Again. We just got the trailer hitch installed on our new Outback. We’re back in business to haul things!
Wishing everyone a most happy Easter with family & friends.
We got hitched.
Tag: life
Two more parks.
We drove straight to Colorado on the way north, about a 15-hour drive, and stayed with Julie in Denver for a night. Then we headed to Gene and Jo’s for two nights. We made a side trip to Estes Park as well. The family get-together was very special.
On the way back south we had another nice visit with Julie.
Then we broke up the long trip home into a couple of days including stops at two national parks.
We stayed in Ft. Davis for a night with a reservation to attend one of the McDonald Observatory’s star parties. The skies were not cooperative for viewing at the observatory, but we had fun.
We left Ft Davis on Wednesday well before dawn, and on the drive up to I-10, I noticed that the clouds parted, opening up a clear, starry sky. So we pulled over in the middle of pitch-dark range land with coyotes howling all around and enjoyed a full-sky view of the Milky Way.
We enjoyed the view for a few minutes and then resumed our drive. A few minutes later the skies were filled in with thick clouds again. It was a treat to get that brief moment of star gazing.
A successful road trip, but it’s always nice to get back home.
It’s GREAT…
It’s GREAT to BE an FAU Owl!!
We are rooting for Monte’s school in the College Men’s Basketball Championship. We watched them at a local watering hole. Florida Atlantic made it to the Sweet Sixteen. Fingers crossed!
Out with the old.
And in with the new! We are firmly in the Subaru camp. The outback is a fantastic car.
We are knee deep in user manuals. Stay tuned. But we are again imminently Road-Trip Enabled!!
Spring break.
We took our friends Tim & Fiona and their three kids sailing on Nirvana today. We’ve done it many times over the years during their Spring Break holidays.
The kids are now 13 or 14, and 19 years old. It’s amazing to watch them grow up. They all have an intuitive feel for the helm. Monte and I didn’t need to steer much at all. It was a beautiful day for a nice long sail. I’m glad we got to spend it with them.
Old dogs learning new tricks.
Monte and I both hang on to the cars we buy a long, looong time – one is 26 years old, the new one is 13 years old. It’s time for some new blood in the garage.
We’ve been thinking about getting an electric vehicle, as much of our driving trips are less than 70-miles roundtrip (to the lake and back) and much shorter errand-trips around town. We have been shopping for a month or two. Last week we found one we were looking for in San Antonio. So on a wild hair, we hopped into the fossil-fuel vehicle (ironic, right?) and drove 75 miles to see it, sit in it, test drive it. We liked it, so we brought it home!
We picked a Chevy Bolt EV. Pretty roomy. It’ll hold our boat loads to and from the marina (ice chest and our bags) and lots of room for groceries and other things.
Nice!
Big year.
It’s hard to predict because of the seemingly endless droughts and freezes, but the Texas bluebonnets are blooming early and it looks like it will be a big wildflower year.
Monte has been grooming our front yard bluebonnet patch for years. Looking good! More photos to follow.
Flying by.
Wow, that was fast. January and February flew by – only 8 months til Halloween. 🎃
After the brief ice age a few weeks ago, our temps are in the 80s here. Seems strange when the latest arctic front is hitting another part of the country. But I’ll enjoy it because we’ll be back in the 100s in no time.
Speaking of ice storms, our wall of broken tree limbs were thankfully hauled away this week. I can see the street again!
I’ve been craving fish tacos for a week. Last night the universe aligned and I finally made a batch. They’re so delicious. Here’s a link to the recipe I start with. Or you can just google ‘best fish tacos’ and it’s the top result. They’re that good. The sauce is amazing. And the cotija cheese makes them muy auténtico. I like to use mixed corn/flour tortillas, which Doray turned me on to years ago. They’re sold by H‑E‑B here in Texas as Mixla tortillas. They tend to hold together better than plain corn tortillas.
Bizzy.
We had a fun, busy week. Noreen came to town. We visited with some of her family here in Austin, and some of our family in San Antonio.
We enjoyed an evening at Lori & Mike’s for a Super Bowl party.
Then we enjoyed a visit to Donn’s Depot to listen to Danny Britt and his band Grouchy Like Riley.
Valentine’s Day snuck by this week, as well
Noreen returned home after a fun-filled visit. Some orthopedic care and a pedicure happened. Then focus turned towards the upcoming 5K race this coming Sunday.
Tempus sure does fugit! Enjoy your weekend!
The mighty have fallen.
This is day 3 of this year’s ice storm. Temperatures in the 20s and freezing rain have coated the numerous trees across Austin with over 1/2” of ice. Our yard has been graced with a dozen or so beautiful live oaks, pecans, and red oaks, and more – probably over 40 feet tall. Our home is over forty years old but these trees are older than that – and they are glorious.
Sadly, yesterday, they started losing whole branches at a time. We’ve heard a symphony of loud cracks and then branches crashing to the ground for too long.
Like the majority of Austin, we finally lost power yesterday, but it came on again overnight, after about 12 hours.
This morning the temperatures are supposed to finally get back above freezing. I hope the ice thaws quickly and that no further damage is done to my beauties.
As bad as it is, I’m thankful the damage hasn’t been worse.
On a positive note, Monte loves using his chainsaw. 🙂
January in the books.
I started this year trying to resume my workouts. I took about 9 months off and regret it.
So far, I’ve shown up for myself every day in January – a combination of HIIT/Tabata/core/strength/cardio workouts from Heather Robertson, yoga from Yoga With Adriene, treadmill, and (for some inexplicable reason) training for a 5K that takes place in about 2 weeks.
Here’s how I record my progress….coloring in each day I get some exercise in.
Here’s a link to a blank version of the calendar JPG file. Note: if you download this in a leap year, you’ll need to add one more day in February 🙂
Pretty darn good.
Monte is experimenting with pizza dough again – which I am all in for. Friday night he whipped up a few doughs. I made one of our favorite toppings, a mixture of sausage, portobello mushrooms, onions, garlic, and rosemary. We used some locally produced venison sausage that Kurt gave Monte. And it was delicious!
I used garlic infused olive oil for the “sauce.” Topped with the pre-made sausage and mushroom mixed topping. Added some grated Asiago cheese after it came out of the oven. So good! The crusts get an A+.
Hanging at Donn’s.
Last week we stopped in at one of our favorite music spots in town, Donn’s Depot. Danny Britt and friends were playing. We sat in the back dining room and visited with friends while we listened to the music. We don’t go often enough, but I sure hope this place never goes away. A jewel of old Austin.
The Christmas ornaments are always slow to come down at Donn’s. It makes for good ambiance, though.
Danny Britt playing for the crowd, as viewed from the back room
In it to win it.
My fantasy football league just finished its fifth year. Laura won it this year. For the second time! Arnie said we should have a trophy… et VOILA!
Sheila365 
