James Allen News Center

Austin, Texas 78701-- The ride to Austin was not long, only about an hour and a half, so Sarah had to fit her annoying games into a short time.

"Babe," She said to Nick, "You know what awesome movies were partially filmed in Austin?"

Nick sighed and leaned back against the headrest.  "What if Austin, Texas has engagement rings unlike any other in the world?" Nick asked.  "Will you then be sorry you made me play this game?"

Sarah smiled.  "Probably not.  `Dazed and Confused` was filmed here."

Nick laughed. "Well, awright," he quoted his favorite character from the movie, played by Matthew McConaughey before anyone knew who he was.  "He has a house here, babe," Nick told her.

"Have you been reading my US Weekly?" she asked.  "Also, `Office Space` and `A Scanner Darkly`" she told him.

"Both excellent," he said.  "And Mike Judge lives here, too."

"You`re such a guy, Beavis. `Secondhand Lions` was produced here." She looked at him out of the corners of her eyes.

"You do love those obscure movies," Nick told her.

"It`s an awesome movie," Sarah said.  She had seen it probably 20 times.

They had no trouble finding their motel.  It was a famous landmark in Austin.  The Austin Motel at 1220 S Congress Ave, Austin, Texas 78704 was mostly known for the shape of its sign.  Nonetheless, Sarah was impressed.

"Wow," she said, looking up as they pulled the Jeep into the parking lot.  "That`s not even subtle."

Nick looked up, too.  Shaking his head, he said, "Not even close.  I bet Austin will be fun."

After they were greeted by a clerk who welcomed them to "the Republic of Austin", they went to a room that Nick was able to pick on the motel`s website.  Pink walls, turquoise curtains, a tile floor, and view of the pool.  It was almost worth just staying in.  Almost.  But it was a beautiful day.

Nick and Sarah put on bathing suits under their clothes, packed their backpacks with water and towels, and got their bikes off of the rack on the Jeep.  First, they decided to hit the Town Lake Bike Trail, which would show them both the city and the quieter side of Austin.  The whole route was a little over 10 miles, but they wanted to have some extra time to explore. 

As soon as they hit they trail, they realized the challenge that lay ahead.  They slowly made their way through the crowded trail for about half a mile before they stopped.

"What do YOU think?" Sarah asked Nick.

"I say we bring our bikes back and run instead," Nick told her.

"Good call," Sarah announced. 

They wheeled their bikes into the room, just for safety, and then set out on their run.  They figured that, next to the Grouse Grind, this would be a nice jog.

As they were plodding along, Sarah asked, "Which city was that Grouse Grind in again?  I remember Pacific Northwest, but that`s it."

They jogged in silence as Nick thought.  "Vancouver," he finally said.

"Yeah," Sarah remembered, "that was a fun city."

They ran the rest of the way in silence, looking around at the people, at the views of downtown, and, as they headed back to the east, the people fishing and families playing in the water.  When they headed back towards Zilker Park, they found themselves running around in circles for a while, wondering where Zilker Park Boat Rental was.  They had heard it was not `visible from the road`.  After 10 minutes of wandering, Nick yelled, "Look!" and pointed at a sign that said "Canoe Rental". 

They decided to get a kayak each.  Paddling east, they got yet another view of downtown Austin, Texas.  They also saw swans, ducks, and turtles.  They decided to stop and eat their sandwiches under the Congress Street Bridge.  Nick ate quickly, while Sarah started throwing bits of bread to the birds.

"I wouldn`t do that," Nick warned.

"Yeah, yeah," Sarah told him.  "Fun-hater."

Soon, there were five or six swans around her.  Then there were more.  Soon, she was engulfed in beautiful—yet aggressive—swans.

"Untie, Nicky!" she yelled, "We`re making a break for it!"

She tore the rest of her sandwich into pieces and threw them in the air and to the west.  Then she and Nick quickly paddled off toward Town Lake. 

"It was like a scene from `The Birds`," Nick told Sarah, laughing.

"Maybe so," she responded, "but wouldn`t you have felt like a sissy if you had to tell people you let me get killed by pretty swans?"

"I would have said it was mountain lions," Nick told her.

As she tried to splash him, she capsized herself.  Fortunately, she had done this before and righted herself quickly.

Nick was, of course, laughing so hard it looked painful.

"Betcha can`t do that," Sarah dared him.

He started rocking side to side until he, too, capsized.  He waited a few second before he righted himself, but he did it.

Raising an eyebrow at her, he said, "We learned that together, remember?"

"Right," Sarah nodded, and continued paddling. 

It was a lot windier once they got to the lake, but it was fun racing with Nick.  After a few hours of paddling, they turned around and headed back to return their kayaks. 

