Texas barbecue at Sarah and Kirk's house: December 9, 2016

We got together at Sarah and Kirk's new house on Friday night.  Here's Sarah with 1-year-old Jake.

Brandy holds Beka and Scott's 1-month-old son Miles.

Otis, River, and Fox hung out in the toy room with Jim.

King cakes travel too! Thanks, Auntie Donna!

Thank you, Donna, for sending us a taste of New Orleans.  It was a big hit!

Nothing like delicious king cake for breakfast!

Piper had TWO pieces for breakfast.  Her tummy was so tight!

Eating and smiling at the same time!

They're on their way! (December 8, 2016)

Mya, River, and Piper are on their way to Austin!

Vintage ornament

Found this vintage ornament during a quick lunchtime shopping trip with co-workers.  Christmas Clown will be on our tree this year for sure!

Cat nap.  What on earth is he dreaming about?

Running off Thanksgiving dinner: November 24, 2016

After dinner, the great zombie chase was on!

These zombies could run!

Thankful for Life's many blessings: Thanksgiving Day November 24, 2016

Classic dinner: smoked turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole.  Oh!  And pumpkin cheesecake for dessert.

And croissants!

Somebody got the turkey leg.  I don't think we found the wishbone.

Piano lessons.

Chase's screenshot: November 2016

Our photogenic boy with his "Fluffball" tag.  Amon named him "Big Fatso," from his tiny kitten days when he was the biggest kitten in the litter.  Fox named him "Fluffball."  Tom and I named him "Chase."  He's a cat with a lot of personality.

Sprucing up the porch: November 2016

Eight years after the big remodel, it was time to replace pieces on the front porch.  Papa Tom used his saw to make the pieces, attach them to the porch, and paint them.  How did they turn out?

The paint is dry.  Let's remove the tape. Drumroll . . . . 

Ta da!  Thanks for a pretty new porch, Papa Tom!

Miles is here!

Got to meet Miles Brandon Olson on Saturday, November 12.  He was born on November 7, weighing in at 7 lbs 13 oz.

We gave big sister Sadie a fairy riding a unicorn.  She insisted the fairy is an angel.  An angel it is!

We gave Miles this little rocking horse that had belonged to his grandfather Jim Brandon Cloninger, who was Papa Tom's brother, when Jim was a baby.  Jim would have been 68 years old in May.

Broadway Night at Midway High School: November 10, 2016

Among the many characters portrayed during Broadway Musical Night were Emma's friend also named Emma playing a waitress in "Waitress," and our Emma playing one of the Heathers in "Heathers."  Hopefully Emma was one of the nice Heathers!

dinner with Amon, Fox, and Cassy: November 9, 2016

Fox took all the decorative artificial fruit out of the kitchen drawers to arrange a beautiful tray for Papa Tom, Cassy, Amon, and me.  

Time with Connie and Sharon: November 5, 2016

Connie was in town from Las Vegas to visit a friend in the hospital here.  Sharon drove in from Georgetown to meet us at for dinner at Bufalina, a new pizza joint in our neighborhood.  The check was presented inside a novel of pulp fiction.  Tom decided to read some passages to us from the middle of the book.  Oh my!  

An enthralling story.

The check was presented to us in a 1963 pulp fiction type novel.

Dinner with Fox and Amon: November 2, 2016

We have dinner with Amon and Fox every Wednesday.  Finally cool enough to sit outside!

Halloween 2016!

Happy Halloween from the Witch and Clawdine, the werewolf from Monster High.

Amon and Clawdine

Jake, Queen of the Night, and Clawdine

Fox handed out Halloween candy

Papa had his annual apple fritter and Voodoo Donuts on Sixth Street.

Remember to vote!

We ran into some superheroes when we voted on Sunday, October 30.  Spent two hours Saturday night going through the League of Women Voters guide.  So many down ballot races to consider!  Sheriff, District Attorney, school board members, judges, etc.  Had to carry a list of choices into the booth with me.  Would never have remembered everything!

Working with Chase

Chase wants me to take a work break.

San Antonio's Pearl District: Wednesday, October 26, 2016

San Antonio's Pearl District, developed on the site of the Pearl brewery after it closed in 2002, is filled with condos, trendy shops, and Hotel Emma, named in honor of the Pearl Brewery owner who ensured that her employees all had work during Prohibition.

I wonder what Emma would think of the Pearl District?

The renovated brewery is now an elegant hotel.

Inside the hotel lobby, touches of the old brewery remain.

And inside the hotel bar, guests can sit inside old brew tanks.

Hotel Havana in San Antonio: Tuesday, October 25, 2016

We stayed at the Hotel Havana, very charming and loaded with character.  Yes, these chairs feature bull horns.

Why use the elevator when you can climb this gorgeous staircase?  The hotel also has a library.

San Antonio: Tuesday, October 25, 2016

No, no, no!  Papa Tom is headed to the UT Dental School, not the Psycho Asylum!

Papa Tom's last meal before oral surgery was at La Fonda on Main.

We walked along the River Walk from our hotel to the main plaza, where San Fernando Cathedral stands.