I failed to mention that getting out of Minnesota was a bit of an issue. My flight from MSP to ORD on the day I was supposed to leave was delayed and then delayed and then delayed again. I ended up spending another night in Minnesota and leaving the next day. The next flight took me through DC where I grabbed a picture of the Washington Monument.
The park and ride where I had left my car was gracious enough to give me the extra night for free, so there was a plus side. The pet sitter I booked through Rover.com was also accommodating and adjusted her schedule, so she could stop in to see Arthur. And, well, another night in MN is never a bad thing.
On a sunny weekend in late August, I went on a boat cruise off the Erie Canal. I guess I never realized how long the canal is, but I saw part of it, heard the Erie Canal song, and saw some wildlife. I didn’t spend as much time in Rochester itself as I thought I would, but this was a nice overview. I sat my a nice couple for part of the trip, and they were very positive about the Rochester area and the sites we saw while on the cruise.
Arthur did ok in Irondequoit. He spent a lot of time under the covers and playing with his toys. He took very good care of me, especially after I wounded myself.
So, I burned myself on the stove when I was taking a pizza out of the oven and somehow bruised myself at some point. The burn is healing nicely, and the bruise disappeared quickly. 🍫🍫 YAY for another scar?
I was glad we were able to make this stop in the Rochester area. It was a nice-sized area, and the people I met were all very kind and approachable, but it didn’t feel like home.
Our next stop, for seven whole months, is Orchard Park, NY. Yes, the home of the Buffalo Bills. Yes, one of the snowiest places in the NE. I’m looking forward to calling a place home for that length of time and having a stable location for Arthur.
Back in the days of the pandemic, I had a great morning routine. I would wake up around 5:30, feed the cats, and then go for a two-mile walk around the small borough where I lived. It was energizing and relaxing at the same time. I would listen to podcasts or books on Audible and just enjoy being one of the only people out enjoying the fresh air.
Since I’ve been on this journey to find my forever home, it has been hard to get back to that groove, so I wanted to try to get it back now that the morning weather was getting cooler, and I was preparing to settle in to my time in New York. In Irondequoit, I started walking almost daily – either in the morning before work or after work. One of my first weekends, I decided that I would try to see more of the area by trying out different trails on the weekends.
My first trail was the Irondequoit Lakeside Trail that bordered Lake Ontario. I saw this handsome buck when I was trying to find a parking spot. The views of the lake were incredible, and I ended up turning around when I came upon an active crime scene, which turned out to be a fatal motorcycle accident.
Near Durand Lake, I stumbled across the White Lady‘s Castle ruins. There was a restaurant in this spot and never a castle, but the legend lives on. I walked up the stairs and around the site, but I didn’t see any ghosts – just a lot of graffiti and a nice view of the lake.
Another weekend took me to Corbett’s Glen Nature Park in nearby Brighton, NY. The trail wasn’t very long, but it was lovely. There were more inclines that I’m used to, but it was worth it for the variety of views and time in the trees. Unfortunately, there was a group running when I got there, and I learned my lesson. I should’ve gone earlier to avoid all the foot traffic.
I had also wanted to get to Corning, NY, to see the glass museum. Visiting had been on my list since my days in PA, so it was fun to make it happen while I was in Irondequoit.
To say there was a lot of glass is a gross understatement. When you first step into the Corning Museum of Glass, there are a few more modern glass displays, and for awhile, I thought that was it. I was so wrong. There were galleries upon galleries of glass. Glass from the beginning of glass, glass from other countries, functional glass, decorative glass, gigantic glass monoliths, wee glass intricacies, and just so much glass. It was overwhelmingly beautiful. So much glass.
I did catch a glass-blowing demo. It was neat to see the process live.
I walked across the bridge from the glass museum to the village of Corning and stopped in for lunch at Hand + Foot for a great BLT and more root beer. After lunch, I walked to The Rockwell Museum. It’s a small but might museum with some great exhibits, including this sculpture by Michael Naranjo. It was displayed in an exhibit highlighting art of the southwest U.S., and it reminded me of my time in New Mexico.
On the way back to Irondequoit, I also stopped by Watkins Glen State Park. I wanted to get some more steps in, but I had also heard that it was a beautiful park. Unfortunately, a lot of other people thought it would be a great day to visit, so the trail was very crowded. I’ll have to go back when it’s less busy to see more of the falls and trails.
Some random pictures of the glen and some strangers who just a couple of the many, many, many, many people who were at the park.
One more post about the Rochester area next time! Then, we’re on to Buffalo.
