Travel Thursday: Jacobs Well, Texas

I have often spoke of Pinterest wins. Recipes. Bebe advice. Sewing tutorials...
But actually, one of the best Pinterest wins I have ever had was - Jacobs Well.

When Liz came to visit last year, we took a road trip through the Hill Country and up to Austin. One of the places we stopped we had both found on Pinterest. We popped it into the GPS and drove some wee back roads, went the wrong way a couple of times, and eventually came to a wee car park in the middle of some apartments (odd, I know).. But, we carried on, slathered the sunscreen, popped on the togs and followed the path. And wow. We came to a beautiful limestone outcrop in a stream, with a deep blue cave. Like, actually wow.

It was hot as heck, but we all clobbered over the bridge, and climbed to the other side of the rock. And then we had a wee swim. It was a slippery spot, but very lovely. We had a wee explore around, dodged the UT students, and even jumped in the hole. The color was just stunning. It was really a lovely spot if you are taking a drive around that part of the world!

It was a little tricky to get photos, as there were quite a few people around, but here are a few shots I got.

Travel Thursday: Texan Ranch

A couple of weekends ago our dear friends were married at a beautiful ranch in Texas. I had so many plans for different photos I would take, but time went so quickly and there was so much to do, and so much fun to be had - I just ran out of time. Such a shame given that our cabin was decorated in the theme of the Texan flag. A true American experience! On the up side, I did take a little walk one morning, I got some lovely fresh air, a little time to reflect, and some photos of the ranch. I hope you enjoy!
 

To find out more about the ranch you can find it here..

Join Laurie and I as we celebrate travelling, whether it is near or far.. Share it with us!

Finding Fall in Houston - part 3

Okay, I have been long gone - I know! But I think I am getting my act together. This weekend we stayed out in Cypress at our beautiful friends place. We did gardening, had frozen mango margaritas, sat in the sun, watched the rain, found caterpillars, and then sat in the sun again. Needless to say it was relaxing, which is what I really needed after a tough month at work.

On a trip to Lowes I found some more evidence of fall. Beautiful colors and yep, more pumpkins. And on the Sunday it actually rained and cooled down. We might not have leaves or ice but it got down to 55 which was bliss!

Happy Sunday x

US of A - Six Months in - TO DO List

SO, we have had an unofficial "to do" list for our time in the US, since before we even knew we were coming.. I thought this would be the perfect time to actually get everything down on paper and see what we have ticked off so far. You can't laugh at the list lol, we grew up with '80s and '90s America on VHS. So some of the items are a little cheesey.

New York - June
Chicago - July
Austin - March
Las Vegas
San Antonio
Seattle
San Franciso
Portland
New Orleans
Dallas
Boston
San Diego
Hawaii
Alaska

Deep Pan Pizza - had a Deep Dish in Chicago. OMG. Amazing.
Pasta in Little Italy - like, the best Pasta ever.
Hot Dog - I had a a "dog" at the Cubs game, they very proudly serve it with no Tomato Sauce, only mustard and pickle.
Chicken Fried Steak
Chicken Fried Chicken
Po Boy - This is like a chip butty but with deep fried sea food. Its so good and so bad all at the same time.
Budweiser - not very good, don't know what the fuss is about.
Chicken and waffles - Rob had this for breakfast one day, still a mystery to me.
Apple Pie
Pecan Pie - I LOVE PECAN PIE.
Pumpkin Pie - my boss made some, undecided on this phenomena.
BBQ - we have had a lot of BBQ. It's amazing.
Shrimp and Grits - I LOVE SHRIMP AND GRITS. That is all.
Gumbo - Rob tried this last week and loved it.
Chowder
Turkey - Rob had a turkey leg at Eeyore's birthday, I am holding out for Thanksgiving.

