Lola's Fourth Bath

Hello, internet!  At long last, I can bring you photos of Lola being bathed! 

Yeah, yeah, I know, y'all were all holding your breath.  (Mom, I'm sorry I just published the phrase "y'all were all," but if necessary, I blame you for having raised me in Texas.  Just be glad I didn't write "y'all were all holding y'all's breath."  It was a possibility.)

As one would expect, Lola was a dirty girl after our visit to Bull Creek, and a bath was certainly in order.  This time, Lola's Daddy was on hand to document the procedure.  Thanks to him I can now describe, in detail and with visual aids, How To Give Lola A Bath.

First, put on clothes that you don't care about.  Then get in the tub with the doggie and start some medium-warm water.  She will crouch beneath your legs, just slightly annoyed with the whole procedure.

You're going to need some doggie shampoo!  (Ridiculously gleeful infomercial face.)

And you're going to need a cup to scoop water over your dog!  (Serious infomercial face.)

Use the cup to get your doggie soaking wet.

Even her face, which might be difficult.

Rub the shampoo all over with a nice massaging motion, which you imagine your doggie will enjoy.  (Seriously.  Who wouldn't enjoy?  This part has to be nice.)

Don't forget her ridiculous pom-pom of a tail.

At this point your doggie may look rather pathetic.  Do not relent!

Use more shampoo and clean your doggie's feet, one by one.  At this point the water will go from clear and fresh to dark and muddy, and your boyfriend will refuse to ever take a bath with you ever again.

Rinse off your doggie with the cup.

If she starts to shiver, you will freak out and decide that she needs more warm water.  But if you start the tap again, she will freak out.  So next time, don't be such a tool, and just start with warmer water.

Make sure to rinse off her silly long ears.

When she is all clean, gather her up in a towel.  She will need lots of loving and cuddling until she is dry.

Lola Reviews: Bull Creek

This particular review has to start with some groveling towards the nice folks over at TopTenz. A few weeks ago, they made a list of the top ten dog-friendly cities in the country, and Austin was numero uno.  And in this post, rather than simply mentioning the list and being pleased about it, I had to be all bitchy about their grammar and whine about how the only dog park they mentioned was Bull Creek and it isn't all that great.  

They left me a couple of very nice comments, especially considering how carried away I got with my critique.  And I learned that when you link to someone's website, they will notice, and then they will pop over to see what you said about them.

And I'm afraid I have to take it all back.  Because Lola's Daddy and I took Lola to Bull Creek this morning, and this place rocks.  The Project for Public Spaces seems to like it; also check out this incredibly detailed account of the hike from Austin Explorer.

There are lots of places to park and enter the greenbelt, but to get to the off-leash area, go north on Capital of Texas and then left (east) on 2222.  Take the first left (north) on to Lakewood Drive, and park when you see the sign above.  (Note: you do have to drive through some shallow water to get there, so don't take a Trans Am after a week of heavy rain, if you know what I mean.)

The park itself has a lot to recommend it: a rocky creek-bed creating little waterfalls, 4.5 miles of trail along the creek, and an astonishing sense of seclusion, especially considering that it crosses Capital of Texas Highway.  Only a small part is off-leash, but it still works out well.  And yes, I know I need to find another adjective to describe my many outings with Lola, but seriously, this place is so beautiful.

From the off-leash area, here is the view down the creek, looking towards Lakewood Drive.  You can just barely see the people doing tai chi off on the other side of the creek.

Here is Lola's Daddy at the rope swing.  The creek rushes down the little channel on the left into the deeper pool beyond.  I've seen little kids using the channel as a water-slide and splashing into the pool; all the rocks are slippery with algae so I expect it works out quite well.  Also, note the fun little sun-glare I got off the water.  I took a vocational interest test recently and it said I would be a good photographer, and now I'm all self-conscious about my pictures.

Another view down the creek, showing the little slippery channel and the rope swing. Also two dogs in the water and the guy who was throwing tennis-balls for them.  And would you look at that tree?  I've been in Austin for five years and I still can't get over the TREES.  Growing up in Dallas, there are no trees.  There are "mesquite trees," which everyone knows are actually shrubs.  That baby is a TREE.  Growing out of the STONE.  It's so amazing.

This is the view looking up the creek.  You can see it start to become the little channel in the right-hand corner.  And oh, yeah, there's a hill in the background.  That's another thing Austin has, which constantly amazes me: geography.

Just a tiny way up the creek, many people were gathered in the shallow water, playing with their doggies.  I hadn't yet let Lola off-leash, because she'd never been here before, but she was a very good girl for all the doggies who wanted to come sniff her.

