The Mystery Machine

Originally uploaded by Phisch

I just had to share this find with you. Sighted while we waited in a Target parking lot.

Just keepin’ Austin weird!

182

Originally uploaded by Phisch

Sorry this is so late...things have been busy. We went on Oct. 13. More photos here.)

TDS. That would be: the local landfill. I know my boys are a little unusual in that they always thought a trip to the dump with their dad was fun. The one we took trash to when we lived in CA was neat to them. After all, they got to help, they got to see what people threw away and watch the seagulls flock overhead.

But here in Texas, particularly at TDS, things are a little different. First off, there are no seagulls. Of course, since it's central Texas it's not likely that you'll find sea birds this far inland but they're usually replaced by buzzards (condors, if you prefer). But with the way this landfill works, the owners work hard at being "good neighbors" and every effort is put into making sure there are no foul odors that waft into the adjacent homes and farms.

There are other reasons this facility, entirely family-owned, is really unique. Besides having a landfill, a resale center, a sorting and recycling facility (and by facility they mean 10 guys hand-sorting to be replaced by an actual plant one day), composting development and sale, beautiful campus used for non-profits' events (pro bono) and recycling research---deep breath---it also is a game preserve. It has several hundred head of wild game from Africa, Asia and the Americas.

They have a couple of species that are highly endangered and no longer exist in their natural habitats. The boys got a kick out of the fact that they're free and loose, able to come up to the car windows if they wanted. They do keep some separated since some creatures can get pretty competitive or down right ornery.

When we arrived, we got the "pitch" from one of the owners about their history, their goals and how they do what they do. The boys did get bored rather quickly so they were very excited when we took the bus tour afterwards.

We had two guides, one who was a naturalist and the other the expert on garbage and what was done with it... most of the trash that they get actually gets recycled in some way, shape or form. At each step of the way, they get money. The serviceable items go straight to the resale shop which makes (I think) about $2k to $5k a week. All of the green matter they receive is turned into compost and sold to local nurseries (they can request a custom blend) or through a retail garden chain that they have purchased. The remainder of the trash is sorted; glass, paper and metal are sold to recycling companies. Building material is being handled differently: the city of Austin gives tax incentives to builders if they have TDS haul their refuse. TDS is currently researching how to efficiently convert this material, plus expired sodas and milk, into biofuel. What trash is left will be placed in a landfill which is lined with a special clay (available at their site). The landfill will eventually be topped with more clay, soil and then seeded. The animals will eventually graze over it.

The boys loved the tour, but like the rest of the bus riders, they didn't enjoy going thru the compost area. I had to agree the smell was strong but it didn't smell like trash, just like humus, the way a good compost pile is supposed to smell. The boys also loved seeing the large compacting machines and one of the other kids on the bus made a comment that they were just like Wall-E only bigger!

At the end of the tour, we were let out near the enclosures of their rhino (I forget its name) and the giraffe, Stretch. J was so cute (I was so proud), he just went right up and started grabbing fistfuls of grass to feed the giraffe. Or course it was happy to be fed. NM was more of an observer and stayed respectfully back. This is wise when it comes to rhinos, though apparently this one was very used to people.

We ate our lunch and then, lo and behold, the boys wanted to get on the bus again. I wasn't too happy about the choice of seating, my son wanted to be in the back and there was no window, just the exit door. It's ok...I gave them the camera and they both took photos and video. After that, we walked the grounds and saw just how many mounted animals they had (considerable) as well as their clay pigeon shooting area--across a walkway from a playscape.

All in all, it was a really fun day and it was interesting to see what goes on in an award-winning, ah, dump.

Town Lake Trail View

More photos here for you to oggle.

“Labors” of course, being an exaggeration at least for the adults. The boys and the dog? They were tired. No, make that one boy and the dog. NM says he wasn’t tired but was bored.

