russell lewis: Architecture at the Umlauf Series - Thursday, November 4th 7:00pm - 10/31/10 09:18 AM
The final program  of the Architecture at the Umlauf Series Fourth Season takes place Thursday, November 4th. Doors open at 7:00 pm.
The event marks the end of the fall season for this incredibly popular program featuring local Austin Architects in a beautifully intimate setting. As a result of the strong ties between AvenueOne and the Art and Architectural communities, the monthly series was founded and is produced by two of my associates at AvenueOne Properties; Scott Harvey and Carla Umlauf (granddaughter of the esteemed sculptor) and is sponsored by our firm, AvenueOne Properties.
The series is a creative venue allowing local architects to share with … (14 comments)

russell lewis: $1.40 short at the Check-Out Counter - Pay it Forward - 10/29/10 04:33 AM

The difference between a helping hand and an outstretched palm is a twist of the wrist.  ~Laurence Leamer, King of the Night
 One of the unexpected benefits of being an "empty nester" is that I seem to have more money in my billfold,...actual "folding green". On a recent Saturday morning, I saw that I had a twenty and two ones in my billfold, a BOUNTY! Feeling flush, I headed over to our local market to pick up few items for breakfast. I live in a very nice, upscale part of Austin and we have almost any item you can imagine … (120 comments)

russell lewis: Keeping Austin Scary! - 10/27/10 01:22 PM
It's no secret that people in Austin, Texas love to have a good time and Keep Austin Weird. It is certainly no different at Halloween and if you are new to Austin, it can almost appear like a national holiday! Obviously Austin is a place that not only allows people to have fun but encourages a lot of us to just go over the top. This year is going to be a bizarre fest of weirdness that has something for just about everyone. I've picked out a few of my favorite events that cover the spectrum from somewhat interesting/scary to the … (34 comments)

russell lewis: "Old Fashioned Service" Never Goes Out Of Style - 10/26/10 11:27 AM
I was recently listening to a friend complain about the fact that she could not get good service or even basic attention at many stores and businesses these days. You know what I mean, "Old Fashioned Service" and here is the funny thing, she is only 26 years old. I have been hearing the same thing for years and with the advent of Big Box Retail, Megastores, and Corporate empires along with a lack of personal involvement on the part of many business owners I see this happening at many businesses locally. However, after thinking about it for awhile, I realized that "old fashioned service" … (141 comments)

russell lewis: Paying it Forward at Austin Habitat For Humanity's 25th Anniversary Build - 10/22/10 10:02 AM
Paying it Forward at Austin Habitat For Humanity's 25th Anniversary Build
I have been a long time volunteer and supporter of Austin Habitat for Humanity beginning with a home for Norma Avalos and family back in 1996 as part of the Austin Riverbend Church community. In my previous life I was in the construction business as a Journeyman carpenter, Foreman, Designer/Builder and eventually, furniture maker.  After entering Real Estate in 1989, I did not do any sort of construction and that's fine. Frankly, on a construction site, if you get into an altercation there is an excellent chance a fight may break … (39 comments)

russell lewis: Pemberton Heights Open House - 1406 Wooldridge Drive - November 14th 3:30-5:30PM - 10/16/10 05:21 PM
  1406 Wooldridge Drive $2,595,000
Sunday, November 14th from 3:30--5:30pm I will be holding 1406 Wooldridge Drive open from 3:30 to 5:30 pm. and announcing a $200,000 price reduction! Wooldridge Drive is arguably the best street in the heart of  Pemberton Heights , recognized as the crown jewel of Old West Austin. Centrally located to downtown, the neighborhood boasts some of Austin's finest homes and there is always a demand for property in the area. To learn more about the interesting history of the area regarding development, background, building restrictions, historical designations and many other details please access the Pemberton Heights Neighborhood Association website … (22 comments)

russell lewis: AvenueOne Open House Event - Sunday, October 17th - 10/15/10 04:16 PM
 This Sunday, October 17th AvenueOne Properties will be showcasing a dozen of our listings in some of Austin's Finest neighborhoods! Below the graphic you will find a convenient list of the homes, addresses and open house times. To learn more about each of the properties, click on the address and a new page with further information will open for your convenience, At the bottom of this post is a link for a printable brochure that will allow you to download and print the entire tour. I hope you are able to visit on Sunday and learn more about these wonderful homes … (14 comments)