You can stay down by the creek if you want to, but there are also a few trails up on higher ground.  I'm glad we scrambled up to this spot because it was just lovely.  Also, I think my vocational interest test was right-on.  This photo rocks.  (Mom -- I feel like the Rule of Threes is in here somewhere?  Or maybe I just think it is because of the brown-green-blue of path-grass-sky?)

Here is Lola's Daddy on the trail, striking a pose.  Also he is hiding a Starbucks cup behind his leg.  His roommate works at Starbucks and often brings home a few large plastic cups of coffee, all set to go, with sugar and milk already added.  We snagged a cup this morning before setting out, but Lola's Daddy insisted on hiding it in the photos because, and I quote, "come on, why do we have to be a commercial for Starbucks?"  We are both coffee-shop snobs, in that we religiously patronize the many independent coffee-shops in Austin.  And yet we will happily take the free Starbucks out of the fridge.  I think this says something about principles, incentives, and human behavior.

And oh, yeah, my boyfriend makes me laugh.

Here is Lola's Daddy stopping to look at a pretty, tiny blue flower.  Lola was not interested in the flower.

Here is another spot to cross the creek.  We paused here for a few minutes and let Lola off-leash.  In the background is Capital of Texas Highway.  It's really insane that all this pristine beauty is so close to the freeway.

Me and Lola saying hi to the tadpoles.  Seriously.  Hundreds and hundreds of tadpoles.  I was worried about squishing some but then I decided it was just natural selection.

Me trying to get Lola into deeper water.  Shortly after this she fell into the rushing water in the tiny channel you can see.  I wish I had a video camera.

Lola looking dopey.

A photo of Lola in mid-helicopter-ears, captured by Lola's Daddy, immediately after she fell in the water.  He was so proud.

Me and Lola, the Queens of Bull Creek.

Lola wandered around a lot while we rested in this spot.  I think it was too much stimulation and excitement because she couldn't lay still for a moment.

Lola's Daddy, the King of Bull Creek.  

Lola's Daddy isn't a huge fan of this photo, but I had to post it, because the internet needs to know that he is cupping a cigarette in his right hand so that you can't see it.  This led to the following exchange:

Lola's Mommy: I am totally posting this photo to my blog and saying that you were hiding the cigarette so that your mom wouldn't see it.  And then you'll never be able to tell your mom about my blog because then she'd know.

Lola's Daddy: It's not just that!  Cigarettes don't have a place in nature photos!  They ruin it!

This baffles me.  It's all right to smoke in Mother Nature (never leaving your cigarette butts of course), but not all right to have photographic evidence of the fact?

Besides, Lola's Daddy is kinda sexy when he's smoking.

Anyway, my camera abruptly ran out of batteries after that photo.  We made our way back to the off-leash area on the other side of the creek, which incidentally is much more difficult to traverse.  And then I abandoned all dignity and splashed around in the water in my clothes to try to get Lola to actually SWIM, and she DID!  She swam to me a couple of times, and then she swam right on past me, and I thought that meant she was really enjoying it, but actually she was just heading for the shore.

I love my dog.

Lola Reviews: Cafe Mundi

I wasn't going to post this review for a couple of days, but having no Lola photos in the Auditorium Shores review upset me so much that I have to go ahead and get this online.

Cafe Mundi is yet another funky little independent coffee-shop-plus-food spot.  

It also has the distinction of being possibly the most difficult-to-find coffee shop in Austin.  It's on 5th street, about a mile east of I-35, on the north side of the street, between Comal and Chicon.  For years they didn't even have a sign.  There is actually a sign now, so possibly people won't keep driving right past it; nevertheless, you could still be forgiven for thinking that this little enclave is just another east Austin scrapyard.  

But you'd be missing out.

Their patio is small, but it's easily the most beautiful patio in Austin (also, arguably, Bouldin Creek, but my money's on Mundi).  It has trees and bamboo and big ferns and sculptures and bird-baths.  It's a really lovely garden and someone obviously cares about it a great deal.

They welcome dogs on this dirt patio to the side, but dogs are not allowed on the small front porch (which you can see in the first picture).  Also, there are several signs reminding you that your dog must be on a leash, and asking you to take your dog home if it is barking, out of respect for other customers.  This is the most specific set of rules that I have yet seen at a dog-friendly place in Austin, but I actually really appreciate it.  These rules merely codify common courtesy.  One would hope that dog owners know how to be courteous in public, but if they don't, I have no problem with a few signs reminding everyone how to be polite.  After all, people without dogs deserve a pleasant experience, even at dog-friendly places. 

The menu is veggie-friendly, but I hesitate to call it vegan-tolerable.  A vegan could have the roasted red pepper sandwich, or possibly a salad, or possibly a soup (today's soup was a very yummy gazpacho), but by and large all of the veggie stuff involves cheese.

