Austin and San Antonio with Peggy and Family - 2005

Picture Album

Random Recollections
  • On Sunday afternoon, after Peggy's graduation, we left for a whirlwind tour of the State Capitol and the River Walk in San Antonio.
  • On our drive to Austin, we saw many beautiful wildflowers including primrose, paintbrush, and Indian blanket, though the bluebonnets had already gone to seed for the most part. We took the scenic route through Coleman, Brady, and Llano county so we could see the flowers and the central Texas lake and hill country.
  • We had a wonderful dinner at the Oasis restaurant above Lake Travis. We learned, to my surprise, that the Oasis is the second largest restaurant in the United States, concurrently seating 2500 people. They have three kitchens, but the place does not seem nearly that large since it is broken naturally into separate areas which are tiered down the face of the cliff overlooking the lake. Many of the sunsets over the lake are stunning and the walls are lined with beautiful samples of past twilights.
  • The next morning, we toured the state capitol building. Everyone seem quite impressed since it is the tallest in the nation. And except for the national capitol building in Washington it is also the largest in area.
  • We also toured the relatively new capitol extension, which Laura and I had missed on previous trips.
  • The House of Representatives was in session, which held Randy, Laura, and Melissa's interest better than the others. They didn't have much vested in the proceedings, so that was understandable. The gift shop was a better spot for them. The Senate had been in session earlier, but adjourned in time for us to visit the chamber.
  • After we got back home, Laura discovered, to her great dismay, that they had spotted over 15 species of migrating warblers on the capitol grounds at the exact time we were touring the building. We actually saw some of the birders as we entered and left.
  • After the capitol, we ate lunch at a large Schlotsky's on Lamar near Town Lake and then headed south to San Antonio.
  • After checking into our hotel, we headed downtown for the post office, the Alamo, and the River Walk. We made reservations for dinner and then took the ride on the tour boats that cruise the San Antonio river throughout downtown. Everyone seemed to enjoy the unique scenery and international flavor of the surroundings.
  • In the evening we had a delicious dinner at Landry's Seafood restaurant on the River Walk. Seafood is always a hit with Peggy and her family.
  • The next morning we returned to the Alamo for a proper tour. We enjoyed the Alamo itself, the gardens surrounding the buildings, the museum, and, of course, the gift shop.
  • We stopped at Mamacita's on the north side of San Antonio for lunch. We had a really good waiter that Laura put on the spot by telling him we would be comparing him aid this restaurant with the ones in Kerrville and Fredericksburg. He was young, but came through great. The soft tacos made fresh before our eyes were a big hit and the waiter gave us extra fresh ones to take out after the meal.
  • Peggy helped us drive on the way home. Her driving skills have improved remarkably since Laura taught her how to drive several years ago.
  • We got back in plenty of time for them to get ready to fly to New York City early the next morning. Laura drove them to the Abilene airport to see them off.