Boating – V2

Boating went much better this time. It was a little cool, but the water was calmer. It took the little girls almost the whole trip to feel comfortable, but by the end they were having a blast.

Waco & The Silos

Today we made a day trip to Waco to experience the Chip & Joanna Gaines Magnolia compound. We started a a tour of some of the houses they worked on in Fixer Upper and then went to Magnolia at the Silos to experience their store and so much more.

We stopped at Sonic, which has been a trend on our trip. We have been taking advantage of their happy hour nearly every day.
Lucia and Susan, in front of the Silos, waiting in line to get into the store.
Hang out on the lawn.
More hanging out on the lawn.
Back at our house, watching a movie at night.

Lake Travis – First Attempt

Today we tried to go boating on Lake Travis. It was windy and as soon as we made it out onto the main lake we could tell it was just too much. The only reason anyone is smiling in the pictures is because they were happy to be headed back to the dock. We are going to try again on Friday.

  • Mari actually enjoyed it – and she got soaked.
  • Notice Rose hiding on the floor.
  • I had to really concentrate to get us back to the dock.

Touring Austin

Today we headed into Austin to check out some of the sites. We were here a few years ago on our trip, but the weather was not great. Today was awesome – almost too hot.

Pedestrian bridge
Torchy’s Tacos
Torchy’s Tacos
Torchy’s Tacos
Album Cover
Rose and Lucia
Waiting for the bats

Getting settled in

We spent our first day in Austin getting settled in. We are actually staying in a townhome on Lake Travis, about 45 minutes from Austin.

Walking the neighborhood.
At the pool
Table view from the loft
Evening pickleball

Lake Life – in December!

The weather was awesome this week, so Mary Connor found a lake house at Sun Valley Lake for Gary and Kathie to stay at for a couple of nights. Mary, us and the Reagens came out for a day to enjoy the warm weather.

Sun deck
lake loungers
Kayaking
Susan
Kubb
Kubb
Susan & Rose
Andrew & Ian
Mari after getting in the lake
Elliot, Cam, Andrew, and Ian, after getting in
Susan, Mary, and Erin
Mari and Hope, sunset photo shoot.
Craft time

Thanksgiving 2020

For Thanksgiving this year we headed south to the Connors’. The weather was awesome and they had a beautiful setup in their driveway.

Travelers
Winner of best Thanksgiving driveway.
Luke playing with Rose
Socially-distanced prayer
Dining pods
The Connors
Whipped Cream Accident
The Lieslands

Weekend Wrap-Up

Nutella Bread with Hope
Mari made the bread.
I was in Cincinnati for my Uncle Tom’s funeral.
It was really warm in Des Moines and we don’t have great leaves in our yard, so Susan, Lucia, and Rose made a nice leaf pile at the park.
Lunch after the funeral.
My dad, Chuck, Ken, Ruth Ann, Nancy, and Janet.
Rose and Lucia playing with rocks at the creek.
Their creations. I imagine Susan helped a little with these.
They are their mother’s daughters.
Elliot and Hope enjoying some funeral lunch leftovers.

Colorado Trip

My uncle Tom, who lives in Colorado Springs, has not been doing well. His mental and physical health have been declining and I had the opportunity to go visit with him for a few days at the end of last week. Susan stayed home on kid duty and I spent my days visiting with Tom, making time for a hike each day.

Susan playing at the creek with the kids.
Lucia chasing after Elliot.
I camped in Colorado. It felt like our RV trip to pull into the campground after dark and have to find my spot.
The view from my office. I worked on Eastern Time, so I had a couple of hours each day to get some work done before heading in to visit with Tom. I was fortunate that the weather was still warm.
My first good view of the mountains.
Uncle Tom, resting
Tom liked to hold hands and one of my primary responsibilities when I was there was to make sure I was available for that.
Meanwhile, life went on at home and Susan had to get all of the kids to their activities. here, Andrew is running in a XC meet , maybe at Southeast Polk.
My first hike in Colorado Springs was to Garden of the Gods. I tried to stay pretty close to town.
Susan also had to get up early with Oreo, who insists on waking us just a little earlier than we would like.
During this time, Mari also submitted her application to work at Coldstone Creamery. With soccer and XC winding down she will have more free time, and she is saving up for a new phone.
Soccer fans.
Red Rock Open Space in the foreground, with Garden of the Gods in the background.
Susan and the kids enjoying a fire.

Cincinnati Fun

We haven’t been to Cincinnati in a year and we have been working hard this summer to find a time to go. A good window presented itself and we made the trip, staying just a few days in Cincinnati. We mostly hung out with my family, except for visiting with the Herrels.

  • Friday Lunch
  • Hair Styling
  • Graeters
  • Susan and Andrew
  • Alex, Miles, and Van