russell lewis: The Mighty Cone :The Quintessential Food of the ACL Music Festival is also Austin's Finest Trailer! - 10/09/10 02:17 AM
The Mighty Cone - The Quintessential Food of the ACL Music Festival is also Austin's Finest Trailer!
Yeah...I know, the title of this post is a mouth full but so is the cuisine you will find at the Mighty Cone trailer! Cuisine from a trailer you ask? The answer is a resounding YES! The Mighty Cone is the brainchild of Jeff Blank Chef/Owner of Hudson's on the Bend restaurant, one of Austin's finest restaurants for more than 25 years! The story of how Mighty Cone came to be goes back to the origins of the ACL Music Festival. Jeff was tasked with organizing … (45 comments)

russell lewis: Healthier than Thou? Austin's Whole Foods Turns 30 - 09/20/10 03:00 PM
Healthier than Thou? Austin's Whole Foods Turns 30
I got off on the wrong foot with health food fanatics, vegetarians and as Anthony Bourdain describes them, the "Hezbollah-like" Vegans... New years Day, 1975 I held the first of an off again on again New Years Day Party that has come to be known as "The Day After the Year Before". I'd been a resident of Austin long enough to know that there would be several people attending who did not eat meat and planned accordingly. From the first event, the menu has pretty much always consisted of me grilling BBQ chicken and … (69 comments)

russell lewis: Architecture at the Umlauf Series - Thursday, September 2nd 7:00pm - 08/31/10 05:25 AM
Architecture at the Umlauf Series - Thursday, September 2nd 7:00pm
The opening program  of the Architecture at the Umlauf Series Fall Season takes this place Thursday, September 2nd. Doors open at 7:00 pm.
The event marks the beginning of the fall season of this incredibly popular program featuring local Austin Architects in a beautifully intimate setting. As a result of the strong ties between AvenueOne and the Art and Architectural communities, the monthly series was founded and is produced by two of my associates at AvenueOne Properties; Scott Harveyand Carla Umlauf (granddaughter of the esteemed sculptor) and is sponsored by our firm, AvenueOne Properties and AIA … (37 comments)

russell lewis: Pain is STILL not a Flavor! - 08/27/10 11:41 AM
                   
It is hard to believe but this weekend will mark the 20th anniversary of the world's largest hot sauce festival here in Austin, Texas. The festival originally started as a contest between the cities of Austin and San Antonio but after Austin salsa makers swept the awards a couple of years in a row, the competition settled in Austin permanently and has grown larger every year. The 20th Annual 'Austin Chronicle' Hot Sauce Festival, is presented by Capital Area Food Bank of Texas and takes place this Sunday, Aug. 29 from 11am-5:30pm Waterloo Park at 12th and Trinity. Organized and … (84 comments)

russell lewis: Quenching the thirst of a long HOT summer... - 08/16/10 02:03 PM
Quenching the thirst of a long HOT summer... 
"Miss, could you repeat that," the waitress asked my wife for the third time. "Ahhssd Teee, please" she patiently answered again. The waitress, still baffled just shook her head, gave us a pen and asked us to write it down. My wife took the pen and wrote in block letters on a napkin I-C-E-D  T-E-A."You mean you want tea with ice?" to which we both exclaimed, "YES, That's it!" This conversation took place while my wife and I were living in Minneapolis, Minnesota during her time at Anesthesia School. And even with our … (61 comments)

russell lewis: 3012 Hatley Drive Updated Energy Efficient Home in Rollingwood with a $6.23 electric bill? - 07/08/10 11:00 AM
 3012 Hatley Drive Updated Energy Efficient Home in Rollingwood with a $6.23 electric bill?
You read that correctly, a $6.23 electric bill is the lowest so far in my new listing at 3012 Hatley Drive in Rollingwood, one of the Eanes School Districts finest areas! Though the bill is by no means typical, over the last year they have ranged from $25-$48 monthly with a single bill as high as $150 for a particularly harsh weather month. Still this is extremely impressive for a home that is just north of approximately 2,760 sq.ft. according to appraisal. Some of the energy upgrades efficiency … (68 comments)

russell lewis: Stonewall, Texas Peach JAMboree & Rodeo - 06/18/10 05:52 AM

Stonewall, Texas Peach JAMboree & Rodeo
About an hour and a half drive west of Austin lies El Dorado...Not the El Dorado of hidden Spanish gold or the failed escapades of the Raising Arizona bank robbers. Nope, I am talking about the golden deliciousness of the peaches found in Gillespie County, home of the Peach Blossom Trail between and around the towns of Stonewall and Fredericksburg, Texas. Numerous farms and orchards dot the country side making Gillespie County the largest peach producing county in Texas. To give you an idea of the scope of production this area produces 40% of the entire … (66 comments)

russell lewis: What is a "Neighborhood Specialist"? - 05/05/10 04:12 PM
What is a "Neighborhood Specialist"?

