Signs of Life : The Brownie Chronicles

Flying high at our neighborhood park. A few months ago, the older 3 Brownies and I made a summer bucket list.  Much of that list consisted of some of Texas' best swimming holes .  We made it to 3 of the places on this list, plus a few more to boot. In the Texas summer heat, staying cool in the springs is one of the only ways we can enjoy the outdoors, although finding some nice shade in the awesome parks around here will also do, especially in the hours before noon or just before dusk. Our Austin June Fun Giving Sid some lovin'! We kicked off June by celebrating Austin's own celebrity dog, Sid's recovery from an unfortunate accident.  We had been following Sid on Instagram and Facebook for over a year and were happy to finally meet him and under such celebratory circumstances.  As the sun set, we were treated to a show by talented performers, Tian and Travis. Our first swimming hole of the summer was Jacob's Well .  We were drawn to this locatio...

Sculpture Falls Shallow water, perfect for the littles and the dogs. Over the past couple of weeks, so many friends have been asking about these two swimming holes, I decided to post a blog complete with maps and tips.  Sculpture Falls is our favorite swimming hole so far, and we've been to many in the area: Jacob's Well, Twin Falls, Barton Springs, Deep Eddy, San Marcos' Rio Vista Dam. Sculpture Falls is our favorite for several reasons: crystal clear water, a couple of diving spots, wading in the shallow pools, sitting under the falls, and great snorkeling. The "sculpture" part of Sculpture Falls. See the ledge downstream to the right? Perfect place for jumping into deeper waters. (Always check depth before jumping, as it changes with the rains.) The first map shows the two possible ways in to Sculpture Falls.  The purple route is what I like to call the Hell Hike.  I'll review that hike first: I snapped this on the way down to the w...