Well,
P-Pop's not a Texas virgin anymore! Nana and P-Pop came out for a nice 6
day visit. Luckily they could get their own guest room since the boys
were still sleeping in Morgan's bed. We covered a lot of Austin and more
during their stay, including some places I had never been to. High on
the to-do & see list was BBQ as you might guess, and we certainly
had our fill. It rained on the first day, but we were able to do a
driving tour in the afternoon to orient them, followed by BBQ brisket at
Rudy's, one of our favorites. It got a thumbs up from P-Pop. The next
day, while Morgan was at school, Nana, P-Pop, Dean and myself went to
Mt. Bonnell, Mayfield Preserve (covered with peacocks), Laguna Gloria
museum, followed by lunch at Hula Hut on the water. That night was First
Thursdays where all the art vendors pitch a tent on S. Congress and
stores are open late, so after dinner at the house, we went for a stroll
to check it out.
Friday
was also a full day, but fared better weather so we did a day trip to
San Antonio. Ed had to stay back and work, but the rest of us saw the
Alamo, did a boat tour on the Riverwalk, had lunch by the water and then
checked out Market Square. It was a great day and gave them a little
taste of San Antonio. Although Nana had seen the Alamo 30 years ago,
she'd never been to the Riverwalk so I'm glad we had a chance to go.
Coincidentally, that night when we got back was the first night of the
Annual LoneStar Rod & Kustom RoundUp, where hot rods, vintage cars
and crazy tricked out cars congregate on S. Congress. I remember seeing
this show last year and thinking that P-Pop would love it given his
affinity for classic cars. It was serendipitous to have it the very
weekend he was here this year. After dinner back at the house, we all
walked down for some Amy's Ice Cream and sat to watch the cars cruise
by. Needless to say the boys were in awe, pointing at almost every car
excitedly. On the walk back, we caught some live music at Jo's and
danced with the kids before bedtime beckoned.
 |
| stage at Jo's |
Saturday,
we had a birthday party to go to, followed by more BBQ at the Saltlick
in picturesque and remote Driftwood, TX. Tom loved the smokehouse and
authentic Texas feel. Afterwards, we were able to show them an almost
identical model of our new house. They really liked it and said they
can't wait to see ours in person next time. Then, I attended a Kid Expo
while everyone else enjoyed the weather by the nearby fountain/field and
flew a kite. That night, Ed and I got a date night and finally attended
the Piano Bar on 6th St. that we've heard all about. It was funny and
entertaining and we had a good time.
Sunday
held a special treat -- after a Gourdough's donut-filled breakfast, we
took a 3-hour train ride on the Austin Steam Train. It was a close call,
but we made it there in the nick of time as the train was backing up to
switch tracks. Luckily, they had to slow down anyways so they let us
and the other tardy families aboard. (Good job getting us there, Ed -
next time, we'll know how far away it is!) We hadn't told the boys where
we were going, so they were thrilled to learn that we were actually
getting on the train. We rode through fields, small towns, over a
trestle bridge and stopped at an old train station where the engine
changed tracks to connect to the other side of the train to take us
back. The boys loved watching the engine couple up to our car right in
front of them.
All in all, it was a great visit and we were so happy to see them both and share Austin with them.
I'm sure I'm forgetting some things we did and I know I don't have
photos for everything. Thanks Nana and P-Pop for flying all the way out
here, treating us, watching the kids so we could steal some adult time
and for the beautiful "I Spy" quilt. The boys had a lot of fun playing with you and it meant a lot to be able to spend quality time. We may have seen and done a lot while you were here, but there's still a list of things to see for next time : )
