It’s as if the gods suddenly threw a switch. With a signal from beyond, springtime is bursting forth in Central Texas. One of my favorite harbingers of the fresh season is the Texas Live Oak (Quercus virginiana var. fusiformis), which exhibits an unusual behavior this time of year. My tour clients from the west or …

Although everywhere in Central Texas remains hot and dry, late July was a good time to take a staycation in Fredericksburg, one of our favorite Hill Country towns. I went with Linda to this very German place for a miniature family reunion and to conduct tour research. My 89-year-old Uncle Elmore resides in Fbg in …

After a busy holiday season from All Hallow’s Eve on, which consisted of many walking tours, drives, and celebrations, this year’s end found us exploring an area 60 miles due east of Austin. My wife, Linda, had discovered Carmine on an arts retreat last March and wished me to enjoy it, too. The journey opened …

This month began with a newcomer-to-be excursion. My assignment was to help convince this client to move to Austin with his relocating company. You’d think that this city would be self-selling, but lots of folks still harbor doubts and misgivings about life in Texas. Summer heat is always an issue until I display its remedy: …

July may have been giant, but September surpassed. A sleepy August saw me in front of walking tours, exposing the Alamo City, and presenting a talk, Secrets of the Capitol, at Querencia of Barton Creek. On the cusp of month-change, however, was the excellent Kerrville Wine and Music Festival, affectionately known as “little folk.” Again, …

Traveling back and forth for the four weekends of Kerrville left little time for leading tours in June, but I did manage to conduct a couple private strolls through the venerable Driskill Hotel in downtown Austin. These are an outgrowth of the Congress Avenue walking tours I perform for the ACVB. Soon enough, June came …

In the merry month of May, most of our mindfulness merges on migrating toward the Kerrville Folk Festival. I’ve been attending since 1979, and am fortunate to lend my several talents to the fest’s fun. For instance, I lead a nature walk around the 20-acre campground every Sunday. As a radio personality, I produced and …

One of the activities many guides enjoy is assuming the identity of historical personages. I’ve been lucky to do this twice in the last two months. In March, during our Austin Tour Guide Association’s annual gala, I became August Scholz, the German immigrant who founded Scholz Bier Garten in Austin in 1866. This guise was …

Spring is beginning to show itself on many a limb here in Austin and, thanks to with fine weather, these are excellent days to be on foot. The Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) has hosted free downtown walking tours for years, and they begin in March after taking a winter break. It’s a way to …

A wide range of visitors have come to Austin this cold season, and many of them now know more about Central Texas because they rode with the Texpert. Some of my clients came from Sweden, others from Philadelphia, Maryland, Dallas, the Midwest, and even Leander, Texas. Some were couples, others bus-loads. At least three of …