I’m in New York – not that part of New York though. NYC is great, and it’s beautiful in its own way, but ol’ Ms Haps isn’t really city gal anymore, so I’m spending a lot of my time in northern NY. To start, I had some time to kill before I moved to the Buffalo area, so I decided to spend some time in Rochester – more specifically Irondequoit. I found this great AirBnB garage apartment for late July through early September. It was really nice to be in a residential neighborhood again and not in an apartment complex.
I decided not to unpack everything from the car. I had purposefully packed the fall/winter clothes in separate bins from the summer/spring and left those in the back of the car. I tried not to unpack too much either since we were there for about five weeks.
Arthur settled in pretty quickly, but he didn’t have a lot of windows to look out.
He had a good time playing with the fishing pole / feather and looking out the window when he wasn’t hiding under the covers for his daily naps.
One of my first adventures in Rochester was visiting the Susan B Anthony historical home. When I stayed in Syracuse last August, I had visited Seneca Falls and the Women’s Rights National Park, and I guess I missed that Susan B Anthony lived for many decades in Rochester.
The tour was good, and it was interesting to learn more about the Women’s movement, about her arrest, and her questionable stances on some issues, particularly on race and abortion. You can Google it, but in a nutshell, her efforts for white women overshadowed other important debates at the time.
In August, I attended a book club at Laughing Gull Chocolates. They choose books with a food-based theme, and in August, the book was Be Ready When Luck Happens by Ina Garten. I was able to get through about half of the book before the meeting, and it was a lively discussion with a lot of women from different walks of life in the Rochester area. It was good to get out and meet the people and have a chat about a book written by one of my favorite Food Network chefs – the Barefoot Contessa. While she did have some luck in her life, she also had a lot of opportunities. In the end, it was one of those situations where she saw it as “luck”, and the rest of us saw it as privilege with some struggles.
I also was able to plan a last minute trip to Minnesota in August as well. It’s such a great time to visit, and I was able to see my parents, spend time with friends, and go to the Great MN Get Together – the MN State Fair.
(L to R) Traffic in rural MN. One of the five beautiful lakes in my hometown. Hot tomatoes. Not pictured: the blackberry ice cream from the Dairy Freeze.
When I’m home, I always visit my grandparents at their cemeteries. I was so fortunate to have three grandparents for a lot of my life in my hometown. My dad’s mom passed away only 4 years ago at 99, and my mom’s parents were with us until 2010. Visiting them reminds me of their love and our time together and how much they poured into me, my brother, and my cousins. One of the many reasons I love returning to MN.
It’s been over a decade since I’ve been back in MN for the state fair. These are the most iconic parts of the fair for me – the map of all there is to see, the 4-H building that I was fortunate enough to compete in, and the water tower on Snelling that announces the fair all year long.
Everyone has their favorite foods at the fair, and these are mine. (L to R) A root beer float from the 1919 Root Beer stand – a MN favorite. Sweet Martha’s Cookies from the OG stand near the 4-H building (yes, I bought a bucket). The roast corn on the cob, dipped in butter and salted and peppered. I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t do something dumb; I left my wallet at that stand this year. But it also wouldn’t be MN, if someone didn’t turn it in. The gal who grabbed it for me also gave me a hug – so Minnesota. 🍫🍫
(L to R) MN apples! Arts & Crafts! Tractors! When I was growing up, we had a 60, so it was great to see that model on display.
There was an evergreen competition in the Horticulture building, and this is my other favorite landmark on the fairgrounds. I got there around 7AM when the gates opened, and I was done by 11:30. It was the perfect morning.
More from NY next time – Corning, injuries, and back to a familiar routine.
When I was in Muskegon, I found this great screen print. I bought the tank top version since it was so hot that day. One thing that caught my eye was that every one of my finalist cities in on or near one of the Great Lakes. The water has always had a pull on me. Maybe it was growing up in a city with five lakes, or maybe it is just how powerful water is? There’s just something about it that draws me in; I have the utmost respect for it.
I think I say it every time I leave one location for another, but it’s hard to believe that it was already time to leave Michigan. There were a few errands that I needed to run on my last day, and I wanted to be sure I had enough time to load the car and get everything settled. In the evening, my friend, her husband, and I went out for dinner at The Green Well. We had a lovely time and barely talked about work (a minor miracle!). Then we walked down to Furniture City Creamery for dessert where we all enjoyed some very good ice cream. I had mine in this adorable kid-sized cake cup, and it was the perfect night cap and toast to Grand Rapids.
