Wowser. I've been gone for 25 days. That's a long time to be away. I basically had 3 separate trips end-to-end, which is the only smart way to travel out of Maine because no matter what trip you're on, it takes two full days to get there and come back, so you might as well make the most of it. I figure I saved 4 travel days by doing the back-to-back thing. And fortunately, I was able to do laundry in all 3 places, so I packed light (one 36-pound roller bag). I did some shopping in Albuquerque, but I shipped a box of stuff home from ABQ, too.
So today's marathon was: up at 0230 CDT to shower and pack, leave KMO's casa at 0400 to arrive at airport at 0430 for an 0600 flight. I flew to BWI (sat next to a delightfully inquisitive and articulate 1st grader), changed planes, flew to Boston, B A R E L Y caught the 12:35 Concord Coach to Portland (Maine), waited 30 minutes, caught another Concord Coach to Augusta, drove my car from Augusta to Farmington arriving 1715 EDT. What a day. I stopped at the grocery store then went home where I opened all the windows (storm windows were still down 'cuz it was still cold when I left) then sat on my veranda and soaked up sunshine and cool breezes . . . very cool breezes, not like the ones in Austin. But I was exhausted. I started to listen to the Red Sox game on the radio while I was unpacking but went to bed when the game was still tied 3-3. I missed the 42-minute half-inning where we scored 10 points and went through the lineup at least twice. Go Sox!
So this marathon trip was more than just today . . . I was gone for 25 days! That's a long time to be gone. But when traveling from Maine, it makes sense to put your trips end-to-end 'cuz any one trip involves two full days of travel just to get to and from your destination. I saved 4 days by putting 3 trips together: a week in Dallas for Hank's ordination to the priesthood and lots of great friend visiting, 11 days in Albuquerque with my parents and all of their/my friends, and the big KMOve.
Thank you, God, for safe travels, fun adventures, and amazing friends and family. Here's to the next adventure!!
Showing posts with label KMOve. Show all posts
Showing posts with label KMOve. Show all posts
Monday, June 20, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
6/19/2011 Austin Symphonic Band
I changed my airline ticket 3 times for this trip. First, I was going from Albuquerque directly to Austin to "visit KMO at her new house" because she was going to be moved by mid-May. Then I was flying from Albuquerque straight home and skipping Austin because KMO's plans were so uncertain. Then this arrangement came up where I would fly from Albuquerque to Greenville, SC and help with the move. On plan #1, my return flight was going to be on June 18. Then, KMO found out that the Austin Symphonic Band was giving a concert in the park on June 19 and I knew when Plan #3 came up, that I would have to leave after the concert and not before. Why? Because the director of the Austin Symphonic Band for the past 26 years is none other than the amazing Mr. Richard Floyd, our band director at Pearce High School in Richardson back in the 1970's. So tonight was the icing on my cake--the fabulous treat on top of all the fun.
Apparently, these concerts are usually packed and you have to get to the park extra early to get a seat (though, on their Web site, they request you not come more than 90 minutes early). But with the heat the way it's been, I believe their audience was a bit smaller than usual. We were not, however, going to let a little heat (okay, a lot of heat) deter us. It turned out though, that it was quite breezy and we were up on the hill, so it was pretty bearable. The program included a lot of patriotic songs as well as classics like Gershwyn and songs associated with Bob Hope (my favorite was the Texas medley, Spirit of Texas).
Not very long after we sat down, I went to get paper copies of the program and right after I sat down, someone came up behind me and said, "Hi Theresa!" It was SB, daughter of L O N G time Girl Scout friend, Cathy. Then she pointed up the hill to where her parents were sitting. Months ago when we contacted her when plan #1 was in place she said we would miss getting to see her because she was going to be out of town. But it turns out, she got home a day early (2 hours prior to the concert in fact) and they made the last minute decision to attend the concert. So obviously we had no idea she would be there. How fun is that that we run into one of the only people I know in Austin at a concert in the park? Cathy knows KMO as well. Our Girl Scout memories are much intertwined. We were last all together in Washington DC for the Girl Scout Singalong on the Mall in honor of Girl Scouts' 90th birthday. And we'll all be together again next year for the 100th birthday celebration.