Of course, no dining experience is complete without Lola's Daddy on hand to order food and bring us water and iced coffee.

And, at the request of Lottie's Mommy, here we have, and I quote, "more close-ups of Lola's Daddy so we can all see how incredibly cute he is."  Back off, woman, you have your own boyfriend!

(But hell yeah, mine is pretty damn sexy...)

Here is me and Lola and the new sign.  Lola is getting kinda fluffy again.

Lola's Daddy and Lola went down to the gazebo in the bottom corner of the garden.  Immediately after I took this photo, Lola's Daddy yelled "God!  Damn mosquitos!" and then they weren't in the gazebo any more.

And, as always, The Best Picture of the Day.

Lola Reviews: Auditorium Shores

Hello again, internet!

I'd just like to give a shout-out to the new doo-hickey on the right-hand-side of the page.  It's not just random websites I like; it's blogs that belong to good friends of mine, people I actually hang out with in real life.  Pine Belt Blues is written by Ellie, who knows everything there is to know about music and southern culture, and also knows a great deal about food.  the long way home is written by Jeff, who is remodeling an absolutely gorgeous old house.  I am particularly fond of the long way home because I bugged Jeff to keep a record of the renovations until he actually started the blog.

On to the review.  If you live in Austin, and you're at all interested in the outdoors, then you must surely love the Town Lake (now Lady Bird Lake) Hike-and-Bike Trail.  It covers all of Lady Bird Lake, from Mopac on the west, past I-35 to Pleasant Valley on the east.  It includes Barton Springs and Zilker Park, and it has over ten miles of hike-able and bike-able trails.  A lot of it is within sight of downtown, and almost all of it is beautifully maintained.  It's not exaggerating to say that this is an Austin treasure.

Auditorium Shores is part of this treasure.  It's on the south side of Lady Bird Lake, between Lamar and South First.  There's a parking lot in the northwest corner of Riverside and South First, which is very convenient.  It's all an off-leash dog park -- and even more amazing, part of it has been specially built to let dogs cool off in the lake.  This is that spot ("The Steps"), with a view of Congress Bridge and the Frost Bank Building in the background.

Also, I have to point out the fucking HORSE that's pretending to be a dog in this photo.  Holy hell, what kind of dog is that?  It's huge!!!

At one point near the parking lot, there's a stand of water coolers and paper cups maintained by volunteers.  Sometimes there are also ads for doggies that are hoping to be adopted from the animal shelter.

A lot of the trail runs right up to the edge of the water, which is just lovely.  (The Steps are there in the distance.)

More of the pretty trail.

There are kayakers on Lady Bird Lake.

And also swans, just like at Barton Springs.

As you can see, I took these photos a few weeks ago, and I'm only now getting around to posting them.  Auditorium Shores is definitely still amazing, but I didn't get any photos with Lola in them, because at this point I didn't let her off-leash.  The blog entry is definitely suffering because of that.  So next time we go, I shall be sure to get pix of Lola and add them to the entry.  It's just not the same if you can't see a cute doggie.

Lola Reviews: Austin Java

A few days ago, when I didn't have to go in to work until the afternoon, Lola and I swung by the office and picked up Lola's Daddy for lunch at Austin Java.

Austin Java, like Trudy's, is one of those Austin institutions that has somehow got itself an amazing reputation, but actually is not nearly as cool as people from out of town think it is.  Don't get me wrong, Austin Java is certainly fun.  It's a really nifty independent coffee-shop-plus-food destination.  It's just that if you live here, there are plenty of nifty independent coffee-shop-plus-food destinations around.

(Note: if I lived in Coppell, the home of Princess Poo-Face, I'd be dancing for joy to have something like Austin Java around.  It's just that I'm spoiled by living in Austin.  Incidentally, the Wikipedia entry for Coppell (which is where the link will take you) is, as of this writing, one of the worst Wikipedia entries I've ever seen.  Certainly, it seems to be generally factually correct, and the information on median income and racial diversity will give you a fair understanding of the city.  However, the grammar is atrocious, and the amount of time spent dwelling on professional sports facilities, the new high school, and the lack of public transit rather sickens me.)

Back to Austin Java.  The coffee is organic and fair trade.  The food is good, and it's veggie-friendly and (just) vegan-tolerable.  The lunch special is a good deal, if you're really really hungry and want all that food.  I had a veggie burger, and damn, it was awesome.  The burger part was awesome and yummy, but the bun -- good lord! -- I have never had such meltingly succulent, tantalizingly sweet, amazing honey-whole-wheat goodness.  

All right, I suppose the food is pretty good.

