Air Supply, Hurricanes, and Ham Sandwiches: A Weekend in Houston

Rainbow on way to KC Airport

Carrie and I made what was supposed to be a quick trip to Houston, TX to see a concert and also see our friends. We left for Kansas City to stay at a hotel Wednesday evening; on our way, we saw the rainbow stretching across the sky. We actually saw a double rainbow, but the second one was a little difficult to see in our picture. It was beautiful. The rainbow was forecasting that we would be stuck in Houston after the weekend due to the hurricane.

Cash and Cooper

We arrived in Houston Thursday morning following connecting flights on American Airlines from Dallas to Houston. No direct flights on American Airlines to Houston, so we wanted to get points to and stayed with American Airlines for our flights which was actually cheaper than trying to do another airline that was a direct flight. We had the chance to meet the newest member of the Flora family, Cash (pictured in the background to the right), and of course Cooper (in foreground to the right). Cash is about six months old and full of energy. We had a fun time getting to know Cash. It reminded me of Oliver when he was a puppy with all the toys everywhere. 

Tommy Cooking Burgers

On Saturday, we were able to enjoy a pool party at Tommy's house where he cooked us burgers. It rained most of the morning but cleared off enough where we could get in the pool. This was just a rain storm moving through and unrelated to the hurricane that was moving into the area Sunday evening and Monday morning. We had a great time spending time with Tommy and then Chuck and Melissa also were able to join us that day too.

Selfie at Air Supply Concert

The purpose of our trip to Houston was to attend Air Supply on Sunday night. The hurricane was due to move into Houston Sunday night into Monday morning. As the days led up to Sunday, we wondered if we should leave Saturday or Sunday morning, but then flights started being canceled and the decision was made we would attend the concert. On our way to the concert, it rained like crazy and we debated about turning around although it was a rain storm and not the hurricane, it was intense.

Air Supply

The concert venue announced earlier in the day that with the hurricane moving into Houston, the concert would start at 7 and end by 9 pm. Sure enough, they started at 6:57 pm and with one encore, the concert was done by 8:45. We had a great time with a good crowd considering what was moving into the area. This was the second time Carrie had been to an Air Supply concert and my first time attending an Air Supply concert. We had a great time and it was fun singing to so many songs we had heard for so many years. Our friend Javier was supposed to join us, but he was unable to make it because of work. 

Encore by Air Supply

I am so glad that we made the trip to see Air Supply. Good idea by Corrie! We wondered prior to leaving Topeka if we would be stuck down there, but we were hoping for the best. We had a great time at the concert and left the venue to blue skies, birds chirping and no rain on our way back to the house.

Monday morning I awoke about five-thirty or six as there were a couple of power blips that caused the fans to stop for a brief moment. Luckily I got up, checked work email, and send a couple of messages saying we were delayed because a short time later, internet was knocked out and our cell phones were not getting any signal either. By six-thirty, the rain and winds were beating against the window and causing the power to flicker every now and again. We never did lose power at the house but the wireless in the house was out and would remain out until after we left.

Tommy lost power at his house, where we had the pool party, and so he came over to Corrie's house. We spent the morning watching the news of reports coming out of Houston from flooding, trees down, etc. So many people were stranded in locations where it had flooded and had to be rescued or they just left their car where they got into trouble. The reports of power outages grew through the day with over 2 million people without power. 

Tommy and John Eating

The reports were not to leave the house unless absolutely necessary, so we remained at the house. Corrie had stuff at the house for us to eat, so Carrie made Tommy and me dinner of grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. They were good! Following dinner, we went back to watching the news to see what was happening. Tommy got a hotel to stay in so he could have internet for work, so he left us to head to the hotel.