After the concert, we hovered near the podium and finally got our turn to say, "Hello!" to Mr. Floyd. It was great. He was most gracious and even let us take a photo to capture the memory of the noteworthy occasion. He always was a gentleman.
Apparently, these concerts are usually packed and you have to get to the park extra early to get a seat (though, on their Web site, they request you not come more than 90 minutes early). But with the heat the way it's been, I believe their audience was a bit smaller than usual. We were not, however, going to let a little heat (okay, a lot of heat) deter us. It turned out though, that it was quite breezy and we were up on the hill, so it was pretty bearable. The program included a lot of patriotic songs as well as classics like Gershwyn and songs associated with Bob Hope (my favorite was the Texas medley, Spirit of Texas).
Not very long after we sat down, I went to get paper copies of the program and right after I sat down, someone came up behind me and said, "Hi Theresa!" It was SB, daughter of L O N G time Girl Scout friend, Cathy. Then she pointed up the hill to where her parents were sitting. Months ago when we contacted her when plan #1 was in place she said we would miss getting to see her because she was going to be out of town. But it turns out, she got home a day early (2 hours prior to the concert in fact) and they made the last minute decision to attend the concert. So obviously we had no idea she would be there. How fun is that that we run into one of the only people I know in Austin at a concert in the park? Cathy knows KMO as well. Our Girl Scout memories are much intertwined. We were last all together in Washington DC for the Girl Scout Singalong on the Mall in honor of Girl Scouts' 90th birthday. And we'll all be together again next year for the 100th birthday celebration.
After the concert, we hovered near the podium and finally got our turn to say, "Hello!" to Mr. Floyd. It was great. He was most gracious and even let us take a photo to capture the memory of the noteworthy occasion. He always was a gentleman.
6/19/2011 Souvenir Shopping
Part of The Oasis is a gift shop. They had some great tacky Texas souvenirs, but they were a little pricy (very pricy, actually). My tiny bathroom in my apartment in Maine is decorated in red, white, and blue Texas tackiness, so I'm always on the lookout for fun, new, small additions. This shop had a beautiful glass dish that looked like the Texas flag. It turns out it was meant to be a sushi dish, but I thought it would make a fabulous soap dish. Until I saw the $32 price tag, that is.
But that got us started on a quest for Texas souvenirs. We did some Google searches and found the Texas Store in Barton Creek Mall. It was on the way home (at least, not too far out of the way) and the Yelp reviews made it sound perfect. We went to all the trouble to get there and saw this:
It's closed!! Must be fairly recent, but it doesn't matter, we weren't going to be able to shop there. We went ahead and explored the mall a little, even though neither of us are big mall shoppers. Found the Apple Store and the Clarks shoe store, so it was worth the walk around.
We also read about Austin Gift Company but weren't sure it was going to suit our needs. But with the Texas Store being closed, suddenly Austin Gift Company sounded really good. Turns out it was really close to the mall and was open on Sunday (yes, we called ahead this time). It's part souvenir store, part craft/antique mall kind of store where folks sell stuff on a commission basis. I didn't find a soap dish but we both found some fun trinkets. And I took pictures of some of the roadrunner stuff I saw to send to my mom. This one was roadrunner AND Texas.
But that got us started on a quest for Texas souvenirs. We did some Google searches and found the Texas Store in Barton Creek Mall. It was on the way home (at least, not too far out of the way) and the Yelp reviews made it sound perfect. We went to all the trouble to get there and saw this:
We also read about Austin Gift Company but weren't sure it was going to suit our needs. But with the Texas Store being closed, suddenly Austin Gift Company sounded really good. Turns out it was really close to the mall and was open on Sunday (yes, we called ahead this time). It's part souvenir store, part craft/antique mall kind of store where folks sell stuff on a commission basis. I didn't find a soap dish but we both found some fun trinkets. And I took pictures of some of the roadrunner stuff I saw to send to my mom. This one was roadrunner AND Texas.