But if you want something to knock your socks off, then dude, fucking get off your ass and get the pesto pasta.  It's better than the Furminator.  Lola's Daddy got some as part of his lunch special, and I sort of devoured it.  It's like a little slice of heaven, a luscious little penne-basil virgin just waiting for you to deflower it.

The central location, which is the original one, is at 12th and Lamar.  It's a funky little house with a front porch and back patio.  Doggies are not allowed on the back patio -- I meant to ask why, but I forgot.  Possibly it's covered in such a way that makes it technically not an outdoor space for dogs.  However, the front patio is pretty big, so as long as you're not there in the middle of a rush, you should be fine.

Here is Lola with Lola's Daddy, hanging out at our table.

Here is me and Lola.

And of course, The Best Picture Of The Day.

Lola's Third Bath

Yes, it had been over a week since her last bath.  And yes, we had been to Walnut Creek that morning.  And yes, she played in the creek, so yes, her feet were all muddy by the time we got back home.

Still, I couldn't believe that this is what the bath water looked like afterwards.

(Note the muddy paw-prints on the side, left there from the brief moment she considered trying to get out while my back was turned.)

Lola Reviews: Office Depot

Doggies are not allowed in Office Depot.

UPDATED to add: When I told Lola's Daddy this, he replied indignantly, "What?  In that boring-ass store?" and then he added rather sheepishly, "Actually, since I've been doing the supply orders at work, I get really excited about all the pens and pencils and things."

Lola Reviews: Walnut Creek

I don't live in the best part of Austin.  You might call it trashy, or ghetto, or unsafe.  I call it cheap.

But I recently discovered one very nice thing about my neighborhood.  I live all of 2.5 miles from Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park.  The park is massive, a mile long and almost as wide.  There are a myriad of trails throughout, as well as a playground, a swimming pool, and a bunch of sports fields.  I see lots of mountain-bikers there, so it must be big enough for them to get a good work-out.  And best of all, almost all of it is an off-leash area.  

This is the off-leash sign the parks in Austin use.  It makes me smile because it's so clearly a little black scotty dog, with little round feet.  Note the poo-bags beneath.  Apparently they're "degradable."  Not biodegradable, just degradable.  

Walnut Creek always looks a little strange to me -- like it belongs in the Piney Woods section of East Texas, rather than in Austin -- because it's full of trees that have needles and berries like this:

And bark like this:

No, I don't know what kind of trees they are.  Fir trees?  This blog is about Lola and not trees and I'm not about to go research it for you.

Lola and I do a circuit that takes about half an hour, starting out on the Pool Lot Trail, and then heading back on the Service Road Trail.  Creative, aren't they, these park maintenance folk?  Actually, I take that back -- I'm not going to make fun because a lot of the work is done by volunteers, and I for one greatly appreciate it.  Last year, the volunteers installed a lot of signs so you can see what trail you're on.    Unfortunately, aside from the trail name, the signs are distressingly cryptic. 

Why don't we learn useful things in school, like Morse Code, or International Park Signage?

Today was the third time I let Lola off-leash, and the second time off-leash at Walnut Creek.  She's really very good.  She never ever charges ahead of me.  In fact, the biggest problem is getting her to keep up.  "C'mon!" is our command for when I want her to catch up with me.  This is Lola ignoring me in favor of an apparently fascinating bit of vegetation.

Here is Lola obeying me and catching up.

Here is Lola trotting along beside me.

Walnut Creek really is astonishingly beautiful.  At one point on the trail, you're at the edge of an outcropping overlooking the creek itself.  When we went two days ago, after a great deal of heavy rain, the creek was rushing along lustily.  Today it had calmed down, and the water was just placidly meandering on.  (Here, Lola got distressingly close to the edge of the ledge, and I told her to get back quite sharply.  Not very useful, since "Get Back" isn't a command we've been working on.  It would have made a good picture, but I was distressed at the time.)

Shortly after that spot, the trail leads you down to the creek itself.  Here is the view looking up the creek, with Lola exploring little water puddles and looking rather dopey.

And this is the view looking down the creek.  When we were there two days ago, the water was all the way up to that rocky lip at the left.  It was really cool.

Lola splashed around in the puddles for some time, which was awesome.  It was especially awesome because they all have algae in them, so they're all really slippery, and she kept falling over.  

Here is Lola having a drink.  Ick.

Here is Lola poddling around, being all cute.  Her tongue is so pink!

Here is Lola cooling off.  Or possibly she just fell.  Hard to tell. 

Also, we found a dead lizard.  Actually, I found it.  Lola was so oblivious that she stepped on it.  And ants were eating it.  It was really cool.

Lola is tired at the end of the walk.

And finally, may I present, The Best Picture of the Day.