July Weekends- weekend 2

We have had an outstanding July- three of the four weekends we have been on adventures. The first weekend I have already posted about- the VHPA reunion. The second weekend came about spur-of-the-moment when on Thursday bro Walt called to see if we wanted to join them on a kayak trip down a section of the San Marcos River. Our response was a resounding YES and we were off. It just so happened to coincide with the girls' get-away (Char and Amy) to Austin and worked out to be a good time for Charla to return to Uvalde for a little visit time.

We arrived in Austin Friday evening just in time to join Walt and Carey at their church to watch Amazing Grace the movie. It is a great movie. Highly recommended by ME. It is the story of William Wilburforce, a member of the House of Commons who was instrumental in abolishing the slave trade in England after being influenced by John Weston, the writer of the original lyrics to Amazing Grace.

Saturday we had a great float on the San Marcos. It was about 1 hour longer than my body thought we should be there, but I wouldn't pass it up if it were offered again. On this trip we made 4 decisions:
1. My kayak is too short and high and wide- sell it.

2. My flotation vest is too big- sell it.

3. Ray's kayak seat needs more support for his back- sell it.

4. Ray wants a curved kayak paddle, his is straight- sell it.

Anyone want to buy????? I think I am going to try the San Antonio Craigslist...... anyone with suggestions???

Here are pictures of Ray taming my kayak.

Saturday night was a great grilled dinner. Needless to say, everyone was so tired we slept very well.

Sunday, after some coordinating with Charla and Amy, we were able to meet in Round Rock at the Hearthstone Rehab Center and visit with Aunt June. She is looking great and making very good progress in regaining her strength.

VHPA

Reading Charla and Amy's notes on working out motivated me to write about our weedend with VHPA.........no, that isn't Very Happy People Anonymous, even though I think that would be a fun organization to join. It's the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association








Ray has been a member for several years, but we had never attended one of their reunions. In 2004 we met up with his flight class in Washington, DC. for an awesome long weekend. To see a pic of that handsome man-o- mine while in flight class..... CLICK. (hint: bottom R.) Ray was in Vietnam in '72 and part of '73. He served in an Air-Cav unit whose primary assignment was to search and destroy. He was in country for about a year and traveled back to the states on one of the last airplanes bringing troops back. The tall fellow standing behind him in the pic is Mike G. Ray and Mike went through flight school together, flew to Vietnam together, roomed in Vietnam together, and returned on the same flight together. They have remained in contact throught the years and Mike and Linda were at the DC reunion.... I digress.


Back to the VHPA reunion. This year their get-together(25th) happened to be in San Antonio, so we decided it was so close to home we should attend. Ray registered for the reunion and booked rooms at the reunion hotel- Marriott Rivercenter- definitely a place I could hang out in the future. The reunion began with a reception for the first time attendees on Wednesday night. At registration I had a funny thing happen. Everyone registered with the reunion was given a name badge with a bright yellow lanyard. Our name badges were not in our registration packet, so we had to wait to have them printed. A nice young lady asked us our names, hometown, Ray's call sign (Sabre Spoon) ..... and when asking for my information wanted to know what my reference would be- First Wife or Second Wife or Original Wife or Trophy Wife.... I offhandedly said "Only Wife" and that was what she printed!!! Later when I was telling my mom about this, before I could tell her what I said she said exactly the same thing- ooooooohhhhhh that is scary!!! BAck to Wednesday evening, after registration and first time attendees reception, was a buffet dinner as the opening welcome for all of the reunion. We met several people that evening, but Ray didn't see anyone he flew with in Vietnam.


The agenda for Thursday and Friday included several "tours" of the San Antonio area, a golf tournament, the New Braunfels Fourth of July parade, mini-reunions of various outfits, a poker tournament....... all of which we chose to pass up and returned home Wednesday night after the opening buffet.


