Austin is totally and completely landlocked. And yet our lives here are shaped by water.
It's semi-arid here at the edge of the Hill Country, and so we're always just coming off the last drought or heading into the next. That's why they dammed the Colorado River (No. Not that Colorado River) to form the massive drinking fountain that is Lake Travis up in the western hills.
The Colorado River drops away from Lake Travis as it snakes along the west side of town before turning east toward the Gulf of Mexico. Splits the city right in half.
That east-turning section of the river was dammed again to form Lake Austin and to hold the water levels stable downtown. Several of my favorite spots are along the shore.
One evening this week I was working from Mozart's Coffee patio, right on the water, as the city was overtopped by a huge thunderhead just as the sun set, providing that impossibly golden light you see in the photo.