Greetings from Austin

Written by guest blogger: Candace Perry

Austin, Texas is known for The Longhorns, barbeque, and being the Live Music Capital of the World. It boast great events like South by Southwest (SXSW) and Austin City Limits (ACL), but Austin has so much more to offer.

We were in Austin for my daughter’s birthday this year, so we decided to visit a few of its well known places. We have lived in Austin for 4 years, but had never checked out these sights.

The first place we wanted to see was the Greetings from Austin mural, so we headed downtown to the corner of South First and Annie Street.  The kids enjoyed looking at the details of the mural and getting their picture in front of it. The mural was originally painted in 1998 by local artist and business owner Todd Sanders, and was restored in the fall of 2013. Today, it is one of the most recognizable images associated with the city. 

Next we went to a place where you can be the artist, The Graffiti Wall. Sadly this installation will be moving to make way for condos, but it was definitely a part of the Keep Austin Weird movement, and a great way for people to express themselves. There are so many talented people in this world and it was amazing to see all of the unique beautiful art created with just a can of spray paint. The birthday girl even found a painting that had been created and dated that day. 

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Zilker Park is 350 acre park in the middle of Austin. We were there just for the playground, which was pretty spectacular, but it also has a naturally formed Barton Springs swimming hole, a mini train, disc golf, soccer fields and great green spaces just to hang out. The kids had a blast running around to the different playground areas, including one made from a vintage fire engine.

If you want to get out and enjoy nature, in Austin, you can do that too! In the middle of the city we found a beautiful trail; River Place Nature Trail. You’ll want to get an early start if you decide to hike this trail in the summer. It warms up quick and the trees hold in the moisture, so it gets really humid. The trail was scenic, with a few small waterfalls, and the lake at the trail head was full of turtles.  We did the Panther Hollow and Little Fern Trail. From start to finish it was 2 miles, but if you add the Canyon Trail it totals about 6 miles. We weren’t quite up for that, but it is a place that we are likely to visit again.

While these places may not be the reason you come to Austin, they are fun places to check out that are family friendly that give a sense of what Austin is all about.

 

Candace Perry is a crafter, blogger and mother of five, who for the last year has been traveling the United States in an RV, exploring the history and the natural wonders of the country. When she is not roaming and homeschooling her children, you will find her crocheting, sewing, and capturing family memories with her camera.

You can find her handmade crochet items at MyRedBalloonBouquet.com and you can follow her family’s journey at RainbowsAndRainBoots.com

 

 

This blog series will feature fine artists, makers and photographers from all 50 states as part of a #50statestickers project by Rachel Alvarez Art. You can see the inspiration for this series here: www.rachelalvarezart.com

Thank you so much for following along!

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National Folk Festival 2018 in Salisbury, MD.

This year, my hometown of Salisbury, MD was privileged to host the 78th annual National Folk Festival. As one of the 23 selected tri-state artisans for the Festival Marketplace, I had the unique opportunity to showcase my work during this amazing event. And, although the three days presented major weather problems and huge logistical feats for our small town, in my opinion it could not have gone any better than it did.

According to the festival’s website, “Since it was first presented in St. Louis in 1934, the National has celebrated the roots, richness, and variety of American culture…. Some of the artists presented at the first festival are now legendary and the recordings and other documentation made possible by the National are precious. “Father of the Blues” W.C. Handy’s first performance on a desegregated stage was at the 1938 National. It was also the first to present to the public musical forms such as the blues, Cajun music, polka bands, Tex-Mex conjunto, Peking Opera, and many others.”

7 music stages, placed strategically along our downtown’s streets, gave people the opportunity to come together to hear some really incredible performances covering all genres. There were street performers, good eats and local cultural activities.

Yesterday, I received a phone call from a reporter at The Daily Times of Salisbury. She wanted to ask me a few questions about my experience as a vendor, and to see if I had any suggestions on how things could be improved for the 2019 & 2020 Folk Festivals. I told her that I could not think of literally one thing that I would’ve changed about the festival itself. In my opinion, Salisbury really rose to the occasion and gave our community (and those beyond) a weekend FULL of memories and fellowship. Perhaps the only minor detail that could be addressed going forward would be to make it more clear that the artisans that were selected were LOCAL to Maryland and the Delmarva Peninsula, and not traveling in with the musicians. I cannot tell you how many people were truly surprised when I mentioned that I live & work just about a mile from the festival grounds.

Here are some of my favorite moments of my experience at the Festival Marketplace (and, I am sure that I could think of many, many more.)

• seeing our entire community gathered together on common ground- in spite of cold, rainy conditions.
• the overwhelming sense of community in the artisan tent amongst the other vendors that were participating. (and getting to meet some artists in person that I have respected for a very, very long time.)
• having the opportunity to show my children (ages 3&5) each of the other artisan’s work in my tent, and explaining why I respect how they work with their hands.
• being encouraged in person by people that have been following my work online, and hearing their stories of how they had initially found out about it.
• spending quality time with my parents and husband as they helped out in the booth.
• having the opportunity to encourage young artists who are either currently majoring in art at Salisbury University (my alma mater, too) or in high school taking art classes.
• helping a Nicaraguan artist to learn how to make prints of his work so that he could ship them home to his family.
• running into almost every person I have ever met in 23 years of living here.
• hearing people’s unique stories about their travels (after they asked about the U.S watercolor map shown on my booth banner)
• feeling a deep sense of pride to call Salisbury my hometown.

So, to sum it all up, The National Folk Festival far exceeded my expectations. And, although it’s almost a year away, I am definitely day-dreaming about my application & art booth for 2019. Please make your plans to be there next year. You will not regret it (even if you need to bring rain boots and a poncho.)

Thank you, Salisbury, for allowing me to participate in my first-ever major art fair. If this is what soggy and windy feels like, I can’t wait for 80 and sunny.

Sincerely,

Rachel Alvarez of Rachel Alvarez Art 

**funny side note, during the weekend I went to get a mint out of my backpack. I opened my altoids tin only to realize that I had accidentally brought my homemade mini watercolor palette instead. ha! #artistproblems

Photos by local Salisbury photographer, Manda Weaver.