There were two options for us to get to our next destination – Irondequoit, NY (just to the east of Rochester). We could go through Canada, or we could go through Ohio. Ohio had its appeal since we wouldn’t have to cross the borders, but the trip would be about an hour longer. Right now, border crossing as a naturalized American citizen is unsettling at best. Believe it or not, I don’t have a prison record or a speeding ticket to my name, but I can’t help feeling a certain way about “testing” my documents at the border. Did I mention that I hate driving through Ohio?
So, we went through Canada, and it was lovely. Crossing into Canada took longer than it took to get back into the US. There was quite the line. We stopped at one roadside rest area on the way for a break. The roads were perfect, and Arthur barely complained. I did make an effort to make sure he didn’t over-eat before left. He found a comfy spot under the passenger seat, and we made it to Irondequoit in around 7 hours. When entering the US again, the border guard did have some very good questions for me, but I passed the test with flying colors, and we were back in the US without any issues.
Just a Little More Michigan
Michigan brought the return of my famous tater tot hotdish, some delightful banana bread, and lots of local fruit – the strawberries and cherries were my favorite.
Just a couple more works of “art” from Michigan – the beautiful marble gallery wall at the Muskegon Art Museum, this lovely dress I found at the grocery store, Meijer, on clearance, and Arthur admiring the light art that my coffee cup made on the wall one morning.
Overall, Michigan was fantastic. I liked Grand Rapids more than I thought I would and felt quite at home there. If you forced me to rank them now, Michigan has the edge over Chicagoland.
Until Next Time…
I typically only write after I’ve been somewhere and not while I’m there. With my upcoming 8-month stay in New York, it’s going to be hard to keep that up unless I become grossly behind on the blog. So, I’ve decided to write while in place, but the details may become more vague to preserve some anonymity. Thank you, as always, for reading along with us. More adventures to come!
In mid-June, we had some rain, and it was that kind of rain when the world just feels fresh after – not the kind of rain where it feels like a sauna. On one of those rainy days, I had the chance to drive to see a couple more Frank Lloyd Wright houses northwest of Detroit.
The first tour was at the Affleck House in Bloomfield Hills. There were a lot of unique features to this property that I enjoyed.
Under one of the cantilevers there was this shaded lounge area that had a small stream running through it. The bathroom and office area featured these unique windows to aid with the cross breeze and added to the aesthetic. The living room and dining room featured this beautiful planked ceiling and floor-to-ceiling windows/doors. The natural light was stunning even on that overcast day.
One of my favorite parts of the FLW houses are the locations. They are almost always set in treed and lush properties – so naturally part of the landscape.
The Smith House was associated with the Cranbrook in Bloomfield Township. I had no idea how big the campus was, and I missed an opportunity to tour the Cranbrook House, but I did have a chance to wander around the Art Museum on the campus before the Smith house tour. I’m on the fence, in general, about midcentury modern design. The museum featured work done at the Cranbrook in support of that design style with different furniture and textiles and art pieces. The Eames exhibit was very interesting. I had lunch in their downstairs cafe and walked around some of the gardens as well.
The Smiths were art enthusiasts and had art in their home and on the property, which backed up to a small pond. Because of all the personal effects still in the home, it felt more “lived in” than some of the other FLW houses I’ve toured.
The Smiths also re-appropriated some of the spaces as well, which probably had FLW rolling in his grave, but a house only works when it fits what its dwellers need, so I could appreciate the changes they made to make it work for them. Isn’t that office just so great? Proving that a small room can be a functional retreat for work and rest.
I really do love the windows that utilize the mitered glass to create an invisible corner for a better view of the outdoors. Like Thoreau wrote: “We can never have enough of nature. We must be refreshed by the sight of inexhaustible vigor, vast and titanic features….” Another beautiful property that I am grateful to have gotten to explore.
When you tour more than one FLW home in the same day, you often run into the same people. This time, I met a couple from Ohio and a young man at the Affleck House and then again at the Smith House. It was fun to compare notes with them about the different houses and about my travel plans. I wish I had more time and energy to spend, but I was ready to head back home after the Smith tour.
Back in Grand Rapids, Arthur had extra time for cuddles and cuteness and helped me most days at work from his perch.
After all our Chicagoland adventures, it was time to depart for our next stop, Grand Rapids, MI. My original plan had been to stay in Ann Arbor, but the universe had other plans for me and Arthur. I booked multiple AirBnBs in Michigan – two in Ann Arbor, one north of Ann Arbor on Whitmore Lake, and another in Grand Rapids. All of them, for one reason or no reason, cancelled. 🍫 A big part of all the travel is learning that plans aren’t permanent, and change can be for the better.
