To Austin and Back

I returned home last night from a week in Texas where Rachel, her kids and I visited with "my cousins" as Elijah happily called them. A happy time was had by all! 

We had no idea about the wildfires burning around Austin until we arrived home last night. The fires have been sparked by the horrible drought conditions in Texas this summer and high winds which were a result of tropical depression Lee in the Gulf of Mexico. The temperature, when we arrived there Sunday before last, was 112 F. It felt like you opened the door on a hot oven outside. We drove home yesterday along the upper edge of Lee. I think we made it through Jackson MS just before their deluge of rain began. The rain reached us here in mid Alabama overnight and it has been raining continuously all day. Too bad this storm didn't head toward south Texas. They would welcome all the rain with open arms.

Here are a few of the things Rachel and I saw the afternoon we drove around downtown Austin site-seeing.

Looking up Congress Ave. towards the state capitol. 

 

 You can tell how old this area is by the size of the trees. Most trees don't seem to grow this tall there.

 Also, the area right around town is hilly. Most of the rest of the city is flat by this Alabamian's standards. 

 I wish I could give you the history behind these beautiful houses, but I can't. Sorry.

These painted cows were placed all around town. Each must have been done by a different artist.

One of the highlights of our trip was the night we went to a production of the Wizard of Oz in Georgetown in an old art deco style movie theater. The acting and costumes were great. Both the children and the adults loved it!

As fun as it is to get away and visit with family, I have to say like Dorothy....There's no place like home!