Allyson Whipple

Tag: Texas

  • A Spider Summer, Continued

    About two weeks ago, I woke up to find an egg sac attached to my bedroom window. I was amazed. I’d never seen one up close before, and now here it was. I’m happy that the spider finds my house safe enough. The abundance of wasps, bees, mosquitoes, and chiggers probably helps.

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    But wait! There’s more!

    Yesterday as Simon and I were coming back from our walk, I saw another egg sac attached to the side of the house. I hadn’t realized that spiders would create multiple sacs in a season. The thought occurred to me that it might be from another spider, but this second sac is close to her web. And Arigope are pretty noticeable. I think I’d have seen a second spider.

    I’m just amazed she’s thriving enough to lay a second set of eggs.

    Apparently Arigope aurantia is also known as the Writing Spider, because of the zippers they weave into their webs. I’m quite happy to have a writing spider hanging out with me.

    img_2445Yesterday there was also an amazing double zipper on the web. I didn’t know that happened, either!

     

  • A Spider Summer

    A black-and-yellow garden spider set up shop outside my bedroom window last month. While she might look scary, she’s in fact harmless to humans. I’ve enjoyed watching her weave her web in the morning. It’s also quite a show to see her kill and wrap up a bee or cricket when it flies into her nest. And the process of watching her eat her prey is fascinating.

    I’ve taken quite a few videos of her this summer. If you’re not arachnophobic, check them out! And even if you are, just watch. You might discover there’s nothing to be afraid of.

     

  • January Retrospective

    2015 started off with some great opportunities for writing, reading, and sharing work.

    AWR January 2015
    The Austin Writers Roulette group

    First, I again had the honor of being a featured poet at the monthly Austin Writers Roulette show. The January theme was “Redemption,” and host Teresa Roberson once again rocked a thematic outfit. I performed three short, silly poems about feeling guilty for irrational things. We had a wide range of poems and stories, some honest and haunting. There were so many brave authors sharing vulnerable but inspiring work.

    ITWOW
    Having fun in Waco

    Despite living only about 90 minutes from Waco, the only time I’ve spent there has been driving through it. But Waco poet Jenuine Poetess, founder of In The Words of Womyn, invited me up for ITWOW’s birthday celebration/daylong writing retreat. I arrived in time for the afternoon potluck where there was amazing food. After two workshops that brought forth some incredible work from all participants, I got to hang out, eat delicious Vietnamese food, and then participate in a reading/open mic, as well as a silent auction. I made some excellent new friends, and found out that Waco has its charms.

  • Find Me in February

    February is already shaping up to be a busy month! If you want to come hear me read, I’ll be at the following venues:

    February 7th: Expressions
    Baha’i Faith Center
    Theme: For the Love Of!
    Note: None of the poets at this event will be reading original work. We will be reading the work of deceased poets, and celebrating their lives
    Doors at 6:00 p.m., reading starts at 7:00
    Admission Free, but please contribute to the potluck or bring canned good donations for Poets Pantry

    February 8th: Austin Writers Roulette
    Stompin’ Grounds
    Theme: Bad Date Night
    This is one of the rare instances where I’ll be reading nonfiction rather than poetry.
    4:00 p.m.
    Admission Free, but $5 donations encouraged to help us pay rent for the venue.

    February 13th: V-Day Erotica Reading
    BookWoman
    I’ll be hosting this event, and featuring Jasmaine Cash, Faylita Hicks, Denise Hudson, and Cindy Huyser.
    Free

  • Art and Words Audio

    In September, I had the honor of being included in Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam’s Art & Words Show in Fort Worth. The Art & Words Show is a series in which poets and visual artists get to create ekphrastic pieces from each other’s work. My poem “Bearing the Coast” actually got two paintings (lucky me!) and I wrote a poem based on a piece by Stacy Tompkins.

    My poem next to Stacy's paining.
    My poem next to Stacy’s paining.

    2014-09-27 21.39.04 2014-09-27 21.39.25

    My friend Wade and I drove up to Fort Worth for the opening reception and reading. I had a wonderful time meeting all the other artists and writers involved with the project. It was also my first time in Fort Worth, and I admit I’m more than a little smitten.

    I didn’t get video, but Bonnie was kind enough to provide the writers with audio from the opening reception/reading. I’ve shared links to sound files below!

    To listen to “Bearing the Coast,” click here.

    To listen to “Syncopated Rhythm,” click here.

  • We won’t go back

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  • Ready

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  • Weekend Adventures: Pedernales Falls State Park

    I haven’t gone on a photography walk since Christmas. But last weekend, I had the entirety of Saturday unscheduled and a desire to be out and about. So I texted my friend Savanni (whose photography skills are excellent) about going somewhere nearby for a good, long walk, accompanied by cameras. I has a specific itch to go somewhere with water, so we headed out to Johnson City, home to Pedernales Falls State Park.

    We met up midmorning, and headed out on 290. Despite some traffic in Dripping Springs, we made it out unscathed, and spent nearly three hours climbing rocks and taking pictures. The water levels were low, of course, but that made for lots of good exploring. (Pedernales Falls is known for flash floods, and while Savanni and I would both like to see that one day, we would also like to observe it from a safe distance.)

    While we were walking, I realized how long it had been since I’d spent extended time exploring the outdoors. I was at the beach in July, and since then I’ve pretty much been city-bound. And while I adore Austin, I didn’t realize just how much I’d been missing nature until I was immersed in it.

    We had a perfect afternoon: climbing, walking, photographing, conversing. I ended up with a bit of sunburn (it’s autumn, but the sun here hasn’t lost intensity yet), and my calves are still sore, but it was all worth it to get outside, walk around, and enjoy Texas.

    I like lens flares. So sue me.

    We finished off our afternoon with a late lunch at Torchy’s, which officially solidified the day’s greatness.

    Somebody snarked at us for taking photos of this rusted-out plumbing accessory. Haters gonna hate.

    I’m also seriously considering investing in a Texas State Parks Pass. I would need to make one solo state park visit a month for it to pay for itself, and since I usually go to parks with at least one person, it would get cost-effective pretty quickly. Especially with the camping fee discount.