Tuesday, September 14, 2010

So Much for Blue Skies

But of course, if we are in vacation mode, the Weather Curse becomes highly sensitized to our location and finds us! We had a beautiful, gorgeous first day on the lake, and then awoke to this weather:

I just love road trips with Robert and Barb! I swear: we could look at crickets in a gutter for hours on end with these two and have a great time! Just being around them is a total treat, and it doesn't take much for us to have a great time with them.

We have only one minimum, measly, requirement: that Robert not sink the boat.

This was not the best weather for our planned trip to the zoo, but we decided to head for Austin, TX anyway, and make the best of it. And make the best of it, we did! We thought we'd zigzag a little and avoid the storm, but Tropical Storm Hermine zeroed in on us, and turned toward us. Barb valiantly did all of the driving, and safely got us to Austin, TX.

There were a few moments of respite in the rain, allowing us to partake of some wonderful detours through the Beer Barn, a stop at a Texas barbeque where Robert doused his ice cream cone with Tabasco sauce (and yes, I have the photos to prove it!), a scenic drive through Forney, TX, and its antique stores, and a tour of the Shiner Brewery.

By the time we got to Austin, we felt somewhat drowned.

Now, here's a digression: I'm reading a most wonderful book, "Little Bee." This book highlights the challenges we face in our lives, asking us to step out of our own little worlds and reach out to other people. We often don't really know how we'll actually react until we're really faced with a situation, and sometimes how we react is not what we had hoped for of ourselves; we might wish we'd reached to be better people than we proved to be.

That's how I feel about what happened to us in Austin.

Two people told us about their car troubles, and Robert graciously gave them a ride to another part of Austin. Robert and Barb have hearts of gold, and readily extended help to these two. I truly wish I had done the same thing; I admit that I felt some suspicion about what they had to say, and wish that I had just taken what they said at face value, and offered more to them. But I feel honored to know Robert and Barb, and how they are in the world.

(Even if Robert does put Tabasco Sauce on his ice cream cone, and eats it, and yes. . . I will show you the photos tomorrow!)

This last photo is the four of us, post-drowning and seeking food at Sullivan's, in Austin, TX

9 comments:

pat said...

OH my, they sound like wonderful people! Sorry about the weather gods having it in for you...but at least you were with people you have fun with, even though you were caught in a deluge. In Texas we used to call those "frog stranglers" because the rain came so fast and hard.

janett said...

Oh, I LOVE Sullivan's! I'm from Austin, and miss it so!

Nicki said...

Sounds like you all made the best of the weather and had a good time. Your friends sound like keepers - I'm afraid that in this day and age, I would be skeptic and a bit leery of strangers in need and wouldn't have gone as far as giving them a ride (maybe call and paid a taxi for them or something). Tabasco sauce huh!?!

Maria said...

I kept nodding my head as you described Robert and Barb. You absolutely captured those two! I would add that while Robert is kindness personified, Barb is the most optimistic person I've ever met. When you are around them, you feel positive energy swirling around you, and you can't help but soak a little of it in. I love them to pieces.

Reds said...

yikes - tabasco on ice cream??!!! That's a bit too adventurous for me!! Glad you managed to visit even though the weather was rainy!

Jeanne said...

Sounds like you had a fabulous time despite the weather! And those two you stayed with sound like amazing people. I love hanging with people like that, they can teach us so much! Although, I don't think I want to learn what ice-cream topped with Tabasco tastes like. LOL

Barb said...

Well, I just tuned into your blog. I love the dramma that you put in with your photos Angela. We really loved having you and Doug here and felt a little empty when you left. It was so much fun! Come back soon!

Margaret said...

Always love the description of your trips. Sorry you had to deal with the rain, but it made for great story, right? Your friends sound wonderful and I can't wait to see the Tabasco-soaked ice cream cone!

shirley said...

I love Austin and the people there are so helpful. I'm glad Robert and Barb were helpful to that other couple - I once got a flat tire in Austin and a nice guy on the street changed it for me.
Off to check out that book you mentioned - sounds interesting.