We tried to make it out by 9 am before it got too hot and we were only a half hour late and it wasn’t so bad. J was tired so he was dragging his feet (he was up late last night). Sprocket was beside herself and couldn’t get in the truck fast enough. At some point on the way there, she managed to find a playing card to chew on. The card did something to her and she started getting upset and barking at it, refusing to go anywhere near it! I wish I knew what that  something was so I could figure out how to keep her from biting my ankles without resorting to a leash!

Well, the walk was fun as usual and we got the usual number of folks commenting on how cute our dog was. It’s just like the vet said, we’d get lots of people asking what sort of breed she is, where did we get her, how old is she, etc. But you know what? At some point we met a 6-week old malamute. That dog had cute in spades. I used to think golden retriever puppies were the cutest but I think the malamute beats it. The people who owned that puppy also had a small dog that kept barking at Sprocket. It turns out she only wanted to meet her.

On the way back, we hear a gaggle of geese causing a ruckus on Barton Creek. I guess they were upset at the kayakers. Those guys can get territorial and I imagine they were upset that the place they picked to hang out was overrun with—gasp!—other things in the water. One goose decided to break from the rest of the crowd. No doubt the local waterfowl know about the kids that hang out and feed the birds. Well, this particular goose decided if the food wasn’t forthcoming, he was going to seek it out so he went hiking on the trail, too. Or, as one little girl I overheard put it, “Mommy, it’s jogging!” Hehe. I got it on video. I even got a couple of folks who tried to catch it and convince it to go back in the water.

The boys and the dog were spent after that and the two youngest members of our crew spent a long time napping.

^_^

The day wasn’t over, of course. It’s Labor Day and I’m sure somewhere there’s a rule or something about eating ice cream on Labor Day. If there isn’t, I’m establishing it right now: you have to eat ice cream on Labor Day and it better be good ice cream.

We headed out to Amy’s Ice Creams and I have to tell you what we had because it was soooo good. J had the usual Mexican Vanilla, NM had sweet cream and Mexican Vanilla, I had biscotti and moccachino, hubby had a turtle which is Mexican Vanilla and Pecan Praline with fudge on top. So good! Mine even had those ice crystals that are a sign of home made. I love the stuff.

Right now, the boys are playing Castle Crashers on the Xbox. It’s actually kinda cute because the graphics are so different and the music is neat. “It’s so cute!” J says. Hubby wanted me to play but I am sitting this one out because NM’s at the age where he wants “my dad and I” kinds of activities. J is happy enough to watch them play which is really neat.

^_^

Did you have a nice labor day? I hope so!

IMG_6498
Originally uploaded by Phisch

Look at our pics. Edit: we did this last weekend, when soccer games were canceled due to recent rains.

The last few times we've hiked at the Greenbelt, we chose to exit at the Mopac frontage road and entered the trail from there (west side). We found that there was a trail entrance off 360, so that's where we went this time.

Good thing, too! This part of the trail was gorgeous. The weather was so perfect. It was in the 80s but there was a perfect breeze that made it just so nice in the shade and not awfully hot in the sun.

The trees are all green now, no real sign at all of the sparse grey of winter. We even found this very out of place poppy (made me wish I had a camera that let me pick the depth of field).

The boys had a great time and we could tell we were well overdue for a family outing!

IMG_5151
Originally uploaded by Phisch

I'll go ahead and post this before all the photos are done uploading and they get their proper captions. Promise you'll go back for those.

Photos are here.

We drove 20-ish minutes to Hamilton Pool Preserve today. The drive was through some farm land full of what I think are called "gentlemen's ranches" which is another way of saying "I have cattle so I can have a tax write off, not because I necessarily like cattle." Granted, we did see someone with a few bison.

We get to the preserve which has a hiking trail of a little over a mile long from one end (Hamilton Pool) to the other (Pedernales River). The water looked so pretty with blue-green colors but at 53 degrees or so F, not at all inviting! Sorry, too cold. The trail was rocky in parts but the boys did well and really had a blast. I mean really, really enjoyed themselves. There were so many smiles and NM was asking me to take his photo. The only trauma was at the end when someone twisted their ankle but that was over quickly. We ate out afterwards and had well-deserved naps. We were all so tired!