Thur-Sun March 17 - 20th - Lisa and Mike and family visit

Thur-Sun March 17 - 20th Lisa and Mike and family visit

Thurs Mar 17th - Today we got ready for the weekend. We have Lisa and Mike and their grandson Brody coming for the weekend from North Austin. They are babysitting for Lisa's daughter Jehan and her partner Jason until Saturday afternoon. We are really excited about seeing them again. We decided that we should go to the Castroville cafe on Friday and then cook at the rig on Saturday for the whole gang when Jehan and Jason arrive to pick Brody up.  So we did all the shopping for the weekend and got the rig cleaned up inside. 
Friday Mar 18th - Lisa, Mike and Brody arrived  (with Charlie, their dog). So good to see them and get all caught up on the news (Jehan and Jason expecting - yey). They are thinking of moving further south toward Rockport some time in the next year. We had a lunch of cold-cuts and buns. Brody has grown so much since we saw him last.. he is a little boy now instead of a baby, but he is very big for 2 years old. He has an independent streak and can be quite a little imp, but he is so cute and adorable that you cant help but smile at him and want to hug him constantly. We all went to the Castroville cafe for dinner (no corkage, which is nice) and we all had a great meal. The highlight were the "N'awlins Shrimp", as in 'New Orleans"... wow... shrimp the size of small lobster tails, with perfect spices. Yum!! We decided to go to a huge flea market in San Antonio called Trader Village tomorrow morning. 
Saturday Mar 19th -Trader Village and BBQ
San Antonio Trader Village- oh my goodness.. it is a treasure hunters paradise. It is the biggest market we have ever seen. Everything from boots to bath soap. There were permanent vendors and people who just rent a spot to sell off stuff (a la garage sale). Janice bought a pair of stretchy pants. She wanted to try the round snacks they were selling in a huge bag (they pour hot sauce all over them...), can't remember the name of them but oh my gosh they are good, taste great, but probably not the healthiest of snacks... seems that way all the time don't it? 

Spent a few hours there walking around. Back at 3 and Jehan and Jason arrived. Derek cooked pork tenderloin on the BBQ, Janice did wonders with all the fixins, although not having brought a masher, the mashed potatoes were a challenge to prepare with a fork!!  The Dzuiks BBQ sauce from Castroville made the pork taste amazing, everyone said meal was “delish”. The chocolate 'almond joy' coconut macaroons from Haby's bakery were a hit with everyone.

Jehan and Jason took Brody home about 8 pm (Just south of Houston). Before they left they invited Derek and I to their home near Houston for Easter weekend next week. We accepted, with great joy.  Lisa and Mike stayed till 11.30 chatting, with a large portion of laughter thrown in.  Mike was drinking Chelada!! Bud light with Tomato juice (pre-mixed in a can)??? Okay he is a friend, so we will forgive him his weird taste in drinks!!! So good to catch up with good friends. Seems an eternity since we met in Austin,  Dec 10th 2012, both embarking on a new phase of our lives, they having sold up in Minnesota, leaving friends and family to move to Texas and live in their fifth wheel, and us having sold our house of 35 years and living full time for a while in our fifth wheel. So much has happened for us all in these last few years. 

Sunday Mar 20th - Wimberley

Another great day with great friends. We all decided to head to the small town of Wimberley, close to half way to Mike and Lisa's place, so we took both cars.  It was about 2 hours drive and well worth the effort. We thought Fredericksburg was a great place, but Wimberley gives it some competition.

Wimberley is filled with interesting stores and unique art.  The town was the scene of terrible and tragic flood devastation in May last year. Still lots of uprooted trees and remnants of the storm. We had  a delicious  lunch at the Leaning Pear…Wood oven Pizza and salad. Walked around town and then had Amy’s ice cream…from Austin…awesome. Bought a few unique gift items. Can't believe we haven’t been here before now!!  Around 5 o'clock we said our goodbyes to Lisa and Mike  and headed home, stopping at the edge of town to see the flood devastation… such a sad event and a reminder of the changing weather patterns that are affecting our world. 

Home around 7:30 and later Skyped with Evan and Kyle. Lovely day with good friends and ending with family.