Signs of Life : The Brownie Chronicles

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

It was not easy for me to send my boys off to school when they were 3 and 4.  It wasn't much easier this year when they were 4 and 5, but what added to my mommy anxiety was having them ride the big, yellow school bus home every day. The boys loved seeing the busses at school and wanted to ride. Having them driven to our front door was a huge benefit to our homeschool schedule as well, so we decided to put them on the bus for the first time this year. We have been very fortunate to have an amazing bus driver who truly cares for the kids she's transporting.  She's Deaf.  That fact may worry some hearing people.  I forget that it's not common knowledge that Deaf people are perfectly capable (even better) of driving. I'm reminded when hearing people ask me if my husband can drive. (I must add that I haven't heard that question once since we've lived in Austin.)  When I did Deaf culture training with police in Oklahoma, half of the officers weren't sure a