![\"Singer,](\"http:\/\/jan.hise.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Austin2014-001.jpg\")
<\/a>Singer, guitar player, bartender<\/p><\/div>\n
We arrived at Jack’s around 1:30 in the afternoon and had a very good visit.\u00a0 Since it was warm and sunny, we walked Jack’s yard looking at his cactus gardens and swing\/overlook of the valley.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Enjoying view from swing at overlook<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Jack’s cactus garden<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Jack and Edith<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
On our way back home, we stopped for dinner at a brew pub in Johnson City.\u00a0 Arrived home and, after visiting with Midnight\/Junior, headed back to the cabin to read and prepare for the next day’s activity of shopping at two huge outlet centers along with visiting Sam (Edith’s grandson) and his family.<\/p>\n
Woke up on the 25th to light rain and cold temperature of 47; not the type of weather I expected for Austin.\u00a0 After having coffee, we headed to the San Marcos Premium Outlets and Tanger Outlet Center; these outlets are on the same side of the road but separated by a street.\u00a0 The rain did not let up and the temperature did not get higher throughout the day.\u00a0 But we did have a good time shopping.\u00a0 We ate lunch at a Mexican restaurant located by the outlet centers.\u00a0 When we got back to the Austin area we traveled to Sam’s apartment to see him and his children, Cameron and Autumn.\u00a0 Sam is my great nephew.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Grandma Edith with Sam<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Cameron and Autumn<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
After our visit with Sam, we stopped at a local grocery store and picked up some soup\/bread for our evening meal which we ate in my cabin.\u00a0 We spent the rest of the evening talking.\u00a0 Because of the heavy traffic Edith experienced on her way to pick me up from the airport on Monday, we decided to leave early the next morning for the airport where I would check in and we have breakfast together before my departure.\u00a0 However, when we arrived at the airport, I did check my bag but we discovered that there was no breakfast being offered outside of security.\u00a0 So we said our “good byes” and I went through security.\u00a0 The travel from Austin to Cedar Rapids was uneventful.\u00a0 Mary and Joe were waiting to pick me up; on our way to my home, we stopped to eat dinner at Coop’s in Shellsburg.<\/p>\n
All in all, a good trip with great conversations with Edith, Sam\/his family, and Jack but it was very short with our trying to “cram” much activity in such a short time.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On February 23, I flew from Cedar Rapids to Austin, TX to visit my sister, Edith, who had 4 days off from her traveling nurse job at a local hospital.\u00a0\u00a0 After a slow drive due to heavy traffic, we stopped and had dinner at a Mexican restaurant called Los Pinos, not to far from the … Continue reading