6/19/2011 View from The Oasis
Part of the new enterprise at The Oasis includes an observation deck that juts out between the restaurants over Lake Austin. All those umbrellas you see are on the patio of The Oasis. The islands in the middle of the water are sand bars that are usually under water. Can you say, "drought"? It's pretty bad here this year. Somehow this "lake" (it's really just dammed up portions of the river that feeds into Lake Travis or something weird like that) is still beautiful, even when it's only half full.
Oh ya! As Karen wrote on Facebook about this sign: "Nuff said."
Oh it's good to be back in Texas. I needed to get a refresher course in Attitude. :-)
Oh ya! As Karen wrote on Facebook about this sign: "Nuff said."
6/19/2011 The Oasis
The Oasis is an Austin classic. I came once before, a bazillion years ago, with a big group of friends from church on a crazy Austin-Road-Trip-Weekend. Since then, it's burned down, rebuilt, and now--just in the last 6 months or so--built itself up into a big commercial complex. It'll be interesting to see if it makes a go in this latest reincarnation. But today was a perfect Oasis kind of day. Hot and sunny and clear blue skies. The Oasis is famous for its patio dining that overlooks Lake Austin.
KMO's friends Katy and Brad were taking relatives on a crash-tour of the Hill Country and to them that included The Oasis. So we joined them for lunch. When we arrived, plans had changed a little--we were going to try out Uncle Billy's--a new restaurant with a Barbecue and Beer focus but affiliated with The Oasis.
We started with a basket of "Red Neck Road Kill" (essentially very spicy nachos made with homemade thick potato chips instead of tortilla chips) that set the tone for a great lunch.
Though I didn't order any beer, I did love this glass:
It was an advertising campaign to help pass a House Bill that would allow people in the beer business to brew it, sell it on site, and distribute it (right now, you can only do any 2 of the 3 but not all 3). Turns out, the bill was already defeated, so these are outdated glasses, but still very fun.
Mmmmmm. My last chance for more barbecue and this didn't fail me. Yummy to the very last drop. That's mac and cheese (quite delicious) and mashed potatoes with it. But the BBQ was the best part of all.
KMO's friends Katy and Brad were taking relatives on a crash-tour of the Hill Country and to them that included The Oasis. So we joined them for lunch. When we arrived, plans had changed a little--we were going to try out Uncle Billy's--a new restaurant with a Barbecue and Beer focus but affiliated with The Oasis.
We started with a basket of "Red Neck Road Kill" (essentially very spicy nachos made with homemade thick potato chips instead of tortilla chips) that set the tone for a great lunch.
Though I didn't order any beer, I did love this glass:
Mmmmmm. My last chance for more barbecue and this didn't fail me. Yummy to the very last drop. That's mac and cheese (quite delicious) and mashed potatoes with it. But the BBQ was the best part of all.
6/19/2011 Fathers Day Church Service
Phillips, Craig, and Dean are a great Christian singing trio. All 3 guys are full-time pastors of churches, but they formed this group 19 years ago and have been singing and "pastoring" ever since. Karen had read a wikipedia article on the group and remembered that Randy Phillips's church was in Austin. So she figured out where it was and that's where we went for church this morning. It was a great service! The church currently worships in Westlake High School's theater. What a place! It's nicer than most university and community theaters that I've been to. Jeff Allen was the guest "presenter" today. He's a comedian. I'd never heard of having a comedian speak at church before. But he was great. He was funny but incredibly inspirational. It was impressive. Great music, moving sermon, . . . all in all, it was a wonderful Sunday worship.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
6/18/2011 Dinner at The County Line
We ate dinner tonight at The County Line. Barbecue!! Very yummy barbecue, actually. This is the view from the patio.
6/18/2011 SoCo
South Congress Street (SoCo) is artsy, trendy fun. Very Austin. Probably part of the inspiration for the "Keep Austin Weird" campaign. The food trucks we visited are on South Congress (there are other areas of town with food trucks). We looked around (just a teeny bit). An art show was just setting up. Here are some earrings made with string art (good old geometry) . . . we mostly saw jewelry at this show.