Our flights had been rescheduled to Tuesday and then we received notices that those flights had been canceled and rescheduled for late Tuesday. We did all leave the house to eat out for lunch on Tuesday. Many places still without power, no wireless at the house, and phones not working, we had to drive around to get cell signal to call places to check if they were open or when we were driving we would see which spots were open. As we were finishing up eating, we checked that our flight for later that afternoon was still on schedule and through conversation, we realized that instead of IAH airport we were now at Hobby airport. Good thing we checked and Corrie said something or we would have gone to the wrong airport.

Drinks at Airport

Following lunch, we went back to the house for a while before Corrie drove us to the Hobby airport. We hung out at the airport as we got there a few hours before our flight not knowing how busy security would be to get into the airport. We found a spot to have some drinks, read, and I caught up on work email with the available wireless. On our way to the airport, it was crazy to see all of the places in Houston without power. Gas stations that looked like parking lots with cars waiting for gas and cars going down or around the block waiting for gas. 

We were again flying from Houston to Dallas before arriving in Kansas City. We arrived in Kansas City after midnight and got home around 2 in the morning. A crazy final ending to our trip, but glad we were able to fit it in to make the concert, see our friends, and have stories to tell.

Until next time, have a great rest of your weekend and a wonderful week.

Celebrating Javier's Journey to Citizenship

Javier in 2009

Our friend Javier recently achieved a major milestone – becoming a United States citizen! We've known Javier since his days attending Washburn University to get his MBA and then after he graduated with his MBA, he got a jot at Frito Lay. Back in 2009, we even went the extra mile to help him out with his house and finances while he was back in Costa Rica, ensuring things ran smoothly as he completed the process to work legally in the US.

Javier in 2024

Fast forward to April 27th, 2024, and the big day for Javier's citizenship ceremony finally arrived. He let us know on Thursday, and we surprised him with a trip down to Dallas, Texas to celebrate. But we weren't the only ones with a surprise up their sleeve – our friend Corrie from Houston also made the trip to celebrate with Javier! We managed to keep it a secret, making the reunion even more special.

Group of Friends to Celebrate

Javier got us a limo to take to the ceremony that then dropped us off at Rodeo Goat for a late lunch. With Corrie coming in Saturday morning and it being a surprise for Javier, we had to ask that the limo pick Carrie and I up at the hotel which was really so Corrie could ride in the limo too. Carrie, Corrie, Jess, Brock, and Kim all went to the ceremony to celebrate Javier becoming a citizen. We all had to remain outside as the event space was small and one hundred people at a time become citizens, so there is not a lot of room available within the swearing in location. We all stayed outside of the main doors and cheered when Javier, and others, came out after becoming citizens.

Javier and John Selfie

I am excited for Javier to have this completed. He can now vote in the United States elections. He is able to know that his retirement will go to him and not be seized by the government through future changes. He also keeps his residency to Costa Rica which is still in our plans to some day retire to Costa Rica, so I am glad that he keeps his residency to his home country. 

Javier, Hat, and Limo

It was an incredible experience to witness hundreds of people from all backgrounds taking this important step. The excitement was contagious as they exited the ceremony, waving American flags and met with chants of "USA! USA!"

Congrats Javier on becoming a citizen of the United States.

Our Trip to Big Bend National Park February 24 - March 1 with Pictures of Hikes, Food, and Wildlife. Loved Our Trip!

Casa Grande

Carrie and I have been wanting to camp out-of-state for a few years at this point. All of our camping adventures have been in Kansas. A year ago, we planned to camp at Big Bend National Park and it did not work out for us to go last year. So, Carrie got us on the list to camp there this year. The spots fill up fast, so Carrie got on us on the list early. I am so happy that Carrie was able to get us on the list and reserve a spot for us months in advance. Carrie got us a spot in the Chisos Basin Campground. We are all set and looking forward to our trip.

