One man's junk...

I know the people in Austin love to keep telling us all that they are 'weird', which is all well and good but it's all relative, right?! I live in SF and let me tell you, there's plenty of 'weird' here too. It would take something truly over the top for me to think Austin could live up to the hype. Don't get me wrong, I love the city, but you get my point on the weird thing.

Anyway, on my last visit to Austin, it threw one right out of the ball park. Don't ask me how, but we heard about this 'museum' call the Cathedral of Junk & decided to pay a visit. Turns out, it's a collection of old, random objects that the artist has carefully (understatement) curated and assembled into a full size building structure that you can meander through. Each zone, room & section seems to be a narrative about the passing of time. You can't help but get lost in the space, not only because it is literally a bit maze-like, but also because you get sucked in to the tiny details of the artwork; the more you look, the more you see. 

To top it all off, the guy has been working on this piece for about 30 years solid. He started to build it in the backyard of the rental property he was living in back in the 80's and kept going. He must have had a great relationship with his landlord - not only did he build a giant structure there that is taller than the house, he also ended up needing a city building permit it got so big.

Today, the artist owns the property & lets visitors drop by (with appointments) to visit. It's free admission, but a $5 donation is asked for. TBH, we ended up giving the guy $20 or more, the place was so worth it. Check it out if you are ever in town! If you need to see more of what I'm talking about, check out the video.

Appliances anyone? I don't even know what most of these are.

Step up to be tall, sit down to be small. Profoundness found in junk

Coldplay's "Yellow" lyrics, etched into a concrete slab. There's loads of song lyrics hidden throughout the structure. 

Who remembers the old iMac computers, you know, the colored variety? Haven't seen one since university days. I remember using a safety pin to push a hidden button to reboot the damned thing

This seems like something out of a Stephen King narrative. I'm not sure why Mother Mary & a creepy Christmas snowman are in a tiny office space together engrossed in discussion. Thoughts?

El Escorial

I love living in the US for so many reasons. But sometimes, I miss being surrounded by places steep in history. 

We have a giggle every now and then when we go to museums here, because they'll often have exhibits of European (mostly Italian, Spanish & French) furniture that is just on 200 years old and idolize it. It's a young country, like Australia is too, so connections to the late past are more mythical and elusive.

This is a series of pictures I took a couple of years ago in El Escorial, just outside of Madrid. This place is a beautiful, historical landmark for sure. But for my family it has more everyday significance - it's the place my dad went to school & the place my grandfather worked for many years of his life. For a little while there, there was talk that I'd go to school there too. 

Enjoy the quick photo tour!