The Maras' Mess with Texas!

The second week of March the kids had a spring break and we headed to Texas to visit with my parents who are spending 2 months away from the MN winter. Chris and I started out in Texas when we were first married, so it was fun to bring the kids down to "where it all began" so to speak.

A typical sight in Oklahoma.

As we meander across the United States we always try to take time to appreciate the geological wonders where ever we may be. There really is beauty all around if you take time to see it.

First stop in Oklahoma City....no McDonalds for this crew!

We finally made it to Texas!

We hit rush hour traffic in Austin and arrived at my parents house in New Braunfels when it was dark. We were excited to see everything green and blooming when we explored the area the next day. They are renting a beautiful, old craftsman-style house right in the heart of town. It was good for the kids to see the "real" Texas and experience a different approach to life. Tony and I enjoyed early morning walks for delicious breakfast tacos and a bakery run with Gramma Sally. 

We explored Panther Canyon on a very humid day. Tony was drawn to this freshwater spring right away...and he didn't fall in!

The canyon was just littered with the coolest rocks you ever saw. Lots of great hiking, climbing and exploring.

Did I mention, lots of great climbing?

Another of Mother Nature's little surprises.

Man, do we need a tan or what?

And of course we never go home empty handed...new additions to our "Traveling Rock Garden." Don't worry Gramma, we still have yours!

Next stop was the quaint little town of Guerne ("Green") just down the road from New Braunfels. This picture is exactly what I miss about Texas....there is just something special about the South.

We were delighted to see this cute little guy hanging out on a Crepe Myrtle Tree.

The famous "Gruene Dance Hall" from the outside...

... the inside. It smelled of a combination of stale beer, sweat and urine. Very historic in an odd sort of way.

After a long, brown winter it was just feast for our eyes to see flowers everywhere!

The next day was cold and rainy. My mom, dad and I took Livie shopping at a nearby outlet mall. Tony and Chris ventored off to visit a really cool cave. The picture above is the sinkhole that led to the discovery of the cave system.

While Livie enjoyed her day of shopping, the boys really were impressed with all that they saw. We've been to several caves on our travels and Chris said this was by far the most impressive.

Adjacent to the cave was a Safari park. This was a highlight of the trip for Tony. Because it was cool and rainy, it wasn't busy and the animals were very active.

Are you wondering how close up the animals REALLY come to your vehicle?

THAT close. Oh my poor little car.

I guess there were lots of babies and this little guy was just adorable.

This is my favorite picture from the whole trip. Makes me laugh outloud everytime I see it. He was so close that Chris said he could smell the grass in the zebra's mouth. Ewwww.

The next day we ventured to the great city of Austin. It was the start of the SXSW Music Festival...not an ideal time to be there. Plus, it was cool and rainy again.

However, we ventured on, parked our cars and walked to the beautiful red granite capitol building.

 

Even the door hinges were grand.

It was quite an impressive building to see. At this point, Tony and Chris went and visited the Texas History Museum while my mom, dad, Livie and I ventored further to the University of Texas campus as we wanted to pick up some UT souvenirs...hook 'em horns!!! Are you seeing a pattern here? With our two kids being on opposite ends of the "interest spectrum" we now have to divide and conquer. I will also note, that it was raining. Hard. By the time we walked to a recommended pizza joint for supper we were soaked. Literally soaked. It was a very long, cold, walk back to our cars.

Thank goodness the sun came out the next day for our visit to Sea World. Chris and I usually avoid all theme parks like the plague. This was definately a splurge and a treat for the kids.

This little dolphin was so adorable. He kept coming over to where we were to say Hi...until he realized we were too cheap to buy a $6 carton of fish to feed him. Shortly after I snapped this picture he slapped his tail at us...yup...wet again.

Tonys was elated to find he could get a "Cup of Corn" for lunch!!! Score!!! I'm sorry I don't have any pictures of us after we all went on a "River Ride." We all sat in one of those big round barrels and yup, you guessed it...wet again. Papa Jocko and Livie came out pretty dry....the rest of us weren't so lucky.

You can't visit Sea World without seeing Shamu. We saw several impressive shows that day, although I think we all had mixed feelings about these glorious creatures being in captivity.

Tired yet? Next stop....San Antonio again and the Alamo. We found ourselves with another glorious sunny day. And so did every other Texan, as it was the beginning of Sprink Break for the entire state. Holy crowds.

Despite the throngs of people we still enjoyed the beautiful, historic grounds and were glad we got to visit. I appreciated it much more this time...when we lived here we visited it at least 5 times... I was very young, and very bored.

You can't visit Texas without getting a frozen ice....yum!

After the Alamo, we took another LONG walk downtown to take in the sights and sounds of the Mexican market. 

After the Mexican market, we meandered down to the River Walk and had fun showing the kids one of our favorite places to visit when we lived there. There are little gems around every corner...

...like this lovely little stairway that takes you to historic "La Villita" the original village of San Antonio.

I wish you could smell the wisteria...it was amazing!!! After a long day we decided to eat BBQ for dinner. We literally ordered a table full of meat. As I was checking the flash settings on my camera for the waiter, I ended up with this...

...an accidental picture of my mom's full blown laughter when she saw this...

...a giant BBQ rib that the waiter handed Chris. I wonder why he picked Chris?????

The food was great, the service was great, his picture taking skills...not so great.

The next day it was time to start the long drive home. We headed up to Fredricksburg, Texas...a historic old German community. All of these wonderful old buildings have been turned into various shops and restaurants throughout the entire town.

Someone was a GENIUS to put the "Museum of the Pacific War" in Fredricksburg. The men can look at war memorabilia and the ladies can shop. Genius.

Chris was a good sport and stopped many, many times for me to take pictures of the Texas Bluebonnest that were in full bloom along the highways. The wildflowers are one of our favorite memories of our time spent in Texas (almost 20 years ago...gulp!).

We made a quick stop to have lunch and hike up "Cross Mountain". I wish you could see the BIG smile on Olivia's face...she loves when we make her do this sort of thing. Loves it. (wink)



The hike was worth this beautiful view of the Texas hill country from the top.

Both Chris and I love the random old live oaks you see as you drive through Texas.

Another pitstop in Blanco, Texas. When we drove by this river we had to stop and check it out. It was just calling Tony's name!

Perfect place for our two explorers to play while Liv and I hit an antique store nearby (again, notice the pattern).

We came across this HUGE herd of sheep on our drive home. There were all these cute baby lambs and we really wanted a picture. I handed the camera to Chris and he crossed the road to snap a picture. We laughed so hard because everytime he would move, ALL the sheep would run and then stop and look at him. They did this several times while we laughed our heads off. Never got a great shot of the babies but it was a fun little stop during a long drive home.

We really enjoyed our trip to Texas and it meant alot to share this special place with our kids and their grandparents.