Soaking wet, and with soaking wet towels in their backpacks, they were happy to buy the "I survived canoeing on Lady Bird Lake" t-shirts.  They jogged back to the motel slowly, their sneakers making squishy noises the whole way.

They decided to lie out by the pool to dry off.  They dozed for a while, getting a little more sun, then went inside to have a real nap.  When Sarah woke up an hour and a half later, she saw that Nick was sitting up and reading.

"You been awake long?" she asked.

"Not really," he told her.

"Nicky?" she said, squinting at him.

"What, babe?"

"You are bright red," she told him.

He pulled up the sleeve of his t-shirt to reveal his farmer`s tan-line.  Sarah started to laugh.

"I wouldn`t laugh too hard, there, kitten," Nick said.  "Why don`t you take a look at yourself?"

Sarah jumped up and looked in the mirror.  She pushed a spot on her face with her finger, then took it away.  It stayed white for a few seconds, then went back to red.  She did the same to her arm, with the same result.

"We look like such tourists," she announced as she headed for the bathroom to shower.

Nick heard her shriek suddenly.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"T-shirt raking over sunburn," she yelled.

After Nick showered, too, he came out of the bathroom to find Sarah standing there in a denim skirt, and with a shirt in each hand--but none on her body.

"I can`t decide," she told him.

Nick smiled.  "I hear that Austin has no ordinances against topless women in the city, if that helps," he said, playfully smacking her on the back.

"First of all," she said, "ouch.  Second, no."

After slathering each other in aloe, they went to the legendary Stubb`s to see the Toadies, a band from Fort Worth, Texas that had achieved fame years before with the song "Possum Kingdom", which Sarah still kept in heavy rotation on her iPod.  She was excited to go to Stubb`s because she also had the CD of Matisyahu "Live at Stubb`s", and because it seemed so odd to watch a live band outdoors in the middle of the city. 

Taking Nick`s hand as they walked in, she kissed his cheek and told him, "This is awesome."

They drank the Independence Brewing Company`s Austin Amber, in keeping their tradition of trying out local brews everywhere they went.  They went down fast and easy. 

"Maybe it`s the heat," Sarah yelled over the crowd, "or maybe I`m dehydrated, but this is one smooth little ale."

Nick nodded and they continued to bounce with the crowd to the music.  The band was stellar, and they had a great time.  Afterwards, high on great music and tasty beer, they headed for the dance club Fuel at 607 Trinity Street.  They waited briefly and then went in, fighting their way to the bar.  Nick was reaching his hand out to call the bartender over when Sarah tugged on his arm.

"Ouch!" he yelled.  "And what was that for, anyway?"

She pointed to a man wearing pink hot pants and a tube top. 

"I read about him—I mean her—on yelp," Sarah explained.  "That`s Leslie the Transvestite!"

Soon, Leslie saw Sarah pointing and made her way over.  Nick turned even redder as Leslie asked: "Buy a girl a drink, big boy?"

Shouting over the music, Nick told her, "Sure, if you pose for a picture with my girlfriend."

Leslie smiled.  "I get it, honey," she said.  "You`re straight.  Of course we can make a picture."

Leslie and Sarah stood with their arms around each other, pretending to reach for a kiss.  Nick took a few pictures and Leslie waved as she continued her rounds.

"Leslie certainly is helping to keep Austin weird," Nick said.

Sarah wrinkled her nose.  "Leslie is an Austin institution," she explained, "but could really use a little deodorant."

Nick and Sarah each did a shot and then went to dance.  They danced until the wee hours of the morning and then walked back to the hotel, singing the Abba song "Waterloo". 

In the morning, still a little fuzzy from the night before, Sarah opened one eye and looked at Nick.  Facing her, he opened one eye.  Then they both sat up.

"You are BRIGHT red," Sarah told Nick.

"Yeah, and you look like Edward Scissorhands," Nick said, referring to the shape her hair took on during the night.

Turning her hands into claws, she said quietly, "I`m not finished yet," and reached for Nick`s arm.  He pulled it away.

"Dude, my sunburn!" he yelled.

Sarah got up and grabbed to tube of aloe vera, smacking it against his thigh as she tossed it to him.

They started at the South Congress Cafe at 1600 South Congress, Austin, TX 78704.  Sarah was almost drooling as she ordered the Carrot Cake French Toast with bacon.   Nick ordered an Omelet Italiano.  They both needed coffee and OJ, bad. 

As she ate, Sarah asked, "Would it embarrass you if I got another order of these?"

"Yes," Nick responded without hesitation.

"You know that wouldn`t stop me, though, right?" she told him.

Still chewing, he said, "Sure do."