Next was the Uncommon Objects. What an amazing place! It really was all uncommon objects--part junk, part antiques, all uncommon. The place was packed with stuff, but it was so artistically arranged, you just enjoyed the looking. This Statue of Liberty replica (not to scale) was only $1600.
I photographed this roadrunner for my mom but check out what else is on that table...keys and bobbins and typesetting letters displayed in china bowls.
Outside the store window announcing their 20th anniversary:
I love how Congress Street dead ends into the state capitol.
Next was the Uncommon Objects. What an amazing place! It really was all uncommon objects--part junk, part antiques, all uncommon. The place was packed with stuff, but it was so artistically arranged, you just enjoyed the looking. This Statue of Liberty replica (not to scale) was only $1600.
I photographed this roadrunner for my mom but check out what else is on that table...keys and bobbins and typesetting letters displayed in china bowls.
Outside the store window announcing their 20th anniversary:
I love how Congress Street dead ends into the state capitol.
6/18/2011 Food Vehicles
Food trucks, food carts, food trailers . . . it doesn't matter what you call them, they are very popular here in Austin and the ones we visited for lunch had delicious food. Yes, we left Franklin Barbecue without getting to test America's best BBQ. We met up with Joann, a Girl Scout buddy of mine, who is a native Austinite and a heck of a lot of fun. When we made the decision to leave Franklin, she called her brother who knows all the good food places in town. She told him we wanted something delicious and very Austin-ish. We had heard about the food trucks, but there are many of them all over town. He knew the best collection in the most fun part of town. Even though it was after 11:00 on a Saturday when we arrived, Austin folks must not get up early because few of the food trucks were open yet.
This particular location on South Congress is going to be a luxury hotel, but until they start construction, these trucks are set up here. There's even a parking lot (for which you have to pay $5 in order to utilize.)
This one fascinates me. What might look like an ice cream place is really a lunch place. They serve all their food in paper cones! How clever. It makes everything really portable. Check out the picnic tables, there are even holders to keep your cones upright so you can get more than one at a time. We learned from this vendor that Austin doesn't have fried food, it's only "highly sauteed."
We went shopping and then came back. By then, Fry Baby was open and I had fresh sweet potato fries that were delicious. But the proprietor's secret caramel sauce on top was amazing. I wonder if I'll ever enjoy naked sweet potato fries again.
The food at this one wasn't as great as the trailer, but it was still fun.
KMO got a pulled pork taco from this place featuring New Mexico Hatch green chiles. Yum!!!
This particular location on South Congress is going to be a luxury hotel, but until they start construction, these trucks are set up here. There's even a parking lot (for which you have to pay $5 in order to utilize.)
This one fascinates me. What might look like an ice cream place is really a lunch place. They serve all their food in paper cones! How clever. It makes everything really portable. Check out the picnic tables, there are even holders to keep your cones upright so you can get more than one at a time. We learned from this vendor that Austin doesn't have fried food, it's only "highly sauteed."
We went shopping and then came back. By then, Fry Baby was open and I had fresh sweet potato fries that were delicious. But the proprietor's secret caramel sauce on top was amazing. I wonder if I'll ever enjoy naked sweet potato fries again.
The food at this one wasn't as great as the trailer, but it was still fun.
KMO got a pulled pork taco from this place featuring New Mexico Hatch green chiles. Yum!!!
6/18/2011 Award-Winning BBQ
We heard about it on the news last night and decided we really had to go here today. Franklin Barbecue was declared best BBQ in the United States by Bon Appetit magazine!! It started in a little trailer/food truck and just a year and a half ago, opened in this building. They only serve lunch and they serve until they're sold out and then that's it for the day. Aaron Franklin uses beef raised in Montana in a cruelty-free environment and cooks it for 18 hours. Rumor is you have to get here by 10:30. We figured since it was on the news, we might should get there a little earlier. We figured wrong. We should've gotten there a lot earlier. Here was the line when we arrived (and you can't even see the front of the restaurant or the front of the line in this photo):
About 5 'til 11, Aaron himself came out to tell the folks in the back of the line that their chances were pretty slim of there being any food left by the time they got to the restaurant, and it would probably be over an hour before they even got there to find out.
