Mid-October I got to go on a Texas "tour" with Dustin. It was a much-needed little "break" from life. It was so nice to hang out with my hubby (in the warmth) and have un-interrupted conversations! He did have to work a little, but when he was working I was off on my own exploring (or shopping. Wahoo!). We flew into Dallas and drove to Austin, where we had dinner with one of his co-workers and wife.
We ate on Lake Travis (view from dinner)
Then we drove to San Antonio where we spent the night. We walked the River Walk at night. I love people watching! These were some horse-drawn carriages that people were taking tours on. Some were like Cinderella's pumpkin!
We walked around the outside of the Alamo (we stayed right across the street and went inside in the morning before hitting the road).
And while out wandering, we found this awesome music/graphic show. It was projected onto this old church and synched with music of all kinds. People were packed into the square and some even had lawn chairs! The cobblestone was a bit bumpy on our bottoms, but we stayed there for half an hour :)
A short video clip
The next day we drove 3 hrs to Houston. There really wasn't much to see in between cities, other than farmland. We stopped at the infamous Bucees (with the famous "wall of candy"- literally, an entire wall of candy, and even the good ol' fashioned stuff). I realize now that I didn't take any pictures while in Houston. It's a bunch of concrete. That pretty much sums it up. And it's a lot more confusing to drive in (it makes the "New Jersey left" seem simple!). One day Dustin had a charity golf event, so I went to the mall. We spent some time in the Woodlands as well. Such a cute area. We walked around and enjoyed some drinks. We went to Papasitos (amazing margaritas!!!) for dinner one night. And Brick House tavern another night. Also delish!
Then on to Waxahachie (south side of Dallas). This place reminded me of a more "country" Corvallis. A small town with the center based around the courthouse. Old cute boutique shops downtown in old buildings. The people were friendly, and I got to go to the office and meet a lot of people. The place to go was Buffalo Wild Wings, so we ended up there 2 nights. Boo. But, there wasn't many choices in the small town. He had to spend more time in the office here, so I didn't see him as much. I would drop him off at work, go back to the hotel and work until lunch, and then meet him for lunch. Then I would drop him off and I would wander around until the end of the day.
One day I went to this park (which was just like Avery park) to run the 8 mile trail. It connected 4 different parks together. It was nice to be out running and seeing the sites. Although, there are so many grasshoppers and crickets that covered the trail that they would jump and hit me in the shins when I was running. After awhile, you get used to it, but it was weird at first.
Along the trail I saw these painted barrels:
And TONS of monarchs on these plants (too bad you can't really see them)
The last night we spent in Dallas, so we went to the State Fair. And boy was it crowded!
There was a parade
And we had to try the funnel cake beer (no it wasn't that good- like a Bud Light with powdered sugar)
Darn. I was so upset we missed the ostrich races!
A giant butter sculpture, anyone?
And we saw Danielle Bradbery. She's a local and won The Voice. She had a great voice, but we're just not country music fans.
On our way to the airport we stopped at The Truck Yard (a local's tip). Man, was it awesome! The atmosphere was so fun, and I think this was my favorite meal.
Chicken pita with goat cheese and tzatziki sauce and veggies, and of course a beer. Yum! We hung out here for a long time, eating and people watching.
Then off to catch our flight!
