Your Guide to Lake Travis, Austin TX
When Mary Smothers was twenty-one she and her husband had no insurance and no security alarm.
They were renting, so she figured there was no need.
But one day she came home with her six-month-old son on her hip to find her home broken into and belongings piled in the living room. The burglars were still there.
She went to a neighbor’s and waited for police.
Too late; their home was cleaned out. The criminals were never apprehended.
Unless you’re about twelve, it’s unlikely you’re actually from Lago Vista. Even those who’ve lived here the longest seem to have moved in after they learned to talk.
This list of community traits was unscientifically extorted from random people on the street, none of whom claim to be native Lago Vistans. The list did seem to fall into just a few broad categories, though.
If you happened to glance at Lake Travis on Saturday or Sunday, you might have wondered what was going on. Sure, it was Memorial Day weekend. Makes sense for people to flock to the lake. But why all the sailboats?
For the first time in years, the weather cooperated enough to hold a two-day race the Austin Yacht Club calls the Turnback Canyon Regatta. One sailor, whose team came in fourth in his division Saturday, explained that there has to be enough water in the cove at Bar-K Park to allow the sailboats to tie up overnight.
You may recall the Memorial Day weekend of 2015, when there was too much water (not to mention debris) to hold the race.
In her award-winning historical novel Mayhem: Three Lives of a Woman, Elizabeth Harris has a fish camp as the setting of ongoing harassment and a shocking crime. She sums up the Texas tradition: “Fish camp was a time before it was a fixed place.”
At the fixed place where Lake Austin Spa Resort is now, in a time shortly after the construction of the Mansfield Dam, a rustic fishing lodge was built. Lake Austin Lodges ran the property from the late 1940s to the early 1970s.
The clear blue expanse of Point Venture pool looks like it might be chilly. Dip a toe, gently slide in, or dunk yourself. After marching across the pool just once, the water temperature feels just right.
Armed with a dazzling smile, a waterproof Bluetooth speaker, and some props, Point Venture resident Linda Lewis guides the AguaFit workout with original choreography.