We ended up booking a studio apartment in Grand Rapids off of Michigan Street. My friend who lives in Grand Rapids drove by before I booked to make sure it was in a safe neighborhood, and the hosts were very communicative and fully understood my need for central A/C in June and July.
Unlike the Evanston apartment, this place had a full kitchen. The closet picture is basically all the clothes that I have with me on this journey – about half as much as I was able to bring in the RV. The bed was cozy, but I did end up buying a set of sheets because I need cotton sheets – microfiber is not my jam. If you look closely at the picture on the right, there’s a lump in the middle of the bed. That’s Arthur. His midday nap includes putting himself to bed under the covers.
The transition from IL to MI for Arthur was rough. We hit a little traffic leaving Evanston, but when we reached Lake Shore Driver, Arthur’s breakfast re-appeared three times…. 🍫🍫 After that, he settled down by my feet. I know, not ideal, but he rarely cried for the next three hours after he got comfy and resigned himself to the trip. I did make a few notes for our next drive, which will be about 7.5 hours – unlike this trip that was only 3.5 hours. I did not set him up for success on this one – we left too late in the day, and he was a bit traumatized by how I ended up getting him into the car. He did settle in, and because this place was smaller than the last, I felt more comfortable having him roam on his own.
I had a couple of days to myself, and then we had a small work meeting. My friends came over, got to meet Arthur, and worked with me for a few days. It wasn’t all work though. We did have a chance to get to the zoo and went out to eat a couple times.
We were able to see the annual lantern festival at the John Ball Zoo while they were there, and another co-worker joined us for dinner at New Holland Brewery and walking around the zoo. It stays light pretty late in June in Michigan, and my bedtime is early, so we avoided the bugs and really enjoyed seeing the lights glow more as we walked out. If you know Michigan, you probably know Meijer; they “powered” the displays and were my preferred grocery store when I was in Michigan; I even bought a dress there.
We also celebrated National Donut Day with Farmhaus Farms donuts, had dinner at Mr. Burger, and spent time on one of the many MI lakes. I also had a chance to do some baking again – gluten-free blueberry muffins, and gluten-free “crack” brownies. I’m definitely a fan of gluten, but I can bake without when needs must. It was a great first week in Grand Rapids.
I also ran over to Ann Arbor after work on Friday to catch Sarah Millican on her Late Bloomer tour. She was an absolute delight. The Michigan Theater was packed, and everyone seemed to be there to laugh, which always makes comedy shows so much better. I did a very “old lady” thing and left at intermission. Why would I leave when I was having a great time? Three Reasons: People / traffic / a long drive back to where I was staying near Lansing. I had a seat relatively close to the stage, and I found a great parking spot in the parking ramp, but it was 9PM by the time we reached intermission, and I just didn’t want to deal with the people / traffic / drive after 10PM. If the line to the bathroom was any indicator, it would’ve probably been midnight before my head hit the pillow.
Arthur settled in pretty easily in Grand Rapids and really enjoyed meeting my friends from work and getting all the pets and treats from them.
Next post: Two more Frank Lloyd Wright houses outside of Detroit!
When my friend told me that the greater Chicago area was called “Chicagoland”, I said, ‘What? Like it’s an amusement park?’ She just laughed, but little did I know that I would be in for a ride. And by ride, I mean a lot of time in the car to get anywhere. Alas, this is one of my struggles with a large city – the time it takes to get anywhere. Only 11 miles away? Yeah, that translates to 40 minutes in the car.
A couple of my drives took me to the Northbrook Library where they have this maker’s space where you can 3D print, embroider, sew, etch, and do all sorts of crafts. They even have crafty librarians available to assist with your project. I also went to 9Round in Glenview a couple of times where I punched and kicked stuff to my heart’s content. It’s a circuit-based training, and it was ok. I’m not great with my exercise being coordinated, but I did love the speed bag once I got the rhythm down.
When I took a trip downtown, I went on an architectural river tour where floated and heard about the different buildings on the waterfront and enjoyed a sunset. I also had a chance to walk around and visit some stores, including a unique Apple Store on Michigan Avenue. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and there were a lot of people out enjoying it.
Another joy of being in a city is street parking. 🍫🍫 Our new ride met with Sergio, and whatever he was driving when he scratched up my car. How do I know that it was Sergio? He left a note with his number, which was really kind, but what would’ve been kinder is if he would’ve answered when I called and texted him. Sigh.