Day 1

Walk-On's for Dinner

We left for our camping trip on Saturday, February 24. A good 14 hours trip with stops, we decided to break it up into two days of driving. We drove the first day to Midland, TX which was about 10 hours of driving. We stopped at Walk-On's in Midland, TX for dinner the first night before retiring to the hotel. We had been to one of these places a few other times, so we knew it was good. We sat at the bar and enjoyed drinks and a meal while we chatted about our first ten hours of the drive for our trip. I always enjoy trying new beers when we are out-of-state, so I had a few local brews from Texas.

Day 2

Hamlin, TX on Way to Big Bend

We slept a bit later than we had planned and got on a road should be to the campsite around 2:45. This would be a four or five hour drive to our home for the next four nights. The weather was absolutely beautiful as we made our way. The sun was shining and it was hot. As we got closer, the temperature kept going up at one point reaching up to ninety degrees. We knew that our campsite is in a lower location, so should be about ten to fifteen degrees cooler than the surrounding locations. We wanted to make sure we did not end up running out of gas as we approached as we had both read that it takes about an hour to get anywhere within the park. So, we did one last fuel up before heading to our site. 

Our Campsite in Chisos Basin

A winding road from the the mountains down into our campsite in the Chisos Basin Campground. After we had set up our site, Carrie snapped the picture to the left at one point when we were returning from being out for a day. We could clearly see our tent from above as it is the orange blob in the camp ground. 

It did not take long to get our tent set up and things ready for camping. We relaxed for a bit, enjoyed some drinks, and the scenery. The picture of the Casa Grande rock from the start of this update is a picture from our tent. Spectacular views all around from our camp site during the day and at night was even better. We had a few clear nights and I have some of those pictures later.

First Night Dinner

After relaxing for a bit and the sun going behind the mountains quickly, we decided it was time to cook dinner. We had ordered a Coleman 2-Burner Stove for this trip. We decided it would be easier to use rather than taking our Firedisc we have used on previous camping trips. For one, we can easily do coffee on the Coleman rather than our little single burner. It did work great and had some delicious coffee each morning. It also allowed us to do a little more with our cooking than what we would normally be able to do on a camp site. More on what else we cooked later.

Stars and Clouds First Night

I have to share pictures of the night sky. We debated on whether to take our telescope but in the end decided not to take it as we did not have room. I realized I forgot to take a picture of our car packed up. We did not use the roof rack for this trip as we did not want to worry about items on the roof or have to worry about them while spending the night at a hotel down there and back, so we left the telescope at home. We did have a few good nights of stargazing. The picture to the left is from our first night. The stars were out and we could see them down to the mountain tops for an hour or two after darkness. Gradually, the clouds moved in and covered up the stars, but I was able to capture the picture to the left prior to the cloud cover. The camera does not do it justice with how many stars could be seen when looking straight up or down to the horizon. Incredible!

Day 3

Santa Elena Canyon Trail

For those of you that know Carrie and me, we are not hikers but we like the idea of hiking. We want to do more hiking, so our plan while in Big Bend National Park was to do as many hikes as we could possibly do. For our first full day in the park, we woke up a little later than we had expected and noticed the campsite was very quiet. We would later learn that most everyone else got up around 5:30 - 6 to get out and do their hikes. This was going to be a warm day, but we planned to hike the Santa Elena Canyon Trail located on the Rio Grande River. 

Carrie on the Santa Elena Canyon Trail

We picked this trail as it was on a easier side at total round trip of 1.6 miles. Carrie had our backpacks full with plenty of water, snacks, and even a first aid kit. We made sure to take breaks to get plenty of water. Other than the heat, it was not a bad hike. The stairs were tricky but did not have any issues except for the heat.

We really enjoy walking on trails and how friendly other hikers are on the trails. Everyone says hello and sometimes stop and talk to them as they, or we, have information to share about the trail. We enjoyed that part of hiking to connect with others on the trail, but we also experience this at the campsite too. We spoke to many of our fellow campers sharing stories and even met some that were from Kansas right near our campsite.

