The American short story writer William Sydney Porter, who wrote under the pen name O Henry, is probably best known for the Christmas story “The Gift of the Magi”, which you will probably see several times in the next month or so.  😉 Porter was born and raised in North Carolina and moved to Austin … More O Henry House

LBJ hoped he would be remember for his work on civil rights and social programs. Instead, he is mostly remember for Vietnam. Some photos from a visit to the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin TX. ​The Presidential Library ​There are five floors of files with documents from the LBJ years ​Exhibits depict LBJ’s life and … More LBJ Presidential Library

[NOTE: I’ve blogged all these “how-to” posts before, but am gonna re-run them on occasion, since folks may have missed them, and many of them have been updated or expanded since they were first posted.] There is one weather condition about which a van-dweller can do very little: when it is hot outside for a … More Condensation and Cold Weather

This is a nice little aquarium in Austin TX. I had a nice relaxing day looking at fishies. Some photos. ​Inside the Aquarium ​Archer Fish ​An Iguana gets some lovin’ ​An Oscar comes over to check me out ​A Caiman soaks in a waterfall ​Birdie comes in for some birdseed ​Moray Eel ​A fluffy bunny … More Austin Aquarium

Mayfield Park and Nature Preserve is a nice little green spot right outside of Austin TX. Nice place to walk around and have a picnic lunch. Some photos. ​The park ​Butterfly on Boneset flowers ​This Disdera spider wouldn’t turn around, so all I got was a butt shot. ​This squirrel was having lunch near me … More Mayfield Park

[NOTE: I’ve blogged all these “how-to” posts before, but am gonna re-run them on occasion, since folks may have missed them, and many of them have been updated or expanded since they were first posted.] Before you can set off on your cross-country journey, there are some bureaucratic paperwork issues you will need to deal … More Bureaucracy and Vanlife

This is a nice botanical garden just a short distance from my Walmart, right outside downtown Austin. I think if I lived here, I’d be at this place every weekend. A nice relaxing place to walk around, see some local critters, and have a picnic lunch.  🙂 There are water gardens, a Japanese garden, an … More Zilker Botanical Garden

Although you can’t tell from the name, this is a very nice science museum on the UT campus. It has a nice collection. Some photos. ​The museum ​Inside the museum. At the ceiling is Quetzalcoatlus, the largest flying animal known, discovered in Texas. ​Fossilized fern leaf ​Aetosaur ​Some wonderfully preserved fossil sea stars ​Taxidermy specimens … More Texas Memorial Museum

Well, now that the weather has warmed back up to something civilized, I can start visiting places again.  🙂 Every state capitol has its history museum, and Austin is no exception. This is a nice museum. It was full of school tours when I visited. Alas, there was a big section closed off –they are installing … More Bullock Texas State History Museum

OK, everyone who knows me knows that I hate the cold. Hate, hate, hate it. It’s why I moved to Florida from Pennsylvania. Now that my blood is thinned, I shiver if it gets below 75. Yuck. Well, the weather forecast in Austin is for a cold front to arrive tonight, rain tomorrow, highs around … More Ugh, I Hate Winter