Travels with Edna and Papi: .Austin Music, "Houston, I think we have a problem!", and good ol' New Orleans!

Houston Family, Luckenbach, "squish the cockroach", family friends from Abilene and a tornado watch!

The drive towards Austin was interesting because we encountered many dead deer along the road and oddly enough, many deer processing plants. This all seemed so strange to me and I wondered if these poor, sweet creatures were hit by cars or were they shot and killed and left alongside the road to be picked up for processing? Thinking the first option was more reasonable, we did see the height of the fences along the country roads get taller most likely to keep the deer from jumping over. We drove past rolling green hills traveling through Fredericksburg and Hill Country. We found ourselves slightly nervous driving a 50' plus truck/fifth-wheel through the narrow streets of Fredericksburg where community members were removing hundreds of Christmas wreaths that were hung on the streetlights. Cars were parked at an angle in this cute German town which made it interesting trying to avoid clipping them as we carefully squeezed by. As we drove through Fredericksburg, Hill country and Johnson City, we knew these were all towns we wanted to explore during our stay in Austin.
Our R.V. park was on the outskirts of Austin and probably not the best part of the city, however we felt very safe where we were staying. No traditional pizza here because now we are in the south and want to enjoy some good ol' Texas barbecue. We did just that enjoying our barbecue sandwiches, coleslaw and beans while planning our Austin trip. The next day we packed our overnight bags and drove an hour and a half back to Fredericksburg with Daisy and Gracie in tow. We first stopped at Johnson City, the hometown of Lyndon B. Johnson our 36th president. The town was named after his uncle who was a pioneer in establishing this area by donating over 320 acres of farmland in the late 1800's. On the property were Texas Longhorn that were more interested in eating than me getting within a foot to take a picture. Hill country was a place highly recommended by many people not just for it's beautiful hillsides but for its' fairly good sized wine region. Of course we had to check out a few wineries and though they don't measure up to California or Arizona wines, it didn't stop us from enjoying a glass while admiring the beautiful countryside. Thankfully, not far from the Hill Country, was Fredericksburg the cute little German town we passed while traveling towards Austin. We were in search of good German food and weren't disappointed with Perry enjoying Schnitzel and myself, German rolls. We were able to make reservations at the La Quinta Inn in Fredericksburg, a great hotel that accepted dogs. Wow.....dogs accepted, a king sized bed, a long running hot shower and a FREE full breakfast the next morning. We may not want to go back! Before we settled in for the night, Perry wanted to visit Luckenbach (known for the Waylon Jennings song) only a few miles from Fredericksburg. It was getting dark and thank goodness for GPS because Luckenbach was in the middle of nowhere. Arriving at the well lit old, historic town on the dirt road, a sign said "Welcome to Luckenbach, pop. 3" Really, 3?! This town in the 1800's was used as a trading post with the Indians but over the years struggled to survive. Eventually the town was purchased by a rancher and actor in 1970 with the original general store, saloon , post office and dance hall still standing. It eventually became a place where many country musicians visited and performed. That night, we were greeted by friendly folk in cowboy hats and boots. One local pointed out several chickens perched in the tree above us. We sat outside with the dogs and we were entertained by six amateur (but very talented) country musicians. You truly got a real sense of what might have taken place between the 1800's in this town along with the rich country music by well known country artists. This was a worthwhile stop and I was so entertained by the locals that it was hard for me to leave. At the same time, a working wi-fi, cable television with some of my favorite shows and a king sized bed awaited me ! After an amazing night sleep, we walked the town the next day making a few small purchases before heading back to Austin. Traveling through the city we drove the well known South Congress street where it's known for the street musicians and retail stores. We didn't plan on stopping, but our windows were down and heard a country duo singing. As we walked up, the young female performer stopped in the middle of her song and in her country "twang", "Is that a Treeing Walker Coonhound?" referring to Daisy. In front of other audience members, she told of her Walker Coonhound that had recently passed and the love for her dog. She dedicated the next song to her dog and Daisy.