Deer at our Campsite

Following our hike, we went back to our home for the week. We got back there and had some time to relax, read, and enjoy some drinks before we needed to start dinner. As we were relaxing, deer emerged and got rather close to us. They were not timid at all getting rather close to us. They were interested in finding water or grass to eat rather than anything we were doing. We were taking pictures and then as the deer roamed through the campground, others were coming out of their camps to take pictures or as people were walking by to trails, we could hear them comment and snapping pictures. It was so cool! I will note that we only saw deer and then Greater roadrunner were everywhere. There were exhibits every couple of miles on the roads in the park for the roadrunner although we never stopped at one to read what they said, we did see the little guys everywhere including at our campsite.

Thai Peanut Chicken with Rice Noodles

We made Thai Peanut Chicken with Rice Noodles this night. Turned out great! Perfect way to end the day with our first hike and ready to relax. Ate we were able to finish up dishes before it got dark so we could relax. We did find that we turned into the tent earlier than most of our camping trips but this was because no open wood fires are allowed. Most everyone turns in early and this also has to do with many of them getting up early to do hikes. This night we did stay out a little later before turning in for the night. 

We did have a fun routine each night that we had planned before we left as we knew that wood fires were not allowed and that we would be spending time in our tent. We had downloaded a few movies on to the laptop prior to leaving and we set up in our tent to watch movies at night. I usually had a beer or a wine bottle to finish off while we watched the movie. It was fun and cozy in our tent.

Day 4

Pancakes and Coffee

We got up early on day four of our trip and day three of camping. We used the Coleman grill to do coffee and pancakes. Oh man, the coffee is so good on in a percolator coffee pot on the stove. Carrie used a recipe a vlog we follow that uses yogurt and they were great! We plan to use the same recipe here at home as they were perfect with a nice consistency, crispy edges, and not too thick. 

Today would be another hike and one of our longer hikes for the trip. We wanted a large breakfast to give us energy to go on the The Window Trail which had the entrance right down the hill from our campsite. This trail is listed as 5.5 miles roundtrip but with the entrance right by us, that shaved off about a mile making it about 4.5 miles total round trip. We had a perfect day for this trip with a good cloud cover and a little cooler. The only thing we were concerned about is that this hike is downhill to "The Window" and then the whole way back is uphill. 

The Window Trail

Mountains all around as we did the walk. The above picture was early in the hike where I did a panoramic picture of where we were headed and where we had come..

Carrie at The Window

We took a few breaks on the way to The Window. This hike is over rock, stairs, climbing up and down ledges, but it was not bad. We again took many breaks and had snacks. As we made it to The Window, we took a break to eat a late lunch consisting of snacks and water. Again, I am not sure the picture to the left gives justice to the view, but it was amazing. Carrie climbed down to get a better look and then needed some help to get up from where she had slid down get close to the view. She would later say she did not need help, but another guy there insisted and pulled her up the rock. It gave us a good laugh and she said she could have gotten back up herself.

After taking a little break, we started the journey back to the trail head and to our camp. Again, the weather was good which helped as it was all uphill. We emptied two water bottles and started on our second set of water bottles. Again, we stopped a few times to talk to fellow hikers and a few that were from our campsite that we had spoken to the day before which was cool.

Currywurst for Dinner

After getting back to our camp site, we were exhausted. Our feet and legs hurt from the hike the day before and then this longer hike today. Relaxed for a bit before we started making dinner. Today the menu called for fried potatoes, Currywurst, and wine. Man that was so good! We made enough for seconds and I made sure to have a second large helping. What a good way to end the day and head into the evening hours. We took our meal to a nearby picnic bench that was not being used although close to our campsite to eat and enjoy the view. Wonderful!

Turned in for the evening to watch movies and relax in our tent. The next day we had big plans but the weather was not looking good with coldness in the forecast as well as rain. We went to bed decided we would see what is was like the next day.

