the journal

What a fabulous getaway.  Kyle, TX is about 20 miles south of Austin in the hills.  It’s quite isolated but “The Inn Above Onion Creek” includes a luxurious spa, gourmet meals, great accommodations, beautiful view and really wonderful people.  I had a room in the attic.  This is the third time that I have stayed on the third floor with no elevator.  I guess I’m just preparing for my hiking experiences.  The highlights were twofold.  My first delight was a two hour spa treatment that included a full body exfoliation with sugar (not the traditional salt), complete massage and a facial.  It was heavenly.  The second really special experience was having dinner and breakfast the next day with four wonderful women, all sisters who were on their annual get-together from their homes in Texas and Oklahoma.  They were the real Ya Ya Sisterhood.  We got to share our similar experiences as they also recently lost their mother.  We also got to share that special magical laughter that exists among sisters.  This was a rejuvenating body and soul stop on my trip.  Oh, and of course I saw a snake in the road.  Mom, I hope you weren’t watching.

This city is HOT.  We have been having a heat wave and the afternoon temps have been in the 100’s.  What started out as a really bad impression has turned into a mixture of serendipity and sweat.  The surprise is that I rolled into town about the same time as did over 50,000 bikers.  In Austin this weekend is the 15th annual ROT rally.  ROT of course stands for the REPUBLIC OF TEXAS.  So I got Kyle and me a hotel in downtown Austin and have been checking out the city.  Downtown is really cool.  I would love to see this city when it wasn’t so darn hot.  The other highlight is that I got to spend time with my sister’s in-laws.  Ellen’s brother-in-law and sister-in-law just moved to Austin.  I spent the day touring with Laura Johnson and her daugher Lauren.  We had a great time seeing the city and their new home.  It’s in the hills and really great.  We also went to a spectacular bar and restaurant (the Oasis) over-looking Lake Travis. Check out the photos.