FRIDAY EVENING(4th of July). This was the only evening the reunion did not have an official function, giving the pilots a chance to get out and try local cuisine. Ray continued to "look" for pilots he knew. Do you know how hard it is to recognize someone after 35 years??? It is even harder to read name badges that hang on a lanyard at your navel!!! After an hour of sitting in the lobby/bar we decided to go to the Riverwalk This is really the heart of San Antonio tourism. Ray had made reservations at Boudro's - one of our favorite restaurants on the Riverwalk. Unfortunately they were for 9:30pm and it was only 4:00 when we started our walk along the river. About 4:30 the skies started getting very dark and by 4:45 we were running for cover at Casa Ole- of course they don't want you to just sit and take up room- which "required" us to order a margaritaontherockswithsalt while we waited for the rain to let up. Casa Ole is just across the river from Boudro's, so once the rain let up, we decided to see if maybe they had openings any earlier for dinner. Fortunately they were able to seat us right then- so dinner was at 5:30 instead of 9:30. Several groups from VHPA came into Boudro's while we were there. Obviously many of the pilots have made this reunion their summer vacations, bringing their families and making plans with other pilots to meet every year. For the newbies, the groups were not yet formed. And Ray continued to look for names or faces he knew, to no avail. After a while, he realized Saturday afternoon was going to be his chance to see others from the 1/9th Air Cav- F Troop when they had their mini-reunion. So Friday night became our official "Anniversary dinner on the Riverwalk". By 7:00 we were on the Riverwalk again. We headed back to the hotel and (here is where my story connects to my opening line) of all things, decided to go to the hotel's fitness center. Ray had never been on a treadmill or eliptical or even used weight machines before. He was totally intrigued. We got on the treadmill and walk/jogged for 30 minutes, varying the incline and speeds. Then I showed him how to use several of the weight machines. The Marriott has an incredible fitness center as well as an indoor/outdoor pool with hot tub and sauna. Like I said, I could easily live here. After the workout, we went outside the pool on a beautiful deck (4th floor overlooking downtown- lights- cabana bar- fire tables..... you get the ambiance) for a nightcap. It was a great evening.

SATURDAY JULY 5TH
Ray's morning was spent in the VHPA General Meeting. I went to a new Mexican Art museum, about 15 blocks from the hotel- at the mercado. On my way back to the hotel I rummaged around a Goodwill store (no great finds) and stopped by San Fernando Cathedral -the very center of San Antonio- a point in the floor under the dome of the church is where all mileage from San Antonio is taken. I once stood at that point with Monsignor Stuebben and sang to my students to demonstrate the amazing acoustics in the cathedral- not bad for a small town protestant girl- especially one that doesn't sing very well. Once again I digress.....


Now here is a CRAZY story. One of the couples we visited with was due to an unexpected meeting on the elevator. Saturday morning we were on our way to breakfast on a semi-full elevator. One of the people to get on with us was a lady about our age wearing a VHPA name badge. She looked at Ray's badge and said "oh, you are from Uvalde". My response "You must be from Texas because you know how to say Uvalde." She laughed and said "One of my best friends' mother lives in Uvalde. I don't know her last name, but her first name is Annie Lee." I asked "Could it be DuBose". "Yes, that's it"....... She was amazed when Ray said, "She's my aunt- my mother's sister". Seems that she lived across the street from Charlotte E. in Roswell and her kids grew up with Mikey. She and Charlotte helped each other through divorces and she(Jan) and her husband(Ron) introduced Charlotte to Luis (the pilot connection- also, Ron is Luis' CPA in San Angelo). What a small world. I think Ray enjoyed his visit with Ron as much as I did my visit with Jan. She is a social worker who now specializes in VA work. She has been a production ceramist when she had to support her family before she started her social work. We had LOTS to talk about!! I hope we can see them again in the future.

Our Saturday afternoon was in a meeting listening to discussion about VA benefits, Ray's mini-reunion, and a nap before the evening gala.


The evening gala was great..... if you don't talk about the food. The Marriott's food service for the large events left much to be desired. And at $45 (Wed.) and $75 (Sat.) per plate, we really expected better quality. That said- the opportunity to visit with other heli pilots and wives was priceless. The evening opened with a tribute to the missing men after the posting of colors. The Missing Man table was set and the emcee read a tribute to thos who didn't return-










I tried to record the Missing Man tribute, but wasn't successful. Here is one interpretation you can read(the one read to us was adapted to fit specifically helicopter pilots)- each part of the the table setting has meaning, the salt, the lemon, the rose vase, the helmet, shoes, flight vest, upside down glass..... A very moving tribute- one that many of the pilots had a hard time getting through.

The end of the evening was a dance with an incredible group from Austin playing, The Reunion Band, who taylored their sets to 50s-70s music.... just our era. Lots of swing and jive and movin' around going on. Some of those old geezers were using moves they hadn't used in years. I know my old geezer got up Sunday morning complaining about how sore he was..... between the treadmill and the dancefloor we started a new workout regimen for him!!

