The Bruces visit!

My great friend Ingrid Steffensen Bruce and her daughter Emma Bruce flew down during Emma's "spring" break (in February?) for a long weekend -- we had a great time! Of course it was the same weekend Dave had a meeting in Charleston, but that meant he got away from all the girliness in the close quarters of an apartment.

We really tried to fit in as much as we could in the time they were here, and we were pretty much on the go constantly. Poor Katie never got a nap! But she had such a good time with Emma and Aunt Ingrid that she didn't care. And we ate a lot of Tex-Mex, which also didn't hurt. I'll go in chronological order:

On Thursday we covered the must-see highlights: the missions, the Alamo, and the Riverwalk. It was fun to go with an architectural historian, and with a 10-year-old who not only is interested, but has a new camera... This is Emma taking a photo at the San Jose mission. After lunch on the Riverwalk, we took the fun boat ride, where Katie fell asleep. Luckily she stayed asleep (although it was a long walk to the Alamo carrying her!) and I could sit in the courtyard while Ingrid and Emma toured. I'm not sure which they liked better - the Alamo or the warm sunshine!



Friday was by far our longest day. We drove up to Austin. The morning was for the Capitol, where we could see clear signs of spring (yes, in February, so I guess this really was Emma's spring break), and the afternoon for exploring the famous parts of the funky city. We tried on cowboy hats, stopped in at the beautiful Driskill Hotel -- where LBJ and Lady Bird had their first date -- and explored the funky shops of South Congress Street. We didn't get the girls to bed until nearly 10:30!



Since Emma loves horses, we of course had to go to the rodeo. It was not any ol' rodeo competition day, it was XTreme Bulls! Too loud for a tired toddler (we watched on a TV on the concourse), but Ingrid and Emma had a blast. Katie loved the swine sprints again, and both girls wanted to ride every ride at the carnival (I think they each picked two). Emma convinced Katie to wear her cowgirl boots, so she fit right in -- even with her baby Margaret in tow.



We spent Sunday exploring the downtown history -- San Fernando Cathedral
(this is the main altarpiece), the Spanish Governors Palace, El Mercado, and La Villita. Emma found a beautiful painting of the Riverwalk for her souvenir -- not your typical choice for a 10-year-old. But she's no ordinary kid.
Here are Emma and Katie at the La Villita fountain.

It was such fun to have them here; we were sorry to have to send them back to the frozen north!