Dave Chapelle - saw him, sung him Happy Birthday. Yayah.
Margaret Cho
Music Festivals
House of Pies - Went for midnight Pie after the supercross.. SO GOOD!
International House of Pancakes

Multonomah Falls, Oregon Hooters
Grand Canyon - next week
Hoover Dam
Wrigley Field - saw Cubs v Cardinals.
Tornado
Niagara Falls

Mount St Helen's

San Juan Islands  Fenway Park
Stumble down Bourbon St
Famous People (Yes, I wanted to see some famous people, so sue me) - Rick Ross, Pauly Shore, Tommy Davidson, Dave Chapelle, FOTC
Central Park - got lost, saw turtles and HEAPS of squirrels.
Brooklyn Bridge - walked across on the sunniest, most beautiful day.
Buckys - after Austin; on the way to New Braunfels.
Times Square - it's so busy. And we loved all the billboards.
Disneyland
Colorado River - next week
Hippy Festival
Renaissance Fair
Cirque De Soleil - next week
Las Vegas Strip - next week
Broadway Show - saw Book of Mormon.
Crater Lake 

A jousting renaissance dinner. Great Lakes - Lake Huron from Chicago
Bon Jovi
Mount Hood
Mount Rainier
Gulf of Mexico - Galveston, TX; Holly Beach, LA.
Narrows
30 Rock
Ranch
Rodeo
Lake Tahoe
YellowStone Park
San Juan Islands
Catskills
Jersey Turnpike
The Hamptons
Appalachians
Rocky Mountains

Cowboy Boots
Girl Scout Cookies
I heart NY shirt
MLB Shirt - Astros, Cubs Jersey
NFL Shirt - Texans Jersey

Thanksgiving
Fourth of July - see this post for details on our Independence Day.
Tailgate
Carve a pumpkin

Trick or treat 
Make a pumpkin pie

Grill - We have done some grilling with pals. The results so far have been encouraging.
Shoot a gun - There is no way in hell I am picking up a gun. Ever. But Rob is going to go shooting with Jeremy soon.
Mardi Gras - Happening in March.
Shop at Walmart - So, Rob refuses to do this. But I have been in once.

Badger
Beluga - Saw them in Chicago. And when I saw them I cried. I was so excited!
Gators - Saw them in Louisiana a couple of weekends ago. Holy Shit.
Squirrel - I have some squirrel pals who I see on the way to work.
Chipmunk
Bear
Pink Flamingo

NBA game - Rockets v Mavericks, Rockets v Clippers, Rockets v Thunder
NFL game
Roller Derby
Ice Hockey
MLB game - Red Sox v Yankees, Red Sox v Astros
Wisconsin Badgers, college football

Fall, Where are you?

So I found my first evidence of Fall happening somewhere in the world. Giant ass pumpkins at Whole Foods. Of course these pumpkins came from out of State. But I take this as a form of Fall "flare".

It's a start right?

Using the Southern Hemisphere term for Fall. Risky business.

Yes, I am officially jumping on the "pictures of pumpkins" bandwagon.

Wait.... No Fall?

So I learned a sad thing yesterday.. 

As the blogging world goes crazy for Fall, with photos of golden leaves, pumpkins and cardigans, I am sitting here sweating in Houston. A friend told me that there isn't really Fall in Houston, just a kind of humid, cloudy month or two and then one day you notice it's cooler and then it's winter. 

Bugger.

So, I have taken this as a challenge to seek out Fall (or Autumn) as we call it in Kiwi land. I am on the look out for any sign and will be letting y'all know in a series affectionately named, "Fall, where are you?".

If any of you know places in Houston that I might find evidence of Fall, please let me know. It seems that in going to need all the help I can get. 

This is what I am looking for.. We shall see. Source.

 

Road Trip - Gulf Coast

Happy Saturday folks!

Here are some photos from our road trip a few weeks ago. It was my first time using my new camera. Exciting! Let me know what you think..

Bayou in Sabine National Wildlife Refuge.

Look Ma, Gators!

This is Garth. A Gator.

Labor Day weekend swimmers.

A shell. And other shells. And sand.

The first glimpse of the Ocean we have had for quite some time.

Gulf of Mexico at Holly Beach.

Beautiful holiday houses.

I was playing around with lighting in this shot. It kind of captures the mood we felt in Port Arthur.

So I don't know what "Trost" means, but thought this place looked cool.

I liked this random burst of color on this worn down building.

Cleansing Hands will clean you up.

Some aquatic shots from New Braunfels.

Here are a few snaps we got from our water proof camera over the weekend.. They are action shots, so mostly they are at an odd angle haha. But I am glad it is finally getting some use. I have had it since last June and this is the second time I have used it. Oh well. It was good having the flexibility on the lake to take shot shots in the water.

Enjoy x