Ray's only disappointment of the weekend was that he saw only one pilot he flew with in Vietnam. Paul L. was a few years older, a Captain, who flew Cobras. Ray said "I ran into one guy who was in my Air Cav Unit and that I flew front seat for a number of times in a Cobra. He was very crazy back then, but I guess I was a little also. I wasn’t rated in Cobras, but we were short of gun jocks so when I wasn’t flying Hueys, I was gunner/copilot in a snake. Not too smart for longevity but very exciting for a 24 year old. "

The VHPA reunion had some good things to offer as far as VA connections and national lobbyists that are important to keep in contact with. But, I think the comraderie of the smaller flight class reunions and the Bullwhip Squadron gatherings are where Ray has had more personal contacts and enjoyed reliving his Vietnam experience with others who were there with him.

It was a good weekend.

A New Recipe

Tortilla Soup

4 chicken breasts- one inch cube 12 pts.

4 chicken bouillion cubes 0 pts.

1 beef bouillion cube 0 pts.

5 cups of water 0 pts.

1 tsp cumin 0 pts.

1 Tbsp. olive oil 4 pts.

1 chopped onion 1 pt.

1 chopped bell pepper 0 pts.

Fresh garlic to taste 0 pts.

1 can of Rotel tomatoes 0 pts.

1 can of Beef Consumme Soup

(or Beef Broth) 1 pts.

1 7 oz. can of green chilis 0 pts.

1 10 oz can of diced tomatoes 2 pts.

1 15 oz can of tomato sauce 2 pts.

corn tortillas per serving 2 pts.

(cut in strips and fried in Olive or Canola Oil)

2% Shredded Mexican blend

or Cheddar Cheese 1/4 c. 2 pts.

Saute onions and bell peppers in olive oil and garlic until golden. Combine first 4 items in a pot and cook until chicken is tender. Combine chicken, onion mixture and remaining ingredients. Let cook for 1 hour.

For extra kick add fried tortillas. Use with soup. You can add up to 1/4 cup cheese also.

1 cup serving is approximately 1.5 pts per cup without cheese and tortillas.

We ate this for almost a week and never got tired of it. I know some people like to add sliced avocado as well. Don't know their point value.

Enjoy.

Friday in Summer

I'm a teacher. It's Friday in summer. I'm in my pjs. It is noon. I've baked cookies to send to Will. I've written a Session summary for the church newsletter. I've talked on the phone.

Did I say..... I've thanked God for being so blessed. Life is definitely good for this teacher on this Friday of my summer break.

Happy Anniversary!

Our engagement picture

June 1977

Ray made the comment this morning that we had been married more years than we were single. That is true for him. As for me, that milestone hit a few years ago. Amazing!!! We have a quiet anniversary evening planned- going to one of our favorite restaurants on the Frio River House Pasture Cattle Company, in Concan. They make a mean margarita and the food is delicious. We like to sit outside on the patio. Next time you are here, we'll take you.

We have a big time planned in San Antonio next week attending the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association national convention. We have a room at the Marriott Rivercenter, where the convention is taking place. I have hopes of spending some time at the San Antonio museums- there are some new exhibits and new construction I haven't seen yet. It should be a fun four days. We will be in San Antonio for July 4th. That evening is the open night of the convention. I think that is because many of the people who will be attending are either active or retired military, so many of them will go to the area military bases for celebrations. The city of San Antonio has some sort of big thing on the Riverwalk that night- If we are lucky we may be able to watch from the hotel without getting out in the crowds.

So, Happy Anniversary to us!!!!

SF- what a weekend.

We had an incredible weekend in San Francisco. Left Thursday morning..... the same day American Airlines started cancelling flights. Fortunately we were flying Southwest, but the overflow of people looking for flights slowed the whole industry down. We were no later that 30 minutes on any of our flights, which was lucky. I am not going to try to tell all of the stories tonight, because I am just too tired. We found out we are no longer able to have 3 nights in a row staying up after midnight with good food, good friends/family, good drink. We now need 3 more nights to catch up. I hope to download pictures tomorrow to share. Good night. Sweet dreams.

Spring Break recap

What a great week it has been...... once I accepted our fate of not having any of "the kids" at home. As usual I haven't finished nearly enough of my list of "to do", but the things that have happened have made a great impact on my psyche. I'm not exactly ready to go back to school on Monday, but I am ready to push toward the end of school and having my students prepared for their next steps.