She didn`t order another plate of the dreamy Carrot Cake French Toast, but only because she didn`t have room.  Nick pried her away with the promise that they would go back the next day.  Then they walked to a popular Austin jewelry store.  As full as she was, Sarah decided to play 5 months pregnant.  She had this skill, if that`s what you`d call it, where she could stick her stomach way out.  She had said that it was `a great way to scare ex-boyfriends`.

They walked in holding hands and began looking at jewelry cases.  A woman came over to help them.

"We`re looking for an engagement ring," Nick told her.

"How wonderful!" the woman exclaimed.  "Do you have any thoughts on what you`d like, or are you looking for ideas?"

Rubbing her belly, Sarah turned to face her.  "Well, we`re in a bit of a time crunch, and I do have a few ideas."

The diamonds they had were absolutely beautiful.  She pointed at a few rings she liked and the salesperson put them in a display tray.  After trying each on, she held up a princess-cut solitaire and held it out.

"I like this one," Sarah said, "but I don`t see any with sidestones.  I want one a three-stone ring, but gemstones, maybe sapphires or rubies on each side.  And it has to be platinum."

Sarah continued to rub her belly while Nick turned away to keep from laughing.

"Well," the woman began, "We don`t have exactly what you`re describing.  There are some lovely rings with yellow or clear diamond sidestones.  And several of those come in platinum."  She began to reach into the case again.

"But I want sapphires or rubies," Sarah said.  "I don`t like yellow diamonds."

"Try a few on," the woman said, "and I`m sure you`ll find something."

"I`m unwilling to settle on this," Sarah explained, her voice calm but irritable.  "This is my engagement ring."

"Like I said…" the woman began.

Sarah held up her hand.  "Yeah, yeah, I heard you.  But I want what I want."  She turned and stormed out of the store.

Nick shrugged at the woman and said, "Hormones."

The woman nodded knowingly as Nick left.

When Nick found Sarah halfway down the block on a bench, she was laughing. 

"I ate too much and my stomach started to get all weird and was making noises," she told Nick.  "I thought she`d figure us out."

"No," Nick told her, "She just thought you were a hormonal pregnant chick."

Sarah smacked him on the arm, careful to hit the sunburn.

Nick gently rubbed the spot she had hit.  "You sure you`re NOT pregnant?"

After ducking into a cafe to get lattes and use the bathroom, they continued walking.  They found themselves at G on 5, formerly called Gomi.  The place was playing really good—and really loud—music.  It had clothes, and was full of stuff that looked like it was heavily influenced my Japanese anime, if it wasn`t actually Japanese anime.  The owner, John, was there, and was looking through some records.

Sarah grabbed Nick by the arm.  "I somehow don`t feel cool enough to be here," she told him.

"I know the feeling," Nick told her.  "It`s like `High Fidelity`, and Jack Black is going to jump out at us and tell us we`re idiots for not owning certain things on vinyl."

Out of nowhere, a young man appeared and asked if he could help.

"I`m not sure," Nick said, "We`re clearly not from here, but we`ve heard of the place and wanted to check it out."

"What are you into?" the guy asked.  "Music, jewelry, gear, toys?  We got it all, man."

Sarah was looking at some dresses on a rack.  She held one up for the guys to see.

"That`s Toki Doki," the guy said.  "That`ll be hot on you."  He walked over and handed her a t-shirt and a tank top to try on also and pointed to the dressing room.  Then he turned back to Nick.

Holding out his hand, he said, "I`m Tim, by the way."

"Nick."

"Nice to meet you, man," Tim said.  "You into music?"

"I am," Nick told him.

"You into the UV scene?" Tim asked him.

Nick scanned his entire brain and could only come up with `ultra-violet`.  "I don`t know," he finally said.

"It`s Urban Vinyl," Tim told him.  "No worries.  Tell me what you`re into, and we`ll find you something phenomenal."

While Nick looked at CDs with Tim, Sarah tried on the clothes Tim had handed her.  She ended up buying all 3 things, along with some Sam Flores toys (which meant nothing to her until she walked into the store).  Nick bought some rare singles of some of the more obscure bands he liked.  They walked out more than an hour later.

Putting his arm around Sarah, Nick said, "I feel like I just earned about a thousand cool points just by being there."

Sarah smiled and told him, "I think you just lost them all by using the term `cool points`."

Nick smiled.  "So what`s next?"

"Well," Sarah said.  "Hippie Hollow is open.  Clothing-optional swimming, hiking, biking and so on."

"You might talk me into swimming," Nick told her, "but there`s no way I`m riding a bike in the raw."

Sarah put both arms around him.  "Or we can drive around and get pictures of the giant fork at Hyde Park Bar & Grill, the massive arm at the Hyde Park Gym, the Terminix bug, and the pink flamingo field."

Holding her close, Nick said, "Let`s look into that Hippie Hollow."