It's Fall, Y'all!

We are in the midst of a beautiful fall! We've had day after day of blue skies, sunshine and temperatures in the 70s during the day. 

Our Thanksgiving, this year, was different, since the kids didn't go camping, as they usually do. We really love those outdoor Thanksgiving dinners, but this one took place at our house, for a change, and it was fun, too.

Robert's birthday always falls near Thanksgiving, and this year it was smack-dab ON Thanksgiving. So when Chris, Kelsey, Clara and Robert arrived, on Tuesday, we went immediately into both Birthday and Thanksgiving prep-mode. This was "Number 8" for Robert, and he was a little disgruntled that he had to share HIS day with the holiday, so we went to some extra efforts to make his birthday special.

Birthday fun included:

Ninjago cupcakes, baked and decorated by Kelsey;

Presents opened first thing in the morning, while the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade was put on "Pause;"

Our happy 8-year-old!

Breaking open a mini-piñata, to find the candy and toy treasures inside the little donkey;

And a three-hour visit to Spare Time, our local arcade, bowling alley and laser tag establishment. Chris took both Robert and Clara, while Dan, Kelsey and I stayed home and got three hours of R&R.

At the Houston Judds' home, Friday evening is always pizza and movie night, so we kept the tradition here. Clara took orders and made all of the pizzas for us, and did a great job! And after dinner we all watched the 2004 version of Around the World in 80 Days.

There was plenty of time for playing games and building robots as well. The kids brought a game called Ticket to Ride with them, which we all enjoyed playing several times.

Playing Ticket to Ride

Building a robot from a kit Robert got for his birthday.

Clara brought her violin, and we were amazed at how fast she is progressing. She only started at the beginning of this school year, and already is playing melodies, some of which she is playing by ear! She is currently first chair in her school orchestra! Every time I see Clara play her violin I get a little lump in my throat. This violin is the one that her great-grandma (my mom) played when she was young, and a music major at Pacific College, in Oregon. A year or two before Mom passed away, she had the violin re-strung and tuned and cleaned, and gave it to Clara. She would be so proud to see it being used by her talented great-granddaughter, Clara.

The day after Thanksgiving I put my new laser light projector out in the front yard, to spread twinkling lights all over the front of the house. And today I put up our small Christmas tree. Christmas will probably be in Houston this year, so no need for my big tree.  So Thanksgiving/Robert's Birthday Celebration is a wrap, and we're on to Clara's concert, her birthday and CHRISTMAS - all coming in December.

A Day in Round Top, Texas

Last Saturday was a beautiful fall day, and one packed with good times.

In the morning, Dan attended his first Sons of the American Revolution (S.A.R.) meeting, and was inducted into it. His Revolutionary patriot was John Judd, born June 27, 1761, in Waterbury, Connecticut. He served as a private for Connecticut and, later, for Pennsylvania.

At 11:30, Andy, Kay and I drove to the library, where we retrieved Dan from his meeting and set out on our two-hour trip to Round Top, Texas.

Round Top is a tiny little village, a haven for antiques, art galleries and eclectic gift shops.

Despite its size - population 90 - Round Top is home to a world class center for performing arts, known as Round Top Festival Hill. The Festival Institute was established in Round Top in 1971, by concert pianist James Dick. The campus, today, has grown to over 200 acres and includes a chapel, a number of historic homes and other buildings, and spectacular landscaping. The centerpiece of the campus is the Festival Concert Hall. The interior is breathtaking, with all of its custom-made woodwork. (If you are interested in details of the woodworking, take a look here.)

The Festival Concert Hall.

Entrance gate to Edythe Bates Old Chapel 

Edythe Bates Old Chapel

Interior of the Concert Hall

At Festival Hill we met up with some of Andy's family, and enjoyed a concert by the Baylor Brass Quintet, composed of five Baylor University professors. They performed a great variety of pieces - some classical, some more contemporary - in the Festival Concert Hall.

After the concert, Andy, Kay, Dan and I drove to Jack Allen's Kitchen, a fabulous restaurant in Round Rock (different from Round Top), where we had a late dinner before returning home.