The best part of the week has been choosing my own schedule each day. Most days I had at least one "appointment" I had to meet- Monday teeth cleaning, Tuesday dogs bathed and clipped, Wednesday church bake sale, Thursday Maundy Thursday services, Friday Grandma to San Antonio for dental implant, you get the idea. But the rest of each day was mine to do with as I wished.

Ray and I put in a new flower garden outside the front door. While I was in San Antonio I went to an incredible garden center and looked specifically for Texas perennials- many are native plants that have been domesticated for gardening or zeriscaping.

The varieties we put in include Yellow Wallflower, Cigar Plant cuphea, Mexican Heather cuphea, Harlequin Blue Pincushion flower, and Scaevola. Others that have been successful in this area of the yard in the past are bougainvillae, Mexican petunia, and shamrock. We are trying lavender and Amazon Lotus for the first time. I really like the large rocks between the plants. We had to do that so the animals wouldn't try to dig and nest here.

Spring break also brought baths and clips for the dogs. Here are their pictures.

Plata in front of the bougainvillae.

Plata sticking her tongue out at me...... she was tired of me trying to make her sit still to take pictures.

Mayday........ just being "cool".

The sun is shining. It is definitely spring in south Texas. I'm going outside for a tan.

Check out the new Celine Dion sunglasses- I sure hope BIG is in for a while. I luv 'em.

A little reprieve

We had a little over an inch of rain yesterday. The skies were overcast for most of the day, but didn't produce the amount of moisture we hoped. Doesn't look like there will be any more chances again until this weekend. I would love to spend a full 24 hours househound by rain.... but then I would want bright skies.

Back in the blog

Let's see........ 5 months since my last post...... is that too long????? you bet it is. Every day I think I will sit down and add a little something, and then the next day comes.


Today has been an absolutely beautiful spring day in south Texas. This evening the wind kicked up some and the skies filled with hopeful rain clouds. We are incredibly dry here. No recordable precipitation since October. So the clouds in the sky give us hope. Tomorrow is supposed to have an 80% chance of rain. I will let you know if it happens or not.





Another milestone for me- I have officially used my iPod. I downloaded podcasts from Ellen and NPR and listened to them last night. I feel like I am stepping into the 21st C. Yet, so much more to learn about this piece of technology.





Pops had a long drive from Seminole yesterday with an incredibly big load behind him. It took him about 8 hours to travel what should have been 6. Here is what he was pulling......





We are headed to bed. Good night all.

Copy Cat

Amy and Charla both put this on their blog, so I thought I would too.

Directions: You bold all the things that you’ve done (after copying and pasting). Play along if you want to! I know it's long...
01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten tipsy on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse (of both the sun and moon)
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two harddrives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had/Have amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched whales (one of the biggies on our summer vacation)
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud (still do in my Ceramics lab)
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business (Fiber Finders)
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the snake river (does canoeing the snake river count?)
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Gotten flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in a Rocky Horror Picture Show
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Passed out cold
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge (I also drove over very slowly)
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a TV game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept 30 hours in a 48 hour time frame
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read “The Iliad”
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life

Trying to blog again

I couldn't believe when I opened this blog tonight that it had been since August since I last posted anything. It's not like there hasn't been anything to blog, it is just that I don't seem to make time at the end of my day to write about it. My last blog was August 16th, the day before we started back to school with a new principal and a whole new structure. We spent our first week together in inservice reinventing the wheel. The next two weeks were with students while we recorded our "reinvent" the first week and published it in triplicate the second week. A routine is beginnning to develop now and life at school seems to be getting more rewarding. I have a "student teacher" this year. The first our visual arts department has ever had. Edna is turning out to be a real asset and probably one of the major reasons I am getting a grip on the new procedures.

One big highlight in September was Ray's 60th birthday. He didn't want it to be a "HIGHLIGHT" so we celebrated with limited fanfare. The weekend of his birthday sister Deezy and brother Rocky came to Uvalde and celebrated with him. He received a wonderful gift from his family- a kayak with all the trimmins'. He made the maiden voyage last weekend and is excited to try out fishing holes on the Nueces every chance he can.

