LBJ

We are solidly in the "visiting friends" part of the trip. We also have had plenty of free time, so we were looking for something unique to do in Austin. Neither of us had ever been to a presidential library before, so we decided to check out the LBJ library. Unfortunately it’s being renovated, so the fourth floor is inaccessible. That contained exhibits on the Great Society and the Vietnam War, definitely a major part of his administration. Admission was reduced to $4 because of the renovation.

Once we finished the museum we had lunch on the lawn. Nothing more Texas than eating Buc-ee's Beaver Nuggets with a view of the University of Texas!

We have dragged our kayaks along on this trip, hoping that we can use them. Unfortunately Austin is not going to work for us to kayak. In the Yukon last summer, we heard the saying "there is no bad weather, only bad clothes", but unfortunately we didn’t pack the right clothes for kayaking in cool weather. Instead, we headed to the Hamilton Greenbelt trail on Thursday for a nice walk on a trail where we saw a family of deer.

For dinner, we were invited to Greg’s college friend Abby’s house for dinner along with her family. Her vegetarian chili was delicious! It was great catching up with Abby and her family. The last time we saw them was when we happened to be in Israel at the same time back in 2017! In addition to a planned dinner, Abby remembered that we accidentally ran into them at a market on that trip. A lot has changed in all of our lives since then.

After dinner we joined them on a brisk walk over to her mother’s house. Greg hasn’t seen her mom since college. And we saw another family of deer.

Today we spent more time at the state park where we are camping. They have a destination EV charger. Greg dropped the car off at the start of his run and we took a hiking path back to pick it up. You wouldn’t believe, we saw yet another family of deer. It was nice to enjoy the park and add a few miles of charge to the car.

Today, we met Greg’s cousins Erica and Brianna for lunch at another barbecue joint, Terry Black’s Barbecue. The food was delicious, though not at the level of Franklin. We sat outside where the birds were very aggressive - they love Mac and cheese and nearly ate some of ours. It was great catching up. We barely saw Erica the last time she was in Seattle, so it was really nice to have the time to chat. Greg and Erica geeked out about running - she has some very ambitious marathon plans for the next year.

Erica suggested that we take a walk along Lady Bird Lake, a dammed up portion of the river running through Austin. We wanted to pull out our kayaks, but the wind was too strong for kayaking today. But the path along the lake was really nice. Lots of runners, people walking their dogs, and general activity.

After our walk, we took Abby's advice and went grocery shopping at HEB Central Market, which reminded Greg of Harry's Farmers Market, of blessed memory. Even better, it was located next to Amy's Ice Creams! If we weren't so full from a big late lunch, we would have gotten some ice cream. We took some fat-free pictures instead.