At least Aaron let us take a photo with him. :-)
About 5 'til 11, Aaron himself came out to tell the folks in the back of the line that their chances were pretty slim of there being any food left by the time they got to the restaurant, and it would probably be over an hour before they even got there to find out.
At least Aaron let us take a photo with him. :-)
Friday, June 17, 2011
6/17/2011 Farewell to the Truck
Yesterday we stopped at the Penske place and got help getting the car off the carrier and unhooking the carrier from the truck. The Penske people let us park the truck on their lot overnight. Today, we went back and got the truck and met 3 guys from Worry Free Moving (KMO found them through the movinghelp.com Web site) who unloaded the cargo off the truck and stacked it in the storage unit. I was most impressed with the guys who loaded KMO's truck for her back in Richmond. They did a great job. But these unloading guys did a great job, too...and in this heat! Ugh!!!
One of the goals of our driving trip was to never have to put the truck in reverse. (Backing up big vehicles is hard enough, but with a trailer on the back??? No thank you.) And we pretty much accomplished that! The exception was the two parking spaces at the last hotel, we had to back up about 3 feet in order to have enough room to pull out. And both times, we were backing straight up, so it really wasn't a problem. And then today, KMO had to back up to get the truck in the right position to unload it. But she did it beautifully. I'd say we pretty much met that goal.
So here's a pic of our last moments with Big Yellow. Thanks! It was a great ride!!
One of the goals of our driving trip was to never have to put the truck in reverse. (Backing up big vehicles is hard enough, but with a trailer on the back??? No thank you.) And we pretty much accomplished that! The exception was the two parking spaces at the last hotel, we had to back up about 3 feet in order to have enough room to pull out. And both times, we were backing straight up, so it really wasn't a problem. And then today, KMO had to back up to get the truck in the right position to unload it. But she did it beautifully. I'd say we pretty much met that goal.
So here's a pic of our last moments with Big Yellow. Thanks! It was a great ride!!
6/17/2011 Eating Our Way Through Austin
Dinner last night at Chuy's set the bar high for where to eat. But Austin is known for lots of really great restaurants. Let's see how many we can find before I leave. :-)
Lunch today doesn't really count. But there's a Cheddar's less than 10 minutes from Karen's casa and she'd never eaten at one, so even if it's not a local or an Austin-based restaurant, it's just a great restaurant that you have to go to. We split a spinach dip appetizer and an order of Spasagna and it was up to par. I do love Cheddar's. And I found out that it was founded in 1979 in Arlington, TX, so at least it's a Texas-based restaurant!
Don't know the history of Santa Rita or where it started, but this is only 5 minutes from Karen's casa and it's Tex-Mex so we went and it was quite enjoyable.
Lunch today doesn't really count. But there's a Cheddar's less than 10 minutes from Karen's casa and she'd never eaten at one, so even if it's not a local or an Austin-based restaurant, it's just a great restaurant that you have to go to. We split a spinach dip appetizer and an order of Spasagna and it was up to par. I do love Cheddar's. And I found out that it was founded in 1979 in Arlington, TX, so at least it's a Texas-based restaurant!
Don't know the history of Santa Rita or where it started, but this is only 5 minutes from Karen's casa and it's Tex-Mex so we went and it was quite enjoyable.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
6/16/2011 Austin! We Made It!
We made it! Here we are at Karen's new casa. (Well, it's hers until October.) But this was the destination and we made it. :-) Notice that the car is not on its carrier anymore. Tomorrow is serious unpacking. Most stuff is going straight into storage as the house is furnished.
What's the first thing one should do upon arrival in Austin? Chuy's! The Arbor Trails Chuy's is less than 10 minutes from Karen's Casa. Thursday night special: stuffed avocado. ... with green chile. I'm a happy camper!
This is the inside of the stuffed avocado. It was sooooooo yummy! "An avocado filled with chicken, cheese & green chiles, panko-breaded and lightly fried, served on Queso Blanco and Hatch Green Chile Sauces, with green chile rice & refried beans." Tex Mex AND green chiles--this is heaven!
At Chuy's. 'Cuz don't you want to know your silverware has been sanitized for your protection?
