Vacation in Texas

Maria was such a good traveler! (first plane ride)

Larry had a conference to attend in Dallas, Texas so Maria and I went along and we made it a mini-vacation. After finally getting to Dallas,(we missed our flight in the morning and had to fly stand-by that evening) Larry had the conference on Friday and Saturday. Maria and I hung out at the hotel on Friday; we borrowed the pool at the next door hotel (ours was closed for repairs). Saturday we went with Larry and after the conference ended we drove to Austin. My bestest friend from high school lives there and we went to spend a couple days with her and her husband.

We went downtown, by the Capitol, on the Congress Street bridge to see the bats leave at dusk. Lots and lots of people come to see the bats come out. The bridge, the grassy banks, and the river itself was full of people waiting for their appearance.
The Congress Avenue Bridge spans Town Lake in downtown Austin and is home to the largest urban bat colony in North America. The colony is estimated at 1.5 million Mexican free-tail bats. Each night from mid-March to November, the bats emerge from under the bridge at dusk to blanket the sky as they head out to forage for food. This event has become one of the most spectacular and unusual tourist attractions in Texas.

Waiting for the bats

Interesting Bat Facts
~The bats provide a valuable service to the Austin community by consuming between 10,000 to 30,000 pounds of insects nightly!
~Bats can live to be 30 years old.
~Mother bats give birth to a single pup each year. The pups birth weight is nearly 1/3 that of its mother.
~Bats are mammals and nurse the pups from mammary glands. Each female recognizes her pups voice and smell and will nurse only her pup.
~During migrations to Mexico and back, bats may reach an altitude of 10,000 feet and velocities of 60 miles per hour.

Me and my bestest friend Jessica, Moises and Jessica

Oh, and how could I forget to mention the great food we ate while in Austin...You cannot say you've been to Austin if you have not eaten a bucket of ribs and brisket at RUDY's COUNTRY STORE and Bar-B-Q (http://rudys.com/). The sign on the wall of the old barn converted into a "BBQ depot" reads "The Worst Bar-B-Q in the Country" but don't you believe it! It has to be the BEST. There are no plates at Rudy's and what they humorously do call "plates" are nothing more than sheets of waxed paper.

And Whataburger...it was quite a burger.

And Just Like You Like It!

We have plenty to praise God for; wonderful friends to share life with.