One evening several of us at the office ventured out to Frozy’s and it did not disappoint. You may ask what makes their snow cones so different? Well they do not use high fructose corn syrup, they offer a wide variety of flavors including sugar free and the consistency of their shaved ice is perfect. I’ve had everything from a cherry snow cone to a strawberry daiquiri flavored one there. They make great snow cones. This must be one of your summer stops if you are in Austin for any length of time.

the Arnold Palmer snow cone…tea and lemonade flavored…

I had to read up on garden pests to keep my spinach alive,but I was determined to use all natural methods.  I encountered these small brown beetles on the leaves:

I spoke with my friend Steven, an avid gardener with the Mobile Loaves & Fishes Genesis Gardens program, and discovered these were quite common. The method I used to reduce the risk of them was purposefully soaking the leaves with water to literally drown them out. It worked and my growth went from this:

to a fuller growth that is starting to manifest like this:

It is now on the healthier side. I also learned from Steven that this was not the season for the collard greens I was trying to grow. At his suggestion, I replaced the greens with Zucchini, Squash and Cucumbers (because they are in season) and the results have been great. I am really trying to learn how to grow what is in season because it will yield a greater harvest. Here are pictures of the new items in my garden (I’ve added several cherry tomato plants also)…

this container above has a pepper plant and some zucchini…

the above container has two types of squash, long neck on the left and goose neck on the right…

and the above planters have the cucumbers. Here are pictures of my cherry tomato plants:

The growth is steady and healthy and I am excited to eat the other natural food as it grows in this garden!

Over two years ago, my wife recieived free tickets to see the Austin Toros (the NBA D League affiliate for the San Antonio Spurs) and I must admit from that point on I’ve been hooked. For around $35, we can go to the game and have good seats, park in a great space and enjoy the foods of our choice. With minor league teams there really isn’t a bad seat in the house. The players also seem to play with more passion in my opinion. They are hungry literally and figuratively becaue they are trying to make it to the majors. The Toros have become our team and this year they won the NBA D-League Championship and I was able to attend game one of the finals for $8 a person! It had all the excitement of a regular NBA game without the price tag. The most important thing I noticed was the families that were able to bring everyone in thier household regardless of socio-economic status.

Major sports are seeing a decline in attendance and the reason is the “average Joe” used to be able to attend a game with his family and escape the stresses of his/her day. Now the major sports, specifically the NBA and the NFL have priced them out giving in to making the sports experience more of a luxury item for corporate executives, celebrities, sales reps and the occasional special outing for the average American. Minor League sports has become what regular sports used to be (except for in baseball), a place where all can attend a great game with the family. I commend the NBA on recognizing this and using it as a means to develop players while providing an experience for cities that may not even have an NBA team like Austin.

We are going to start attending the Round Rock Express (Texas Rangers Minor League team) games as well eventhough regular baseball games are actually quite affordable. I encourage you to attend a minor league team event when you get a chance…

Here is a photographic journal of the Austin Toros D League Finals this year…

Just Drive? As men we are destination orriented so we want to know where we are going typically, but for some reason those words gave me a felling of excitiement, largely because of the beautiful lips they were spoken from. I realized we could be like settlers discovering new frontiers and places.  Living in the Hill Country of Texas this is not a far reach…there are so many great towns and places around here that even after our adventure we have many more to see. 

We headed out highway 71 and we spent the long weekend illusive of time, exploring our surroundings and enjoying the company of each other. We just went with it and we’ve decided that just going with it sometimes is what makes life interesting, enjoyable and even greater with the one you love. We ended up camping, exploring parks and places we had never seen, visiting markets, and buying cool momentous of our journey. I recommend that you just get in a car sometime for a long weekend, pack a bag, and just drive…just go with it! Here is a visual journal of our trip…

Someone actually figured out a way to take a Smart car and retrofit it with a rotisserie! Verts is a new kind of street food experience that is eco-friendly and provides healthy meal choices. It is one of the smartest ideas and simple innovations that I’ve seen in a long time. Maybe the paradigm is going to shift now to echo friendly food cars that can fit in any urban area and space. I think we definetly need to explore more green alternatives to utilize in businesses.

I shot a video with the Verts vendor explaining the layout and design of the smart car…

Fresh basil, rosmary, various peppers, and parsley..

…they are growing at a faster rate than I expected…

…fresh spinach and a strawberry plant growing well…

…I am starting to see tomato buds on my tomato plants…

When I embarked on this journey, I was faced with some challenges that I did not have as a kid. I do not have a yard and although I live in an area surrouned by lots of green space, my particular residence only has one space for growing…a concrete balcony.  I had heard of people that grow amazing gardens under these conditions, but I did not know where to start. My friend Steven with Genesis Gardens shed some light on ththe subject for me. He told me to purchase some planter boxes and put the vegetables in there and they would come out just as fresh as in a garden.  There was one problem, I purchased planters four times too small and well below the specifications Steven recommended.

My first attempt was not a bust, but it wasn’t a success either because I did not allow room for the plants to grow properly and ended up with plants that never reached maturity.  On a ecentvisit, I solicited the help of my mother to show me what I was doing wrong. She had me to purchase some big blue plastic totes from Home Depot. At first I was sceptical the totes my wife and I use for storing things could also produce food. As always, her wisdom was for reaching and as a result I am seeing growth in my garden on a balcony I never would have imagined!

I am growing an herb garden and lots of green vegetables and it all looks great this time around! I believe if we can properly train individuals in urban and poor neighborhoods to grow fresh food, we will begin to see healthier children and families. My mom and my friend Steven helped me and now I want to help others. Below are pictures of my progress so far in week three. I started the herbs from baby plants, the spinach and strawberries were part of last year’ s garden that didn’t have room to grow, the greens were started from seeds.  Now everything is growing! I will keep all updated on the progress…

This year over 270 people were served with bbq, clothing, backpacks, hair cuts, spa treatments, and health evaluations. We need more great programs like this in our communities that seek to provide dignity to those less fortunate.  The success of R.E.A.C.H. O.U.T. is not simply based on the food, clothing, and toiletries that are provided, it allows a day where our homeless friends can interact with others in a family atmosphere.