Now, at first glance, you might think I'm coming in early for Halloween. But, nope. This mug celebrates Austin's bat population. In fact the background photo is titled, "The Nightly Bat Flight from the Congress Street Bridge in Austin, TX".
Before I moved here, I didn't know that this was a thing. There's a similar phenomenon that happens in Sydney, Australia--which I've witnessed--but I had NO IDEA about Austin. But here's a link in case you're interested in learning more:
And that's pretty much all I have to say about that. It's pretty much my grandson's favorite mug (because he thinks it's Halloween-themed, too) and it does have a handle, in case you were wondering, but I couldn't get the handle and AUSTIN in the same shot.
I bought this mug at The Oasis on Lake Travis, just north of Austin (still technically Austin, I suppose) which is a great spot for brunch or (I guess) viewing the sunset...if you live out that way or don't mind being stuck in traffic on the way home. Sorry, Not Sorry. I've grown to loathe traffic in recent years.
Even though this is not--strictly speaking--a Halloween mug, it fits this week because I am annotating Visions Before Midnight, which is A. Set at Halloween and B. has A LOT to do with the Natural World (not to mention Biology and Botany and other Natural Sciences). One of the main characters works in a high school as a teaching assistant and the other runs a nature center that focuses on Native American history and culture--particularly how it applies to animals and plants.
I don't think I have a scene with bats in it, but it would be totally appropriate if I did.
