OUR TRAVELS

Drove to Franklin, TN on Halloween.  Stopped at a McDonald's for a pit stop and this is what we saw. Tennessee in the fall is beautiful!  The weather has been terrific with cool crisp mornings - perfect for driving around the countryside and hiking, of course.  We were struck by the number of large estates in the area.  It turns out to be one of the wealthiest locations in the state.  Many estates had horses, too. Hiking near Franklin (near Nashville) and Cleveland (near Chattanooga).  The fall colors were amazing! We started our hike way down near the lake - several miles away and 1500 feet lower in elevation. Stopped at an apple orchard and tried a fried apple pie and apple turnover.  Yes, we bought apples too. We walked the battlefields of Chickamauga.  The Confederate army won a decisive victory here in September 1863.  Both sides lost 20% of their forces in the battle.  Chickamauga was the second bloodiest battle of the Civil War be...

Enjoyed our time in Dallas and Austin in between our visits to the doctor, dentist, and car dealership.  We saw our good friends the Broadcom group (including Corey, Grace, Kiki), Gail and Randy, Kathy and George, Sonia and Rich (sorry, no picture), and Treva. Treva's husband Jerry passed away last December.  He was a dear friend and a wonderful caring person.  We went to his Celebration of Life service while in Dallas.  It was very moving.  We learned new things about Jerry including how he and Treva met. Went to our favorite Tex-Mex restaurant - Fernando's.  Nothing in our opinion compares. Don's favorite donuts - Sunny Donuts in Plano. Don says to get the cinnamon rolls! Donna's favorite ice cream in Plano - Handel's.  Donna says to get the Snickerdoodle available only in October. By the way, Donna's annual cholesterol checkup was fine even after all of the ice cream and pizza we ate on our travels!  Woohoo! Made a quick trip to Austin to see s...

Guess the Texas heat got to us...... After a Wisconsin summer of 70s and low 80s, the high 90s of Austin was a tad bit hot for us.  We visited family and even helped our grandson celebrate his 12th birthday.  His favorite gift was the first Pfizer shot.  He was so excited!  We played games, sports, and had some good meals - especially the ones made by our son Conor.  He's a great chef! Returned to our favorite hiking spot in Austin - Upper Bull Creek.  It was amazing how much less water was flowing through the falls there.  What a difference five months makes in the unrelenting Texas heat, but we look nearly the same. We had a little excitement one night at the hotel.  The fire alarm went off at 2 am.  I grabbed the important stuff like my wallet and car keys and ran out the door.  Don decided he should change from his pjs to a pair of shorts and shirt.  :-)  It was a false alarm but we had to wait outside until the fire depart...