Austin Skies

Some places hold me because of the memories of who I was there, what I learned, who I became. Some places call me because of what I built, or grew, or did there. Some places live in my heart because of the people, the folks, the friends who held me close. But rare is the place that owns a part of me for no reason than what it is.

I've always been a bit rootless when it came to places. I think I wanted to live everywhere. I've made it around the world a few times and seen the sunset on four continents. I watched the sunrise in most of the 50 states. I've talked to the stars in countries where I didn't know the language and watched clouds from a 16th century manor house. I've seen the sky out airplanes and from sailboats and train windows.

Nothing ever filled me with the surprise and wonder of the Austin skies.

I'd try to describe them to you, but would you believe in colors that you've never seen before? Could you picture a morning with a Batman gray-black sky that 20 minutes later was blue as the tropical oceans? Would you be able to imagine clouds in shapes that looked like snowballs hanging in rows above for you to choose the one you liked most? Could you believe in watching a night storm in the distance off your back porch where the lightning ran sideways most of the night?

No. I thought not. Neither could I until I met them.

Instead I'll tell you about the 25-wood deck restaurant over the lake. At least once a week we'd go there to eat the best Tex-Mex dinner and drink margaritas, while watching the sun go down. I'd be thinking that People go on vacation to enjoy a place like this and we live here. The entire place would be one giant smile of relaxation. A lovely lake, great food what's not to like?

Then at the moment when the sun touched the hills on the horizon, and finally disappeared—it happened every evening at that time—all of the hundred or so people in the restaurant would stop—set down their drinks, their forks and knives—cheer and applaud the sun.

That's the beauty of the Austin skies.

—me strauss Letting me be