SOC: The ATX Farewell Tour - Part III: Final Farewells

Andromeda Cv., Austin, That 

My last week in Austin was an amazing whirlwind of fun, exhaustion, and bittersweet moments. The previous posts have focused on what makes Austin Austin... that barely definable thing that makes this city weird, and on the Art of the city. This final post then, is about my last day and the people I was leaving behind. Enjoy.

Last Day / Mother's Day

My final day in Austin was Mother's Day. I had hoped for a peaceful jaunt about the city but, as always, the Universe had other plans. We had parted company with Jaya and were on our own for transportation. I had booked a reservation for a rental car, but the rental did not go through as planned, so we took a Car2Go instead. 

Note:

If you've never taken one of these, it is an interesting experience. They are not terribly comfortable, being SmartCars, but they are incredibly useful for a town like Austin, which has a large population of people who travel via bike, bus, and foot. 

Mom and I finally got underway for some "relaxing" nature time...of course, it was pretty hot. So the trek up to 360 point was a bit more taxing than either of us would have liked. But come on, that view:

Summer of Color: The ATX Farewell Tour - Part I: Home Is Where the Weird Is

Austin is known as the Live Music
Capital of the world.

Ah, Texas. Texas is...well, it's weird. It's so weird, that its capital even took that as its motto. No, really, "Keep Austin Weird" is a thing, and they're serious about that shit. It really is one of the most eccentric cities in the world, and no little part of that has to do with its relationship to Texas. As my brother Jaya and I have often said:

"This is Austin: individuality or death.
...but this is also Texas, so don't think we won't go for death."

Texas Bluebonnets

Texas itself is huge: it ranks second largest in both land size and population [according to 2013 census]. Within this enormous land mass there are multiple terrains & climates: desert, forest, plains, swamps, and even some beaches & mountains. It's broken up by winding rivers and a plethora of decent-sized lakes. It gets hit with droughts and floods, hurricanes on the coast, tornadoes on the plains, dust storms, and even snow. Driving across this vast state, you can't help but be hit with the marked differences...even if it takes most of a day to reach them. 

And set right there in central Texas's Hill Country is Austin, Texas's capital.