A week in Austin, TX - Day 3

Tuesday, October 26, 2010.
George started class on Tuesday, so I had a chance to get out by myself and explore Austin. I started by heading the opposite way from downtown on Congress, passing by the famous rotating bat,

and continuing down Riverside to the Auditorium Shores Park.

My sole reason for heading this way was to see the Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial, a tribute to the hometown boy who could make a guitar sing.

I walked the busy trails that run along either side of the "lake" (this is one fit population) and turned north to make the trek to my second destination of the day, the Austin Whole Foods Market and corporate offices.

I ate lunch there on the rooftop dining area, and then walked back toward the hotel. Behind the hotel, matching trails ran along the banks, and while walking the trails, I ran across the Austin Rowing Club headquarters. Rowers are a continual presence on the "lake."

When I got under the bridge, I spotted some of the resident bats - swimming!

Finally, George was out of class, so we ate dinner, toured around a little,

worked out at the hotel, and called it a night.   

A week in Austin, TX - Day 2

Monday, October 25, 2010
George's classes did not actually start until Tuesday morning, so we got to spend the first day sightseeing in Austin.

We left our hotel, grabbed some breakfast and started down Congress Avenue towards the Texas State Capitol.

Along the way, George grabbed some shots of the local artwork (remember the bears in Cherokee?).

When we got to the Capitol grounds, we spent some time at the memorials, including the Confederate soldier memorial

the Texas Volunteer Firefighter Memorial

Heroes of the Alamo (including Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie).

We then went inside the Capitol and took the free tour, including the Rotunda (of course, George had to give props to George W.)

and the Senate Chambers (phenomenally beautiful with original desks and floor to ceiling windows).

After the tour, we headed to lunch, and then to the hotel for conference check-in. After a trip to the concierge desk (I made friends with Darrell who is awesome!), we went to the historic Driskill Hotel for a snack. This hotel is the oldest in Austin and holds a lot of history. It also houses the 1886 Cafe and Bakery, and the hotel itself is gorgeous.

We continued to walk around the downtown area

until dark, when we headed to the Congress Ave. Bridge (just behind our hotel) for the nightly Austin bat show. 4 million + bats exit the spaces underneath the bridge every nights, and it is a 30-minute show that folks line up on the bridge, and the banks, and in boats to see.

George also got some great shots of the Downtown Austin skyline. 

Afterwards, we grabbed some dinner and settled down for the night.

A week in Austin, TX - Day One

Sunday, October 24, 2010
George and I left for Austin, TX on Sunday morning for the CI Technologies, Inc. IAPro Conference (George as an attendee and me as a tag-along).  Neither of us has flown since 9/11 and we planned a lot of time for airport security. After George's pat down at the Tallahassee airport, we waited for our plane to get there. Don't we look excited?

Our trip included a short hop to Atlanta (and lunch at the airport) and then the larger flight to Austin (my first trip west of the Mississippi!).

By the time we got to the hotel (The Radisson Town Lake) and ate dinner (see Austin food blog after the last day's post), we were ready to get some sleep.

Our weekend

Our weekend consisted of Danny's basketball game on Saturday morning, and a whole lotta staying home.

Danny has improved a lot, and was so excited to get a red star for "Best Defense." He was all over his man like white on rice. After the game and some lunch, Megan and Danny drew and played outside until nightfall while I did housework, and George and Zachary went to work. I keep telling them to enjoy being a kid, and from the looks of these pics, I think they enjoy it. 

Elvis Waffles

This morning, the kids and I only had a few minutes to eat breakfast before church. Instead of slapping some pop tarts on a plate for them, I got out my quick snack recipe book to see if anything looked "breakfast-y." I found the perfect thing for us to eat, Elvis Waffles. They are so easy, and as Danny says - "awesome!"

Elvis Waffles

Eggo Mini Waffles

Peanut Butter (we use crunchy or natural for some texture)

Banana, sliced

Bacon (I always have bacon cooked for the week, so I broke it up into 1-inch pieces)

Honey

To assemble, toast the waffles and break apart into 4 individual waffles per person. Spread 1 tsp. of the peanut butter on the waffle. Top with a piece of bacon, a slice of banana, and drizzle a few drops of honey on top. That's all there is to it. Megan improvised and just made waffle/bacon sandwiches with a little syrup in the middle.