November, A Great Time for Texas

November, A Great Time for Texas

We planned a November trip to Texas with our Seattle family. Our daughter insisted to stay three weeks since flying her 1 year old toddler girl and her 4 year old go fast boy would be to difficult to load up and fly just for a 1 week stay. So we all enjoyed Texas for the last 3 weeks of November. Turns out that is the best month of the year since it is a rainy month for Seattle and Texas was sunny and dry. We made the most of our time in Texas with a family road trip to Ft. Worth for a three day visit to the Great Grand father Big Dave. Then lots of time to visit my Sister Ginger, Brother Dave, Our sons Graeme & Kendra's family, two awesome granddaughters along with the awesome Thanksgiving Holiday at the other Austin Grandparents home, Richard and Karon Harris. 

A couple of dinners and a lunch at Guero's and several lunch's from Taco Deli filled the tex-mex cravings, I just missed getting an Amaya's breakfast.

We brought pictures from a Seattle Art studio to our granddaughter Ella who is a Graduating Artist from Anderson High School. She does fabrics and shared the creative ideas with her teachers. Rebel Girl very timely in 2017.

Lia used her airline miles to upgrade us all to 1st Class. made the trip with two redheaded children much better. I used the navigation app Navionics on my iPhone  to keep up with our flight progress.

The OLD Ridgemar Mall in Ft. Worth was headed for demolition when some creative person came in and re-purposed the space for family centered events. We spent a few hours each day there entertaining the kids, did it all. the train ride, the little kids rides scattrered around the mall, laser golf, and the Aquarium.

We had rented a Tahoe but they only had a Surburban so they upgraded us and its a good thing since we used all that space. The fuel prices are kind to us so it all worked out. Our daughter ordered take out one night for us from Guero;s and then we found time to eat there two more times during our stay.

Neighborhood parks, making mud pies in the back yard, fun at the Thinkery, and Barton Springs Putt putt golf filled the other parts of the Texas sun days.  

We stayed at a rent home in the Allandale neighborhood with is central and gave us easy access to the parts of Austin near family. Got a good look at the upcoming super moon early one afternoon.

November is a big Birthday month for the Steakley's, with Kendra, Liv and now Clara celebrating Birthday's

Our Son rented a bounce House for the occassion...great idea for two redheads, friends and family.

And this year the Cousins are now living in Austin so we got to spend time with Ft. Worth Family coming to Austin for this event.

This boy knows family immediately.

The Admiral with Ella and Graeme. 

We found time for long walks around Lady-Bird Johnson Lake. What a treasure.

We have more than a few stories about the Great Stevie Ray Vaugh, the austin skyline is dramatically changing.

A Trip to the Texas Museum of History on the UT campus.

MUSTANGS
They carried the men who made Texas.

Picnic on dinosaur bones.

Ella says come and get it! What a very special Thanksgiving hosted by the Harris's. One of the best and most relaxing family times ever.

Ella is graduating this year and headed for University of  Texas. Proud is an understatement.

A rare time to relax with Lia, we are usually just busy keeping two redheaded children pointed in the safest, most fun direction.

Enjoyed two nights at the Zilker Christmas tree

Drew got a lighted toy that launced from a slingshot and Clara a lighted star. Twirling under the tree was the highlight.

Twirling
see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfL-p60v1A0

Mozarts Coffee Roster Christmas Light Show
see: https://youtu.be/EL62c5g5A0c

Back in Seattle we had 12 straight days of Sun and warmer than normal temps. The morning's would be foggy but the fog and clouds would dissipate by the afternoon leaving total blue skies and great sunsets. Still some fall leaves hanging on.

Fall 2017 Seattle to Bainbridge Island

Fall 2017 Seattle to Bainbridge Island

There are so many Latin cultures in Seattle it's Fiesta Patrias instead of  Dies Y Seis
https://www.seattlepipeline.com/events/2017-fiestas-patrias-latin-american-independence-festival-seattle-center-free-parade-music-dancing-marching-bands/

Some Fall Rain, but not much

A cool exhibit from school kids at Seattle Center

I always thought vines were evergreen, deciduous vines add lots of color to the PNW Autumn

Bainbridge Island autumn colors

Every Fall day has been good for the sailors.

Pacific Northwest Ballet at the Sam Sculpture Gardens

That crane is on a Barge.

Quietinng the engine, a little sound proofing for the Engine compartment.

This 3M tape is good stuff.

All Done. May add a couple of more pieces to make it even quiter.

Got the new VHF and Ram mic installed now for the IPad mount. 

And USB power port. Going wireless soon for Radar and AIS. 

We love Earshot Jazz, this years festival is Incredible, 
So Far we have seen Brooklyn Raga Massive,

Omar Sosa Quarteto AfroCubano, & 

Hudson

see: https://www.earshot.org/project/festival-previews-week-1-october2017/

Our first time at the Moore. We saw Hudson here
https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/hudson-hudson/

The Cathedral ceiling of the lobby has Eight of the Greek Muses around the perimeter. One of the ushers told us that it was our job to determine which of the nine Greek muses was missing and why?

see: https://owlcation.com/humanities/The-Muses-The-Nine-Muses-Goddesses-of-Greek-Mythology

Our daughters family is house hunting, not easy in Seattle. This one was built in 1938

Has a great view out back though. It seems that the Daddy, Mommy, and the two kids  each have their own criteria for the house. Is there one that can meet the diverse demands for sale in the right neighborhood?

Taking the kids to Pebble Beach is perfect for sunny fall days

Not a Cloud at sunset.

The Big Dark??? It is just a Fall Storm, nothing new for the Pacific Northwest but due to the incredible weather the Locals forgot where they lived!

The final days of October were more like a normal September forecast.

Finally got Big D out for a sail, the morning was cool with North winds 15-20
See: https://youtu.be/WbL2Vitqu4k

The afternoon was sunny and clear

The next Day was sunny and clear, no wind, Not often you see a complety flat puget Sound

A walk at Faye Bainbridge Park

Then we found the memorial for the Japanese American internment during WWII

Seee: https://www.bijac.org/index.php?p=MEMORIALIntroduction
Bainbridge Island had a significant Japanese American population that were all rounded up and sent to internment camps during WWII. 

It seems we did not learn from our own history.

Pritchard Park
Working hard to turn a Superfund site into a park:
http://www.pritchardpark.org/Home.html

I hear an old man lives on one of these old tugs and the other one is still active. 

A nice picnic at the West end of Eagle Harbor, there is no water here at low tide.

Clara was Woody from Toy Story

and brother Drew Buzz Lightspeed showed up this Halloween
 To Infinity and Beyond!

We celebrated Halloween by volunteering for Ear Shot Jazz at Columbia City Theatre

We were treated to a young group of excellent musicians posing and playing your favorite Frank Zappa tunes from the Mothers of Invention. 

Fall 2017 Seattle to Bainbridge Island

The local natives forgot where they live since the Summer was rainless and the Fall November and October warmer with very little rain. Cooler temps yes but not cold and plenty of sun. Shamefully some are hoping this is the new normal for this corner of the US. When the weather is so nice you really do not even want to consider climate change, Global Warming. It is so hard for some to understand the rational of Global Warming when the winters are even more severe. So they had to just change the term to Climate Change so that the reality might be more convincing to those not living in coastal areas. If it were not for the threat of earthquakes I think the Pacific Northwest might become overpopulated for sure. I mean you really need to consider Earthquakes before moving here, do not come just for the nice weather, it is hard enough now to get a boat slip, for reals!

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