FEELING NEIGHBORLY

The houses are so far apart in our neighborhood, that pretty much the only time I see any of my neighbors is when we drive past one another going in or out, or perhaps run into each other in town somewhere. A bit different from life in the burbs, or living on a company compound, huh? We do have a once-a-year meeting of our Home Owners' Association, but since it was slapped with a nasty lawsuit shortly after we moved in, which just recently got settled, those meetings have been anything but sociable. Last January the annual meeting fell on our daughter's birthday, so I went off to celebrate with Lex, and Hubby went off to represent us at the meeting. Guess who managed to get himself elected president while there? "Musta been talkin' when he shoulda been listenin'."

Though he has attended several meetings of the board throughout the year, yesterday was his first time to chair one for all the members. Believe it or not, it was actually quite pleasant, now that we no longer have that lawsuit hanging over our heads. To top it all off, Hubby took it upon himself to organize a little block party afterwards.

We weren't sure if anyone would show up, considering our history and the fact that it was snowing the day before. Fortunately, the weather gods favored us with sunshine and temps in the 60s!

Not only did we get a good turnout, they all stayed much longer than we expected.

Plus, it was a great way to get to know all the new people who have moved in recently.

And, just like that, it suddenly feels more like a neighbor-hood.

Hubby, you rock!


P.S. Guess what I discovered when we were at the Community Center for our meeting that morning?

Another Little Free Library!

Wimberley, you rock too!

GRANDMA PRACTICE

We are keeping grandpuppy Guinness this weekend, and the visit did not get off to the best of starts.

Austin and Areeg had a convention to go to, and were planning to drop Guinness off on their way to San Antonio, sometime after dinner. Of course, Areeg had to drive in from Houston first, and never knows for sure when she will be able to get away from work/school. Around 8:00 PM Austin called to say she still hadn't made it in, so it was going to be very late before Guinness arrived here. He told us to go on to bed at our usual time, and that Guinness would be there waiting for us when we woke up.

Silly Boy. He should have known there was no way I would be able to sleep with them all out running amok on these rain-slicked roads and flooded low-water crossings! So I tossed and turned until 12:30, when I finally heard him coming in the front door. When I came out of the dark bedroom to greet them, it must have startled Guinness, for she began running in circles, barking her head off. She finally settled down when she realized who I was, and Austin said his goodbyes.

I had locked the door, settled Guinness on the sofa, and was headed back to bed, when I realized there was something stuck to the bottom of my foot, and it did not smell good! I hopped to the bathroom on one foot, flipped on the light, and discovered a good-sized dog turd hanging from the bottom of my big toe. I managed to dispose of it and get my foot cleaned up, gagging the whole time, then went back to see if there were more where that one came from. Sure enough, there were a couple more near where I'd stepped on the first. More gagging ensued. Finally I decided perhaps I should go back into the bedroom to grab my glasses, then turn some lights on. When I did so, I discovered a trail of little turds, scattered all over this carpet.

The only other time Guinness has done something like this, she had also been startled by a tall stranger coming towards her, which caused her to run in circles barking, spraying poop as she went. I suppose I have no one to blame but myself.

The dim light and busy carpet pattern made it rather difficult to locate all those little gems, and by the time I was finished (at least I hope I was), I was gagging loud enough to wake the dead! But not, apparently, my hubby.

Some things never change.

AN AB FAB SURPRISE IN THE MAIL

When I asked Miss Areej for book recommendations, to help us prepare for our Sudanese journey, she also mentioned a Public Television series she had once seen, called Joanna Lumley's Nile. We tried to get it on Netflix but, 'though they had it listed, the availability date was "unknown." Boy, was I ever surprised when this showed up in the mail from Amazon yesterday. Thank you Hubby!

If, like me, you didn't recognize the name at first, Joanna was part of that infamous duo from the long-running hit series Absolutely Fabulous, and she will be part of this expedition down the entire 4,000 mile length of the mighty Nile, from mouth to source, traveling by fishing boat, ferry, cruise ship, plane, train, car, and Zapcat!

Best part of having our own copy is that it comes with this cool little Viewer's Guide, which includes some interesting articles about the Nile...

and about the guy who led the expedition.

Best of all, it has a map!

We will be going to Khartoum, right where the Blue Nile and White Nile come together, and which is pronounced like this.

So, in case you don't see me for the next few days, it's because I'll be off floating somewhere along the mighty Nile with my AbFab friend Joanna. Catcha later!

GENRE-HOPPING

My taste in books seems to be running all over the map these days. Just after the holidays I began the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld, and didn't stop until I had finished all four books. I never seem to tire of a good YA dystopian series. This one is about how we "Rusties" just about demolish the earth, and what comes after.

From there I moved on to Habits of the House, by Fay Wheldon. Wheldon helped write the screenplay for the original Upstairs, Downstairs series, and actually spent part of her youth living in one of those British manor houses, as daughter of the housekeeper. If you are a Downton Abbey fan, this would be a great series to read during the off season, when you are jonesing for a fix!

Now I am diving into this book...

Season of Migration To The North, by Tayeb Salih -- the book that was selected by a panel of Arab writers and critics as the most important Arab novel of the twentieth century. It takes place in Sudan, but could just as well be about any country that has been under foreign rule, and now has to figure out how to stand on their own; or about any person who has left home, then returned, only to find that they no longer fit in either place, and are caught in between two worlds. I am rather glad that my library didn't have it, and I was forced to order my own copy from Amazon, for I was only a page or two into the introduction before I was running for my trusty hi-liter, wanting to underline phrases that were resonating with me!