Just a little scratching…. 😩
Did I like Chicagoland? Yes and no. Yes, I liked the buzz of being in a city again and being able to get to everything even if it took longer than what I hoped. I liked the neighborhoods with unique restaurants and people. There’s always something going on somewhere and so much to see and do. Honestly, being so burnout from travel, I think we maybe managed about 5% of what is possible. I just don’t think the busyness of the city life might not be for me anymore.
We were off to Michigan in late May for more adventure time.
And, just like that, four months had flown by, and it was time for us to head back to Minnesota. I knew that this was probably not gonna go well for Arthur, so I planned a stop between Austin and Arkansas near Dallas.
So, in Austin, I had a minor disaster with the water heater. 🍫🍫🍫🍫
I first noticed the leak when I was leaving to go on a work trip, so I grabbed a bucket and put it under the van. When I got back the bucket had some water, but it wasn’t full. Of course, I looked at it when I got back to find the source of the leak. And of course, I found it and tried to fix it, which – of course – turned into me breaking it. I ordered a part and thought I could replace the broken part. I could not, so back to a life without running water. Luckily, I was able to make an appointment at Lichtsinn RV on our way back to MN.
We left Austonia on Saturday around 10AM and headed toward Dallas. Since we didn’t have far to drive, I planned for an extended stop at the George W Bush Presidential Museum.
I had lunch at the museum’s restaurant – Cafe 43. There was a really profound quote from the former president that struck a cord with me in the freedom exhibit. “I believe that freedom is a gift from God and in the hope of every human heart. Freedom inspired our founders and preserved our union through civil war and secured the promise of civil rights. Freedom sustains dissidents bound by chains, believers huddled in underground churches, and voters risk their lives to cast their ballots. Freedom unleashes creativity, rewards innovation, and replaces poverty with prosperity, and ultimately freedom lights the path to peace.” I was also impressed with how they presented the events from 9-11 – very moving.
One of the skills I’ve mastered was backing up Estella into a variety of spaces, including the one above at the GW Bush Museum. Arthur seemed to enjoy the break and hopped up onto his cat stand while we drove through the city, which was much better than his puking fit during the first 5 minutes after we left Austonia.
We ended up on 635 to reach our Boondockers Welcome site in Garland. By this time, I was exhausted, and I just wanted to rest. The hosts were very kind and suggested a walk in the neighborhood to a nearby park. It was just what I needed. It was a windy evening, and a neighbor was having a party, but it was still very quiet and restful.
The next morning, we were up early and on our way to Pirate Kansas – my nickname for ARRRRR-Kansas. 😉 The drive was really good, and Arthur did awesome. We were reminded of how great the roads are in Oklahoma and drove past a beautiful and Oklahoma’s largest lake (Eufaula Lake) as well. When you drive on roads you’ve never been on, it’s such a beautiful surprise to see lakes and mountains that you had no idea were just around the corner.
When we got to Bentonville, I stopped for supplies at Walmart because when in Rome…. Then we were off to our campsite at Blowing Springs RV Park in Bella Vista. We had a good spot near the bathrooms and trash, but not too close. There were a lot of other campers there for the biking trails. The spots were long and relatively close together but very long. The showers were fine but not memorable. I think that it was during this week that it really hit me how tired I was. We spent most of the week just working and lounging.
Arthur was able to relax and enjoyed the days when we could have the screen door open. Next stop – back to Iowa!
You can probably tell that I have my notebook from when I was in Austin – unlike Houston where I was going strictly from memory. Lots more details thanks to past Ms. Haps who remembered to write things down. Every mile is a memory, but only if I put pen to paper before I forget.
One of the shows that I watched while I was on the road was “The Great Pottery Throwdown” – think Great British Bake-Off meets clay. It was a fantastic series, but HBO didn’t renew it after five seasons. It also inspired me to try my hand at hand-throwing pottery. I’ve been to those shops where you paint something that has come out of a slip mold, but this was my first time learning about the process to throw pottery by hand. I signed up for a class at Rosa Pottery while I was in Austin. The class was informative and entertaining, and I really enjoyed just feeling the clay shape under my fingers. I was terrible at it, but I had a lot of fun, and I hope to try it again when I’m a little more settled. Thanks to Hillary for shipping my pieces to me in Minnesota since I left Austin before they were fired.
Speaking of art, I had a lovely day to visit the Blanton Art Museum. Here are some of my favorites.
