STAYCATION '09

Not much vacation time left and not much summer left. We take a week off timed to the same weekend as the broadway musical "Wicked". We've had tickets to it for months and a lot of family is coming into Austin for it.
We carefully plan the remainder for events we wanted to do but just hadn't gotten to yet. The "staycation" is a new buzz word since the ecomony tanked a couple of years ago and the Austin area is rich in activities. Everything is a daytrip so no funds spent on hotel stays.
First on the agenda is the Riverwalk in San Antonio.

Sunday is the circus, we've missed a few of them so we're very excited to go. One of Marti's favorites, we try not to miss the circus coming to town.

Next on the agenda is to face down the Comal river float. This river kicked our ass 4 years ago because of a small waterfall at the beginning of an otherwise placid float. The waterfall is easy to avoid if you know how, we didn't and Marti admitted she was afraid before we went. "Humbled but not beaten we vowed to return and do better," was what we said then, today we had no problems and the two chutes on the river are a lot of fun if you avoid going directly over the waterfall.
We have conquered our fear and had a lot of fun, looking forward to going back again.

Since we avoided getting shit faced on the Comal, unlike the Guadalupe a month prior, and since we were so close, we rewarded our heroism with lunch at the Gristmill.
The Gruene Hall is on the property with the Gristmill and I swear it looks like an old board building that a good gust of wind could knock down.
Built in 1878, Gruene Hall is the oldest continually running dance hall in Texas, and the Central Texas birthplace to many great songwriters and musicians. Dancing, pool and music performances by way too many performers to list here, but includes Bo Diddley, Marshall Tucker Band, Willie Nelson and many othes as well as sports greats like Randy White and Earl Campbell.
The Hall also hosted a dance scene with John Travolta from the film "Michael"!

That was Wednesday. Thursday was a daytrip east to Brenham for the famous Blue Bell Ice Cream plant tour. Then on to Washington on the Brazos, capital of the Republic of Texas before we screwed up and joined the United States, (just kidding), followed by a quick stop and sample of the BBQ at Meyers Smoke House in Elgin, on the way home.
All of the day trip literature says it's probably the best BBQ. Tall claim in Austin area but it is well worth the trip and I brought home a couple of pounds of chopped BBQ.

THE event. Everything else has centered on this weekend and this show. This makes the third time for Marti and I. We have a lot of family here for this and the show is fantastic. I still like my first time of seeing it in Dallas the most, but just barely.

Finally the week ends with ZIP LINING! I've wanted to do this for a long time and I learned from Stephanie and Richard that it's available in the area. Steph and Richard did canopy zip lining earlier in the year, (which I want to do), and this was open air. I knew Steph loved it and invited them to join us. Laurie wanted to come too and the zip group was assembled. What a blast, it was fantastic.