Peace of Crestview

...God Laughs

I moved to Crestview from Driftwood, Texas in '04, and immediately fell in love with this sweet, weirdly Austintacious neighborhood.

I hoped I'd be able to stay in Crestview for good, but when we make plans, God allegedly laughs.

Through no fault of his own, my dear landlord found it necessary to put the house on the market, so all of a sudden, I've moved out...out of the house and, sadly, out of Crestview altogether, literally to the other side of the tracks.

The whole thing was very sudden and heart-wrenching at first, because I knew I'd never find an affordable rent house in the hood that welcomes pets and could accommodate me. But I can't complain, since we had an agreement from the beginning that I might have to leave in as little as two or three years. Happily, I got to stay in my little rent house on Piedmont

for over 5-1/2 years, and I've never enjoyed living anywhere so much in all my life. I loved everything about Crestview; the people, the houses, the yards, the yard art, the gardens, the park, the little shopping center

, everything.

Since my house was just 4 houses away from Woodrow, I was able to watch the beautiful, inspiring Wall of Welcome

being created from my own front porch (view from my former front porch, below),

and could "walk" my dog Claude to Brentwood Park in less than 10 minutes on my little mobility scooter;

Claude learned to play nicely with other dogs at Brentwood Park,

and I met a lot of very cool dog owners there.

The thing I miss most about Crestview is the overall laid-back, friendly vibe. Everybody smiles and waves; people don't do that everywhere, you know. (They sure don't do it here on the other side of Research Blvd.)

The convenience of being only 4 houses away from Woodrow, a bus stop, and the Crestview Shopping Center is something I'll always remember fondly. I especially love the wonderful little IGA grocery store...I still buy my Lotto tickets there, because if I ever won, they'd get a lot of money too, and that could insure their future. And I'd buy myself a house in Crestview, preferably the same one my landlord is readying for sale...

But for now, I'm in exile. Still, sometimes when life buries you under what feels like a crushing load of

, a bit of luck comes along and all of a sudden, you're swimming in

. Even though I'd rather be in Crestview, at least I'm now in a significantly cheaper, roomier, more accessible house. In fact, this house is so large that my son is going to move in with me, which I hope will be a plus for all three of us. Anyway, wish us luck; lets hope we don't wind up on Jerry Springer...

The new neighborhood is a letdown after basking in Crestview's peaceful mellowness for over 5 years, but there are perks here as well; Target is only a 5-minute scooter ride away, as is my bank with its drive-up ATM, and Taco Cabana. It's all good.

Meanwhile, if you know someone who's looking for a house to buy in Crestview, 1312 Piedmont Avenue is now sporting a "For Sale" sign out front, and I can't imagine a better location....

Well, that's it. Happy Trails, everybody!

Halloween in the Hood

BOO!

The Dog Fair

(Next time, I'm guessing it WON'T be scheduled for the same day as the Texas-OU game!)

Kelly the Corgi

Sami!

Keeping Austin Weird

Little Porter (above) and Desmo (below), looking

very dapper, ready for the Dog Fair and Halloween

Labor Day Parade

The signs said "Labor Day Parade, Brentwood Park, Monday 9:30am". A nice crowd gradually gathered; lots of kids and lots of dogs, with plenty of parents and other "grownups" sharing part of their day off. Three of our most popular veteran public servants were there, each displaying a much-appreciated gift of brevity as they quietly blended in, Austin style:)

Once again, a palpable spirit of community pervaded everything. So thank you to all of the volunteers who put this together, and to everybody who participated. I've said it before and I'll say it again; I LOVE my neighborhood.

Lots of folks (and pups) chilling, waiting for the Labor Day Parade to start...

above Brand new rescue pup "Murdoch". adopted yesterday, enjoys the scene with his new family. Welcome to the 'hood, Murdoch!

above Baby Georgia waits patiently for the festivities to start, comfy with Dad...

This intrepid bouncer managed to pogo-stick all the way around the block...

...and this kid caught some air!

County Commisioner Sarah Eckhardt

Rep Elliot Naishtat

Shining happy people in the park

The great ones play hurt

The Beginning of the Parade: Our very laid-back, do-your-own-thing Labor Day Parade started in front of the park on Arroyo Seco, ambled north to the edge of the park and turned west along the trail all the way back to Yates Avenue, around the school and back. Trooping along happily, we had lots of people walking, riding bicycles, pushing or being pushed in strollers, babies being carried, at least one unicycle, a pogo stick, and a mobility scooter. (Diversity seems to just happen around here, naturally and effortlessly.)