Austin American-Statesman from Austin, Texas • 51

1 Austin American Statesman statesman.com austin360.c SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2008 SECTION ORAN1A I PQQOMQ Parents find help in president- I ri TI IDC" QTI IPT Husband just doesn't get wife's survivalist WLJrAIVtrA LLOOUINO elect's life story F3 I TU I UInC. I Ull instincts Gardening, back page This summer, we highlighted things found underground in Austin dino-' saur bones, buried treasure, historic vaults (see statesman.comunderground) This time, we turn our attention to the sky. Here's a look at a few things overhead in Austin: Bats and more bats About 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats make their home under the Ann W. By Don Tate II AMKIUCAN-STATKSMAN STAKK Richards Congress Avenue Bridge. Each night at sunset, t- from mid-March through November, they take to the skies, consuming up to 30,000 pounds of insects.

Find more Info at statesman.combats The tallest skyscraper The tallest building in Austin is the Austin 360 condominiums. It stands at a height of 567 feet and has 44 floors. But it won't be the tallest building for long. The Austonian residential tower will be 683 feet with 56 floors when completed in 2010. Atmospheric haze 'Good' ozone occurs naturally above the Earth.

But ground-level ozone can be hazardous to your health. Emissions from cars and trucks are the largest contributors to ground-level ozone. When these elements are 'cooked' in the hot Texas sun along with other pollutants, it can make for a very bad day. The University of Texas Tower This 307-foot tower was the first phase in the replacement of the old Main Building. It stands 27 stories high and offers a breathtaking view of the campus and the surrounding city.

The observation deck was closed in 1974 because of The Frost Tower owl Since construction of this 33-story office building was completed in 2004, it has been rumored the building was designed to look like an owl. Or something even more nefarious. Not true, however, because the owl's eyes the Frost Bank logo were added to the -building later, a deviation from the original design. STAR Flight If it's not a bird or a plane, it's probably STAR Flight (Shock Trauma Air Rescue). This public safety rescue program transports critically ill patients, fights fires and provides rescue to law enforcement.

It is also used by Austin-Travis County EMS to safely extricate patients from high-hazard environments. STAR Flight flew 2.053 missions in 2007, and this Construction cranes To build a tall building, a taller crane is needed. As of today, the unofficial count in downtown Austin is 13. year has flown repeated suicide attempts, but it is most notorious as the perch for the 1966 1,774, as 4 of last month. ZZZZ i Charles Whitman The Texas Pterosaur The largest flying creature ever shootings.

The deck reopened in 1999. Commercial flights Each day, about 258 scheduled commercial flights take off and land in Austin 129 take-offs, 129 landings. discovered might have looked like a bat or a bird, but it wasn't. A pterosaur was a reptile. The bones of one of these creatures are on display at the Great Hall of the Texas Natural Science Center.

In its heyday, about 65 million years ago, it made its home in what is now Big Bend National Park. The Lone Star flag Adopted on Jan. 25, 1839, as the Republic of Texas flag, it waves above homes, city and state buildings as a symbol of pride. Blue for loyalty, white for purity, red for bravery. 3 HI The Moonlight The water tower at Penn Field In 1917, Army officials practiced take-offs and landings at a small dirt strip south of St.

Edward's University. Penn Field served as Austin's first landing field. It was named after Eugene Doad Penn, a Central Texas aviator who died in a training accident i Stargazing The Painter Hall Observatory at the University pf Texas has a 9-inch refracting telescope. It was built in 1933 on top of the old Physics Building, which, now houses the astronomy department. Operating the telescope and observatory is done the old-fashioned way with levers 1 The Goddess of Liberty She's been called the Goddess of Liberty, Wisdom and Victory.

The original statue placed on the Capitol dome in 1888 was cast in white bronze and weighed almost 3,000 pounds. In 1986, a replica replaced the original statue, which is now on display at the Bullock Texas State History Museum. The goddess stands 15 feet, Vi inches tall, which, some say, makes the Texas Capitol taller than the U.S. Capitol. Towers Austin's Moonlight Towers are the only lighting system of their kind still in operation.

From a height of 165 feet, six carbon arc lamps (now mercury vapor) emit light over a radius. Only 17 of the towers erected in 1895 remain, the most notable being the replica used for the Zilker Christmas tree. 2 and cranks. The Department of Astronomy hosts a viewing every Friday and Saturday ail during World War I. Built on high ground At the time of construction, the Main Building at St.

Edward's University was 4 built on the highest point in Austin. The building ft can brag about having one of the Qjl best views of downtown and while UT is in wnne ut is in session, free iQTJuX." and open to Whereto the public. 1 find it -AJRW. i hpunnH 1. Texas Natural Science Center, Pterosaur A A iaaa 2.

Painter Hall 3. UT Tower 4. Goddess of Liberty 5. rostTower 6. 7.

Buforcj tower 8. Austin3G0 tower 9. Zilker Christmas tree, Moonlight Tower The Buford Tower Named for Capt. James L. Buford, an Austin firefighter who died while saving a 15-year-old boy from a flood, this tower once served as a 'high rise' training facility.

It was erected in 1930 and stands on the north shore of Lady Bird Lake on Cesar Chavez Street. The Terminix Bug Austinites adore this six-legged art landmark. 'His name is Willie N. Festus (pronounced 'will he infest us' Through four decades and several thefts, he made his home atop a sign at the Terminix business (now Austin Java) at the corner of 12th Street and Lamar Boulevard. Today Willie can be found atop a pole in the beer garden at Threadgill's World Headquarters.

replica Cellular transmission According to the City of Austin, there are about 386 permits related to cellular transmission in the city's full and limited purpose jurisdiction. Some are cell towers and others are cell sites on the sides of buildings. ft tt if i tea tJ a p. Ann W. Richards fli Congress Avenue Bridge, (akVthe bat bridge) 11.

TneTerminix Bug University 12. Wate? tower, Penn ield Sources: City of Austin, Watershed Protection and Development Review Department, STAR Flight, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, American-Statesman staff research MAYA PEREZ I RAISING AUSTIN Traveling with toddlers for the holidays? 10 tips can save sanity If you're on the road with the kids this holiday season, you can save money on dining out with kidsmealdeals.com. Search by ZIP code for kids-eat-free and other specials. Sarah Lindner Every day through Jan. 1, we'll have new ideas to help you save and simplify during SAVING THE SEASON strong as the place we were flying to.

Having traveled with 2-year old Willa by train, bus, boat, and a couple of 18-hour plane rides, 1 have picked up some tips that make travel much more pleasant for us. In no particular order, here are some of my family's suggestions, See RAISING, F5 the moment you click "Purchase Now!" on the airline's Web site. Although we may no longer get wings from the pilot or even food, we can still do our best to make travel an exciting and enjoyable experience for our children to make the journey as much a part of the vacation as the destination. After all, the first memory of one's plane ride is often as Holiday travel is stressful enough as it is. Add to this scenario young people who don't like being cooped up, balk at being hurried where is your sense of urgency?" "I don't know, and who react in ere- ative and often loud ways to the stress we project, and it's enough to make you want to start sipping the wassail from the nonaay season.

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