ABCD

ABCD = All British Car Day. This was the 20th ABCD at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock outside of Austin. We started out early at 6am to arrive a bit past 9. When we arrived it was a bit on the cool side but as the day progressed the wind picked up and stayed around all day.

Beautiful sunrise on the road ~ Marque's information sheet

Marque resting under the shade of the trees. This was a great location as each class was shaded. There were close to 200 cars there ~ One of my all time favorite cars a British Racing Green 1961 Jaguar XKE ~ Two Morgans ~ I snagged a ride in the white one. I asked Duncan why his car and the others already there did not have the belt on the hood. He said it damages the paint although some owners have put lamb's wool on the back which protects it. He also informed me that the belt is not a Morgan product per se. Tradition is that when a Morgan was racing at Sebring, one side of the bonnet came unlatched and the car was pulled off the course. The driver asked for the judge's belt, and the tradition of holding the bonnet down with a belt was begun.

Isn't it funny how cars can be anthropomorphic? These 2 are perfect examples.

Sneed and I left after 2pm for the 3 hour trip home. Around 330 Sneed's cell phone rang. It was our friend John telling us we had left something behind. Turns out Marque won for the RR~Bentley class. Pic of the award when we get it from John.

In the Swim of Things

Aedin went to a birthday party so Erika brought Dylin and Olsin over for a swim. Olsin pushed Terry in when he came after attending Gavin's soccer game (his team won!)

Dylin perfecting her handstand in the jacuzzi.

Erika and Olsin share a cuddle ~ Olsin and Dylin jump right on in ~ Olsin jumping high ~ Olsin on top of the world

Painted Churches Y Trip

Photos are courtesy of Willie, Polly's hubby, as I didn't take my camera. Additionally, Willie afforded us girls a very relaxed and well air-conditioned trip in his van rather than having to ride the Y bus. Thanks, Willie!

We stopped in downtown Shulenberg to pick up the tour guide who boarded one of the buses which we followed.

Our first stop was Sts Cyril & Methodius Catholic Church. Dubina's first church was built in 1876, but was destroyed by a 1909 hurricane. Rebuilt in 1912, it survived a fire that all but destroyed the town. Colorful spring flowers enhance the country church, but they don’t compare to the vivid hues of the interior, which is decorated with frescoes and stenciling. The artistry was common in Germany in the 1800s. The original artwork, which was painted over for the 1952 diamond jubilee of the church, was restored in the early 1980s.

Next up was St John the Baptist Catholic Church in Ammannsville. It opened in 1890. Destroyed by the hurricane of 1909, the church was rebuilt. It burned shortly thereafter and had to be rebuilt a second time. The present St. John the Baptist Catholic Church is the third structure in this community, and it was dedicated on December 22, 1919. Constructed in Gothic Revival style, it is listed in the “National Register of Historical Places”. The interior features stenciling, infill freehand, and marbling techniques. Early settlers said the paintings were done by a European drifter. The windows, depicting men Saints on the right, and women Saints on the left, are inscribed in Czech and are Tiffany stained glass.

The last church on our tour was St Mary's Catholic Church, High Hill. It is the third to be built at High Hill. It is listed in the “National Register of Historical Places”. Construction of the present church started in 1905 with 18 stained glass windows from the second church placed in the new church. The highest point of the spire is about 175 feet. The interior is a well crafted example of the Gothic Revival style. It displays not only late Victorian features, but the European background of the German and Czech settlers. Although the main wall has been repainted, the ceiling, and a few other parts of the church have the original decorations.

Willie at Sts Cyril & Methodius Church ~ St John the Baptist Church  ~ St Mary's Church

The girls ~ L>R Polly, Anne, Carolyn in back, Peggy, Beth

Before returning to the Y, we had a great buffet lunch at Oakridge Smokehouse. The fried catfish and fried chicken were superb. The desserts of 'right out of the oven' Peach Cobbler and Bread Pudding were delightful. We'd highly recommend this place.

Dylin Cheers for the Longhorns

The George Ranch High School Longhorns, that is. And guess what their colors are. Yep, equal representation for A & M (maroon) and UT (Longhorns), so their blood bleeds Maroon.

Dylin called me this afternoon and told me today is the day she is cheering for the Longhorns and asked me to come. She said you'd better come early or you'll miss me. Well, you don't want to tell me that cause I'll get there early...and I did. I arrived at the school at 530pm - the game activities started at 6.

Dylin waits in the stands for her 1st grade group to be called to the field. She and Aedin sit on the rails to watch the game.

The Mascots appeared. Dylin had fun posing with both of them and then with her First Grade group.

Here she is in action!! She really rocks on the 'uh oh' cheer. = )

Oops! Shame on the Poofreader (sic)

Ah, what a beautiful and scrumptious-looking caramel cake in the Flavor section of the Chronicle today. A lovely photograph of a 2 layer cake smothered in caramel frosting. I just had to check out the recipe.



This is a recipe from The Southern Foodways Alliance Community Cookbook courtesy of Ann Cashion. I wonder if this is the way it is printed in the cookbook. How can one fit a 38-inch cake pan in the oven...let alone more than one as the recipe says "pans".



Is this coincidence or what? Kroger has a 2 layer caramel cake featured in its weekly ad that looks very similar to the one highlighted in the paper.

Atlanta Braves v Tampa Bay Rays

Nope, we didn't travel down to St Pete to watch the Rays. They were playing right here in Richmond, outside of Sugar Land, at a fantastic Little League complex in George Park. Olsin plays for the Tampa Bay Rays T-ball team. He was thrilled when Terry told him the Rays were Devil Rays. I didn't have the heart to tell Olsin but I did mention to Terry that the major league team had dropped the 'Devil' from the team name. Tonight was his first game on Field 9.

One inning out of the three had already been played by the time we got there (the traffic coming into the Little League park was terribly slow). The first two parking areas were overflowing. Erika with Aedin and Dylin had just gotten there and showed us where she had parked. We soon joined them for the fun and action, well, some action.



Whenever a nice hit was made, there were several little boys scrambling to get the ball. Whoever got it, turned toward first base, and threw the ball regardless of whether there was someone there to catch it. At least they got the idea. Olsin knows how to hit and hits well. However, playing in the outfield where no balls come can get tiresome. In the photos of Olsin alone standing near third base, you can ascertain his level of boredom by his different stances. At one point, I questioned Erika, "Why is the third baseman coming to the dugout?" Olsin was tired of waiting for someone to hit the ball his way. Erika set him straight and he finished out the inning.

Dylin had fun climbing the fence and Aedin helped the lady get the icee drinks the boys got after the game. She got one for her efforts which caused a minor stink with Dylin as she didn't get one. C'est la vie.



The T-ball game was great entertainment, although Papa Sneed, like Olsin, was easily distracted so he played catch with a young fellow with a football.

Hallelujah!! Hallelujah!!

This news makes me want to shout, "clap your hands now". Annemarie and Brett couldn't keep the secret to themselves any longer...Baby Bollman is due the end of April 2011.

Hee, Hee, do you think I should let the Santa Barabra (sic) Medical Clinic know that it misspelled 'Barbara'?