In the middle of the month, Liz and Vann drove up from Houston to spend the day with us and drop-off Liz’s dog, Kyro. For the next few week, Ruben and I agreed to keep this little guy for Liz while she’ll be away on an extended business trip. Before returning to Houston, the four of us enjoyed an evening of bowling. Since none of us are very skilled bowlers, our games were evenly matched. Later that evening, I showed Liz and Vann how to make miniature trees. It’s easy, quick, and fun. I’ve made it a tradition to ask guest to do this. Eventually, these little trees will become part of my model train layout. I know….geek moment!
Ruben and I were so lazy during the final week of 2011. We spent most of it curled up on the couch with the dogs, watching episodes of ‘Community’ on Hulu. If you haven’t seen that show, watch it. My friend Catherine got us hooked on it. Anyway, we attended one final holiday event at Mike and Tom’s place along with Brian and Chris. It was a nice, relaxing evening spent with friends. A few days later, Ruben and I drove down to Houston to count down the final seconds of 2011 with Liz, Vann, Elsa, and Travis. Let’s hope 2012 is a much better year for us all.
Saturday afternoon Elsa, Travis, Liz and Vann drove up from Houston. Together the six of us had an informal Christmas celebration along with a few Dance Central dance-offs via the Xbox Kinect. Later that evening we headed South of College Station to enjoy the sights and sounds of Santa’s Wonderland. This local holiday-attraction features lots of live-music, food, and a hayride through it’s Christmas light display.
After Esteban and Kelly’s party, Ruben and I drove to a little Karaoke place called Ginji to meet Elsa, Travis, Liz and Vann for a few drinks, laughs…and some poor but valiant
attempts at singing. We’ll never appear on “The Next American Idol”, but we definitely had fun and enjoyed some good Japanese cuisine.
October 30, 2011 Ruben and I met Liz, Vann, Elsa, and Travis at the 37th annual Texas Renaissance Festival. The weather was perfect and there were plenty of costumed patrons for me to photograph. The 53-acre complex near Plantersville is the largest Renaissance theme park in the nation. We spent most of our day admiring [...]
Last year, to celebrate Elsa’s birthday, we all jumped out of an airplane. This year, we did something a little more grounded. Sunday afternoon, Ruben and I drove to Houston to meet Elsa, Travis, Vann and Liz to celebrate Elsa’s birthday at a place called Pinot’s Palette. This establishment is an informal painting-studio for beginners. Drinking wine (BYOB) is strongly encouraged. We were told it helps one paint better…and who were we to argue with our instructor. We had a fun time and plenty of laughs.
July 14, 2011 A month before Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (part 2) was release, Ruben and I acquired tickets to the midnight screening at our local theater. In less than two hours tickets were sold-out. Over the years, midnight-screenings of Harry Potter films have become festival-like events. Fans arrive hours before (to secure [...]
June 24-25, 2011 Thursday, we rented a car and headed East to see the Hoover Dam. What an amazing structure! I love exploring places like this. The four of us went on a new “dam tour” that offered deeper access to the complex. It was so cool (I know….I’m a geek). I had planned on [...]
