Swinging at Smokilious

This originated on my baby blog, but I thought it would fit here too. I know I've mentioned a few times how much I love Smokilicious, one of the many trailer eateries on South Congress. Tony and Lisa are so friendly, and they make surprisingly yummy food - BBQ chicken, pulled port, breakfast tacos, you name it - in their tiny little trailer. They even catered my birthday party. And to top it off, they installed a baby swing from the amazing tree that shades their little spot. So now Chloe is their number one fan - just wait until she can try the BBQ! They're located just north of Perla's, behind the Austin Pets Alive station. Track it down, especially if you're looking for a mellow place to eat with a baby!

Marla Camp's Radio Program "Tap Roots"

I'm pretty sure that my dear old friend Marla Camp is the busiest person I've ever met - and she's not faux-busy, as in "Wow I barely had time to get a manicure last week" -type busy. She really has a LOT on her plate, but fortunately for her it's all really cool and fun.

In addition to her incredibly-time-consuming work as Publisher of Edible Austin (a position that has reaped so many benefits for us, since she's the most well-connected foodie person in this city!), she also hosts a monthly radio program called "Tap Roots" through the Heritage Radio Network. Every month she interviews different movers and shakers in the foodie world, particularly people involved in the locavore and sustainable food movement. You can listen to all the previous programs on the web site.

The last program aired April 5, and featured Marla's in-studio (meaning - from NYC!) interviews with Anna Lappe (author of "Diet for a Hot Planet") and Louisa Shafia of Lucid Food. They discussed ways to improve our food system and how eating responsibly can change the world.

"Tap Roots" is a great program for anyone interested in seasonal, local foods - and just check out the show's cute little turnip art (courtesy of cartoonist Sam Hurt)!

Arte Y Chocolate in Austin

Ah, this poor blog. First it was the baby blog sabotaging my time here, then it was mommy-hood sabotaging my time, then it was the move to Austin sabotaging my time. Now the dust is finally settling and we're getting into a bit of a rhythm, so I'm looking forward to posting here again!

This story is a great re-entry into blogging. This evening, Eric, Chloe, Eric's mother (who's visiting from Cambridge) and I were sitting on our fantastic porch, which faces a street corner that is very popular with walkers making their way to the park. We could see Georgia, one of the little girls who lives across the street, sitting there at a little table, selling something. So I ventured over, with $2 in hand, curious what she was offering.

To my delight, it was chocolate - beautiful little shards of dark choclate, decorated in gorgeous swirls and designs! Turns out her mother Lila is, indeed, a chocolate maker. What an awesome neighbor to have! So this was our introduction to Arte y Chocolate. I purchased $2 worth of chocolate, went back a few minutes later for $2 more, and then Georgia suddenly walked over to our porch to show us even more options. So, $10 later, we suddenly had a nice stock pile of delightful, artisanal, locally-made (across the street!) chocolates. Lucky for all of you, they sell at several local stores and farmers markets, and they have a great web site, just click here to read more. Just when I thought our new home couldn't get any better, the chocolate gods smile down favorably on us...

Sale at Melissa Moss's Etsy Store

Here's your chance to get a little slice of the beautiful world of Melissa Moss at a discount - to ring in the new year she's offering 20% off everything in her Etsy shop, including calendars, mini paintings, original drawings, prints and even shipping! I just love her work and hope one day to get a huge original painting from her! For now the prints and minis will have to suffice; fortunately she is very prolific and there's always some new delightful creation on her site, like this one above, "Too Happy." Click here to check out her store.

Getty Villa

It feels like it has been forever since I've been to the Museum - a baby's arrival tends to put a damper on such things! But yesterday I had a terrific outing with my girlfriends to the Getty Villa up in Malibu. I mentioned to Gina that it has been on my to-do list for years, and it looked like I wouldn't make it happen before moving away.
Well she waved her magic wand and got me there, along with Emily and Margie. What a fun way to spend some time with my brunette beauties! It was an unusual day for Southern California - cool, gray and rainy. But the dreary weather made the Villa even more luscious.

Per usual with these girls, it was kind of hard for us to concentrate on anything since we had so much chatting to do, but we had such fun walking the grounds with the Getty umbrellas, and just generally goofing around. Oh, and the Greek and Roman antiquities were stunning too!

This was the longest I've ever been away from Chloe - a whole six and a half hours! She and daddy did great, although apparently she refused to eat, but didn't seem bothered by it. But by the time I walked in she was noshing on some avocado, so all was well.

The Pop Up Shop is back!

The LB Pop Up shop gang are at it again, this year presenting their very cool wares at Portfolio on 4th Street this coming weekend. I can't believe it has been a year since we first launched the Pop Up. I'm so glad they're doing it again, it's a great way to shop local, and buy some really cool stuff! Click here for more info.

Rest in Peace, Andrea Burden

I received some really terrible news today - a friend from Austin named Andrea Burden died suddenly of meningitis last Saturday. This is such a loss, both for the art world and for all of us. I didn't know Andrea well, but we kind of ran around in the same crowd when I lived in Austin, and I was always glad to run into her. The last time I saw her was two years ago at the Maker's Faire in Austin. She had her new baby girl with her, and her daughter Bella, who was nine or ten. Andrea was, as usual, just glowing. She always had a huge smile and an aura of happiness radiating about her.

Andrea was an amazing painter. Her work always reminded me a bit of Spanish Surrealist Remedios Varo. You could just get lost in Andrea's world as depicted on canvas - a dreamy, mysterious and beautiful world, much more magical and serene than the one in which we actually live.

This self portrait perfectly captures her spirit. Click here to see more of Andrea's work. I can only begin to imagine the impact of her death among her loved ones in Austin. I know she was adored by all who knew her, and my heart goes out to her family, particularly her darling girls.