Catch Up post #3 --- Family Time in Austin

Atul and Robyn

Robyn and Dianne

Texas State Capitol in the Midst of Austin as viewed from the UT Tower

Roger here....  Leaving all the sadness and anger behind, Dianne and I drove to Austin where we spent a long weekend with our daughter, Robyn, and her husband, Atul.  They flew in from L.A. We picked them up at the airport.

Our rooms were at an Embassy Suites.  Swans greeted us every time we entered or departed the hotel.

The view outside our room door was of the lobby below.

Atul was a student at the University of Texas so he was able to re-live some of his college memories.  He was destined to be the tour guide for our visit.  

During the first day we walked along the river and...

.... admired some of the street art.

The view of the tower at the University of Texas was a good preview of things to come.

We ate dinner that night at a family-owned brew pub. It was open when Atul was in Austin, but was absorbed into a larger brewery.  Very recently, it re-opened under family control.  

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS... 

During our stay, we visited the University of Texas several times.  

Atul led us all over the 

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He took us to the Harry Ransom Center where we saw one of only 48 surviving Gutenberg Bibles.  Oh wow, history!

Atul was a student tour guide, back in the day.  A special highlight was a guided tour to the top of the tower.  The tower, which was originally the campus library, had not been open for visitors for many years, so this was something new for Atul.

During my younger days, the University of Texas football team was virtually unbeatable.  They were never expected to lose a game under the leadership of head coach Daryl Royal.  At least that is my recollection.  The picture below depicts Daryl Royal Stadium from the top of the tower.

This is a great picture from the tower of Atul's dorm during his freshman year.  It was actually an entire village unto itself.

BAT DAY....

One of the things you must always do while in Austin is watch the millions of Mexican Free Tail Bats take their evening flight from underneath the Congress Street Bridge.  However, we must be well-fed to enjoy such a spectacle :-)

Our choice was the Hula Hut.

It is always fun to eat on a pier with water on all sides.  This place is a hoot .... lots of atmosphere.

Bright colors and lights in every direction.

After dinner we walked around the marina to see a view of the restaurant from the water.

Dianne just happened to walk into this picture that I was taking of the marina, making it a usable photo.  Time to move on.  Twilight is in the offing.  We need to drive to the Congress Street Bridge!

After parking, we approached the iconic bridge and this bat statue.  We were a bit early so we ducked into the Yeti store and looked at a variety of expensive items that we would not be purchasing.  

As dusk approached we moseyed (Texas term) on over to the bridge.  There are 3 ways to watch the bats.  We opted to watch from the bridge.  Others waited along the river bank.

For a water view, you could hop on an excursion boat, or paddle a kayak.  The bridge was packed.  The bats did not disappoint. 

The video below does not do it justice, but you can get an idea:

On our way back to the car, Atul mentioned that Robyn wanted ice cream.  I always want ice cream.  So off we went to Amy's, near the UT campus.

As it turns out, Amy's is a popular place, AND it was National Ice Cream Day.  Needless to say, there was a line.  One guy in the line thought he would be getting a free cone. He was not happy.  The ice cream was excellent.  After you choose your flavor, the scoopers pound your selected toppings into the ice cream.  Fun to watch.  Better to eat!

Let it be known that Dianne and I were out on the town after dark!  

BRUNCH AND GOSPEL MUSIC AT STUBBS...

If you have ever heard of Stubb's Barbecue Sauce, this is a photo of his restaurant.  It is in the live music part of town.  Atul reserved Sunday Brunch seats for us with live gospel music.  Robyn and Atul have treated us to many experiences that we never imagined that we would get to do in Los Angeles.  Now they did the same thing in Austin.  What fun this was.

Dianne is pouring her selected bloody mary mix  from the "fix your own bloody mary" bar.  Lots of veggies here that count as a salad.

Dianne's healthy choices from the buffet were yummy.  I am ashamed to show you my unhealthy brisket with eggs. (Even worse, I went back for seconds).  We are now buying Stubb's barbecue sauce and frozen foods from our local HEB.

The one thing that made the meal special was the live gospel music.  It was a unique and special experience for us.  

THE LAST DAY....

Robyn and Atul had a late afternoon flight, so after we checked out of the hotel, we jumped in the car for some last minute time together. 

Robyn found a place to eat lunch in the eclectic South Congress area.  We re-crossed the bat bridge, and found this nice relaxing place.  Dianne again ordered healthy.

Actually my food approached healthy, as well.  

After lunch we drove back into the city to wander around the historic and so very classy Driskill Hotel.  Endless Texas and national historical events have taken place in this hotel.

Dianne and I used to be addicted to the TV series, Dallas.  We particularly enjoyed the Cattle Baron's Suite.  Was this the location of the Cattle Baron's Ball?  We were not able to find J.R.

It was almost time to say goodbye (until the next time) to Robyn and Atul.  We love them.  We are so very fortunate to have them --- our daughter, our son.

The Happy Newlyweds

For us, the drive to Austin is either a day, or a more relaxed day and a half.  We chose the later option.

Our trip would not have been possible without the support of our neighbors at Retama Village.  When Tequila was ill and at the veterinarian, we cancelled our boarding arrangements for the dogs and assumed that we would not be going to Austin.

After her passing, we hoped to reschedule our trip to Austin, but the boarding facility was then full.  Bandido had no place to stay.  Our neighbors stepped up.  They took turns walking, feeding, and playing with Bandido at our house.  Without their help, we would not have been able to go.  Thanks so much to Bob, Linda, Stuart, Lynn, Don and Sue.  

Thank you dinner at a local steak house

One more "catch up" post to come.

PET PICTURES OF THE DAY...

After our return home we discovered that Bandido's Bark Box had been delivered.  The delivery of a Bark Box is a HUGE deal for Bandido.  So much so that any brown box delivery sends him into a frenzy.  The photo below shows him with one of his new toys.

 We will fill y'all in later about
our new little girl, 
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Needless to say, we are adjusting extremely well.