It's 7:00pm in Austin, Texas and we're in our apartment 1303 at the condominium. It's a
beautiful evening and the lights of downtown Austin are practically in our face. The Frost
Tower just ahead of us is striking with its bright bluish lights on the top. The weather has
been clear and brisk. This morning we walked on the Lance Armstrong trail along the
river and we even spotted a heron just as he was darting through the nearby shrubbery.
Last night we had dinner at Garridos( a Mexican restaurant) with Bill and Judy Evans.
they were our first visitors to the Condo. They brought a bouquet of Chrysanthemums,
wine and other goodies which we had before dinner.
We've been getting acquainted with the highways in and around town. Found our way
to Costco (and a hot dog) and Walmarts. Bought a few dozen items to make our stay
more comfortable. This is really an ideal spot to live. So many things to do around the
area. Of course most of the occupants of 360 are young, yuppie types who probably
work in nearby offices. Not too many old timers like usums. Be that as it may, we have
managed to fit in to the neighborhood. Barri, Aubrey and John have done yeoman's work
in putting all the furnishings together.
The most difficult part of living in 360 is the security arrangements. To get around, you
have a code button which allows you to enter the building. Then to get to your floor
on the elevator, you must code in to your condo level. Your code button only allows
you to your level and doesn't work for any other floor. If you drive to your parking
spot in the attached garage structure, you have an opener which activates a gate to
allow you to enter then quickly closes after you drive in.
A strange thing happened to us the other day while walking along the river trail. Annabelle
noticed a young, slim runner flexing his leg muscles a short distance ahead of us. She said
that he looked like a marathon runner trying to keep in shape. when we approached him
and mentioned that fact, he said he won the New York marathon in 2009 and came in 6th
this year. His name was, Meb Keflezighi, formerly from Eritrea who now lives in California.
We had a nice conversation and then he invited us to attend a book signing event at a
runners shop, Lukes Locker in the afternoon. We found our way there and he autographed
his book for us and wrote some nice words about our meeting that day. Annabelle is
reading his book at this very moment.
This morning, Friday, Nov.19, we used the Condo fitness center on floor level 9. They have
a full array of equipment, everything from treadmills to a weight room. Since most of the
people here leave for their jobs in the morning, most of the equipment is available to use.
There is a full kitchen for use by the tenants whenever they plan to have a number of
guests. There is also a fairly large theater, a swimming pool, a billiard room and an outside
green area where guests can grill their dinner or just sit and admire the city below.
Later on we ventured forth to find a Target. Quite a risky adventure since I'm not sure of
the traffic flow around town. However, after a few narrow escapes, we managed to get there and back to the 360 without damage. Tomorrow, we're going to try our luck to Isaac Pryor,
Barri's house. Keep your finger's crossed.
