Return to routine?

We are back from Austin - and from finishing out a crazy busy week! I sincerely hope we are about to establish some sort of routine now. I think that many of us are ready for change at the end of the summer - ready for the kids to go back to school, ready for a change in the weather, ready for the schedule to, well, become a schedule again. Summer is great, but I really am itching for Fall... I was thinking about change recently, and was struck by how perfect the change in seasons is. By the time I get tired of one season, the other is just around the corner. Of course, living in Texas, we say "if you don't like the weather, just stick around a bit." That saying doesn't really seem to be true during the looonnggg, hot days of summer. It seems there is no end to the baking heat. So when I let the dog out this morning for her morning routine, I smiled at the pleasant morning weather. Dare I say it was cool? Well, it was certainly cool in comparison to other mornings. Ok, here are some pictures of Austin: The obligatory shot of the Capital at night. I had to take about 15 pictures before one finally turned out, and it's still a little fuzzy. But you know, the Capital really is an amazingly beautiful building. I wanted to break out in song and dance singing "The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You..." But thought that may be a little wierd. Back at the hotel room, Rick is reviewing some of his class material. Yep, this proves that we really DID go to the conference. Or is that just a guide to the local restaurants??? And my favorite part of the trip was the LBJ Library and Museum. I had to do a little coaxing to get Rick to go, and it helped that we arrived at 4:15... and it closed at 5:00. But it was an amazing place. The archives took up four floors, and the museum several other floors. Here is a replica of the Oval Office during LBJ's term. I loved all the seafoam green... A trip anywhere wouldn't be complete without a tour through the local cemetery. This one was on the side of the interstate, just adjacent to the LBJ Library and UT Austin. It was really interesting. Many, many graves dating to the 1800's. We enjoyed exploring this place. And this is just a cool tree on the campus of UT. Ok... Next picture is TacoDeli! A friend of mine recommended we check it out. By far, the best taco's I've ever had. If you are in Austin, you simply have to go. http://www.tacodeli.com/ Thanks, Debra, for the tip! Oh, wow... I didn't know we had a Bistro in Austin. So that's what Craig and Carolyn did when there were living there! I hope I get a cut of the profit! Below... drumroll please! The infamous Explosive Wings at Casino el Camino on 6th St. Rick and I are proud of our tolerance for spice. I think our mother's put hot-sauce in our bottles. So with that inate gusto-driven spicy tolerance, we chowed down on these bad boys... and ended up crying like a baby. By far, these were hottest things I've ever experienced. Note to self: Never, ever try and take out contacts within 24 hours of touching Explosive Wings. Have someone else take them out, or just wait it out. It rained cats and dogs on Wednesday in downtown Austin. They REALLY need the rain, and it started to pour when we were inside Opal Devine's (another fantastik eatery.) It was really fun watching the crowd get so excited over a downpour. Everyone pulled their chairs outside and sat under the covered porch to revel in the excitement. We were needing to get on the road soon, and the picture below is traffic trying to get out of Austin. Rainstorm + Rush Hour = not good.