All my week-ends crashing together

Hubby says when we get our lives sorted out, we will live 6 months in Idaho and 6 months in Texas, and he wants to do so forever. Hands down the 6 in Texas will start with October...  That is when the serious festivals begin. The ones we like anyhow.  There are festivals of some sort here year round, but the ones we go to all happen in October and November.  The main reason for that is that it is starting to cool off. 

But this year, October has plain flat worn me out.  Every week-end we have had something to do.  Sometimes I just want to stay home.  Hubby keeps saying, but we have always done this or that or whatever it may be.  It's tradition.  Well here are some of our traditions.  October 11th we went to a mask making workshop at the Mexic-Arte museum for the masks and large bat float.

The following week-end was the actual parade.

Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead

Parade and Festival October 18th

Next up, the 35th Anniversary celebration of a store we have been shopping at for about 20 years. The owner Marcia leads trips to Mexico and also imports wonderful arts and crafts from there.

We usually buy at least one important piece from her each year on our Anniversary.  I admired a couple of things when I was there, and later saw Hubby sneak by with a package and take it to the car. It is in the living room now, and I haven't peeked once. Our anniversary is on Monday.

 

 

The lovely lady in the center photo and with the mariachis is Marcia Lucas. You can read her story and see some of the kind of folk art she carries in the store.  The blurry photo of the lady in the pink skirt and cowboy boots, is Lucinda Hutson, local cookbook author. She was moving about so fast I never did get a good photo of her.  She has the coolest clothes, jewelry and cowboy boots.

 

Same week-end, (25th and 26th) we also attended the Texas Book Festival, at the capitol grounds. I was too busy shopping to take many photos.

Hubby with capitol in background

Looking down one row of tents with books, authors, music, merchandise, food.

 

 

Next up...beautiful cool fall day for the Grand Prix of the Americas. If you've been reading for awhile you've seen my race car photos, so I'll keep these to a minimum.  Just some highlights. Like the Navy skydivers, and when my favored to win driver led the race for 24 laps and then his team mate, Hubbys favored to win overtook him on lap 25 and stayed in 1st place to the end. The two guys in the photo are Alberto and Hernando, they are from Mexico City, but live in Austin now.  I've decided doing the collages on Picasa is the best way to go when I have several photos instead of stringing them out.  

 

 

Almost forgot to mention, after the races Kid Rock was playing in the 360 Ampitheatre stage. We walked over and listened for awhile.  There were a few other concerts going on in the area, so there were a lot of competing sounds.

Independence Day Week-end

Out to the Circuit of The Americas racetrack for the Austin Symphony concert and the 4th of July Fireworks.  The track is only 20 minutes from our house, so it is much easier to get to than other places they have had events at before.  It is a redundant statement to say it was really HOT...in Texas, this time of year.  But...it was really hot and I wilted the moment I stepped out the door.  Thankfully, because we are season ticket holders, we had VIP passes so our parking lot was right across from the front entrance.  It only took us about 15 minutes to get to the area that was reserved for us. But it was still out in the direct sun and it was 4 p.m.  There were two areas we could use, one, seating down in front of the stage, or behind the stage on a grassy area facing turn one.  That is where the fireworks were being shot off from, behind turn one.  I was already exhausted....Ha Ha.  But we picked a place and sat our cooler and bags down, while Hubby went back to the car and hauled our chairs and umbrella over.  There was a nice hot breeze blowing, so it was not too bad.  I did find a spot to stand in the shade and visit awhile with the staff who were guarding the VIP area, to make sure the folks without passes didn't get in.  Ha Ha.  Believe me, the whole place is really nice, and every area was great, ours was just up higher and better for viewing the fireworks.  Or so we were told, but actually, they were pretty visible from everywhere.

Side view of the top of the 360 ampitheatre.



Selfie with Officers Brenmer and Tank.  Yes, I do look like Bo Peep in that hat.  It was not intentional.

 

 

In the direct sun with the tower behind us.  Around 98 degree temperature.

 

These two little girls kept our section entertained, by running up and down the slope to the fence then pulling one another back up, taking their shoes off, putting them back on, etc. They only fell down one time, laughed and got up and kept going.

 

 Seating area in front of the stage

 

 The orchestra

 



The Mayor, introducing some of the World War II veterans who had just returned from an Honor Flight to Washington D.C.

 

 

The end of the evening.

 

I had to spend a lot of time yesterday just recovering from being out in the heat for so many hours.