Better late than never!

In my previous post I was only able to get that one Pig in a Dress photo up for some reason, which prevented me from sharing with you all one of the things that I love best about Austin. The Trail of Lights!

This one mile loop in Zilker Park is what makes it Christmas for me in this town. I didn't get a good shot of the famous tree, but it will come up on a Google search. Here are a few of my favorite pics. This one is actually on the way out, leading you up the hill to the tree. Don't you think this image would make a great album cover?

Now this here is the entrance to the trail. You can just make out the bobbing heads in shadow against the canopy of lights leading you into the park. Zilker Park is, by the way, the same place that the Austin Kite Festival is held every year, along with the Austin City Limits Festival. And from this spot, if you turn around and head the opposite direction, you will end up at Barton Springs Pool. Barton Springs Pool is a favorite summer spot of mine when the Greenbelts are dry.



Most dear in my heart though is this tree. The first Christmas I was in Austin, two magical things happened when That Guy and I visited the Trails of Lights. As we crossed the pedestrian bridge over the river into the park, I spotted a group of hot air balloons participating in a night glow. I ran, yes, you got me right, RAN across the field to them. I was so overwhelmed to see them, even though I grew up crewing for my dad at numerous events. I think it was because there they were, at Christmastime, glowing in the field in downtown Austin, welcoming me. That year I couldn't afford to fly home for the holidays. So seeing the balloons made me feel like in some small way, I was home. And then there was this tree. This photo does not do it justice. It is a huge, majestic, Live Oak tree. Its branches reach far, stretching and twisting high and low. It is massive. It is wrapped, every bit of it, with multi-colored pastel lights, which only emphasizes the beauty and size of it. I remember seeing it across the field, then looking for it as we entered the trail, seeking it out. I seek it out every year, this tree, and every year I am struck by it in the same way. I could look at it for hours.

Tschuss