Recently, a friend and I were on a morning walk in my  neighborhood, Lost Creek in the Eanes School District and noticed a new "For Sale" sign in the front yard of a home. As we passed the sign I saw a rider posted at the bottom proclaiming the agent to be a "neighborhood specialist"! My friend laughed and said, "Oh look, another agent who I've never heard of and they also claim to be a local expert!" I just laughed and shrugged it off but my friend whipped out his phone and dialed the number … (191 comments)

russell lewis: Pemberton Heights Open House - 2424-B Hartford Drive - 04/24/10 09:01 PM
Pemberton Heights Open House - 2424-B Hartford Drive
Open this Sunday April 25th 2:00 - 4:00PM
2424-B Hartford Road is one of two units in this beautifully built complex. Utilizing quality finish outs and superior construction techniques, the home offers the discriminating buyer many features. If you would like to expand the already open, brightly lit, well designed floor plan, the builder is offering the option to add an additional 550 +/- square feet to the current layout. This is a rare opportunity to live in newer construction in Pemberton Heights for under $1 Million and is an excellent value for one of … (31 comments)

russell lewis: Celebrating Earth Day with 101 Quadrillion Colors on Texas (and our Nations) Roads-Thanks to The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - 04/22/10 07:00 AM

Celebrating Earth Day with 101 Quadrillion Colors on Texas (and our Nations) Roads-Thanks to The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
I was going to try and do something with 101 in the title because after 20 months of blogging, I finally managed to break 100 posts but something a lot better came along with Earth Day and the advent of Texas Wildflower Season. Every year about this time, if we get enough rain, the roadsides all over Texas explode with a variety of colorful wildflowers! Few people probably realize that the reason for the  multicolored carpet of flora is none other than Lady Bird Johnson … (73 comments)

russell lewis: Westview on Lake Austin - Austin, Texas - 04/07/10 03:20 PM
Westview on Lake Austin - Austin, Texas
The Original Westview on Lake Austin is one of my favorite neighborhoods in West Lake Hills. The neighborhood is located in a beautiful tree covered valley in an area known as the West Lake Peninsula. Westview on Lake Austin was developed back during the mid-eighties. Along came the S&L Crisis and as a result a bank intervened with the developer and took over the remaining un-sold lots. Then...another bank took over the first one and consequently the remaining lots were tied up until the mid-nineties. At that point the final holding bank released the … (32 comments)

russell lewis: Lindsey Majors; Help with that Crucial First Impression and a Great Haircut! - 04/06/10 04:43 PM
Lindsey Majors; Help with that Crucial First Impression and a Great Haircut!
"Can I get a witness?" the voice exhorts from the receiver of my phone and I know immediately it's my friend and hair stylist at Eileene Kelley Salon, Lindsey Majors! She calls me every 3-4 months to remind me that I "might" need a haircut. The reason for her church on fire exclamation is that (she claims) when my hair begins to bush out like a tumbleweed shaped helmet, I begin to look disturbingly like Jimmy Swaggart. It's true, I don't get my hair cut all that often and Lindsey also says … (55 comments)

russell lewis: Rob Roy on the Lake - Austin, Texas - 04/05/10 10:13 AM
Rob Roy on the Lake - Austin, Texas
Rob Roy on the Lake Neighborhood is located just west of the original Rob Roy Neighborhood in Austin, Texas. Rob Roy on the Lake's boundaries are; to the east, Original Rob Roy, Bee Cave Road to the south, Riverhills Road to the west and Lake Austin to the North. Developed a short time after original Rob Roy in the early 1980's and continuing today. There are only a few lots left in the area and most homes purchased these days are updated or remodeled in some manner. There is also a section along … (18 comments)