As a parent, the days are long…but the years are short.

A couple of weeks ago our family did a short driving vacation through the Texas Hill Country. It was wonderful to have some time to spend together. Here are a couple of photo mosaics of our trip. (You can click on the image to enlarge it.)

Day 1

Day 1.   I LOVE taking pictures of wide, open spaces.   I don’t know how many “empty road” shots I took.   There’s just something about seeing it that gives me a sense of peace.   We drove from the DFW area to Dublin, Texas to visit the original Dr. Pepper plant.   Today, the Dublin Dr. Pepper plant is known for sticking to the original Dr. Pepper recipe.   Yep, it is different from the one you buy in the store (which is bottled in Waco, TX.)   The difference is the sweetener.   Dublin Dr. Pepper uses Imperial pure cane sugar, the other Dr. Pepper uses high fructose corn syrup. (Now you’ve learned something new!)   And believe me, there is a difference!

After our tour we drove to The Antler’s Hotel in Kingsland, Texas.   Let me tell you, THAT is a cool place, especially if you (or your children) like trains.   I enjoyed the lake and taking pictures of the blue bonnets on the property.   In addition to the hotel, they have several cabin/cottages and several train cabooses and one train car that have been converted into sleeping quarters.   We stayed in the McKinley Coach.   The boys loved sleeping on a train, and I thought it was quite comfortable.   Hubby enjoyed everything except the door.   He is a very tall guy, and after hitting his head on the door frame (several times) – he was not pleased.

Day 2

Day 2 – We got a lot of usage out of our family State Park pass.   We visited Longhorn Cavern State Park in the morning.   WOW.   For someone who is a wannabe rock hound, I REALLY enjoyed this place.   It was fun to walk through the cavern, but even more impressive was to hear of the history of the cavern.   The Comanche Indians used it for ceremonies and as a hiding place.   Texas Rangers once snuck in and rescued a hostage back in the early 1900′s.   The Confederates used it as their Powder Room – meaning gun powder, not a place for ladies to powder their nose.   Some outlaws used it as their hiding place, and in Prohibition days it was used as a Speak Easy.

After our tour we went to Llano to have lunch at Cooper’s BBQ.   It was fanger-lickin’ good. (Yes, I meant fanger.   For you Yankees, think “finger” only much tastier!)   Men all over the world dream to see that much meat on a pit at one time.   If you’re ever in the neighborhood, be sure to stop by.

To wrap up the day, we headed to Inks Lake State Park.   I snapped a few pictures of blue bonnets, the sky right after sunset, and plenty of deer.   I hope we get to revisit it again some day.   It was a beautiful place.

Day 3

Day 3 – I took a few more pictures of the inside of our rail car.   I loved the intricate work on the door knob, so there’s a few hundred shots of it.   We moved on to Austin in time for lunch, and then took a tour of the city via the Duck.   If you have not done a “duck” tour, you should.   We got to see the sights of the city AND go on a short boat ride, all while sitting in one place.   The boys loved it, and those blasted quacker mouth pieces.
For dinner we met up with my folks and then had fun chatting while hanging out in their hotel room.

Day 4 ~ AM

Day 4 – After a leisurely breakfast with my parents we went to see the state capitol.   It is truly a magnificent structure, one that makes your heart swell with pride, I might say.   The fine craftsmanship is awe inspiring.

After our visit at the Capitol, we drove out to visit with my grandfather for a couple of hours and then we made the journey home.   All in all, it was a good trip.   I’m already looking forward to the next one.

PS: Remember you can enlarge the image by clicking on it, or (if you’re really bored) you can see them on my flickr page here.

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I’ll miss you! Oh, wait.   I won’t be gone that long – just for a few days. The family is heading out for an extended weekend/vacation/road trip through the Texas Hill Country for the next couple of days.   I’m excited, the boys are excited – so hopefully things will go well.

Whenever vacation time rolls around, I remember this quote I heard years ago:

“A vacation is like love – anticipated with pleasure, experienced with discomfort and remembered with nostalgia.” – Author Unknown

I think the author, whoever they were, got it right.

Anyway, we’re off today – Want to see where we’re going?

Cool, huh?   We aren’t going as far West as I originally planned, and we won’t be avoiding the interstate the whole trip, like I originally planned – but I think we’ll have a good time anyway.   There are lots of state parks to explore (and photograph.)   Since it is Spring time, there are sure to be plenty of wildflowers( for me to photograph.)   And, we’ll get to see some family on our tour, so it’s sure to be a fun time.

I’ll be back next week, and I’m sure I’ll have lots of pictures to share. Have a great weekend & be safe!