The Forecast called for a few Showers

We were so blessed to have two showers during our Texas visit. Baby Tarun got loads of stuff and we got to visit with lots of friends and family. Thank you to everyone!

Houston's gone to the Birds

My dad has a thing for birds. It's no small thing. He carefully selects his plants for butterflies and bird attracting. There are at least a dozen bird feeders in his yard. But I would say his favorite has always been hummingbirds. I have to admit I have a pretty intense fascination with them too. During the twice annual migration of hummingbirds through the Houston area, Dad diligently makes his hummingbird food (sugar water) to fill his three hummingbird feeders, ensuring they are never empty. He's always had a lot of hummingbird visitors. But I was amazed this time. As I sat in his house and watched the territorial battles that looked more like a graceful, choreographed dance, I decided in hummingbird world, Dad's house is probably like a fine Parisian restaurant. You plan, months in advance of your trip to stop there; you book your reservation. And then once you're there, even with your booking, it's a little more crowded than you'd have liked. But the food and ambiance is worth the overcrowding.

 

Small Towns, Big Texas!

We're back from warm (okay, Hot!), sunny Texas. We had more fun than you can shake a stick at. I still can't believe all we managed to squeeze in. It was great seeing everyone at the baby showers and the football games (even if the Longhorns didn't bother showing up). I even got to work on a couple of elections while I was in town. It was nice being back at work even temporarily and it was fun getting to visit some of the smaller towns in Texas.
My unexpected, but really great work-related "Tour of Texas" took me to Wichita Falls and Sulphur Springs. I managed to drive from Austin and back to Houston without getting on an interstate covering over 1500 miles. I got to meet new people, see new parts of our beautiful state, visit a few old favorites and try some new barbeque.




From Dublin, Ireland, to Dublin, Texas  - Home of the Dr. Pepper bottling plant





Stanley's BBQ in Wichita Falls, Texas




My sampling from Stanley's. I got a chopped beef sandwich, cornbread, potato salad and onion rings.




Potato salad was smooth and creamy, more like mashed, whipped potatoes. It was my favorite and tops my list for potato salad.



 

On location




   

Pumping unit in the cotton field pictured above



I love Texas's old courthouses! - Sulphur Springs, Texas

 

Rainbow Coalition Duck Family

So, with my whirlwind tour of West and North Texas complete, it was a long drive back to Houston. Next up...Houston, Texas Football, Baby Showers, and the State Fair of Texas.