content where they are, and we've always gone to great lengths to pick fabulous places to live and experience. I was interviewing the other day, and the lady looked at my resume and said "Wow: Colorado Springs, San Diego, and Austin! Could you have possibly picked greater places to live?" Indeed, she was a wise one, and I don't know that we could have. So here's a BRIEF (yes, it is a big post, but doesn't even begin to do this place justice) sampling of one of America's finest cities. Enjoy!Above is the downtown sky line as seen across Lake Lady Bird (formerly Town Lake: Named after the late former First Lady: Lady Bird Johnson - R.I.P). Yes, this town has a rich political history. The "Lake" is actually part of the Colorado River, and a series of dams for regulation and flood control create a system of 7 lakes within minutes of Austin where you can swim, ski, boat, relax and otherwise just play away to your heart's content. Below is a view from a popular hiking spot of Lake Ausin, just up the way from Lake Lady Bird and within Austin's city limits.In addition to the lakes and rivers, the area is ripe with streams, creeks, and natural springs. The next couple photos are of Barton Springs pool - a public swimming hole naturally spring fed. It is set nicely just outside downtown Austin and features rolling grassy hills and a 2 meter diving board as well as some natural and rock areas for sun bathing.

Next we have Krause Springs, another spring fed water playground just outside of town (there are tons of places like this one). Privately owned, you can get in for just a couple bucks a person and enjoy the picnic grounds, spring fed pools, and rope swings. Or just grab a tube and float your cares away!Kayaking and canoeing are quite popular on Lake Lady Bird. And if you are wondering, yes, Austin is in Central Texas and yes it IS this green and vibrant. Cacti and desert are hard to find. Lush greenery and water, however, is everywhere! And the climate is much more moderate than say, for example...um, I don't know, let's just throw out random places like Colorado, Las Vegas, or Sacramento. And while I can't and won't argue Southern California's climate, the cost of living and air quality here is superb.Waterskiing on Lake Travis - the largest of the lake systems (and a 15 minute drive from our house!) is a recreational hot bed - over 60 miles long the lake weaves and bends through scenic Texas Hill Country and features some of the ritzyest vacation homes around. A lazy day of tubing in the San Marcos and Guadalupe rivers between Austin and San Antonio is yet another great way to spend a day on the water. Kids in tow and everything. (Depending on the timing, this could be a sweet spot for young single guys and gals (eh, hem: Schuyler & Aryn) later there is a photo for Schuyler, so keep reading to the end, Bro.Runners, families, pet owners: Lake Lady Bird trails downtown are always filled with walkers, runners, kids and pets enjoying the great climate. Free watering stops and launch pads for Dogs to swim out fetching balls are abundant.Anyone like to bike? Hike? Explore? There is so much more than this, but just a taste of what life on this planet can be. Again, you'll note the dry, bland, remote dusty landscape...oh, wait, nevermind. It's not here.Like sighting celebrities? Well here are just a few who frequent Austin or call it home. Of course we all know Mr. Armstrong and his buddy Matthew.

Sandra, ah yes, Sandra. We just watched Two Weeks notice again last night - good show. Sandra recently opened a quaint little restaurant in town with her sister. Austin has a rather large and growing film and music industry - all the glitz and glamour without the drama and shenanegans of Hollywood. G.W. 'Nuff said. Love him or hate him, like I said, there is a rich political and cultural history here - a great environment for enrichening and challenging minds - like for example those of our children.Ever heard of Andy Roddick, Aryn? One of Austin's most proud residents and eligible bachelors. And you can play tennis outside year round here. Austin is also the Live Music Capitol of the world. When I flew in to meet with my company before we moved here, I stepped off the plane and was pleasantly surprised to walk right into a live performance of a local band. Yeah, in the airport in the middle of the day during the week. Music is king in Austin. Below is Wilco playing the Austin City Limits festival (just held last weekend). A three day festival featuring hundreds of bands - would anyone like to see them live?Maybe you prefer this guy? He plays here often too. Mmmmm.Sorry, Oliver, had to do it for Tiffany. If football is your thing, well you might be interested in one of the nations premier programs located here. Some of you might remember this little college football moment. And Barrett, don't worry - you guys are looking great this year, even if your QB's name is Booty.Which brings us full circle to the tubing - one last ditch effort to motivate Schuyler!We hope you've enjoyed this little picture tour. And a shout out to Aryn and Schuyler for finally heading this way (although Dad & Linda take first prize for having visited long ago. Bair still asks about Banjo, Maud, and Cowboy!) Now, we haven't even begun to touch on so many of the great things around here, like the Domain (high end shopping district), IKEA, outlet malls, and South Congress eclectic shopping district. Or how much house $200K, $300K, and $400K or even $100K can get you in the area (hint: it's probabbly a LOT more than where you are). Or maybe we should mention the award winning public school systems, or the solid growing economy? And on and on. But I've spent so long typing and its the weekend so I think I'll leave you with a list of how Austin ranks while I go enjoy some of the great things you've seen in this post. How does your city rank?

