You don't know what you miss till you have it...

Galveston. So beautiful I don't want to leave. Hard packed sand beaches that you can ride a bike on for miles. Birds of all types in the marshes, air and water. The waves breaking on the beach in constant motion. A gentle breeze. We're surrounded by lawn, looking out over meadows and ocean. Who knew? I don't know how it is that we keep finding these great places.

Thinking about the Road......

Sitting around, watching the Lakers play the Suns and starting to itch to get on the road again. It's been great getting to know Austin and surrounding areas. We had a fantastic weekend in Gruene, Tx, dancing the night away in the oldest dance hall in Texas, with music provided by the Sapphires and good friends to hang out with. Jim and Chrissie have showed us parts of Texas that we never knew existed. I am now the proud owner of a cowboy hat. You have to be ready..... Good friends Jim and Doreen Williams came out for a few days. Stan was really happy to have someone to ride with (bikes that is) and Doreen and I caught up on everything. We spent a day in Fredericksburg, a really cool little town where the biking is great and the town is pristine. We also spent an evening in downtown Austin on 6th street at Pete's Dualing Piano Bar. it was really a treat. Two grand pianos back to back, with everyone on one side of the room competing to out sing everyone on the other side. Things were getting pretty wild by the time we left!! There aren't too many shy people around here. Funny thing, we were all hoarse the next morning.

Meanwhile, the trees and banks are just starting to turn green and Spring is just around the corner. We are spending time getting the next month mapped out, with plans to work our way down through Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida. Stan and I are both looking forward to seeing an ocean again.

Thanks to friends who came to visit, friends we made and to Chrissie and Jim, who we will miss A LOT.

Samba!!

The first Saturday night in Febuary is Samba night in Austin and our friends, Jim and Chrissie let us know that this was a must attend event. So on went the beads and feathers and along with Gloria (she flew out from Santa Barbara to keep tabs on us) and friends, we took off for the Palmer Center.

Well! Anything I say about this party would be an understatement. Thousands of costumed, painted, happy people, ready to dance to the beat of the 50or so drummers and a Brazilian band. Colored lights everywhere and body painting booths with incredible artists. A group of dancers and 12 foot tall puppets (don't know what else to call them) that danced for a half an hour at a time to the drums, with everyone there in a circle around them and all moving to the beat. The theme was Madam Butterfly and there were lots of wings, but that was only the beginning.

It was energy like I've never seen! This is what we decided: 1) we like Austin a LOT and 2) we're coming back next year and Gloria is coming with us. Anyone else??