Road Trip 2018

This was the front of the invitation I made and sent to Clara for this year's Road Trip.

This past weekend was the weekend I anticipate all year long - the one when Clara and I take off on a Friday afternoon, stay a couple nights in hotel rooms, and visit the sights of someplace new. So far we've "done" Waco, San Antonio, and (this time) Austin! 

I came to Houston a day early, to go to Clara's volleyball game on Thursday evening. She has just started playing 7th grade volleyball. In fact, I think this was only her second game night. Clara's team, the Gators, have a little work to do in order to become stars, but they are winners in my eyes, anyway. And doesn't Clara look GREAT in her uniform?!

On Friday, by the time we made it to Austin and checked into our first hotel, Clara was hungry. This girl, who will be 13 in December and is a good deal taller than I now, can really put down the chow! I used to get by with kids' meals at Chick-Fil-A, but now she's into "real food." We went to Applebee's and started with her favorite appetizer - mozzarella sticks -after which she ate most of a broccoli/chicken Alfredo dinner.

That evening Clara completed her homework, so it wouldn't be hanging over our heads all weekend. 

We got up around 7:00 on Saturday, which was going to be our busiest day. While we were eating our complementary breakfast at the hotel, Clara asked if she could try a cup of coffee. In the absence of a parent, a grandma gets to make decisions - so I told her, "Go ahead!" She doctored it up so it was more milk and sugar than coffee. She said she liked it, but only took a few sips before giving up because it was "too hot."

After breakfast we drove to the Capitol complex. This was not only Clara's first time to visit the Capitol, but mine as well. We were both quite impressed. It's a spectacular building. We took a guided tour. Our guide, Georgia, knew how to keep us all interested, telling stories and making Texas history come alive.

We toured the senate and house chambers.

The Texas star at the top of the dome measures 8 feet across. The dome is 218 feet high - equivalent to a 20-story building! The public is allowed to go up the stairs or elevators to the fourth level, which is mighty high! 

Clara climbed the stairs to the 4th level of the rotunda. Can you see her, waving at me, way up there (below)? 

And then, we switched places. I rode the elevator to the 4th level, and took another picture of Clara standing (below) in the center of the star, with emblems representing the six flags that have flown over Texas.

What was amazing to me was that, as large as the above-ground Capitol is, the Extension, located below-ground, is larger. It is beautifully done, though, with lots of natural light because of sky lights and an open-air rotunda. In the photo below, the upper fence of the rotunda is at ground level, letting light into all the under-ground offices/suites/rooms.

The grounds of the Capitol, with its 25 species of trees, are spectacular too.

After completing our Capitol tour, we ate a quick lunch and then headed to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. I really have to go back there on a sunny, spring day. When we got there, rain was threatening. I had signed us up for an art class, and by the time we were dismissed from it, the rain was coming down heavily. So we didn't get to walk all the trails and see the fall foliage that was in bloom.

Our art class, at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center was a 3-hour alcohol-ink class with Houston instructor/artist, Andrea Patton. We each designed three tiles, using the alcohol-inks and the methods Andrea demonstrated for us.  It was a wonderful, artsy afternoon in a fantastic setting.

Here are a few of the tiles our class made.

We called it a day after dinner at Arby's Saturday evening. We watched America's Got Talent before bed, and Clara was inspired by a fantastic violinist. She, herself, is becoming quite the violinist in her school orchestra.

Sunday morning we got up, ate breakfast at our hotel, and drove to church. I had the address for the Southwest Church of Christ, and we found it without any trouble. People were friendly, and the worship service was uplifting. Take a look at the blue sky with fluffy white clouds. That's what the weather was like as we entered the church building.

Afterward, we ate a quick lunch and headed to the Lady Bird Lake dock area for a boat tour for which I had already purchased tickets. But by the time we were supposed to board, this was the weather we were getting. We sat in our car for a while, to see if it was just a passing shower, but it seemed it was going to stick around. Before long even the city streets were getting deep with water in places. So, reluctantly, we gave up and called the 2018 Road Trip over. It really was a success, despite the boat tour being rained out. We arrived back in Houston, at Clara's house, around 4:00.

When we got there, we found Robert and Chris deep in a game of Pokemon - Robert's newest interest.

I spent the night there, so got to visit with the entire family for a while, and left early this morning. I  arrived home, and to a big Dan-hug, a little before noon. I will sleep well tonight, thanking God for both of my amazing grandkids, and especially for the time Clara and I spent together on our 2018 Road Trip.

(I just realized I didn't get a single picture of Clara and I together on our trip 😔)

Dallas/Fort Worth

On Tuesday morning Andy, Kay, Dan and I headed for Dallas for a couple days. Andy, who knows his way around EVERYWHERE, did the driving. We thought we might stop and have breakfast at Magnolia Table (Chip and Joanna's restaurant), in Waco, but there was a line of folks waiting outside, so we settled for IHop.

After checking into the hotel in Dallas and enjoying a little down-time, we all got ready for an evening out. The main reason for going to Dallas was to see the stage performance, Les Miserables. Before heading to the Fair Park Music Hall, for Les Miz, we ate dinner at The Cheesecake Factory, which was a real treat.

The performance was good, as we knew it would be. Dan and I have seen it twice before, once in Seattle and once in Albuquerque. That might give you a clue to how much we love the story and the music.

In the lobby of the Fair Park Music Hall

Driving back to the hotel after the performance

Wednesday morning, after breakfast at the hotel, Andy put on his "tour guide" hat and drove us around downtown Dallas. We drove by the Texas Schoolbook Depository and the "grassy knoll." We stopped at the Dallas Pioneer Plaza Cattle Drive, located near the convention center. It honors Dallas' cowboy past and features native landscaping, a flowing stream and waterfall, and a herd of bronze longhorn cattle statues being driven by cowboys on horses.

From there, Andy drove on to Fort Worth and made a stop at the Fort Worth Water Garden. The park is made up of a series of walkways, pools, terraces and vegetation. The three pools feature the different characteristics of water: a quiet pool, a dancing pool and the active pool. We spent our time at the active pool, where water rushes down steep steps, into a pool forty feet below. There are steps that descend to the pool below, but Andy was the only one of our foursome who ventured down them. Kay and I sat on a ledge, overlooking the rushing waters, while Dan - true to form - made a new friend and spent his time visiting with him.

That's Andy, down at the bottom.

Here's the friendly police officer, "Darrell," whom Dan befriended.

Finally it was lunch time, and Andy had promised us a meal at Joe T Garcia's Mexican Restaurant. It's a very old restaurant, in an old Fort Worth neighborhood. Andy remembers eating at Joe T's when he was a kid, and never comes to Fort Worth without making a stop there. When we first drove up to it and parked in the parking lot, across the street, I just saw it as an unassuming old restaurant. But what I didn't see was that behind the walls adjacent to the building was the most beautiful garden oasis. We ate out there, among the shade trees, flowers and light breeze, then walked through the different garden areas. Not only was it a beautiful place, but the meal might have been the best Tex-Mex food I've ever eaten! We ordered a family-style lunch, which came with more than we could, all four, eat.

The drive home, after lunch, included one more food stop - as if we needed it! We found a little creamery, where they make their own original flavors of ice cream. It was in Waco, across the street from the Baylor campus (for my Newberg readers, it had an atmosphere similar to Coffee Cottage).  I had a scoop of Texas Salted Caramel on a fresh-made waffle cone. Yum!

Many thanks to Andy and Kay for providing the transportation and the sightseeing inspiration. It was great fun, packed into two all-too-short days.