AUSTIN | Misc. Discussions - No Politics

[KevinFromTexas]

My mom's been watching Christmas movies lately, and I usually wait until right up to Christmas to do so. There was one on tv she was watching that she was telling me I had to come see. I missed about half of it, but it was worth watching. It's called Angels Sing. It was set in Austin and filmed here. It starts off with Harry Connick Jr. flying an RC plane at Auditorium Shores. It also has a bunch of local musicians in it - Kris Kristofferson, Lyle Lovett, Dale Watson, Ray Benson, Marcia Ball, Charlie Sexton and Willie Nelson. It's supposed to take place on "Live Oak Lane" somewhere in an older neighborhood in Austin.

[lzppjb]

Is that the one where Harry buys Willie's old mansion and then decorates it with the help of neighbors?

Saw it last year. Pretty cool being set in Austin.

[KevinFromTexas]

Yep. I don't usually go for new Christmas movies (and new music). I prefer the oldies, but this was good, and not just because it was set in Austin, though, it certainly didn't hurt.

[wwmiv]

An article about my grandfather, Wendell Wise Mayes, Jr.:

Vet, 93, says Navy years on WWII carrier forged him into an adult

http://www.mystatesman.com/news/loca...X7BiqD51CHelJ/

Mayes, who now lives at the Brookdale Westlake Hills senior living community in Austin, spent his postwar years becoming a longtime radio broadcasting and cable television executive before earning multiple college degrees after retirement, including a Ph.D. as recently as four years ago. He also organizes a luncheon to honor other veterans at Brookdale Westlake Hills.

“We call Dr. Mayes ‘Amazing Mayes,’” said Laura Clark, the resident program coordinator at Brookdale Westlake Hills. “He’s the kind of the guy that just jumps in with both feet, and he’s just really done a whole lot.”

Mayes was born in San Antonio in 1924, the son of a radio station owner and grandson of William Harding Mayes, a former Texas lieutenant governor and newspaper publisher who founded the University of Texas School of Journalism in 1914.

Wendell Mayes attended Schreiner Institute (now Schreiner University) in Kerrville for a semester. He transferred to the University of Texas for a year before joining the Navy in 1942 after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

After boot camp and special training as a radar operator assisting fighter pilots on night flights, Mayes finally went to sea aboard the Yorktown in October 1944. In an autobiography, Mayes wrote that he’d gotten five battle stars for his uniform ribbons but the only “enemy” he saw while on the Yorktown was when sailors rescued a “half-drowned Japanese teenage fisherman” whose boat was sunk by shellfire.

Mayes spent four months on the Yorktown before his air group was transferred to the carrier Lexington, now a museum in Corpus Christi. Mayes said he remembers sailors coming back to the fleet and telling him about the Battle of Okinawa and kamikaze suicide planes attacking the Yorktown and other ships. The sailors told Mayes about 18 other radar techs he trained with who were on the ship who were injured or killed, leaving Mayes and one other technician as the only two left uninjured.

“I can’t tell you how it made me feel,” Mayes said. “I felt lucky.”

Mayes continues to stay involved with other veterans and personally invites them to a monthly luncheon at Brookdale Westlake Hills, where he interviews the veterans and has them share their story, which he has combined into a published book, “Brookdale Westlake Hills Veterans: A Book of Honor.”

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by wwmiv

An article about my grandfather, Wendell Wise Mayes, Jr.:

Vet, 93, says Navy years on WWII carrier forged him into an adult

http://www.mystatesman.com/news/loca...X7BiqD51CHelJ/

That is awesome. Getting a degree at 89 is beyond impressive.

[The ATX]

The set of Fear the Walking Dead has taken over Dell Diamond:

http://www.mystatesman.com/news/loca...oy0WJo48wWCiI/

[The ATX]

Fear the Walking Dead will also be filming in South Austin according this permit.

https://abc.austintexas.gov/web/perm...rtyrsn=2023382

From the permit:

...our show takes place in a post-apacolyptic backdrop, we hope to intermittently hold traffic on S. Pleasant Valley Road between Springville Lane and William Cannon for very short periods on the shoot day only with the help of APD officers

[IluvATX]

How do I cross post? And is it allowed if I'm quoting someone or using their pictures, etc. as reference?

