The Bats - Our Group - Ice Cream

Friday evening we met at the church and carpooled down to the Congress Avenue bridge to watch the bats take flight. Don and I drove. I got to the Austin American Statesman parking lot (usually the best place to park when visiting the bats) a few moments before Don and found that it was blocked off due to construction. I dropped off my passengers, turned the car around, and with Ross riding shotgun began to go search for alternative parking. Just as I began to roll out onto Congress, Don pulled up in the southbound turn lane. Ross made a sudden decision to spare Don the inconvenience of the closed lot and lept mid-intersection from my car and, waiving his hands wildly in the air, ran through traffic toward Don's van. He redirected Don and jumped in the side door of the van just as Don pulled out of the intersection to follow me down to the TXDOT parking lot down the street.

While we were doing this, the other members of our party had selected a spot on the bridge from which to watch the bats. We made our way up from the TXDOT lot, found our group, and spent some time chatting as we waited for the sun to drop below the horizon. By 7:30 twilight had set in and the crowd had grown to several hundred bat watchers, children, and street vendors. At 7:46 the bats began to fly. They were awsome - lots and lots and lots of bats. I felt very Austin-patriotic. By 8:00 the bat flight was still a steady stream, but darkness had set in and the bats were only really visible by the light of the camera flashes from the crowd. We decided it was time for ice cream.

As a group we walked down Congress, across Riverside, and up the hill to Amy's. It was about a 15 minute walk, and mostly uphill, but the reward made the climb worthwhile. I had a scoop of cinnamon and a scoop of dark chocolate with pecans crushed in-between. We all sat behind behind the store and enjoyed our treats and each other's company.

Rally Day

Lee, Billy and I staffed the T'n'T table at Rally Day today. We met a few new friends that we hope to see at the Dog and Duck this Tuesday, at services in the coming weeks or at one of our upcoming events.

Don't forget that Theology on Tap-- with Sandy in attendance this month-- will be this Tuesday at the Dog and Duck at 7pm. We'll have a few beers (or not) and informally discuss some burning theological questions (or not). It's an a la carte evening. Look for familiar faces or, maybe, an Episcopal flag windsock.

Bon soir.

Blues on the Green

Last Wednesday Megan, Trent, Hope, Diego, and I took a trip on the Jimmy Reed Highway at Blues on the Green at the rock island in Zilker Park. The Jimmy Reed Highway is Omar Kent Dykes' and Jimmie Vaughan's musical tribute to the late great Mississippi Rhythm and Blues musician Jimmy Reed. We were a long way from the stage so we couldn't see much but the sound was just right.

This was the first time any of us had ever been to Blues on the Green (KGSR's free summer concert series) and the crowd was bigger than we expected, but not in a bad way. We spread out some blankets, had a nice picnic under the stars (two visible stars, three visible planets, and the spectacular glow of downtown Austin), took in the scene, and talked for a few relaxed hours. FYI - Diego is a fantastic dancer!
Megan and I brought our dogs. Katy was a bit nervous with two furry strangers in the back of the car with her, but they all got along fine as the evening rolled along. Many other music fans decided to bring their K9 companions out for the evening - We picked seats just behind a family with two beautiful spotted great danes and next to a family with a dachshund.
Last week was crazy busy for me, but I am really happy I took the time to go out to Zilker - it was really nice to spend some time relaxing with my friends - I need to remember to do that more often.
-- Joey

Adult Ed Class - Sunday July 29th

This is a message from the July 29th Adult Ed Class at All Saints. The (very blurry!) picture I took during class finally uploaded on our slow connection.

(For any of you wondering what this message is about, I led the Adult Education class at All Saints on Sunday July 29, 2007. I gave a brief talk on web resources and how they can be used to facilitate church activities. Along the way I showed my audience our "Twenties and Thirties" blog, took a picture of the attendees, and posted the picture with this blog entry). -- Joey

Cinco de Mayo Picnic

Hey Everybody - I had a great time at the TNT picnic in the Bennett Garden on Saturday. About 30 folks turned out for fajita's, salsa, arroz, frijoles, cascarones, and a piñata. Lee, James, Becky, Don, and Lindsey set up tables and decorations in the garden while Billy and I brought the drum grill down from Kinsolving. He and I took turns minding the chicken and pork fajitas while more food appeared with each guest that arrived - queso, a delicious corn and tomato salad, brownies, oatmeal spice cookies, and strawberries in a rich balsamic sauce. Fabulous stuff!

It was great to see so many people show up to the event. I met a few folks for the first time; Derek, Peter, Amy, Sophia - I'm glad to have met you. Mike and Sandy both came down to the garden to visit with us. Quink and I introduced them to cascarones - a little confetti for good luck.
The garden was lovely this weekend - everything in bloom. When the fajitas came off the grill I found a place to sit under one of the big trees. I took a few minutes to eat and relax. Then it was game time...

Coye selected a branch on one of the big oaks and he and I used it to tie up the piñata. Everyone lined up (Ewan and Robert first) and took turns taking a blind swing at it. James and I managed the piñata and LD tied the blindfolds. When the piñata burst, Robert and Ewan led the charge to gather up the candy and James split the star into pieces which they used to carry away their loot.

Eeyore's Birthday 2007

Hey all! LD and I had a great time at Eeyore's Birthday on Saturday. It was hot- summer isn't here yet, but it we got a pre-view :-)

Lindsey and Don were there and I brought Katy and Ziggy with me. Lindsey got a lovely henna tatoo. I had some corn dogs and beer, sat in the drum circle, cheered at the sack-races and paid my respects at the Eeyore of Liberty.

