FROM LEFT: With family friend Ryley Caton, Alamo Drafthouse founder Tim League, and my son, Scott DeLone, at the League’s home for the Alamo Drafthouse/Fons PR holiday party; my wife, Meredith, and I with Stuart Thomajan, CEO of the Chameleon Group, and Lisa Matulis-Thomajan, owner of Delish, at our party celebrating “The List.”
Texas is an exciting place to live. Let’s start with my wildlife encounters. Shortly after moving here, I was cornered in my car by a pack of what appeared to be opossums wearing body armor that looked ready to attack. I remained in my car and later learned they were baby armadillos that posed little threat. I recently returned home to find a rattlesnake sleeping on my front walk that did not appreciate almost being stepped on. Now that was an experience! On the much more pleasant side, I enjoy seeing all the dogs waiting for their owners outside the gym, in front of restaurants, in people’s offices, and at Whole Foods. You have to love a town that loves dogs.
And I do love Austin. It is nice to get to the office early in the morning and see so many people running on the streets. I can cross the Colorado River and feel like I am living in Los Angeles (in a good way) when I get to Bee Cave and view the amazing homes perched on cliffs overlooking the water. I went to a meeting at John Hogg and David Garza’s home, and the view was spectacular. I can deal with the traffic; any popular city has traffic issues. And isn’t the fantastic weather worth it?
I am learning when I can get by without wearing a tie. Now I need to get a handle on when I can skip shaving. The last time I went to a big event without shaving, I ended up sitting with President George H.W. Bush and the former first lady. Barbara Bush informed me they had been married 63 years, and her husband never missed a day shaving. That was a little stressful.
People in Austin are surprisingly friendly. If you bump into someone or mistakenly get on the elevator before the other gets off, nobody seems ready to fight. Everyone is busy; everyone is focused, but Austinites seem relaxed and happy.
There are lots of changes happening in this city. Austin Way is one of them, but I hope things don’t change too much. As we publish this, our third issue, Austin has been wonderfully positive about the magazine as well as the work of our team and everyone at Niche Media. It’s not about keeping Austin weird; it’s just about keeping Austin, Austin. That sounds good to me.
LOU DELONE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALISON NARRO (CATON); DAVID BRENDAN HALL (THOMAJAN)