What about you? Read anything good lately?

WE'RE NOT IN DALLAS ANYMORE

When I first drove up to Full English in Austin, I admit to having some misgivings.

One thing I knew for sure -- it wasn't gonna be my mama's tea party!

But, then I remembered. Oh yeah! We're not in Dallas anymore. This is Austin!

Picture S. Congress funk, with Amy Winehouse waiting tables.

And yeah, maybe they didn't have a fancy in-house bakery with the best scones I'd ever eaten. But, all-in-all, the food was pret-ty darned good.

We had our choice of any beverage on the menu, including several specialty coffee drinks, three different chai lattes, iced teas and hot teas. We each chose to have our own pot of tea, with options from local purveyor Zhi Tea, as well as the more traditional Twinings. We couldn't even make it through most of that top tier of sweets, but they kindly offered us a container so Lex could take them home to enjoy with her hubby.

It was the kind of place where you could come every week just to hang out with friends over a good pot of tea, rather than a once-a-year kind of place where you can play the Grand Dame. It suited this birthday girl to a "tea", 'cause one thing is for certain...

she's an Austin kind of gal!

P.S. I should probably warn you though, don't go here if you can't abide the smell of bacon! In addition to the High Tea by appointment, they serve full English breakfasts all day long, including your choice of bangers or "the best bacon in the country", broiled tomatoes and even Heinz baked beans. Apparently that bacon is quite popular, as people all around us were eating it, plus they keep a freezer full out in the dining room, for customers to buy and take home.
 

TEA PEOPLE

 
Hubby and I do not drink coffee. For some reason, we just never acquired a taste for it. Kind of odd, when you think about it, since we each grew up in households where both parents loved it. Nope, we're tea people. Which is why our drawers and cabinets are filled with stuff like this...

and this...

and this.

Our daughter Lex is a tea person as well, and that is why she and I are celebrating her birthday with the High Tea at Full English today, and were so excited to hear that this was coming to Austin. We also enjoyed attending several episodes of this at the Lakeline Alamo Drafthouse. My boss in Bahrain once told me that I could not really be American, if I did not like coffee. Which makes it even odder still that our Lexi managed to marry into a whole family of American tea people!

Strangest of all, however, is the fact that, despite being surrounded by all this tea accoutrement his entire life, our son Austin turned out to be a coffee person. And not just a latte-lovin' pseudo coffee person either. He's the kind who loves everything from shots of espresso, to cups of freshly ground French-pressed café, and even Turkish coffee -- the kind that is so strong and thick it can stand on its own!

Which is turning out to be a good thing, since his fiancé Areej comes from a very long line of coffee people. Young Austin was most appreciative when her aunt went to the trouble to roast and grind her own coffee beans, then blend them with a variety of aromatic spices, in order to brew the perfect cup of Sudanese coffee just for him.

Here's to finding not only your soulmate, but also your true beveragemate!

BEST WEDDING VENUE EVER: CYPRESS FALLS EVENT CENTER

 
Hallelujah! We finally got the proofs from Lexi's wedding photographer, and though I think I'm getting a little photo album of some sort as part of their package, I couldn't resist ordering a few from the reception right away, to share with you guys. The candid shots I shared with you earlier just didn't do this place justice.

Many of the venues they visited in the Austin area had great outdoor spaces, but their only option for inclement weather was to set up a tent. This place had so many different spaces, both indoors and out, that we were covered for whatever nature threw at us -- a good thing to know, if you're planning an event in Texas in early November.

At the top of my list of things I loved about this venue was that it was right here in Wimberley, it was reasonably priced, and that it had lodging on site for the entire wedding party, plus a fabulous little stone casita for the bride and groom. Basically, it was like a 3-day slumber party for everyone involved!

We began with a sunset ceremony down on the shores of Cypress Creek, then moved up to the outside terrace, complete with fire pit, bar, and twinkle lights galore.

Groomsmen Will Be Groomsmen

From there we moved indoors to the main "ballroom" I suppose you'd call it, though it seemed much too cozy and welcoming for that title.

Outside, Looking In

Cutting the Bride's Cake

Nate's little niece was so fascinated and curious about everything that went on, especially when it came to the application of those temporary tattoos!

This was one of Lexi's best ideas -- a kids' table filled with fun things to keep them entertained!

After cake and hor d'oeuvres we moved on to the ultimate destination -- the room that inspired the whole "Speakeasy" theme...

and from there, onto the dance floor.

The Bride and Groom demonstrate how to "cut a rug."

Nate's Parents Take to the Floor

In fact, this venue fit the theme so perfectly, it was almost as if we had been transported into one of those old black & white films from the roaring twenties!

Momma weeps in the background as Daddy dances with his baby girl one last time.

But, it wasn't just the facility that made this wedding so, so special. It was the family who owns it. The ones who bent over backwards and went way beyond the call of duty to make this whole process as pleasant as possible for us all.

That, and the fact that we encouraged Alexis and Nate to have the kind of wedding they really wanted, instead of the one which everyone has come to expect, but which evolved primarily to make more $$$ for those in the wedding industry.

I think they both got the wedding of their dreams. Me? Well, I just had to laugh when people kept asking me if I was getting stressed out or ready to have a melt-down yet. To tell you the truth, all I had to do was sit back, and enjoy the ride!