South by Southwest

Today we reached the apex (or is it the nadir?) or our South by Southwest tour. We will gradually be working our way North and East for the rest of our trip. We headed to San Antonio and the Alamo. Last fall when we were at Fort Ligonier we found these overpriced toy Kentucky rifles which the boys really wanted. Figuring they would simply collect dust after the initial enthusiasm wore off we only bought two. As it turns out they have seen a lot of use and the fact that we only have two of them has been a big source of conflict. So we promised the boys they could buy rifles if we found them on this trip. Well, I would have assumed that Civil War battlefields would be a good place to buy toy guns, but it turns out they are not. However, the Alamo gift shop is a different story. We walked out of there with enough weapons to arm a small third world nation (muskets, rifles, Bowie knives..) We then had to march our troops through the crowded River Walk carrying their rifles. The other pedestrians either smiled and saluted or moved nervously away from us.

My poor husband has fallen asleep already after two days of contending with Texas highways. I cannot upload any pics without his help so they might not show up until tomorrow.

We did arrive safely in Austin and got to show the kids where we used to live. The canyon views still take my breath away. Then we took them to Rudy's BBQ. I had forgotten just how good brisket can be, eaten in the open air and a lovely summer-like evening. Worth driving 1500 miles!!