Rubbings

On our way back to Dallas, we stopped at the little town of West for some lunch/great pastry. A peppery sausage and cheese kolache, and a variety of fruit kolache made for some happy travelers! And so cheap! $1.00 a piece!

Before we continued on our journey to Dallas, we went into the town. Historical marker! You can bet we pulled over.

As we were walking back to the SUV, (we got a free upgrade from a compact car to a 4 door Explorer!), I spotted this cool door handle on the building.

Isn't it beautiful? So intricate. I immedately wanted a rubbing, but had no pencil nor paper. Crap!

My resourceful traveling companions came to the rescue. Rick rummaged through his bag and came up with paper, and my friend P found a Keno crayon in her camera bag! Perfect!

Rick held while I rubbed. (The paper! The paper!)

I have some old barn molding that I picked up at a farm auction for a buck. (A whole pile of wood for a buck! I love farm auctions!) I want to haul out the compound miter saw and make a frame for them. Angles and I may not get along, so I'll see how that goes.

Results of the dyeing session tomorrow!

Huisache!

This is the bloom of the Huisache tree. A member of the legume family!

Mom is still recovering from her stay at the spa. Apparently she wasn't sleeping much at all. She has pretty much been sleeping since she got home on Saturday. That tells me she is comfortable here, and feels secure here. It makes me feel good.

Even though she has mostly been sleeping, I find myself not adjusting well to being back in full caregiver mode. All of the responsibility has shifted back to me. I'm tired.

Don't mind me, I'll be fine in a day or two I suppose. Maybe I should do some dyeing, that always seems to help. Any color requests?

Look! Look! Look!

Look what happened while I was on vacation!

Tulips! Woohoo!

And chives! Double woohoo!

I just have to wait for those chives to grow a little bit more, then I am going to try to recreate a dish that the amazing Austin hostess Reen made one night. From what I understand, it is just baked Russet potato, baked sweet potato, butter, and chives.

Even butter from the local creamery and fresh chives won't make up for the lack of doves cooing, warm jasmine scented breezes and the company of good friends, but Mom and I will make do. We have chickens clucking, the scent of slightly wet dog, and each other. That'll do just fine.

Words don't work

For more info, see here.

Friday addendum

I forgot to mention that we ate at famous Taco Express on Friday. Here I feel like I am being blessed by Maria.

Speaking of being blessed, how is it possible to feel so comfortable with people you've never met? Rick and his sister Reen are hosts/tour guides extraordinaire. Reen is beautiful, with a very calming demeanor. I don't know how to explain it, but I swear peace flows from her pores.

Rick, on the other hand, will torture you with Lonestar bottle caps (Did you know they have teeny tiny rebus puzzles on them? One of them is still driving us crazy. Has anybody ever heard of a phrase "It's lucky when you live out west?" This is the only solution we've come up with, but have never heard of the saying. Anybody?) and has a thing about missing prepositions.

Seeing him with his Mom made me very emotional and teary eyed. There is a tenderness, a deference in the angle of the body, I don't know. Probably all of us caregivers do it, but I've never been with another caregiver and their person to observe it personally.

I will be eternally grateful to him for sharing his home and his family with my friend and I, and for putting up with us crazy Northerners. I hope one day to be able to return the favor.

I'll eventually continue with the travelogue. Tune in soon (or not, if you're bored beyond belief!)

Friday

We did that a lot this weekend. There were all kinds of things in bloom. We'd be walking along, and all of a sudden you'd get a waft of sweet smell. Then the trick was to find what we were smelling. It was wonderful just breathing in the warm sweet air.

We visited the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center on Friday, but I am an idiot and forgot my camera that day. Rick generously allowed me to use his, so if anything turned out I may add some photos later. We discovered the beautiful huisache tree, the possum haw, the universal sign for bobcat (wave your arms to chase them away!) and that the legume family is very large! We climbed the stone tower, and I was doing fine with the height because the stone felt very solid, until Rick pointed out the grate in the middle. I hugged the stone wall and didn't look at the grate.

Friday night we went to historic Gruene Hall ,

the oldest dance hall in Texas, to hear NGDB play. They were in fine form, and this was the first time they had played Gruene Hall. They seemed as giddy to be playing there as the people were to have them there. Here's Jeff Hannah and John McEuen respectively.

Enough of my travelogue for today.

PBS is airing a show about caregiving tonight, check your local listings.

I just got a call from Mom's "spa". She fell last night and has a rug burn on her forehead, but is fine. Other than that, they have had no problems, she is sleeping good, and they have not had to use the anti-agitation meds we had prescribed just in case. I pick her up Friday night. Last night I was catching up on some blog reading, and every few minutes I would start to get up to see where Mom was, and then I would remember. Silly me!

Re-entry

This failed (but still kinda cool) attempt at the Austin skyline says it all.

What a vacation! The only way it could have been more perfect would be to have had a few more days.