Hello from Austin, Texas

Hot greetings from Austin!

This is my third visit to Austin, TX and I've loved each visit here.
The weather is grandiose and the atmosphere in this town is very cool and intelligent.
The signs on the streets reflect high awareness of social issues and are designed with a flare of modern neighborly courtesy.

For example, after treating ourselves to a wonderful cup of soy latte at Caffe Medici on West Lynn, we noticed that the parking lot shared by the cleaners and the coffee place had a sign which, in a nice font and soft colors, said something like "love your cleaners and your coffee; please respect the parking assignments for each business." As if extending its arm to welcome you and encourage your desires and needs, this sign was implying a closed system to which I would have agreed with ease and a smile on my face (and that's coming from someone who lives in Boston and who questions every system, especially the closed ones).

The flora in Austin is amazing and so rich. Austinors with gardens do a wonderful job using the varieties of cacti and other flora to create relaxed landscapes. This landscapes are quietly sophisticated and invite a desire of exploration and discovery. The forms and colors are very inspiring like, for example, today we found a young pomegranate tree and the fruits were very young, some still carried their flowers and others were already exploding into their roundness and slowly loosing their tall crowns. I love eating pomegranates and now I like thinking about them having seen their origin and stages of development while in their natural surroundings.

I an hour or so we will walk to my favorite restaurant Iron Cactus here in Austin. Every dish I've eaten there over the years has been absolutely orgasmic in its taste and presentation. The ensemble of color and ingredients comes together beautifully in my mouth with each bite. My absolute favorite however has been the guacamole dish. Besides being delicious, it is brought to the table as a collection of ingredients which are then combined together in front of your eyes. I always savor both parts of this experience and go back for more.

Tonite we are attending the wedding of my brother-in-law and his wonderful bride - that's why we are really in Austin right now. A great occasion to be in this city once again...