Visit to Austin - Dec 2011

As soon as Eric's vacation started we headed to Austin to see Danny and Megen and their new house...they did a great job decorating and getting things set up really nicely.   They told us they had some surprises while we were in Austin and it began as soon as we arrived.  They said okay, you've got 15 minutes, we've got something planned.   So, we got our things up to our room and headed out the door.  We stopped to get some pizza, and we were on our way.  Megen and Danny in the front, and the two of us in the back. As we drove along one particular highway, we noticed a lot of trees were decorated like Christmas trees.  Eric mentioned something to them and next thing we know, we were pulled over, decorating a tree!  

 One of the already decorated trees...we thought this said "Jets"

 Our ornaments :) 

 We chose our tree

 and started to decorate....

 it's really coming together

 This is how close it was to the highway!

 Eric's one-handed group shot of us and our tree

 It was such a cool thing to do.  We contributed to making the highway a little more beautiful.  And of course, now that the holidays are over, the ornaments are all slowly coming down. 

Now we were off to another destination...this time a stop off to take some photos of the views of downtown...gorgeous! 

 Eric Santa with Danny

 Eric loves getting in the spirit with his Santa hat

After this, we went to a part of Austin that had another really beautiful view of downtown Austin to take some pictures, eat some pizza and have a little wine. 

 Views of the river from the other side

The houses were picturesque 

 Great shot!

It was a wonderful afternoon and perfect timing with the sun/weather.  We had a really fun time seeing some of the sites and beauty of Austin.  

The next day we decided to head out to see some more of Austin.   We meandered around some of Danny and Megen's favorite neighborhoods and to downtown.

We ended up at the capitol building. 

 View of the dome from inside

View from higher up, looking down.  

 Downtown views from the Capitol

Of course, no trip with Eric and Danny is complete without a football.   Pictured below are photos of Eric and Danny throwing the football around on the lawn of the Capitol! 

 Check out this throw, and air!

 Beautiful trees

Then we were on the hunt for the famous "Hi, How are you" wall...without much looking, we sort of fell upon it.   It didn't look like much in person, but the pictures are pretty cool.  Nice work, Meg!

 Jump shot

 Doing just great, thanks :)

And the adventure continues....

Our Christmas gift from Megen and Danny was a surprise from them.  They told us we were going to a show, but Eric and I both assumed it was a Christmas show.  No Christmas show here, instead it was a show called Esther's Follies (esthersfollies.com).  It's really hard to explain, but it's a mix of satire, music and magic.  I you're ever in Austin, you must go!  We seriously laughed the entire time!!!  Thank you so much Danny and Megen!!!

We arrived early and got front row seats.   There were two large windows at the back of the stage so people walking by could see in...and also part of the show could take place outside.  

 I tried to get a good shot of this guy spinning the flower, but this is the best I could get.  He had a flower spinning for minutes at a time from a kazoo that was in his mouth.  He rigged it somehow, but it was still entertaining.  

 Danny following the MJP tradition of popcorn :) 

 1st act...musical

 Magic

 Beauty shop hilariousness

Here's Martha!

 ...with some very crazy crafts

 Cat in the Hat

 We were in the front row and seriously could not figure out how they did this...she is literally suspended up high by water...crazy!

 One of the audience members

 Eric got picked to use a hammer to hit something, but was set up...the hammer fell apart!

Time Man of the Year?!

Seriously, this show cannot be explained, you simply must go see it!  

We had a wonderful few days in Austin and can't wait to go back.  Huxley (Danny and Megen's dog) was a big part of our trip too but somehow I missed some photos of him...sorry Hux!  

Thank you again Danny and Megen for a wonderful trip and lots of laughs!