The museum had these modern, flower-like sculptures that provided shade, which was needed on the sunny day I visited. The second image was one of a series by Tavares Strachan which focuses on depicting Black men from history who were violently silenced, held by their own mothers. This one depicts Alice Nokuzola Biko and the body of her son, Bantu Stephen Biko, an anti-apartheid activist in South Africa. The set of landscapes are by French artists – Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot and Frederic Emile Jean-Baptist Ragot.
The Blanton is across the mall from the State Capitol of Texas, so I walked over to take the tour.
The area around the capitol was undergoing some renovation, but you can see its dome to the right of the crane in the first picture. The second picture is the interior of the dome. It was a Saturday when I visited, and the place was very busy.
My friends from Houston came to town for a visit as well while I was in Austin. We had brunch at Pheobe’s Diner and then went to throw axes at Urban Axes. Probably not a shock to most people I know, but I was much better at throwing an axe than I was at throwing pottery. We also had a great instructor who was from Minnesota, and I hit some bonus thing (no idea what it was called) and got to sign the wall.
For this first picture, our instructor had prompted us to pretend we were facing a horde of zombies (from L to R: Gonna smile those zombies to death, Ready to take ’em down, and Already in the battle). Second picture is when I hit that spot that I can’t remember what it’s called, and the third is us with our instructor. We ate dinner at P. Terry’s Burger Stand, which was fantastic. I wish I had stopped there sooner because my time in TX was just about over.
Just a couple more highlights from my time in Austin. This beautiful mural was outside of a very prolific tortilla maker in Austin that I cannot remember the name of, but the tortillas were as delicious as the mural. I also met some friends in Gruene, TX, at Gristmill River Restaurant for a really nice lunch on the patio that overlooks the river.
One last glamour shot of Arthur before we start to make our way out of Texas. I don’t think he’ll miss HEB as much as I will, but I think he really enjoyed four months of very little travel. The trek back to Minnesota might be a rough one.
I was realizing that the last post was more about San Antonio instead of Austin, so this one – I promise – will actually be about, you guessed it, Austin.
When I returned from Austin, the part for my fridge had arrived, which I also forgot to tell you that I ordered when I got to Austin. I figured out that it was likely the thermistor after doing some reading and asking around. This did involve me learning what a thermistor is, but when it arrived, I installed it without issue, and just like that – we have refrigeration again. Thankfully, I have small hands and a basic sense of survival, which proved to be vital in this repair. 🍫🍫 Throughout this journey, I’ve learned that I can live without running water, refrigeration, and in the most desperate of times – without electricity.
This prompted a trip to HEB for fridge-worthy supplies, an hour and thirty minute round trip to Chicken Salad Chick, and a stop at an independent bookstore (BookPeople) for a book. Austin is excellent for indie shops, and since I decided I was going to go to some library book clubs while I was in town, it was a great find.
Meanwhile, back in Minnesota, my Dad went to test drive a car for me that I had seen online and had expressed some mild interest in. (After Austin, it was gonna be just a short amount of time before Arthur and I would leave Estella behind and head out for some extended stays in the cities that were the finalists for our Unicorn City.) So, through my Dad and his BFF at the car dealership, Troy, I was able to buy a car in MN while living in TX. More on that later.
Because I was so close to College Station and had meant to go to the George Bush Presidential Museum the last time I was there, I made the trek there. It was a really well done museum. I even got to look very presidential.
I really didn’t want the picture behind his desk, but the docent made it sound like it was a requirement, so TA-DA, here I am behind a replica of President Bush’s desk, looking very presidential with my backpack. The sculpture outside the museum was also outstanding. I love horses and how they incorporated them into a monument celebrating the Berlin Wall coming down was well done.
There were some really beautiful moments at the RV park as well. Like this sunset.
And stars!
I had a work trip to Florida during my time in Austin, so I got to experience the Austin airport, which was great – easy and breezy – a very different experience from Houston.
A friend visited from Waco for a day of adventure in Austin. We went for brunch at True Food Kitchen at The Domain. Then we headed over to LBJ’s Presidential Museum.
There was a really nice art display and a good amount of Lady Bird’s personal effects and her office, overlooking the university. We had a good time wandering through history and then decided to go to grab a snack near the RV park. It was good, but I can’t remember where we were, but it’s just outside of Del Valle, TX. And I do remember that I had the steak nachos.
Well, we’re all starting to get tired, so more Austin later.
The Adventures of Ms Haps & Arthur 