We have the dogs with us pretty much around the clock but on occasion, we enjoy time to ourselves. When we do, we like to tire them out by letting them run off leash at a park or trail. The next day we went to a place in Austin called Barton Springs Park that had many trails and a natural spring you could actually swim in. We all benefit from outdoor activity and this one was no different as hiked the trails at Barton Springs in hopes of wearing the dogs out. We succeeded and that night we were to listen to some good Austin City music. With the lights off and music low, we put the dogs to bed and away we went to the Sahara Lounge. Perry wanted to surprise me with the ambiance and music of the venue and it worked! When he puts on his crazy bright red and yellow Australian "footy" jersey , this means we're in for an interesting night! As we drove into the lot with only a few cars, we were immediately greeted by an older, happy lady named "Dolores" who engaged us in conversation. At first, I thought she worked at the Sahara Lounge and was there to greet us, but instead she proceeded to ask for money for a bus fair. Hmmm...interesting start! There were only a few tables, a dance floor, a stage and a table with the owner offering a buffet of beans, rice and sausage. This IS going to be an interesting night! By 8:00 people were moving in quickly to listen to a well known Argentinian guitarist and Brazilian Soul Singer. Young and old continued to pour into this venue and the next band got people dancing to the point where I thought the plywood dance floor would give way. One couple caught my eye because the woman (probably in her 40's) was youthfully dressed but a great dancer. Near the end of the evening, Perry went to close our tab and soon the woman with her short dark hair and above the knee boots, grabbed my hand and before long I was dancing with a stranger.....a woman no less! She hollered for me to move my hands and "squish the cockroach". This was her way of teaching me how to properly move my feet in a dance. There must have been at least fifty people dancing to the six minute song. It was a great workout and a lot of fun!
The following day, our family friend Angela and her three kids were to visit from Abilene. Angela used to babysit David and Kaylyn when we lived in San Diego but being in the Air Force, she and her husband were transferred to Texas. We had never met her youngest (six year old Xavier), once met Reya when she was a baby (now seven) but her sweet Alexsys we've seen off and on over the years.

A big part of this trip is seeing family and friends and the time we spent with all of them, is a treasure. I was so happy we had the time together! More family time as we head to Houston!

HOUSTON........and yes we have a problem!

We were in the middle of some good Texas rain with tornado watches flashing across the bottom of the television. Our first serious weather question on this trip....what if there's a tornado and we're in the fifth wheel? Not far from us were brick bathrooms where we would take refuge if needed. A noisy, sleepless night but no tornado! We were traveling the next day to Houston and the rain appeared to be following the same path as us. We decided to proceed with our travel plans and the closer we got to Houston for whatever reason, the big black cloud opened up impairing our visibility causing us to drive 40 mph. I have never seen a sheet of rain like this, but thankfully we found our way to the RV park. The pelting rain had let up and we were directed to our narrow spot. Most of the RV places where we tried to make reservations were sold out but found one opening about twenty minutes from Perry's sister, Patty and her husband, Don. We slowly and carefully maneuvered the fifth wheel into our spot trying to avoid a low hanging branch, a white picnic table and a few cars, not to mention there were puddles of mud everywhere. I help navigate while Perry drives and clearly I failed in my duties because as we're yelling directions back and forth....crunch! A picnic table was taken out and hit the low lying branch. Wouldn't you know our spot was right next to the Campground Manager. He couldn't have been nicer and told us not to worry about the damage done to the picnic table or the 8 inch mud divet that was created after taking out chunks of grass. These tight spots are not easy to get into! We were emotionally exhausted but couldn't wait to see Patty and Don. They wanted us to stay with them for the next week but my only concern was how Gracie would react to Sophie their 120lb Rottweiler? We did the introduction and it went the way I expected, Gracie showed her teeth, Sophie just wanted to play and Daisy could care less, she just wanted food! Patty and Don had family over one night and friends the next and the dogs continued with their predicted behavior. We had dinners out with plenty to catch up on while hoping Gracie would behave herself and Daisy wouldn't think she could sleep on any chair or sofa at their house. It was nice spending the time with them at their house and waking up having coffee together in the morning. We looked forward to seeing them in a couple weeks in the Florida Keys. Off to more family time with my brother (Frank) and sister in law (Robin) in New Orleans, Louisiana.

From BUSHNELL to NEW ORLEANS and more Family!

