Spring Break '13... and not a bikini in sight

It's that time of year again!  The time when the sun comes out, the snow turns to rain and the Redmores pack up the Subaru and drive down to the Ranch.  It's not Capistrano, but it's our yearly migration to see family, sit in rocking chairs on the front porch, eat LOTS of wonderful food and let the boys get good and dirty for a while.

I'm not gonna lie:  Wesley's not as good a car traveler as Van was when he was little (littler).  This trip he really surprised us though. The drive down was great!  Long, but great!  They were both in good spirits the whole way down, no melt-downs, no diaper disasters, and were relatively social upon arrival - not sure what the difference was, but it was fabulous!!

We couldn't have asked for better weather for the drive down and the first half of the trip.  As we drove south on Saturday we watched the temperature rise on the car's thermometer to almost 90.  The moisture felt wonderful!  Gigi came out to meet us at the big house.  Gary and Wendy had arrived that afternoon, as had Seth and Ahir.  Seth had a yummy dinner waiting for us when we arrived.  The lawn was nice and green (Josh had fixed the sprinkler system just a couple weeks prior) and only had a scattering of pricker-burrs.  Bluebonnets dotted the far edge of the yard and Ink's Lake seemed to glitter.  Vassu came out Sunday with friends from Austin whom we'd met last spring, and we were so happy to see them and their wonderful boys again!

After chillin' around the house on Sunday, letting the kids get their Texas groove back and visiting with Meenal & Rajeev, a small contingent of us set out for Austin on Monday.  Wendy, Gigi, Vassu, Josh and I and the boys drove down to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center to see all the beautiful blooms.  It was gorgeous!  All the gardens were done by volunteers and it was evident they put a lot of hours, and heart, into the beautiful gardens.  After a lovely walk through the verge, we ate at their cafe and continued to enjoy the company and the ambiance (the food was nothing to write about, not thrilling but nice).

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Austin, TX

Here's where the week got a little hairy....

On the way home from the gardens I got a text from Vassu:  did you hear the plumber is coming?  The toilets don't work.  Now I should preface this part of the story with the fact that Josh and Gary had replaced the seal on the green bathroom's toilet TWICE so far.  (Oh, and both refrigerators had died as well, but that was being dealt with already.)  By the time we got back to the house we were no longer allowed to use the toilets there and were desperately trying to figure out a way to STAY the rest of the week with little to no working plumbing.  The plumbers, very nice brothers who tried to work as quickly as possible seeing our plight, managed to dig up the septic tanks (we didn't know there were two) and fix the problem by Friday.  We had toilets back on Wednesday afternoon.  The boys didn't mind at all really - they just went outside.  For the girls, we asked our tenant/neighbor to use his bathroom and he was VERY obliging.  The highlight of all this for Van and Wesley was that they got to DRIVE the Bobcat the plumbers brought out to dig with.  Holy Toledo, Van was super stoked!!  Wes was a bit apprehensive, but still had fun.

In the midst of all this hoopla Josh and I took a small trip to Georgetown to visit some of my family.  My Great-Aunt Joy recently lost her husband, my Great-Uncle Richard, and we stopped by to see her and pay our respects.   It is a horrible excuse for a reunion, but I'm glad we were able to go.  My cousin Caroline was also there (and was super helpful in getting the visit set up with everyone!), as well as my Great-Aunt Shirley & Great-Uncle Jack.  I also got to meet my cousin Steve, who was also in town to help Aunt Joy.  It was my first time visiting their house, and Joy was very gracious in showing us around and telling us all sorts of stories of her and Uncle Richard.  They had a truly blessed life together.

A little R&R for all

Speaking of driving... Van got his first driving lessons.  Seth and Josh were taught to drive on the dirt roads around the ranch.  Seth passed on the tradition to Ahir, and this trip Van took up the torch as well.  Seth and Josh both took him out into the pastures in the Jeep.  I was only the in the car once with him and it was a true test of patience and trust (and I won't lie about being quiet from the back seat).  He's not bad!  He needs a little help if he gets distracted, but otherwise not bad.

The Redmores:  Gary, Wendy, Vassu & Gigi, Josh, Wesley & Van, Alyssa, Seth and Ahir.

Wes smothered Aunt Shannon in kisses from her lap

When it was time for our ranch fun to come to a close we had one more stop to make:  Dallas, baby!  We finally paid Shannon & Kyle a much overdue visit to their home in Dallas.  Oh I was so excited about this part of the trip!  Josh actually had to go visit a customer of his in Dallas that afternoon, so I got to hang out with Shannon & Kyle a while.  The boys were in LOVE with their little dogs, Penny & Pepper (Toy Fox Terriers).  Everyone found an equilibrium after a few minutes and the big folks polished off a bottle of wine or two before going out to dinner.  Now dinner was at a place called The Foundry.  When I go back to Dallas I will go here again.  AWESOME!  The ambiance was so fantastic, the food was delicious and the drinks kept coming with very friendly service.  The boys found a pack of wild children (all about the same ages) and flocked around with them in the yard, stopping in every once in a while to grab a bite or a drink.  Old shipping containers cut to be mini living rooms with second hand sofas and chairs lined an oak-shaded gravel yard with picnic tables and a random assortment of tables and chairs, with a stage made entirely of pallets at one end and market lights strung back and forth across the whole place.  Very well chosen Shaddays, we couldn't have asked for a better evening!

Sadly, it all comes to an end.  After a killer breakfast we departed for Colorado once again.  The drive home was uneventful, which is good.  We watched the temperature drop as we went north, and patches of snow collect on the sides of the road (they'd had quite a spring snow storm while we frolicked in our shorts and sandals).  After about 13 hours on the road we landed in our own beds, exhausted.  Josh was back to work today, Van back to school and Wes and I back to our weekday routine.  Life seems to be back to normal... which is part of what makes these little excursions so special.