Summer Vacation

Austin, TX
June 29 - July 3, 2012
Total Mileage: 594

This was at least my fourteenth (or more) trip to Austin, but the trips change when my niece is involved.  We arrived from Dallas on Friday in the early afternoon and went immediately to playing with the little one.  The excitement of having a niece is indescribable and I got to play with her for the rest of the afternoon (so her parents could work a bit).  Later in the evening we were able to Skype with my older brother, which is another great pick-me-up.  Talking and seeing all my family members in one day is a wonderful feeling and a perfect way to start vacation.

The family bonding continued into the night because Keegan and I were left at home to babysit (the already sleeping) niece so her parents could have their first date night in nearly a year. Before they left they ordered us a great pizza (S-M-O-R-S pie) from East Side Pie. The night was an experience.  We definitely established that I will need some time and good reading material to be ready for that soothing aspect, but the good thing is that Keegan was calm, cool and collected.  Handled the situation with ease and my niece was back to bed in no time.  This is just another great attribute of my fiance.

Saturday morning was the typical perfect vacation morning; no alarm set, lounging clothes, Houndstooth coffee and Taco Deli breakfast tacos.  Can you get more Austin-esque?! The great thing is that it continues to get better!  We follow up the morning with a forty minute drive through the Austin hill country to Krause Springs.  The springs were packed, but we had lunch, snacks and drinks to last us a while.  With cliff jumping, vine swings and natural water we had plenty to keep us busy.  After the springs adventure, we got cleaned up and went to Contigo with my brother.  This outdoor restaurant supplied one of the best dinner experiences I have ever had.  There was a short wait, but we got some drinks and played washers, shortly after got seated and then ordered the following items:

• Pigs in a Blanket
• Crispy Green Beans
• Texas Okra
• Spicy Watermelon
• Melon Salad
• Cod & Cashew Salad
• Pork Liver Pate
• Burger & Fries
• Ice Cream (Peach Sorbet, Lavender Honey and Mint Dark Chocolate Chunk)

These gourmet and modern twists to traditional items were amazing!  Before we knew it, we have spent more than three hours at dinner and thanks to my brother, received some special plates on the house.  Even more food and creations were in store for brunch on Sunday.  We can basically say that our trips revolve around food, which further show that we like experimenting and experiencing new food items.  Sunday brunch was at FINO, where we ordered these items from their new menu:

• Grilled Blueberry Bread
• Muhummara
• Blistered Shishito Peppers with Sea Salt
• Scrambled Farm Eggs with House Cured Salmon
• Savory House Made Waffles with Texas Fried Quail

After having a serious food baby we needed to work some it off, so we headed to Barton Creek Twin Falls in the Greenbelt.  Unfortunately, there was no water in the falls and Birdie was just wanting to go for a good swim.  We hiked about a mile-and-a-half to find a small amount of water that Birdie could cool down in and play.  On the hike back, Keegan wore the baby carrier and our niece was asleep within five minutes.  This was the warmest day of the trip, so we purchased some italian ice from the street vendor before heading home.  Post-hike cravings led us to Amaya's, the nearby Mexican restaurant, which made us feel connected to our brother in Washington.  After majority of his hikes he finds a nearby Mexican restaurants and checks in to let everyone know he is out of the woods.

The weekend was over quickly and everyone was in need of some work time.  Monday morning started out with a work session at Houndstooth (marking the fifth time this trip, LOL).  It was a productive morning, but we didn't want to work too much so we decided to have a lunch date at the Alamo Drafthouse.  Keegan and I went to see Brave in 3D and enjoy a delicious pizza, fries and popcorn.  Every vacation should consist of some comfort movie foods while watching little Scottish ginger kids on the big screen!

Following the movie, my brother, Keegan and I experienced the cold water at Barton Springs Pool.  This natural spring-fed pool is always 68 degrees, regardless of the season.  It was extremely shocking, refreshing and fun to swim in for a few hours.  For a change of pace, we stayed in Monday night and relaxed with a nice chicken salad dinner.

Tuesday morning was the only morning the alarm was set and we were out the door by 9:30 a.m.  Before we headed home, we had to be sure and visit our Austin staple, Juan in a Million.  We dug into the Don Juan and brought a few back for friends.  We noticed their prices went up to a whopping $4.00 for nearly a pound of deliciousness.  Just to continue the food fun, we stopped in Addison and tried the Malarkey's ball (fried loaded mashed potatoes) at Malarkey's Tavern.  Shortly following this great pub food we had a shopping hiatus at IKEA, jam packed the VW and headed to OKC.

The wonderful end cap to the summer vacation was dinner with mom, dad and mom's cousin from Houston.  We got to partake in more comfort food along the historic Route 66 at Ann's Chicken Fry.  One of the Stubbs' signature meals; chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes with white gravy, okra, side salad with ranch, and a roll

A special thanks to my brother and sister-in-law for hosting us the entire weekend and showing us around the greater Austin area.


Magnificent: Seeing my family (especially the little one) AND tremendous food, drinks and coffee
Manure: The summer drought that hurt the water levels at Krause Springs & Barton Creek Twin Falls

Family photo while hiking in the Greenbelt

Google Maps