As my days in Austin are dwindling to an end I am determined to spend my time doing high quality activities and having quality time with friends. So far I have been pretty successful. The other day my friend picked me up from work and we headed over to Barton Springs which, as you may know, is a pretty quintessential Austin landmark. It was good timing too as it was the hottest day we’ve had yet. I figured the place would be crawling with people but I was pleasantly surprised that it was not.

I’ve been to Barton Springs a few times over the years but one last trip was essential. We posted up on the hill and took the most refreshing dip in the water. The contrast nearly takes your breath away as the water is always 68 degrees F and it was about 107 degrees F outside. We swam around a bit until we were cooled then dried off in the sun on our towels and did it all over again. The whole experience was made even better by the musicians behind us playing what reminded me of the soundtrack to a French film. Lovely.

For my final days in Austin I need to focus on just enjoying myself. Often times when I’m leaving a place I’ve been for a while I find myself running around like a crazy person trying to do so many things. I think in a way it’s a distraction for me to focus on all of my unnecessary to do’s but I’d like to not do that this time.  For instance I probably don’t need to run all over town visiting all the places that I have memories of. I probably don’t need to buy cheese cloth and collect figs for a recipe I want to try once I’m in Michigan. I’m even allowing myself to not make jewelry for a few days so I can really be present with my friends and myself. So here is to my last few high quality days in Austin.