Travel
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Sea World, Texas Style
We traveled to San Antonio for our Spring Break vacation. One of the top things on our to-do list was Sea World San Antonio. The morning had started out overcast and chilly, but we didn’t let it deter us! With confidence in the weatherman’s forecast, we headed out to the park. We found the best deal online at the SeaWorld website; we printed our tickets at home (including pre-paying the parking – you save $2) and we headed straight for the security check at the entrance. It appeared not everyone was as brave as us, and crowds were light and manageable. The best part about the cooler weather: there was no wait on…
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Visiting San Antonio: The Alamo and More!
We spent our Spring Break exploring San Antonio. In my last post, I talked about the many attractions in the area around the Alamo. Our second day in San Antonio was all about the Alamo and other historical sites! My kids are really interested in history and I think presenting it interactively is always more fun than just reading it in a book (and I am a bookworm, so that is saying a lot!) One of the fourth grade teachers at the kidlings’ elementary school recommended that we watch the IMAX film “Alamo – The Price of Freedom” before we walked the actual site, particularly since the city now surrounds what…
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Visiting San Antonio: The Rainy Day Tourist Edition
When we woke up on our first morning of our spring break visit to San Antonio, it was to a steady rain – not the best for sightseeing, to be honest. Looking over the checklist of things everyone wanted to see and do, we quickly decided that it would be a good day for silliness and exploration, indoors. After a workout in the hotel gym by the menfolk, and a lazy breakfast we headed out to the Buckhorn Saloon and Museum and the Texas Ranger museum. I honestly didn’t know what to expect, and if you told me “tons of taxidermy” I might have rolled my eyes, but it turned out to…
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Planning our Next Vacation Adventure
Happy snow day to all my Dallas* friends and sending warm wishes to the rest of the country as this cold blast heads east! (*Now that’s something I never thought I’df say, but I think our reputation from bringing awful weather everywhere persists.) My “What I’m Reading Wednesday” post did NOT make it up yesterday, mostly because I was too busy alternately trip planning and compulsively checking social media/the news/my weather app to determine if the kids would have school today. (They didn’t. Brrr.) However, the day wasn’t completely lost (as ill organized as it was). I did discover some great websites for vacation planning! I’m headed to San Antonio,…
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Exploring the Perot Museum
The countdown for all parents is on! You know…that countdown to when our wonderful, darling kids go back to school. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I love having them home, and we have had a lot of fun over the past two weeks playing board games and hanging out once the unpacking was complete! But as more cold rain fell and the bickering amped up this morning, we knew that, despite the weather, it was time to get out of our pjs and out of the house. Thankfully, I had in hand four tickets to the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, courtesy of a giveaway by Courtney from My Crazy Savings. It…
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I’m Sailing….Sailing Away
Today is the day. The day that has got me through this dreadful winter. Through 70+ inches of snow and who knows how days of many sub-zero weather. (Ok, Tom Skilling from WGN probably knows, but whatever.) Through the down coat, the pale, dry winter skin and hair electrified by static. I’m in Florida. Port Canaveral to be exact. And I’m boarding the Disney Fantasy. For seven days, I won’t be cooking, washing dishes, scrubbing toilets or folding clothes. I won’t be making beds. I will be kicking back, reading my book, splashing in the pool, trying not to eat too much fattening stuff, and generally turning off my brain.…
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Playing Tourist
A few weeks ago we attended a friend’s wedding. In the course of a conversation with some acquaintances, they asked what we had planned for that weekend. I don’t recall what in particular we were hoping to do if the weather held out, but the fellow we were talking to said “I don’t know why we’ve never been there ourselves!” He went on to comment how too often people take places/things for granted and never get around to seeing what is right in their own backyard. How true. Yesterday I was having a post-football bite of lunch with my son at HIS favorite sandwich shop. A friend, walking past, asked…
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So I’m Not Actually Silent on Sunday….
I’m not so good at being silent on Sunday. (Or any other day, really, but I digress….) Some days I post a photo, but really, I want to tell the WHOLE story. This is the post-script to today’s “Silent Sunday” post. Weekends are for exploring. Quite possibly my favorite place in all of this lovely town is the Warren. I walk our mad spaniel there several days a week, exhausting us both throwing sticks into the river for her to fetch. And mostly return. (Some get eaten. Bad dog.) It has an ethereal quality, particularly on days that are a bit overcast. Sunny days are stunning, but there seems to…
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River Cruising: On to Avignon, Pont-du-Gard and Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Tuesday morning of our river cruise holiday on the River Royale found us in Avignon – from our stateroom, we could see the walls of the old city. This morning, our goal was to visit the Palace du Popes. The cobblestones in the streets were lovely (and a bit treacherous for my poor foot, and I was tempted to find a walking stick like Marty’s. Yes, it turns into a stool. No, I’m not 60. I will apologize now as you will soon discover my love of windows and archways. I really could have played with these and edited them but I’m too lazy I’m liking the images without filters.…
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Anchors Away!
My bags are packed, the dog is at the kennel, the house sitter has the keys, and I’m ready for some sunshine. Tomorrow we head off to the (hopefully) sunny south of France for a different sort of holiday: a river cruise. I am sure some fantastic online French lessons (click here for more information) will come in handy on this trip. Admittedly, this will be nothing like the Disney Cruise we did last year – to the point where I’ve explained that to the kids that it’s not so much a cruise as a hotel that floats – there is no pool, no fireworks off the bow, and no…