How Austin Ranks as Best Place to Live:
Rank* - List - By
1 - Best Big City Places to Live -MSN House & Home
2 - Best Large City for Relocating Families - Worldwide ERC & Primacy Relocation
3 - Cool Cities - Kiplinger
3 - Top Growth Cities - U-Haul
3 - Great Places to Live - Life 2.0
4 - Fastest Growing Cities - Men's Journal
4 - Smartest Cities - Men's Journal
5 - Most Educated Cities - MSN Encarta
10 - Interesting Neighborhoods - Travel-Leisure, America's Favorite Cities
11 - Best Places for Singles - Forbes
18 - Top US Destination Cities - U-Haul
22 - Top Rated Cities - Cities Ranked & Rated
26 - Brainiest Cities - American City Business Journals
27 - Best Cities for Families - Child.com
27 - Best Cities for Seniors - Bankers Life and Casualty
28 - Large Kid-Friendly Cities - Population Connection
32 - Fiscally Fit Places - Sperling's
35 - Best Places to Live -Men's Journal

Love,

The Fitzwaters

Austin, TX, U.S.A., Earth

Family Four

It is rare that we ever have a photo of the four of us together. It just never seems to work out that way unless we go to great lengths to get us all together, so what you wind up with is thousands of pics of the little guys, with Catherine or Brady scattered in here and there, usually with both or one of the boys. So I was pleased to come across this one, taken in San Antonio along the River Walk. We had spent the whole day at Sea World, where we discovered a water park much more kid-friendly than most. We hadn't come prepared, and it rained, but you get Bair in the water and good luck getting him out. So we we're drenched, exhausted, and on our way to dinner. We loved the hanging gardens and lush walkways, and were snapping photos - I think Catherine with the boys - when a considerate passerby offered to get us all in the shot. And here we are. I remember how we felt at the end of that day, weathered, wet, and worn out, and am proud that Catherine and I managed to crack smiles that appear to be genuine. Not so Bair & Cal - one of the rare glimpses of exhausted young boys - I have to take a good hard look, because its not something we see too often: the four of us and two buys ready to just relax. Ahhhh...looks nice.

Hello eveyone again! It took a little time, but it seems like we've got Pops figured out. Turns out he's just as much of a lush as we are, so we enticed him to join into our good times with the cunning use of soda. (Regular soda, mind you - Dad vehemently refuses to partake of diet soda in any way shape or form)

That got Dad all fired up, buy Cal quickly reminded him who was in charge, and that he had better keep his lips zipped about this, or else!

That left Cal & I free to get shaved up real quick and hit our favorite watering hole for a couple nice cold tall ones - 2% - just like we like it. None of this fat free garbage Mom likes so much.

One of my first orders of business was schmoozing Mom & Cal. I figure with them on my side, I am untouchable.

It's my show now!

Hi there everyone, it's me, Bair. Due to recent criticism in the exposure (or rather, lack thereof) my little brother Cal & I have gotten to our long lost family back on Planet Earth, I decided to step in and takeover this blog. Hope you enjoy!

Back & Front

If you are an astute observer, you've already noticed these things. If you are not, then look closely and you'll notice the following:

1. Bair is 2 & 1/2, Cal is 9 months. Yet Bair has got the bottle and is sitting, while Cal is standing and playing with the toy. Hmm.

2. Cal is large. I know most of you have not met him, but he is much longer and just bigger than Bair was at his age. With the exception of his belly - Bair sported a Buda belly that still makes me gasp when I look at old photos of him as a 9 month old.

3. Bair is sporting a fashionably orange pair of authentic Crocs - straight from the Croc outlet here. If you thought Dad was nuts with his yellow ones, Bair loves these puppies so much he even sleeps with them and is furious when we try and remove them after he's crashed for the night. He seemed so thrilled with his Orange Crocs (he refuses to refer to them as shoes - he will only call them Orange Crocs, nothing less), that Catherine and I now sport them ourselves on most weekends. Mine our baby blue (North Carolina blue if you prefer); Catherine's a deep sea green.

4. If you look as closely as my sisters you will also notice we live on another planet.

Making Headlines in Austin!

Catherine and her fitness program were featured today on a local TV news station here in Austin. She's doing what she loves and she does it well - check it out here:

http://www.kvue.com/video/local-index.html?nvid=155382&shu=1

Her boys (all 3 of us) are incredibly proud of her!

This one speaks for itself, although the translation may vary from state to state.