Deep in the Heart of Texas

Guess where I was last week. 

Hint: Remember 4th grade geography and

study the waffle below.

That's right.  I was in Texas, the Lone Star

State.  It was my first visit.  Judy and I tagged

along with Jennifer, Matt, Claire, and Evan, who

all played parts in a beautiful Texas wedding.

In this post I'll share photos from some of the 

peripheral events, in which we were graciously

invited to join right in.  In a blog post to follow,

I'll show a few wedding shots, mostly showing

the grandkids in action.  I won't embarrass myself

by competing with the classy wedding photos of

the professional, who did incredible work.

Let's dive in.

This is a card catalog, which is going the
way of the slide rule and the rotary phone.
It's a creation of the bride's talented mother.

At a family get-together at the bride's
home Evan managed to get more water
on him than if he had jumped in.

Evan practices mountain-climbing skills.
This is just a small Texas mountain.

Can you tell that Claire is air-borne in her Texas boots?

One grand event was held at Austin's

beloved Zilker Park.

We had just arrived when we spied the train as it
came through the playground area.

This actual vintage fire truck was a huge hit.

No gas pedal required.  Just tell it to go, sort of
like the Magic School Bus.

There was not yet any water in this neat little splash
area, but what a great concept!

We walked down to Barton Creek on these stone steps.

Now, it was OUR turn to ride the Zilker Zephyr.

Somewhere along the way, Evan picked up a
non-paying hitchhiker.

Claire claims him as a friend, too. We mercifully
released him in his own habitat before we got back
to "civilization."

Nearing the station after a 25 minute ride around
the perimeter of the lovely park.  Now why would
they put a sign saying "Do not enter tunnel," then
force us to exactly that?!

Claire and Evan REALLY liked the train ride.

And I think they REALLY liked the ice cream
that followed.

These mildly annoying (but very interesting) birds
are great-tailed grackles.  They dominated many
public areas we visited, both by their physical
presence and by their scolding, harsh calls.

While the kids swam with their parents and others,
Judy and I walked for a while on a greenway trail,
catching this view of Barton Creek just before it
merges with the Colorado River.

Jennifer and Matt took us on a tour of downtown
where we noticed 38 1/2 Street.  Getting pretty
crowded, I suppose.

One of Jennifer's friends who lives in Austin clued
us in to the city's central market, which also featured
a very nice playground.

Live music was an added bonus.  The kids and
adults loved it all.

When Claire and Riley saw young folks swing
dancing they took their cue and joined right in.

This was a relaxing and family-friendly spot to
spend several hours on wedding day.

Before we left the park, we strolled to a pond
with turtles and this grand old tree.  And Claire's
motto is, "Have Tree, Will Climb."

Grandma knows that water draws Evan like a magnet.
So let's just view the turtle from a distance.

Evan had his turn on the tree and then we loaded up
 to head back to our hotel and prepare for the wedding.

On our route back, Jennifer swung by the Texas
state capitol building.  It was quite impressive, and
in true Lone Star style, it is somewhat taller than
the United States capitol.

The wedding was now just a few hours away.
My next post will share a few special moments from it.