Day 5

Stop in Terlingua for the Day

Day five of our trip and day four of camping we woke early to check the weather. Colder and rain throughout the day, we decided we would sleep in a little before heading out with our alternate plans. Instead of doing a few different hikes planned for the day with one taking us into Mexico, we decided to drive about an hour away to Terlingua for the day. We stopped at a place after arriving, doing some shopping, and had a drink before touring the area further. 

A little shopping and we headed over to check out the ghost town. Not much of a ghost town, but it was interesting. A little more spread out than what I was expecting, but I am glad we were able to drive through the town. It was raining when we drove through and we might have gotten more out of it if we were able to walk to explore the town. 

We had lunch at Chili Pepper Cafe which was really good. I had a Pork Green Chili which was delicious along with a few beers. We left and Carrie drove us back toward our camp site. We decided to do a few very short hikes on the way back to camp. We did one trip which was just a .5 mile hike and second one which was about the same. Still sprinkling in the area, we did not have much planned except for the trip to Terlingua.

Staying Warm in Tent

We got back to our camp site about 4 pm this day and it was much colder at our campsite. We ended up talking to a new camper that was near us who had just arrived that morning. He was a nice guy but wanted to share everything with us about his trip as he had been on the road for 125 days and working his way back home to California. We ended up talking to him for about an hour as it kept getting colder and colder. We retreated into our tent to warm up and we took naps as there was not much to do other than read and warm up.

The rain picked up and the wind gradually picked up through the night. We did not leave the tent. We had plans to cook dinner that night, but ended up sleeping in the tent where we could keep warm. I listened to a book on tape, read another book, and did some sleeping.

The wind picked up through the evening with gusts up to 40 - 50 mph. At one point the wind pulled one of our tie lines out of the ground as the wind caught our rainfly like a sale. We could not locate the hammer, so we ended up pulling a large rock over and holding down the corner with the large rock on the stake. It worked great! Through the night we could hear the rain and the tent shaking back-and-forth. We kept nice and warm, but it was the wind that was the concerning factor for us through the night. The next morning, those around us that were primarily in trailers talked to us and asked if we stayed warm. Yes, we were very warm and had to kick off covers as we were hot. We told them it was the wind we were worried about through then night.

Day 6

Selfie in Front of Campsite

Our final night camping was not bad. We stayed warm but we were both disappointed that we were not able to do the longer hikes we had planned for our last full day of camping. We had discussed possibly staying one more day (leaving Friday morning instead), but after the night of weather, we decided it was best to stick with our original plans and leave Thursday.

As we were breaking down our campsite, I realized I had not taken picture of our tent or our site. So, as we were breaking down our site, I took the panoramic picture below which is where our tent stood and our view when we crawled out each morning of our tent. The selfie picture to start the Day 6 section was early in our stay and you can see our tent in the background.

Campsite Post Tent Breakdown

We loaded up the car, said good-byes to a few fellow campers around that we had met and left our campsite. Again, we broke the drive back into two days. We had planned to stop by Wichita Falls, TX, but every hotel there was booked solid so we ended up in Duncan, OK for the night.

Day 7

Sleepy Oliver After Our Return

Last day was only for traveling. We had about five hours from Duncan, OK to Topeka, KS. We stayed in a Hampton Inn located in Duncan, OK, so we were able to have breakfast before getting on the road. The weather was nice although we could tell we were headed north as it was colder outside.We were both looking forward to getting home to see our little Oliver.

We got home about mid-afternoon. Oliver was happy to see us but also very sleepy. We spent the late afternoon and evening catching up on shows we had missed. Oliver spent his time sleeping in his bed but keeping an eye on us throughout the night.

Summary

We both want to return to Big Bend National Park. It was so pretty. We enjoyed the campsite and facilities of the campsite. Camp hosts were nice and accommodating to our needs and questions. All the guests were were friendly and as I mentioned, meeting people on the trails was fun to interact with them. We liked where we camped too, but might look at a different spot within the park for a future camping location.

To see all pictures from our trip, please visit Big Bend National Park Album on Flickr.

