deer

The Deer and The Coyotestring(23) "The Deer and The Coyote"

  • Question:
    • Do you know how you can recognize that someone is from Texas? 
  • Answer:
    • Don’t worry about it – they’ll tell you!  And my late wife, Elisabeth, told everyone she was a Texan.

We moved to Texas a little over six years ago.  I did it so Elisabeth could be closer to her parents AND because we literally had a statement in our marital vows that I would bring her home to Texas someday because she was born here.

Although I came here because of Elisabeth, I will stay here because I love the state and I am in awe of the love that Texans have for this state.  It is definitely a different culture and a most interesting place.

When I first came to Texas, I was at a networking event and a “good ole boy” in a suit, boots, and a Stetson hat recognized me and said – “you’re from California huh?”  I said, “Yes sir I am, but my wife was born here in Texas and I brought her home.”  He smiled really big, put his hand on my shoulder, and said, “Welcome to Texas son.”

Having lived in California for fifty years, I feel a little like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz and I can definitely say, “I’m not in California anymore.”  That really hit me one day when I was in my office and I looked out my windows. I often see deer walk by or graze on my land (as in the photo you see in this blog).  I sit on about ten acres and there is at least 100 yards between me and the next closest neighbor, so the deer have plenty of area to live.  On that day, I saw one deer walk past my office with what appeared to be a broken leg.  I wasn’t sure what I should do about that but when a coyote walked by a couple minutes later – tracking along the deer’s path, I thought I should call the Humane Society.

Within ten minutes – the Sheriff showed up!  I told the deputy that I was sorry, I called the Humane Society.  He told me that they didn’t come out to this part of Austin and he asked me what was going on.  I told him about the deer and the coyote that was following him and that it was clear the coyote would take down the deer.

Now, here’s what I love about Texas.  The deputy looked at me and said, “Ok, so just shoot the coyote.”  I pointed at the neighboring house about 100 yards away and I said, “But, there’s a house out there.”  This “Country Boy” looked at me like I was a “city boy” from another planet and said – “Yea, well don’t aim at the house!”

I LOVE Texas.  “Shoot the coyote – just don’t aim at the house.”  I’m definitely not in California anymore!

Now, for the coyote lovers out there – no coyotes were actually harmed in this story.  I did NOT shoot the coyote (but I have to admit that this “New Texan” was definitely looking for him).

Home Is Where the Art Isstring(24) "Home Is Where the Art Is"

By Ivan and Beth Misner

"The Chess Match"

“The Chess Match”

"Rain Pillar"

“Rain Pillar”

What a turbulent two years we (Ivan and Beth) have been through. You know those times when things are moving so fast you feel like you are riding on a runaway horse and all you can do is hold on and pray he doesn’t take a sharp right turn? That has been us for the past little while.  We bought a small condo in Texas as our primary residence and moved some of our belongings there. We put our house in Claremont on the market, but left most of our things there, so it would show well. We did not stay in the house when we returned to California for work, preferring to keep it ready at all times to be viewed by prospective buyers. We hit the road for work and were gone literally more than we were home, so we didn’t really get to settle in to our Texas condo and “nest.”

When we moved our belongings out of the Claremont house, most of our things went to the Texas condo and some things went into storage in Texas, waiting for the day when we are traveling less and feel ready to have a house again (sigh).  Although we have a place to live, we both felt like we didn’t have a “home.”

Tree

“Beauty’s Privilege”

And then the artwork we had chosen from Claremont arrived at our condo in Austin.  As we started unpacking the paintings (some created by our very own talented daughter, Ashley Misner) and statues − familiar beloved friends − choosing where they would be displayed, a thought came to us: Home is where the art is!

We have some of our pieces in place in our Austin condo now. Just walking in the front door brings a smile and a sense of belonging as we see The Chess Match, Beauty’s Privilege, Rain Pillar and Wednesday on the Coral Sea, pieces we have collected together over many years and from many different travels.

For us, anyway, home IS where the art is.

A Flock of Cranes!string(18) "A Flock of Cranes!"

The sight of cranes on the horizon are a sure sign of an improving economy. No, I’m not talking about the flying type of crane – I’m talking about the construction type of crane (tower cranes).

Crane2--Blog

I was standing on my balcony looking across the Austin, Texas city skyline and I counted ELEVEN giant stationary tower cranes (not counting the smaller, portable cranes).  Though there were eleven cranes in my view, I’m well aware that there are also many more nearby that are located beyond the scope of what I can see from the vantage point of my balcony.  Standing there and looking out at these massive pieces of construction equipment, it suddenly struck me that the number of cranes in a city are a good indicator of the strength of the local economy.

I did a quick Google search and found that The National Journal recently reported that there are 37 construction projects currently in progress in Washington DC. The New Zealand Herald reported that two years ago there were no cranes in Wellington and today there are six major residential projects in the area (cranes included, of course). The Financial Times recently reported that over the last few years there has been more than one crane for every square kilometer in London!

Construction Cranes are an indicator that an area’s economy is thriving.  They are certainly an indicator of this in Austin which also remains #1 in job growth in the U.S. being the only city in the country with double digit job growth for several years in a row.

How many cranes do you see in your local area?  How does the number of cranes compare to the local economy?  I’m really interested in getting your feedback on this so please take a moment to leave your comments in the discussion forum below. Thanks!