The Shasta Trailer

Posted on by Thor

Traveling to Austin Texas, Pam and I decided to stay in a Shasta Trailer parked in someone’s garage. It was an affordable option that felt like a camping adventure. There was a shower in the backyard where a few chickens wandered. In this sketch, Pam is making breakfast. Behind her is the bathroom which was the one flaw of the trailer. I couldn’t get in and out of the bathroom without bonking my head. It was also too tight for me to stand to lift my underwear back up, so I would have to crawl out of the bathroom and then shimmy my skivvies back into place.

This trailer also promised several bicycles but they weren’t working. We ended up taking Ubers wherever we wanted to go instead. On a whole however, this tiny trailer was the perfect place to explore Austin from. The host offered plenty of suggestions for restaurants and venues to explore. Austin’s restaurants are strangely loud and always crowded. It is as if the louder a restaurant is the more crowed it becomes. We tried several Texas BBQ joints to see how Texas compares to Central Florida BBQ. My humble taste buds could not differentiate. I would need a blind taste test side by side.

Cathedral of Junk

Posted on by Thor

The Cathedral of Junk is located in quiet suburban neighborhood in Austin Texas (4422-4424 Lareina Dr, Austin, Texas 78745) in the back yard of the artist who created it. It is a living sculpture, meaning it is always in flux as its creator, owner and curator, Vince Hannemann, adds new features and edits others out. Construction began in his backyard in 1988 and new items are added constantly. He estimated that it now contains 60 tons of junk. His puppy acted as our unofficial docent and Vince left us to explore. You should call  should you ever decide to visit the Cathedral. Vince welcomed my request to sketch.

The unassuming cathedral can not be seen from the street. The main tower has an inner structure of re bar onto which is attached every for of junk you can imagine. Hubcaps, gears, surf boards, rocking horses, guitars, road signs, a glittering array of Cd’s and a shrine to Elvis and Madonna. Crutches pointed to the heavens at the top of the tower. Though the materials are unorthodox, there is a reverence to the place, like a true cathedral. The place is also multi leveled with steps winding up to a high perch overlooking the neighborhood. It is a true playground for adults and children alike. No single sketch or photo can do the place justice. There is something new to see every few inches.

Yuppies in the townhouse behind the cathedral had complained to the city asking it to be torn down. Several engineers have studied the structure looking for weak spots but it is built to withstand any Texas storm. The only thing that did have to come down was a pyramid of 200 TVs. Although the engineering of a pyramid might be sound, the TVs are lighter than stone and might become projectiles in a hurricane.

Remington Beard Boss World Beard and Moustache Championships

Posted on by Thor

When Pam Schwartz and I traveled to Austin Texas, I wanted to sketch events that are a quirky and unique as the ones I find in Orlando. The Remington Beard Boss and the Austin Facial Hair Club World Beard and Moustache Championships fit the bill. Beardos and Whiskerinas came from all over the world to Austin, Texas for Championships at the Long Center for the Performing Arts.

The three-day competition attracted more than 1000 competitors and fans. Every two years, the WBMC showcases the very best in men’s whiskers and united beards in a cultural event like no other. For the first time at WBMC, Whiskerina (ladies) categories were showcased. Projected to be the largest competition to date, the three-day event included live entertainment, local food vendors, family-friendly activities and dozens of facial hair competitions—all on site at Austin’s premier downtown performing arts center.

I was clean shaven at the time but after witnessing this event, I began to sport a beard. There were beards of every shape and size and some that honestly are hard to believe. One man grew his beard so long he created a mask out of it that made him look like a werewolf.  Beards were sculpted into intricate and delicate curtly cues. Beards were long, short soft and pointy. There was a beard for every taste. A woman has a mustache that looked like two nuclear explosions.

We arrived late in the day on the final day of the competition to see the best in show and the closing ceremonies. I wrote on the sketch that #526 was the winner. That was not the werewolf but a more refined beard and mustache of epic spiraling forms. I keep my beard trimmed to less than 1/4 inches but it is tempting to contemplate what it would take to be a world champion.  I only feat a larger beard would get in the way when I sketch.