I sensed the cultural difference during our first stop in Louisiana and Perry couldn't wait to embrace the culture with its traditional boudin, boiled crawfish and zydeco (New Orleans style music). The RV park here in Bushnell, La. had tall trees and standing water with alligator warning signs. We walked along the water somewhat timidly watching for alligators but only saw dozens of turtles perched on logs.
The next morning we made the hour drive towards the New Orleans airport to pick up Frank and Robin. They would stay with us in the fifth wheel for the next week and a half and I was very excited to have company!The first day we went to a state beach where Robin was taken aback by the alligator warning signs not knowing how many we'd see at our afternoon swamp tour. Our tour guide was Al who sped away with sixteen passengers towards the unknown swampland. We were educated about the Louisiana Bald Cypress and how the roots (called knees) were fed by the swamp water and how the bark on the trees is hard and never rots. The Native Americans found a medicinal use for the willow bark which is used in aspirin. With it being January (it was warm) , there were no guarantees we'd see alligators since they're in the state of "brumation" but as luck would have it we spotted our first swamp alligator! Al informed us there were over 2 million alligators in the state of Louisiana. Really, who were the lucky ones to do the counting? Moving on we saw many wild swamp raccoons and hogs that loved the marshmallows that Al fed them. He showed us the swamp town where most of the residents were shrimpers and some of the homes looked like they were sinking (including the local school). Al as a third generation shrimper also lived in the town. The tour was fascinating and I learned so much about the culture and the environment. That night we planned on listening to music, but our neighbor (a geopolitical activist) captivated us with his knowledge as we learned about the paper he was to publish. Maybe Zydeco tomorrow? Most likely, as we would head to the much anticipated New Orleans!

NEW ORLEANS

Early the next morning we dropped Daisy and Gracie off at Doggy Day Care where they didn't hesitate to go in. Maybe they needed a break from us? As our master trip planner, tour guide and driver, Perry took us on the 23 mile bridge over Lake Pontchartrain towards New Orleans where we noticed some of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina from 2005. We found the closest parking structure near the French Quarter and knowing it's not easy parking the truck, all four of us carefully watched as we took the hairpin turns up five levels nearly avoiding the low roof by a matter of inches. First things first as we had our appetites set on beignets and coffee at the famous Cafe Du Monde in the French Quarter. We were not disappointed in this delicate French pastry covered in powdered sugar that reminded us of a childhood Portuguese pastry our Mom used to cook when we were kids. Perry went outside to listen to a street trumpet player and willingly gave him $20 for his CD. We admired the Mississippi River on one side of a bridge and the other, the beautiful St. Louis Cathedral built in the mid 1800's. Our Dad would have loved this church since his favorite Pope (John Paul ll) once said mass here. Working our way to Jackson Square, we couldn't help noticing the people covered in gold made to look like sculptures, street painters, fortune tellers and the many musicians all outside the church. As we walked toward the famous Bourbon Street, we stopped to listen to the talented musicians performing in the middle of the street. Our favorite was a six piece band with a woman as the lead singer who played the clarinet. Frank researched the band and found the woman was once a world renowned clarinet player. I wouldn't be surprised if they made their money playing as a street band since the five (five gallon) buckets were filled with tip money.
I LOVE this vibrant and eclectic city but time is going way too fast and we have to pick up the dogs by 5:00, therefore we have to hurry with so much more to see and delicious food to eat! Mardi Gras is only a few weeks away as we noticed there is a lot of prep work and construction going on in the city. Perry had researched and found a great place for lunch hoping to find some Cajun food. He and I shared the best shrimp and grits, while Frank enjoyed the traditional Creole shrimp, but Robin felt it was safe to order a burger. Perry and I enjoyed our shrimp and grits to the point we had to meet the chef and somehow Perry was able to get the recipe. While enjoying a traditional Cajun meal our hostess insisted we try our first king cake. This cake is also a tradition filled with cream cheese and sprinkled with mardi gras colors of green and purple. On top was a tiny plastic figure which symbolizes the baby Jesus, as the tradition goes whoever ends up with the tiny figurine has to buy the next round of king cakes. It was not a busy time for the hostess so she offered to give us a tour of the old building which was connected to the local theater. The beautiful French building was grandiose and full of character. Full and tired, we found our way back to the truck with this wonderful day coming to an end but knowing we'd be back tomorrow!
Before returning to New Orleans, we visited the Destrehan Plantation built in the late 1700's surrounded by oak trees, some sugar canes and close to the Mississippi River. During this time it was under the rule of France and housed many slaves. A slave revolt took place there just after the Louisiana Purchase in 1811. The reality of what took place with the slaves back then hit me hard as we toured the living quarters. This again shaped our country and sadly knowing we have prejudices that still exist, we have evolved to a more tolerant nation. Time to seek out zydeco music and find some pralines.
We got the New Orleans parking "thing" figured out on the second day and parked not far from Bourbon Street. We shopped for souvenirs and pralines, stopping for lunch at a brew house enjoying a cold beer on a very chilly day. If only we had more time to listen to nighttime New Orleans jazz but once again, it was time to get the dogs. Sharing this vibrant city with by brother and sister-in-law was so much fun with more fun to look forward to in our next destination of Pensacola, Florida where Robin was born.

Next.......A trip towards memory lane times 2.......Beautiful beaches and Floribama!