Eeyore's Birthday Party is an annual day-long festival that has been a part of Austin culture for 44 years. First and foremost the party is a watch and be watched event - costumes/dogs/children welcome. It is also a fund-raiser to benefit non-profit groups in Austin. These groups sell hot and cold food (including vegetarian), soft drinks, juices, water, and lots and lots of Texas beer - Live Oak, Real Ale, Shiner, and many others.

No Knead Bread Recipe

Hey Gang!

The Hoppers hosted a lovely chili dinner at their house last weekend. A small but enjoyable group attended. A lovely time was had by all. One very yummy part of the evening was the No Knead Bread that Misty had made. It was a HUGE hit! Here is the recipe for anyone who wants to try it out.

No-Knead Bread

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 5/8 cups water
cornmeal or wheat bran as needed


1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir
until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap.
Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18 hours, at warm room temperature,
about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work
surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it
over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about
15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your
fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel
(not terry-cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on
towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel
and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double
in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a
5- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as
it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slid your hand
under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess,
but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will
straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid
and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on rack.

YIELD: One 1 1/2 pound loaf.

The Women of All Saints' (ECW) are hosting a concert fund-raiser this Saturday at 7:00pm and have asked the Twenties and Thirties to lend a hand. We need ushers and a couple of folks to help lay out the food for the intermission. The concert will be fantastic and the work will be easy. LD and I will see you there.

Seeing as how the event is at 7:00, those of us who are helping should be there no later than 6:00pm.

Joey

Call me if you have any questions: 512.567.0194.

You can learn more about the concert at http://asec-ecw.blogspot.com

Hey all,

Yesterday I was honored to represent you as an "Alternate" at the 158th Annual Council of the Diocese of Texas. Council was hosted by Saint David's Episcopal Church and we met at the Hilton in downtown Austin - an easy trip for those of us who live in Austin. I spent my day as an "Alternate" does - sitting in the visitor's gallery at the back of the convention hall watching the proceedings, drinking tea, and using the hotel's Internet access to repair the template for our blog. I chose a seat in the center of the back row, directly in front of the translators' table. The translators were calmly and smoothly transmuting English into Spanish and broadcasting the result via low power radio. This process created a constant pressure of low level sound within a few feet of their workstation which pushed away casual observers and left me with only a few neighbors and an unobstructed view of the proceedings.

The items on the agenda moved by quickly - and amusingly (when you see me, ask me how there could be amendments and floor debate on a resolution like: "RESOLVED, that this 158th Council of the Diocese of Texas sends greetings to the Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori, the Church’s new Chief Pastor, and assurance of our continued prayers for her in her new responsibilities as our Presiding Bishop and Primate.") I was disappointed that Sandra Kelly - see her profile in the list of nominees at Epicenter - did not win a seat on the standing committee. I thought the resolution concerning the cost of Camp Allen was well intentioned but badly written (who still uses direct mail? ;-) Our own Rev. Miles Brandon presented the resolutions and did an eloquent job. The delegates from All Saints' were appropriately loud, voted with confidence, and did not lose their good sense or their sense of humor. I was proud to be there with them.


The crew from Saint David's - easily identifiable in their bright tie-die shirts - were terrific hosts. Registration was easy, the help desk was helpful, and the gatekeepers monitored entry to the council floor politely and well. Outside the Austin Grand Ballroom, over 60 exhibitors offered merchandise, services, and information about the missions and industries of our diocese. I spent my time between sessions looking at some colorful work from Colores del Pueblo and learning more about the Stewardship Commission, Camp Allen, the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest, El Buen Samaritano Episcopal Mission, and the Iona Center. I was hoping to run into representatives from other young adult groups in the diocese, but only managed one brief Vocare' conversation. We may need to dig into this before the next council...

The afternoon session took on a serious tone as the council took up the difficult work of voting on the proposed constitutional and canonical amendments. Click the link and have a read... votes on on constitutional and canonical changes can impact the shape of the church, the definition of its mission, and the future of many parishes across the country.

The constitutional amendment, article 1, section 1.1 was considered first. The proposals brought by the Committee on Constitution and Cannons each included a brief statement of 'rationale'. The rationale for the constitutional amendment seemed insufficient - it contained a brief explanation of the terms to be changed, but offered no clear reason *why* the change should be made. Father Mike joined in the floor debate and asked for detailed clarification on this point. No sufficient clarification was offered, the question went to vote (a 2/3 majority in both the clergy and lay order being required for adoption of the resolution), and was defeated. The vote tally was 69 clergy against the resolution and 102 clergy for the resolution.

Next, the canonical amendment to repeal canon 43 on moral discipline was considered. I found the rationale for the proposal interesting and the comments from the committee useful. However, the subject under debate moved quickly away from the proposed rationale and became a very strangled discussion about the blessing of gay marriage. Discussion may be the wrong word... of the people who took the floor one sermonized and quoted scripture, one shared a cute anecdote about a sheep, and several tried to put themselves on the record regarding gay marriage without really addressing the proposed amendment. The amendment was defeated by a vote in the lay order.

All told, I was pleased to be attend council and pleased to learn a bit more about our legislative process. Thanks for sending me. I'd love to do it again.

BTW, there is a nice view of Saint David's from the 6th floor of the Hilton.

Pax,
Joey