Warm Winter Weather Wackiness

Yesterday morning, stepping out onto our balcony, the first thought that came into our head was: what a perfect day for a swim! And the second thought? But wait, it's only the day after Christmas! Forget about snowmen and fireside eggnog - it's predicted to be a fairly warm winter. Temperatures at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport reached a relatively scorching 81 degrees on Monday, beating a record set back in 1988. And, of course, Austinites are taking this with our typical nonchalance:

"It's Austin; you sort of expect it. There is no unseasonable weather," Lloyd Thompson said Monday afternoon at Auditorium Shores, where he and his wife, Penny, had taken their dog. Penny Thompson walked barefoot, while others threw a flying disc and ran around in shorts. Lloyd Thompson said he went to high school and college in Indiana before moving to Austin a few years ago. "Oh, it's frigid there," he said. "Twenties, 30s, icy roads. It's funny to call people there, and they hear birds in the background. "I've had people hang up on me," Thompson said.