Thank you for reading and I hope to have a few more camping posts throughout the summer. We already have at least one spot reserved for the summer and plan to do a few others too. Until next time, enjoy the week and I hope you are able to get out to enjoy the world.

Quick update on our trip to Texas last week with fun in Houston to celebrate friends graduation...

We flew down to Dallas, TX last Thursday which is the reason there was not an update on Sunday per usual. We went down to celebrate a graduation for our friend Corrie's son. We flew down to Dallas and then drove with Javier to Houston, TX where the party would take part. We had a great time! The weather was good with some rain, but it did not deter from the fun we had while in Houston. We even got some pool time in before the celebration on Saturday night. 

You will not be surprised that I did not get many pictures from the graduation party but we came away with some good memories and enjoyed spending time with our friends.

The last time we were in Houston was back in December for New Years and at that time we had our dog, Oliver, who joined us. The picture to the right is Cooper and Carrie with Cooper getting a belly rub. I am pretty sure that Cooper was happy Oliver was no where around his house.

A quick trip flying down Thursday and then heading back on Sunday. Our flight Thursday morning left at 7:30 am and then the return flight was scheduled for 8:20 but ended up being later which got us home to Topeka around 11:30 Sunday night. 

Short trip but a large time was had in Texas. It was good to fly down this time instead of driving which we have done the last few visits to Texas, but I also like taking my dog with me when we travel, so he was missed.

I did not get this posted on Sunday, or Monday, as I was exhausted after our trip and went to bed early Monday night. Finally feeling back to normal after traveling and a lot of fun.

Until next time, have a great week!

50 Birthday Celebration in Fredericksburg Was a Success! Great Time in Wine Country!

We started planning my 50th birthday celebration back in December or January. Narrowed down the locations from remote beaches, sea side in the United States, to wine country locations. I made the decision I liked wine and we would revisit Fredericksburg (Fred), Texas. We had visited Fred back in 2020 prior to COVID occurring and had a great time, so it seemed like a good place to visit and have some fun. We decided on a VRBO house after going through a few dozen or so locations that we all reviewed, gave feedback, etc., but finally decided on one that could hold six of us and it had a pool.

Our trip was scheduled for when my birthday would occur, so we planned for July 20 through July 26. During our trip we took a lot of pictures. I picked out some for this update, but others can be seen on my Flickr site. Yes, we took over 280 pictures although some are duplicates, there are a lot of photos of our fun and wineries we visited. Below, I will attempt to outline what we did each day and some of the wineries or restaurants we visited.

Wednesday, July 20

This was our travel day. Erin, Greg, Carrie, and I left Topeka bright and early this morning. We loaded up the car and we were on the road a little after 5 am. Oliver being watched by my mom. We thought about taking him, but it would have been too much for him, so I am glad we left him behind.

Uneventful trip which was good. Greg and I split up the drive, so it was not bad at all. It is around an 11 hour drive to our house. Really, the trip was not bad at all and when making the trip with others that can help with the drive, it makes it go by quickly. 

We arrived late afternoon and checked out our house for the week. I was so happy with the house we selected. After reviewing many different houses in different locations, I am so happy we decided on Sunny Oaks TX. So, we arrived, checked out the house and then went to get something to eat. Javier and Corrie meeting us on Thursday, so we were on our own for finding a place to eat. We went to Hondo’s On Main which Carrie and I had been to back in 2020. We had a spot near the bar and really good food and drinks. Had a good time for our first night in Fred before heading back to the house later that night. Of course we had to get in the pool when we got back to the house where we hung out until it was time for bed.

Thursday, July 21

I woke up earlier and rode the Peloton for a while. Javier and Corrie were arriving to town today, so we were a little excited. Originally, we were going to meet them at the Hill Country Distillers, but plans changed and we would meet Corrie and Javier at the house. Greg and I were like little kids watching for our friends to arrive. I think I checked the front door a dozen times and then as the time approached they were supposed to arrive, we were both looking out the front door for their arrival. After their arrival, taking in their things, saying hello, and showing around the house, we left to go grab lunch.