What's the first thing one should do upon arrival in Austin? Chuy's! The Arbor Trails Chuy's is less than 10 minutes from Karen's Casa. Thursday night special: stuffed avocado. ... with green chile. I'm a happy camper!
This is the inside of the stuffed avocado. It was sooooooo yummy! "An avocado filled with chicken, cheese & green chiles, panko-breaded and lightly fried, served on Queso Blanco and Hatch Green Chile Sauces, with green chile rice & refried beans." Tex Mex AND green chiles--this is heaven!
At Chuy's. 'Cuz don't you want to know your silverware has been sanitized for your protection?
6/16/2011 Columbus, Texas
We had lunch in cute little Columbus, TX. This turret is in the same town square as the County Courthouse that's under renovation with support from the Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program.
There were lots of other quaint old buildings on the square, we just drove by too quickly and there was no way we were navigating our way back around in that van pulling the car.
There were lots of other quaint old buildings on the square, we just drove by too quickly and there was no way we were navigating our way back around in that van pulling the car.
6/16/2011 Houston
Houston! We are getting closer.
R E A L L Y big flags outside of Houston. We saw about 4 pairs of these big ones and lots of little ones. It's so great to be in Texas--the only state that's allowed to fly its state flag at the same height as the national flag. :-)
On I-10 heading north out of Houston where the shoulder (break-down lane) can be used as an "Evaculane" in case the city has to evacuate for a hurricane. I guess this is the international symbol for Evaculane.
I'm not sure the difference between this plain white symbol and the blue and white one, but they both are marking the Evaculane. I'm glad they had this painted every mile or so. It took several tries to get these shots. I wanted them without the antenna in the way, but that didn't happen!
This must be the result of the disaster of Hurricane Rita evacuation--a classic case of locking the barn door after the horses were stolen.
R E A L L Y big flags outside of Houston. We saw about 4 pairs of these big ones and lots of little ones. It's so great to be in Texas--the only state that's allowed to fly its state flag at the same height as the national flag. :-)
On I-10 heading north out of Houston where the shoulder (break-down lane) can be used as an "Evaculane" in case the city has to evacuate for a hurricane. I guess this is the international symbol for Evaculane.
I'm not sure the difference between this plain white symbol and the blue and white one, but they both are marking the Evaculane. I'm glad they had this painted every mile or so. It took several tries to get these shots. I wanted them without the antenna in the way, but that didn't happen!
This must be the result of the disaster of Hurricane Rita evacuation--a classic case of locking the barn door after the horses were stolen.
6/16/2011 Greetings from KMO
This is the front of the card that Karen gave me on the first day. Sure looks like Thelma and Louise to me!!
It's perfect!!! Thanks, Louise! It was an awesome ride.
It's perfect!!! Thanks, Louise! It was an awesome ride.
6/16/2011 On the Road Again
We had to park away from the hotel last night. So this morning, KMO decided to get "the car" and bring it closer. No easy feat! Fortunately, with our leisurely departure times, the lot was pretty empty. Today we will get to Austin! Today's predicted high temp? 103 with a "comfort index" of 135. 135!! The highin Maine today will be 83 and will feel like 83. Even in the sunshine...and the sun is shining today in Maine. I think it's time to head back. :-)
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
6/15/2011 T E X A S ! ! !
Yeeehah! We are officially in Texas as we cross over the Sabine River.
Nice Lone Star at the Tourist Welcome Center.
Cool! This is the actual "Welcome" sign on the highway, but viewable from the safety of the tourist welcome center. We can take a photo of the real thing while still being safe.
Mindy would really like to take over the driving. (Or maybe she really wants us to stop driving.) Okay, Mindy, we'll stop. We are safely in Baytown for the night.
Nice Lone Star at the Tourist Welcome Center.
Cool! This is the actual "Welcome" sign on the highway, but viewable from the safety of the tourist welcome center. We can take a photo of the real thing while still being safe.
Mindy would really like to take over the driving. (Or maybe she really wants us to stop driving.) Okay, Mindy, we'll stop. We are safely in Baytown for the night.
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