Austin Visit

Last month, I was talking to my friend Rose, and she mentioned she was planning to drive to Austin to visit her daughter, Tori, at the end of June.  I would find doing the 12-hour drive by myself in a single day to be a bit much, so I offered to go along. Rose was clearly on the same page; she happily accepted my offer on the spot. I've known Tori most of her life, and haven't seen her in years. I figured it would be fun to see her again, and it was!

When we left, a week ago, we got a good start on the day - and needed every minute of it. Between traffic, construction, and rain, the trip took an hour longer than we'd anticipated, but we arrived safely in Austin just before dark. It wasn't an awful drive, just a long one. With COVID, I haven't talked much with Rose this past year, so the hours on the road gave us plenty of time to catch up on each other's lives. Tori, being the good daughter she is, had ice cream waiting for us as a treat when we arrived.

Tori did have to work all week, but we didn't let that get in the way of having fun. She works as the director for a group foster home, and I'll long remember the afternoon we spent with her and her current group of kids. Rose is a teacher, and directed us all in an art project. (There was an empty seat at the table, so I plopped myself down in the middle of the kids to join the painting fun!) Given they're going through a tough spot through no fault of their own, most of the crew was ready for some distracting fun, and the project proved to be just the ticket - they stayed absorbed in their pictures for a good two hours. After we'd finished, I got to spend a little time talking to one of the older girls. She's not been dealt an easy hand, but she's got good goals; I sure hope she gets the help she'll need to reach them. Heartbreaking, rewarding work, Tori does.

The other days, we watched a few movies, did a little sightseeing and shopping. We tried out some new recipes for dinner, took the dogs out for walks - the week passed quickly by.

With rain threatening on Saturday, our one full free day together, we'd planned for a quiet afternoon playing board games. But as noon rolled around, the rain decided to land elsewhere, so we quickly changed plans. There are a number of wineries in the hills around town, and Tori found one fairly close by for us to visit. We stopped on the way to pick up a meat / cheese / bread / fruit spread, and bought a bottle of wine to go with it after we got to our destination - the Flat Creek Winery and Vineyard. We spent the next couple of hours enjoying a leisurely lunch in the pavilion, sharing stories as we lazily looked across the fields of grape vines. The overcast skies kept most of the heat at bay, and the breeze saved us from having to share much of our meal with the flies. It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon.

I wasn't looking forward to the drive home, but we made it in good time; the trip took an hour less than it had taken to drive down. (The rain was mostly elsewhere, the construction sites buttoned down for the weekend, and it turns out the Dallas freeways are pretty wide open on Sunday mornings.) We were quieter; both a bit worn out from having fun all week.

We arrived safely home yesterday, in the late evening. I climbed into bed shortly thereafter, too wired to sleep, too tired to be fully awake. I was content to lie there, reflecting on the week just past, listening to the constant roar of fireworks coming from all sides. 

Good to be free to hit the open road, good to see new places. Good to be home, good to see the kitties. Good to spend time with good friends. Good to live good days.

Life is not easy. Life is not perfect. Life is Good.

Happy 4th of July!