We stopped by a place none of had been for lunch which was really good. High’s Cafe and Store with really good sandwiches and soups. It was a good way to lay a base before we started having some gin and whiskey at the distillers.

After lunch, we headed to Hill Country Distillers that Corrie, Javier, Carrie, and I had been to previously, but first time for Greg and Erin. I realized we only took one picture while we were at Hill Country Distillers which I think was due to our enjoyment of the variation of drinks. Good spot that I highly recommend checking out if you are near Comfort, Texas.

For dinner Thursday night, Corrie and Javier selected the spot and paid for our dinner. Thank you! It was a secret until the day they arrived and it was excellent! Crossroads Steakhouse & Saloon was the selection. It was wonderful! Everything from the drinks down to the dinner was excellent. I had the bone-in pork chop with Brussels sprouts. Oh my! Prior to dinner I had a classic martini and then Corrie and Javier got the table two bottles of wine. Fantastic spot for dinner and to start off our weekend of fun.

Following dinner, we went back to the house to get in the pool and enjoy some drinks around the pool in the Texas evening. It was wonderful!

Friday, July 22

This was our first day of visiting wineries, so we had to get a good base before we started. We went to what has become a tradition of visiting Mr. Gatti’s Pizza which is pizza buffet and salad. We went there back in 2020 and decided it would be good to go before we started the wineries. Following pizza, we had three wineries on the itinerary.

Augusta Vin is one of our favorites. Corrie, Javier, Carrie, and I had been there back in 2020 where Carrie and I have been club members since that first visit. We changed up our delivery to have a mixed wine box delivered four times a year. Previously, we had only reds delivered, but changed up the delivery to be a mix. All of their wines have been delicious and I have enjoyed their white wines when we visit, so decided to switch it up. We sat out on the VIP balcony and enjoyed a tasting followed by a glass of wine we shared. Enjoyable first day of visiting wineries. 

Heath Sparkling Wine at Grape Creet Vinyards was our next stop. We had tried to stop here back in 2020 not knowing they had just opened and it was by reservation only. This was sparkling wines paired with food. We all agreed we would go there to eat if the chef would do full meals. 

 The pairings were perfect and we learned the process of sparkling wines while we sampled. We did have a brief time where we were not sure if we were going to get in as there was some confusion with our reservation, but they grouped us together with two other ladies and everything worked out just fine. 

Following sparkling wines, we went back to red and white wines at Carter Creek Winery Resort & Spa which was a cool spot. Wine was good and had a huge outdoor area for events, cornhole, or just hanging out enjoy a glass of wine. There was also a brewery on the grounds which had some good beer which I enjoyed after an afternoon of wine. 

Saturday, July 23

The schedule was set with four wineries and a driver to take us around. It was so fun! Nick was great! He was a college student that drove people around on the weekends for wineries. He took good care of us checking us into the various locations and getting us to and fro safely.

Excited for the day and to get it started, we had a breakfast casserole that Corrie had made. Again, it provided a good base for us for the day of visiting wineries. I think I also had a Bloody Mary, or more, to start the day before enjoy wines. So exciting to have a driver picking us up and not having to worry about getting from one place to the next. We were ready to head out…

Our first stop was Slate Theory which as an amazing location and winery. The wine was delicious and their cellar was so impressive. Below ground and a nice cool temperature for wine, we sampled wines and looked around their production area. The concept for Slate Theory was cool as their label was about mental health and attempting to remove the stigma regarding mental health from their label to the various names of their wines (i.e. Insomniac and Schizophrenic to name a few). We all enjoyed our time at Slate Theory.

