Sunday, September 28, 2003

A Sunday Drive (on Saturday)09:36 AM CST (Link)
Finally.

Fall has arrived. The summer's heat is finally fading into a nice autumn afterglow, full of cool mornings and pleasant days. It's the nicest time of year in Central Texas.

I sat outside this morning, enjoying the coolness, drinking my morning coffee, flipping through the Sunday ads, and watching Bub try to catch a cheeky squirrel that seems to have a death wish. (The picture is a bit dark. Bub's to the left of the big flower pot.)

Fortunately for the nut-eater, Bub's not much of a hunter or a climber. He chased that squirrel all around the tree trunks this morning. At one point, he even jumped up on the tree trunk, but once he got about fence-high, Bub got confused and scared and jumped back down.

Yesterday was nice, too, although a bit warmish. About noon, we decided on a whim to take a drive into the Hill Country. So we hopped into the Miata, put the top down, and took off down the road-no map and no plan except to find something to eat. At first, we decided to go to Wimberley and have lunch, but because I didn't have a map and there was no sign saying "Wimberley that way", we missed the turnoff in Dripping Springs.

By the time we figured it out, we were in Johnson City, so we decided to go all the way to Fredericksburg. We stopped at Wildseed Farms just outside town and admired the wonderful wildflower fields, bought some seeds, and had soft-serve peach ice cream for pre-lunch dessert. Delicious!

We headed into town and drove around a bit looking at the architecture and then had lunch at an alleged German restaurant. It wasn't great. In fact, we haven't found a decent German restaurant in Fredericksburg yet. Bleah. But that's OK. The drive was nice and seeing the wildflower fields was worth the trip. We then bought a map, hopped in the car, and headed toward Wimberley for after-lunch dessert. Four hours after our original departure time, we finally made it! Woohoo! We had pie and coffee at Wimberley Pie Company and headed back toward home. We got back about 6 p.m. and we were worn out and sunburned!

If you're in the mood for a day trip, next weekend would be a good time to travel. We saw signs and banners in every little town we passed through advertising various festivals and events for the upcoming weekend, including Oktoberfest in Fredericksburg.

Next time, we're going to head toward the south, with the eventual goal of eating a meal in New Braunfels. Maybe I'll actually plan a route in advance.

Or not.

Sunday, September 7, 2003

Margaret's Boston Travel Tips07:45 PM CST (Link)
Here are a few things I learned on a recent trip to Boston. I thought I would share them, in case you ever get up that way.

1. Despite what your mother told you about wearing clean underwear when you travel, do NOT wear new underwear. No matter how comfortable they are before you get on a plane, you don't yet know what hellish ways they can twist and turn when you sit in cramped quarters for four hours.

2. When the hotel desk clerk asks if you and your traveling companion want one bed or two, ask what size the beds are before you answer, even if you're a couple. Otherwise you end up with one bed the size of a postage stamp for two plus-sized people.

3. A room with a view means the people in the corner room can see right into your window.

4. If you see a homeless woman with three small dogs, just keep walking. Giving her a few quarters is like crossing the Energizer Bunny and Chatty Cathy. She keeps talking and talking and talking. Oh, and she thinks she has four dogs.

5. Carry a walking stick. People treat you better. I'm not sure it's because they think I'm disabled or if they just feel intimidated. (I have unpredictable, arthritic knees, but I'm not disabled. Yet. )

If I think of any others, I'll be sure to let you know.

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