[KevinFromTexas]

Originally Posted by IluvATX

How do I cross post? And is it allowed if I'm quoting someone or using their pictures, etc. as reference?

I'm not sure what you mean exactly, but yes, I would think it's ok. If you're posting someone else's photos and not quoting them, then you'll have to credit them with a link to where you found those photos.

If you're asking how to cross post a quote from somewhere else on the forum, there's no way to do it without first quoting them in whatever thread they made the comment, then copying and pasting the quote into your reply in the thread you're wanting to place the quote in.

Originally Posted by IluvATX

Ok I'll say it. All these look basic and lame. I don't like Google Tower and these are half the height. Looks like something in suburban Anywhere, USA. Gensler is the architect of these I believe. Same architects of Google, 600 guad, etc. Gensler is one of the largest architecture firms in the world and it seems the Austin office is focused on rectangular buildings with a balcony or 2 or some obvious cutout for a CVC. Come on George Blume!

So, for this quote of yours in the Domain thread, I had to go to that thread, quote you, then copy and paste that quote into this post here.

[The ATX]

This is being discussed in the S.A. urban core thread, but there was an FAA filing for 900' Ferris Wheel/Observation Wheel for San Antonio. This would be by far the tallest Ferris Wheel in the world.

[drummer]

Originally Posted by The ATX

This is being discussed in the S.A. urban core thread, but there was an FAA filing for 900' Ferris Wheel/Observation Wheel for San Antonio. This would be by far the tallest Ferris Wheel in the world.

Pretty cool! Here's the link to that page of the thread:
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...29468&page=257

[the Genral]

Originally Posted by The ATX

This is being discussed in the S.A. urban core thread, but there was an FAA filing for 900' Ferris Wheel/Observation Wheel for San Antonio. This would be by far the tallest Ferris Wheel in the world.

Why?

[Jdawgboy]

Yet something else I've wanted Austin to have but won't. Ohwell.

[KevinFromTexas]

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

Yet something else I've wanted Austin to have but won't. Ohwell.

I'd rather have an observation tower.

[Sigaven]

Originally Posted by The ATX

This is being discussed in the S.A. urban core thread, but there was an FAA filing for 900' Ferris Wheel/Observation Wheel for San Antonio. This would be by far the tallest Ferris Wheel in the world.

And also would dwarf the entire skyline. I think it's kind of a strange place to propose an observation wheel of any kind, much less the tallest ever built. It's well outside the downtown area and nothing much really happening in that area, unless there's something brewing up in that part of town we don't know about. (no pun intended - as it is near the lone star brewery site lol)

[the Genral]

I'm with Kevin, observation / restaurant tower would be cool. And again, I ask why? as in why would anyone need a 900ft Ferris Wheel and at that price. I don't find them that attractive in a city scape, but they do add a festive touch amongst other rides.
On another off topic note, saw the character 'Morgan' from 'Walking Dead' on talking dead last night with the Texas Capitol Building in the background being interviewed about his crossover to 'Fear The Walking Dead'. We knew FTWD was going to be filmed in Austin / Round Rock, now everyone knows. Pretty cool, I may start watching it.

[the Genral]

Why aren't the two identical buildings flanking city hall next to each other?

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by the Genral

Why aren't the two identical buildings flanking city hall next to each other?

There was supposed to be a third identical building directly behind City Hall where the W is. Thankfully plans for the three building CSC campus were cancelled during the bursting of the dot com bubble. All three buildings were to be connected by underground tunnels, and the tunnels were built.

[drummer]

Merry Christmas, everyone!

[the Genral]

Originally Posted by drummer

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Thank you, ditto!!!!!