LadyBird Tribute Day

Sunday, the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center hosted a tribute day for Ladybird. The center was open for free, and they had all kinds of events and exhibitions. We went in the morning to try to get it in before nap time and before it got unbearably hot. We succeeded for the most part on the first goal, but for the second one, it didn't seem to matter. :) While the wildflower fields aren't in bloom (it's too late in the season and WAY to hot and dry), there were some other things going strong. And some critters. And a neat origami exhibit. And a scorpion that almost ate Maya!

Customer Service

Tim has an Aerogarden (it's an indoor garden under a grow light that lets him grow herbs and vegetables and such). It was a gift, but he loves it so much he may be looking into getting another.

In any case, he needed to buy some replacement bulbs for the grow light. So he went to their website and ordered them. But when they came, he realized he'd ordered the wrong ones. (His mistake, if you're keeping track.) We located the "right" ones in the catalog (they were a little more expensive), and looked up how to return the others. I called to get my RMA and to order the right ones. The woman on the phone said, "oh, here, let me just have the right bulbs sent out to you at no cost. You keep those other ones. If you come across someone else with an Aerogarden or if you get a new one, then you'll have them."

WOW.

Spaghetti Time!

We enjoyed some spaghetti and yogurt at the Triangle last night. Maya had a good time. Though we've discovered that she does NOT care for public rest rooms. She's started asking to "go potty at home now."

Family Photos

We had some new family photos taken today. I'm not as happy with them as I was with the previous set, especially of the group ones, but there are some pretty decent ones in there, especially of Maya. Here are the digital versions of some of them.

Colorado and Baby Marc

This past weekend, I went out to Louisville, CO to visit Jeannette, Xavi, and their new baby Marc. Marc is (sorry Xavi) beautiful. He also seems to be a pretty easy baby--not overly fussy. :) The Torrents are also beautiful parents. I already have learned a bunch from them (it's true) about patience and getting things done and going with the flow. Marc just seems to be a very natural fit for them. I had a wonderful visit and can't wait to see them again!

Fourth of July with Addie

We spent the fourth of July at Addie's house. James and Laura had some great food and some fireworks for the front yard (Maya did NOT approve), and then we set up lawn chairs to watch the Pflugerville Pfireworks (I can't make this stuff up).

Wonder World

Last weekend, we went to "Wonder World" down in San Marcos, TX. The main attraction is a "dry-formed" cave; basically a space inside the earth formed during an earthquake. The cave doesn't have the wet structures you're used to seeing in a cave (the dripping and the stalactites and stalagmites), and you're allowed to touch the rock. :) The park also included an observation tower from which it was really easy to differentiate the Texas Hill Country and the plains (hence the fault line). It was rounded out with an "anti-gravity" house and a tram ride to feed some goats. It was not a thrilling trip, but a good way to spend a weekend day.