Goodbye to Steve

Last night’s walk was hard penance for the past two days of undisciplined eating.  It was a good mix of short, steep hills, long and gradual slopes, rocky trail terrain and some flat stretches to give us both a break, starting at the end of Long Bow, winding through the woodsy trail, taking the steeper hills at St. Ed’s, back through the woods and one lap around Stacy Park.  Usually I overestimate how long I’ve walked; this time I underestimated and came dangerously close to missing the first few minutes of Mad Men.

After nursery duty – with only five babies, because Schlotzky’s Bun Run had closed so many streets downtown that I think a lot of people just gave up – I spent much of the afternoon at my friend Steve’s home for his annual “Goodbye to Austin” party.  Let me tell you about Steve, who has one of the coolest and most unusual work lives I know about.  From May to October he lives in Chicago, where he is a gifted and much sought-after tennis teaching pro.  It is grueling and physical work, and he gives it his all.  Once the weather turns, he comes back to Austin for the next six months.  He has a beautiful home and grounds here , and there is always a major landscaping or renovation project going on to occupy most of his time. (His Chicago home is a small condo). He also hangs plays drums in a couple of different bands, listens to live music, goes to movies and generally enjoys all the wonderful things Austin has to offer.  How cool is that??? Work for six months, make enough money to play for six months.  I love hearing him describe how he knows it’s time to return to Chicago, or come back to Austin:  he feels a tug both ways for a while, and then suddenly “the switch flips,” and he’s gone the next day.  Unbelievably enough, he has never set foot on the hike and bike trail, and swears that he will make a five-mile walk with me before he leaves this time.  Here he is playing host and taking a break from playing with the band for the last time.