Ethiopian Food in Austin Texas

I have eaten at Astor's Ethiopian Restaurant in Austin, Texas a couple of times. Located at IH 35 south of 38th at the corner of Dean Keaton. 512-786-9524 right by UT. Another restaurant I want to try is:

Karibou Ethiopian Restaurant & Bar
1209 E. 7th Street
Austin, TX 78702

512-320-5454

EthiopianRestaurantAustin.com

Raw Milk & Dairy in Austin Texas

I grew up having Ostakaka with Lingonberries with my Swedish relatives here in Austin, Texas. My Austin area relatives were all from the old country, having come here in the 1870's. On the farms at Elgin, Lund and New Sweden, they had raw milk to drink, make the cream sauce for Lutefisk & make Ostakaka out of. Ostakaka is a Swedish cheesecake type dish that is best made with raw milk. I still eat Ostakaka on special occasions, many times ta the Austin Scandinavean Club. In modern, urban society, raw milk and dairy are hard to find. Dyer Dairy, 20 minutes north of Austin in Georgetown has raw milk. The family owned and state inspected dairy is located at 7801 E. Highway 29, Georgetown, TX 78626. (512) 638-0415 You might be interested in these organizations promoting our right to raw milk or " Real Milk " & other natural, non-pasteurized dairy products. Real Milk also has a "where to buy" search engine to search by zip code.

Also, check Local Harvest for dairy as well as other local food.

Austin Texas Makes Top 25 Fittest List

Austin Texas Makes Top 25 Fittest List in Men's Fitness magazine. Austin, Texas is 17th in the list of the 25 fittest US cities. Nearby San Antonio, Texas was rated #3 in the magazine's list of Top Fattest Cities.

The Crossings in Austin Texas

The Crossings in Austin Texas is a great place to take a class, enjoy a workshop or event, eat, relax, spend a few days, get a massage or much, much more. A 200 acre facility on the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve in the Texas Hill Country overlooking Lake Travis, The Crossings offers Holistic services (including Ayurvedic, Muscle testing, Iridology, Hypnotherapy, Weight Management) eco-friendly practices, a Sweat Lodge, Labyrinth, a sanctuary, miles of nature trails, and Watsu Aquatic Massage pool. The Crossings is a member of the Green Hotels Association and uses green building principles. Stop in and visit the bookstore, Cypress Creek Dining Hall or Treehouse Cafe. To get there take 2222 (aka Koenig or 290) west past FM 620 (It becomes Bullock Hollow). At the T- take a right on FM 2769/Volente Rd. The Crossings is located a short way down on the left. You will see the low stone wall and flag poles on both sides of the driveway. Just take the one way concrete driveway up the hill. 13500FM 2769, Austin, TX 78726 (512) 258-7243

Live Theatre in Northwest Austin

The Way Off Broadway Community Players in Leander are in their 12th season offer a wonderful live show. The current offering "Steel Magnolias" is sold out so they are adding a special performance Thursday, January 29th at 8pm. Make your reservations early. The Way Off Broadway Theatre is located at 10960 E. Crystal Falls Parkway in Leander, Texas. (512) 259-5878 Tickets are sold at the door but reservations are suggested. From Austin take the new 183/Research to 183-A . Exit the East Crystal Falls (aka CR 272) exit. Take a right (head east) for 1.1 miles, the theatre will be on your right. (.4 miles west of Parmer Lane, 2.2 miles east of old Hwy. 183)

Contra Dancing in Austin

Have you ever heard of or tried Contra dancing? There are a lot of groups all over and Austin has an active one. Contra dancing in Austin is a lot of fun. I have been to one dance that was held at Carpenter's Hall that a friend and her husband (Richard & Sarah Goss) were involved in. They have since moved to the Portland, Oregon area and Contra dance up there as well.

African Children's Choir Performs Sunday

The African Children's Choir Performs Sunday January 18th at the Bethany United Methodist Church at 10010 Anderson Mill Road in Austin. The hope of the children's performance is that it will raise awareness of the plight of destitute & orphaned children in Africa & help raise funds.

This is one of my favorite photos. Me, Betty Raetzsch as a child on our ranch with a fawn, a Whitetail Deer. I have always loved animals and nature. Now I sell ranches and acreage homes in the Hill Country around Austin, Texas. I still see plenty of Whitetail Deer. Our family name was Rätzsch but was changed to Raetzsch.

Ecological Literacy Day at Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory

There will be an Ecological Literacy Day at Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory in Austin, Texas on January 31, 2009 at 9:00am.

The event will involve a few hours of work at the Bird Observatory doing things like trail maintenance, etc. and end with an educational session on local ecology. Attendees are advised to bring binoculars and wear work clothes.

For more information see: http://www.hornsbybend.org or
http://www.austinparks.org/ and call Kevin Anderson at (512) 972-1960

Job Creation is Increasing in Central Texas

The Austin Business Journal reported that U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics showed employment actually increased 1.9 percent in the Austin, Texas; Round Rock, Texas area in the last year between October of 2007 and October of 2008. The Austin area added approximately 14,700 jobs whereas Nashville & Memphis TN, Seattle and Phoenix lost jobs. San Antonio, Texas also added 17,900 jobs, again, showing the strength in the Central Texas Region.