Second on the agenda was Hye Meadow Winery where we also had lunch. They sat us outside which was very warm. Not bad while we did the wine tasting, but once our food arrived, we were all ready to go inside. I enjoyed the wines at Hye Meadow Winery, but we did not buy any wines or sign up for any clubs at this one. 

William Chris Vineyards was our third stop of the day. A nice little stop where at first we thought we were going to be outside, but they moved us inside to a counter where it was cool. It was a little loud from “woo girls” in the tasting room and our host was a soft speaker, but we had a good time.

Hilmy Cellars was a fun last stop. Again, they wanted to put us outside, but Carrie got them to keep us inside at the counter. I really enjoyed the wines at Hilmy Cellars and we were able to enjoy a glass after the tasting while we waited for Nick to come pick us up. We also had some good flavored popcorn, which was much needed after various wineries, to tide us over until dinner time. 

What a great time of having a driver to take us around town, enjoy great venues, and wines, and to have fun in Fred. Nick picked us up from Hilmy Cellars and took us back to the house. We spent the evening around the pool, eating burgers, and continuing the fun.

Sunday, July 24

Our last day to do wineries, so we had Grape Creek Vineyards which is located at the same location/area as Heath Sparkling Wine that we had visited earlier in the week. Although, we had reservations at JenBlossom Cellars. JenBlossom Cellars turned out to be a private tasting which was amazing and some of the best wine I have ever had. No, we did not buy a membership here, but we wanted to do so. Instead, we bought one bottle which is the most expensive bottle of wine we have ever purchased. Saving it for a special occasion, we cannot wait to have it one evening.

A great way to start the day with JenBlossom Cellars, we left and headed to Barons Creek Vineyards. Our fun continued at Barons Creek Vineyards where we had a good person serving us wine and some snacks to tide us over for the day.  Carrie and I took home a couple of bottles from Barons Creek Vineyards and then also ended up for a membership. Carrie said later she did not want to but I was happy on wine and decided to join another club. “That’s how they get you!”. 😀

Our final stop for wine was Safari Winery. A fun location with a good host, but none of us bought any bottles from this location.

Finally to finish out the day we needed food, so we decided on Panda Chinese Restaurant which was some of the best Chinese I have had in a while. Put down a good base so we could head back to the house to play games and enjoy the night.

Monday, July 25

 The plan today was to stick around the house. Greg and I stayed around the house. The ladies went shopping and then to Augusta Vin to take advantage of our VIP status.  

While it was hot, it was not bad at all outside. I was outside for the morning and majority of the afternoon. Even though I applied sunscreen multiple times, I got burned on my shoulders and back. All good though and well worth it as I had an amazing day celebrating my birthday.

After the ladies returned, we all spent time in the pool and then Greg did steaks on the grill. They were so good! We had some difficulty figuring out the Traeger Grill the night we did burgers, but no issues this evening. The steaks came off perfectly cooked and paired nicely with sides and a nice glass of wine. Perfect pairing after spending the day drinking beer around the pool. 

A great way to finish off the long weekend with good food, drink, and fun in the pool. I am the first in our group to turn 50, so I cannot wait to see what the others all plan for their 50 celebrations. I recall some discussion happening between Corrie and Carrie that we might be in California for their 50 celebration. I cannot wait!

Ending our Trip

It was sad to pack up and leave on Tuesday morning. Corrie and Javier had to leave early to get Javier to the airport. We ended up having to take all the wine with us and meeting Javier at the airport as he could not ship his wine from UPS and of course could not check all of it at the airport. Worked out well though as we were able to meet his friend who pick up his wine from us as we passed through Forth Worth, Texas. 

I invite you to view all pictures from our trip by accessing my Flickr site. I would like to thank Corrie, Javier, Greg, Erin, and Carrie for making my 50th birthday celebration a memorial event. I think I will be talking about this celebration for years to come although I look forward to seeing how the others out do my 50 celebration. Thank you everyone!

Thanks to everyone who called, texted, or spoke to me directly to wish me a happy birthday. It was so fun!