Sharing the Austin Experience

Our friend Rich drove over from Houston to visit. He was in town from West Virginia for work and had a weekend to kill so he came to stay. We went to high school with Rich and he has since moved to West Virginia with his amazing wife, Heather and they have two boys ages 6 & 4. We got to show Rich was life was like with two girls, all while showing him some truly Austin experiences.

Once Loran found our missing child, and I returned from Target, we hung out a bit, then went on a short hike on the trails behind our house. Then we were off to Opie’s BBQ for some authentic Texas BBQ. They actually sold out while we were there, so we missed out on brisket, but did get shredded beef, turkey and spicy sausage and fixin’s. Lots of fixin’s and sides. After a short BBQ induced siesta, we brought Rich to the Whole Foods flagship store to load up on provisions for our next totally Austin experience.

We found a nice spot to lay out our blanket downtown to enjoy the nightly bat flight from the Congress Avenue Bridge. We enjoyed our snacks as dusk set in. The bats were a little late to emerge and it was nearly dark, so it was harder to see them, but some folks had flashlights to shine which made it easier.

The next morning, we were off towards Hamilton Pool, which was already a giant parking lot, so we continued down the road to Westcave Preserve. We explored their new trails while we waited for the guided tour to the cave to begin.

Our tour was full with 30 people, a few of those were children. We were right up front with the guide and every time she would stop to point something out or talk to the group, Ella would stand at her side and copy her gestures. It was hilarious, the crowd was cracking up.

Last time we visited, it was early spring and the leaves weren’t out, so it was fun to return in late spring when everything had budded. It was so lush and green. I really expect a dinosaur to come lumbering out. I just can’t believe this is in Texas of all places, and practically in our backyard. It’s just amazing. And easily ten degrees cooler in the canyon, and even cooler in the cave.

We stopped at Verts for lunch, nothing says Austin like German street food. Rich was on his way back to Houston for a week of work, but I think we did a great job of showing him some uniquely Austin places. We also showed him what it’s like to have girls – mostly, breaking into Disney songs any time we’d drive anywhere, along with cuddles, hugs, spontaneous dancing, dresses, and combing out long hair.