Lone Star State, Day Nine

 Swimming Holes

We considered several things to do today, but since there was a break in the heat with the cold front that came through last night, we decided on Krause Springs. Krause Springs, located 30 miles northwest of Austin, is 115 acre camping and swimming site with 32 natural springs. Two of them feed a swimming pool and swimming hole. Here are a few pictures from our outing today.

Guess what? We found more gardens here.
They weren't quite as manicured as the earlier ones we've seen on this trip, but we enjoyed them all the same. 

Some things were just budding, while other things were blooming.

Several of the trees had these large wind chimes in them. Their chiming
 was quite peaceful.

And speaking of trees, there were many large cypress trees in the area. We were impressed with the size of this trunk.

Some areas were difficult to maneuver around with the Cypress roots and rocks.

This is the spring-fed swimming hole. We had a good time people watching here.

We also enjoyed looking at the fossils in the rocks.

When I have more time, I will look these up, but they look like crinoids to me.

Our peanut butter sandwiches didn't quite fill us up, so guess what? Ward suggested we have more Texas BBQ on the way back to the hotel. They were out of ribs, so Ward had smoked chicken, and I had potato and pea salad sides. All were tasty.

Until next time...

Lone Star State, Day Eight

 Modern Art

San Antonio is a big city with lots to see and do, but the traffic and crowding were starting to get to us. So, we chose to visit the McNay Museum which is not in a main tourist area. It was also appealing because it was an indoor activity because temperatures were in the low 90s again.

Although the museum was recommended to us by friends, I was surprised that Ward wanted to go. The last time we visited a modern art museum was the Museum of Modern Art in Washington, D. C., and Ward was not impressed, especially with the abstract art. He didn't understand it or its purpose. But off we went without one disparaging remark from Ward. Below are pictures from our day. Today, get ready for lots of art pictures (with perhaps a picture or two of an animal).

The main part of museum is housed in Marion McNay's original Spanish style mansion.

Although the house was not a featured part of the museum, we enjoyed its architectural features.

The museum proper was full of school groups who were leaving soon, so we decided to start with the outdoor sculpture garden. Here and below are a few of the sculptures we saw.

This was supposed to represent a lizard. Later Ward told me he hated it.

They also had a lovely Japanese garden.

Neither Ward nor I have much of an art background, but we did recognize a few of the artists, like a Picasso that you see here.

and Georgia O'Keeffe

and Jackson Pollock

and Paul Gauguin

and Claude Monet

and Edward Hopper

And now it's time for our animals of the day with a sock monkey display...

And this little lizard that was peeking in the window.

After the museum, we were on the road again to Austin where we'll be for the next two nights. Friday afternoon traffic in two big cities was not fun, but we made it. For dinner, we went to a Brazilian steak house with one of Ward’s work friends. We spent three hours there catching up, and Ward enjoyed all the meat he could eat, while I enjoyed the extensive salad/cold bar.

Until next time...