Devastating News

Yesterday afternoon as we were leaving the state park, Tim and I received some devastating news.  Tim’s sister Chris called to let us know that their mother would likely not live more than a few days.  Although their mother had been confined to a nursing home for the last few years, the news was nevertheless unexpected.  My heart goes out to Tim and the family.

We were then faced with a decision.  What should we do now?  I wanted Tim to fly to Colorado so he could say his good-byes to his mother.  His mother and sister live in Fort Morgan, which is just an hour north of Denver.  The airports in Houston were not too far away so we headed in that direction and made plans in the car.

I found a non-stop flight that left Houston Hobby at 6:55 pm, which gave us ample time to get to the airport.  We realized, however, that I would not be able to fly to Colorado with Tim.  We still had the RV and the cat to deal with, and not enough time to figure out those logistics.

Tim was able to get on the flight, and he arrived in Fort Morgan at midnight and was able to see his mother and his siblings.  What a long and emotional day he had.

We had decided that I would head to Austin, where we had planned to be next weekend and wait to see what would happen.  I would plan to fly to the funeral from there.  Although we had briefly discussed the possibility of my driving to Colorado, the likelihood of having to drive in snow ruled that out.

I left Houston this morning after negotiating a traffic jam caused by horses, riders and wagons, making their way to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.  That was a bit unexpected, but fun to see.  I was fully prepared to negotiate Houston’s horrible traffic, just not the equine variety.  I guess we are back in cowboy country.

Is This a Typical Houston Traffic Jam?

He Said "Whoa"

OK Now, Follow the Leader

Nobody Would Have Believed This!

I don’t remember much of what I saw along the drive today, but a sign for kolaches at Weikel’s Bakery did make me pull off the highway.  I needed a break, so I stopped and bought a few to take with me.  What are kolaches, you might ask?  Kolaches are a Czech pastry found throughout Central Texas.  They are similar to a Danish pastry, but thicker, softer and sweeter.  The center is filled with anything from traditional poppy seed to cream cheese, fruits and chocolate.

Which Kolache Should I Have First?

I arrived at McKinney Falls State Park in Austin this afternoon.  That Texas State Park pass is already coming in handy.  I’ll be here for a few days awaiting news from Tim.  In the meantime, I found a wonderful couple who has agreed to look after Kitty while I’m away. That’s a relief, since I really didn’t want to board her unless absolutely necessary.  It’s really strange being here without Tim, although I’m perfectly fine, and so is Kitty.  It’s just that Tim and I have been together twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week for the last four months.  There’s a big void now that he’s not here.  I do miss him.