We are looking for a kayak for me to go along with his. I would like one that is just a little shorter than his- makes it easier to paddle ;o)

Home again, Home again, jiggity jig

We have had the most incredible July and August trips. First to the Gila Ntl. Forest, NM and then on to WA, OR, and CA. I added stamps to my National Parks passport for Gila Cliff Dwellings, Mt. Rainier National Park, Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Site, Redwoods National Park, Crater Lake National Park................ I'm sure there were more, but I haven't yet unpacked my N.P. passport or my travel journal to look at them again. Amy will be sending me a CD of all of our pictures when they get back to Washington. I will post pictures then. We arrived home with summer head colds and dog tired. I slept a lot yesterday and the head cold is much better. My sister-in-law, Charlotte, insisted we take Air Borne to help with the severity and I am convinced it did. I plan to take it this year when I start hearing all of the sneezing and coughing in my classroom. I think one of the good things about taking our vacation at the very end of the summer has been that I wasn't at home planning and fretting about getting back to school. Instead I am enthused and looking forward to starting the school year. So, for all of the teachers who see this, I wish you the same enthusiasm and excitement I am feeling. I hope your teaching year goes well.

and they're off!!!...

Or so we hope!!!! Our plan is to drive mid-Oregon coast today. Stop somewhere around Florence, OR at a Ntl. Forest campground. Depending on where we find internet service and when, this may be the last post for a few days. We are off for another adventure.

Washington visit

Today is our 5th full day of being in Washington and the weather is gorgeous. Most days we have had overcast mornings burning off about noon and great afternoons and evenings. Temps are lows in the 50s and highs in the upper 70s. Just perfect.


This picture was taken yesterday at Mt. Rainier. Unfortunately the mountain was hidden by low clouds. But the drive around the mountain was outstanding.

Tomorrow we will be starting our drive to California. We plan to stay in Ntl. Forest campgrounds as we go. If we find wireless internet service along the way I will update with more pics.

Summer Updates

I was in town last week and someone asked me, "Well, are you ready to go back to school?" This isn't an unusual question for the last weeks of July and early weeks of August. And usually my reply is, "Sure- I do great with a routine". But this year I feel like my summer vacation has just started. June is a blur of this, that, and the other, with no real focal point anywhere. It think I mainly cleaned out boxes. But two weeks ago the real fun of summer vacation began. July 10th Charla drove down with her two dogs in tow and stayed a couple of days. We packed and then headed to New Mexico, via Childress to pick up Richard. From there it was a week in southwest New Mexico in the Gila Ntl. Forest- camping, fishing, hiking, star gazing, cooking on the open campfire, star gazing, roasting marshmallows for S'mores......... it goes on and on. Of course, I won't mention the 21 miles of bumpy, winding, dirt road, getting queasy from the hairpin turns, biting flies, pit toilets, no showers..... It really was great!!!!! And if that wasn't enough of a reason not to be ready to go back to school, we are now on a two week trip to Washington state to spend time with Will and Amy. I will write about this trip and add pictures from both trips when we get home. THEN is when I will be ready to "go back to school". See ya!!!!

Fredericksburg weekend report #2

I have to comment on the restaurants we enjoyed while we were in Fredericksburg. This picture was taken at The Nest. Located on Washington street, it serves gourmet cuisine that is excellent. Reservations are highly recommended, especially on weekends. www.thenestrestaurant.com

Sunday's Father's Day lunch was also a unique experience. About 10 miles north of Fredericksburg is a very unassuming dive that is an experience just to visit. It was originally a gas station that has kept it's "flavor" in the main dining area. They have recently converted the "garage" into a large group dining facility for catering. To see more about The Hilltop Cafe.... www.hilltopcafe.com

We decided as we left for home, that getting together with our "anniversary buddies" is something we need to do again and again and again. Thanks for the memories, David and Natalie!!

Happy 30th

Yesterday was our 30th wedding anniversary- the day before was Grandma's 56th- amazing. I'm not sure that when you say "I Do" you really realize that means you will be looking at each other 30 years later over a glass of wine, eating dinner off fine bone china, eating a scrumptous meal with Don Williams softly crooning in the background, at your own kitchen table. Very quietly celebrating. In the home we have worked to create over the past 24 years. And celebrate we did. (We were both very slow to get out of bed thanks to a wonderful bottle of French wine the Hoelschers gave us.) Just the fact that we can still sit down at the same table with each other seems to be no small feat. I was encouraged this past spring to hear a report that the divorce rate is down for the first time in XXX years. That is encouraging as long as the "murder the spouse" rate isn't up and the reason the divorce rate is down ;o)
And let me tell you about dinner. After shrimp cocktail, dinner was baked pork chops over long grain and wild rice, sauted mushrooms, snow peas, and steamed asparagus. Dessert was vanilla ice cream with amaretto. YUMMMMMM- and about the pork chops.....They were accidentally the best I think I have ever had. The recipe was a lucky concoction- here it is:

Accidentally the Best Baked Pork Chops

flour
spices
olive oil
Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice
Chicken Broth
4 center cut lean pork chops- 3/4-1 inch thick
Flaked parmesean cheese

In a casserole large enough to hold the pork chops without layering them, pour the contents of the rice box into the bottom of the casserole, including the spice packets. Add chicken broth in the amount recommended on the package instead of water. Spice the pork chops with favorite spices (salt and pepper were all I used). Dredge in flour until all sides are coated. Brown both sides in a skillet with olive oil. Lay the browned pork chops on top of the rice and broth. Cover (I used a 9X13 pyrex dish and covered with foil- sealed tightly). Cook 425 for 1 hour. Turn off the oven and check to see if the broth has been absorbed. If not, uncover and let it sit in hot oven until it is. I left mine in the oven while we were having appetizers- maybe 20 minutes.
The meat was flaking off of the bone- the most tender I have ever had. It was great.

What a wonderful evening it was. And what made it even more wonderful was hearing from those who love us. Thank you.

Fredericksburg weekend

Saturday and Sunday we were in Fredericksburg with Aggie friends from Alice. They and we were married two weeks apart in June,1977...... 30 years ago. So we decided to meet on the weekend between both of our anniversaries. We had a great visit and some outstanding meals. We stayed at the Hangar Hotel, a 1940s replica of a Hangar converted into a hotel. It is on the edge of the Gillespie Co. airport, so it is not uncommon for "fly in" reservations. In a second "hangar" they have a convention center (with a reconstructed aircraft inside... I'm not sure what it is) and a diner that is based on railroad dining cars. It is all very well decorated.... lots of Art Deco. One of my favorites were the telephones, which were reproductions of the black handled cradle phones with rotary dial of the 40s.(Except instead of the rotating dial, there are push buttons where the finger holes would be.

The rooms have only king size beds in large rooms with 12 foot ceilings. The furniture is all covered in flight jacket leather- purposely made to look worn. The bathrooms have black and while tile with white beadboard cabinets topped with black granite countertops. The closet is a small beadboard fronted cabinet. The lamps are all period styled.

Here are pics of the lobby and check-in desk. Note the luggage and radio near Natalie......looks just like home!!!!!

The bar in the hotel is called the Officers' Club and weekend nights they have live entertainment. After going out to dinner at The Nest, we went back to the Officers' Club and listened to an incredible pianist. After several songs I walked across the room to the piano to watch him play and was surprised to find a yellow lab with a leading harness sleeping at the foot of the piano bench. The pianist was blind and we hadn't even noticed. He was really good. You can see more about the hotel at http://www.hangarhotel.com/ .

I will blog more about the places we ate and what we saw later.

Great recipe- may lead to decadence

I found this in a Southern Living mini-cook book. It is WONDERFUL!!!!

Creme Caramel in a Bundt

makes 12 servings

Preheat oven to 350.

Must be made at least 12 hours in advance.

3 cups sugar, divided

3 cups whipping cream

1 T. vanilla extract

6 large eggs

2 egg yolks

1/2 c. sweetened condensed milk

1 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

garnish: fresh blackberries, raspberries, mint leaves

1. Sprinkle 1 cup sugar into a medium skillet. Place over medium heat, and cook, shaking pan often, until sugar melts and turns to light golden bown. (carmelized sugar) Quickly pour syrup into a 12 cup Bundt pan, tilting to coat bottom and 1 1/2 inches up sides; set aside. (Mixture may crack as it cools.)

2. Stir together whipping cream and vanilla in a large bowl. Process 6 large eggs, next 3 ingredients, and remaining 2 cups sugar in a blender just until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. (do not overprocess) Stir egg mixture into cream misture.

3. Pour custard over caramelized sugar in Bundt pan, and place in a large roasting pan on oven rack. Pour hot water into roasting pan to a depth of 1 inch.

4. Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in deepest portion comes out almost clean. Remove Bundt pan from water. Cool 1 hour on a wire rack. Cover and chill at least 8 hours. Loosen edges from Bundt pan with a thin knife, and invert carefully onto a serving plante. Garnish, if desired.

My final impression was that it is a cross between flan and cheese cake. Oh, yum!

Hi from the hounds

Plata and Mayday just wanted to say hi!!!!!
It has been rainy and cool today. Tomorrow promises to be clear with real Texas spring weather. I will be riding in a Yellow Dog with 30 students to the McNay Art Museum....yeah!!!