Vacationing in the Southwest, Austin to Chicago

What to do in Austin?

We get ¡Texas fever! by visiting the new Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. You know that saying, "everything's bigger in Texas"? Look at the size of this lone star sculpture! For comparison, D is in the left corner of the photo.

The museum is downtown, just a stone’s throw from the capital and the UT Austin campus.

Since we’re here while Congress and the college students are on break, it’s easy to get around and park our rental car, but good luck any other time of the year.

We arrive just in time to catch the movie in the Spirit of Texas theater. It's well worth the extra $3.50, even though it lasts for only 10 minutes.

The exhibits take up three floors, but they get less and less interesting with each flight. I think we spend at least an hour looking at the artifacts on the first floor and about 10 minutes at the top.

Near UT, we stop for breakfast (available 24 hours) at one of my most favorite places in Austin, Kerbey Lane Cafe. Mmmm, the migas plate.

South of the capital, we wander around the hip SoCo neighborhood,
where there’s lots of good food, at tex-mex places like Guero’s, El Soy y La Luna, and the home cooking place we enjoy this time, The Woodman The Woodland (new, no website, great service, great reviews).

There’s also fun little shops, like Uncommon Objects.
See how the cowboy's neon rope twirls in a big circle above his head? It must have been fun to make this sign.



Across the street is Hill Country Weavers, which I would happily call my LYS if I lived in Austin. Friendly staff and all the yarn brands I can think of.


I found this coral Zephyr (50% Chinese Tussah silk, 50% Merino wool), which will make a nice souvenir of our visit in the southwest.
Maybe a Swallowtail Shawl.

We also marvel at the flagship location of Whole Foods market at Sixth and Lamar. I thought we had it pretty good in Chicago, but we don’t have 80,000 square feet of amazing food. The takeout bars are really something. When I called my sisters to ask them if there was anything we should miss in Austin, they both mentioned a stop at this store.

Our schedule permits 2 nights in and around Austin, and then it's time to head south, to see my sister and catch our flight home.

What to do in San Antonio? Mostly we have a great time hanging out with my family and friends.


We also visit the Alamo and the Riverwalk.


D is underwhelmed by both. He says the Alamo is dinky and that the photos he's seen of the riverwalk must be taken from the very best angles. I guess he was expecting something like the Chicago River, but it's more like a wide creek.

That's it, trip's over. I'll edit to add a few more photos, but here's one final shot of D hanging out in my sister's backyard. Doesn't he look better than he did when we started out? I got in trouble for posting his airport photo. See honey, here you are, more like yourself, but with that mellow vacation vibe.

Vacationing in the Southwest, Alpine to Austin, TX

Another entry written during our last days on vacation:

By the time we cross the border from New Mexico to west Texas in the late afternoon, I’m bored with driving and happily give the wheel to D for the final 3 hours to Alpine. It’s been almost a week since his hernia surgery, and although he’s not ready to run a marathon, the driving around here is pretty easy. Flat roads, no traffic, and broad daylight.

So you’ve never heard about all the fun things to do in west Texas? Well … people don’t usually vacation in west Texas, unless they’ve got family to visit like we do, or they’re going all the way to the Big Bend National Park, which is even further off the beaten track than our destination.
We, however, spend 2 very pleasant days catching up with D’s brother. We try to photograph the deer and roadrunner traipsing about, but they won’t cooperate. D’s little mom is also here for a few days, so you know we don’t miss any meals.

The next morning we start the 6 hour drive east to Austin. When we leave Alpine, it’s just us and a few pickup trucks. Once we make it onto IH 10, it’s just us, a few pickup trucks, and the longhaul trucks. No towns, no billboards, and no radio reception. It starts to get a bit monotonous. The long haulers bear names like E.L. Farmer and Co., Fleetwood Transportation, and Sunbelt Express. We’re so restless, I bet D that the next truck we pass won’t have any e’s in the name of the trucking company. He says 20 bucks, but I say 5. It’s Paul A. Ward Trucking Co! What are the odds! Should have made it 20.

The drive gets much more interesting when we get into the Texas hill country. It's beautiful here, even in the winter. And we get to stay with friends just outside of Austin! These next photos are mostly for D’s brother, who hasn‘t yet seen their place. Here’s the entrance to their property (make note of the double C logo on the fence). There’s a shed off to the right, and the house is off to the left.


Here’s their cute little house. The left half is the guest house we stay in and the right half is their residence.


Our hosts maintain an “open space” or “ag” exemption on their property taxes by fencing off the acre or two around their house and running livestock on the rest. So out the front door, just on the other side of the wire fence, cows:




And this is Sunny, their lovable 7 month old Border Collie:

Sunny tries to herd me when I run around the yard playing with her and she can’t stop picking on the sweet cat. Lots of energy that one. I really miss my Libby.

These girls are Chula and Tootsie, mini dachshunds, who are house dogs and can be coaxed under the covers with us. See the white double C logo on Tootsie’s hip?

That’s a freeze brand,
which I thought they only did with livestock.

Isn’t this the coolest place? We really like it, and like our hosts even more.

Ok, is this interesting, or like being subjected to someone's home movies? I've got a few more Texas photos to share, and then the vacation is over. :)