Warning: this post will begin and end with a cute puppy.


A few weeks ago, Tom and Kay took us to a classical music concert at a music camp in Round Top, Texas. We packed a picnic dinner and had a relaxing, cultured sort of time. The campus of the music school was beautiful, as you'll see.


Here's the inside of the concert hall, just completed a few years ago. We couldn't make it through all of the chamber music we heard there (which was good, but sedating), but seeing the hall was worth it!


Another spot on the grounds of the campus.


John outside the Menke house (donated by Charlie's family to the camp several years ago).


On a different topic, we won't be breeding Amadeus. And since he had some trouble with the stitches, he had to wear an E-collar (short for "Elizabethan collar"). None of us liked it, but he was a good sport!


Poor guy. . .


On a lighter note, John and I took a day trip to Austin a few Saturdays ago to see the capitol. It was very nice, very capitol-y. It has personal significance for John's family, as well. One of John's ancestors held horses at the Battle of San Jacinto (when the Texans finally defeated Santa Ana). There's a painting inside the capitol building of Santa Ana's surrender, and John's great-great-grandfather's brother is supposed to be in it.


How would you like to find door hinges like this at an antique shop?


The University of Texas is within walking distance of the campus. We went with mixed feelings. John because it's t.u., myself because it is the only campus I've heard of with both a statue of Jefferson Davis and Martin Luther King, Jr.


John outside the French legate's house. When Texas was a nation all its own, it actually hosted a French ambassador for a year and built him a very nice compound in Austin.


Back at home, with the e-collar off, Amadeus was back to work. After all, he's not just a puppy - he's a beast of burden.


I like to call this picture "The Watchers." Or more specifically, the young watchers who have taken up residence on our front porch.


And finally, Amadeus chilling (using the term lightly) in the front yard.

Fourth of July weekend

Kathy, Aaron, Jake and Andrew came down to visit over Fourth of July weekend. We had a great time with Jake and Andrew, who in turn had fun swimming in the pool and playing with Amadeus.

If you look closely, Andrew has an intimidating dolphin-gun in his hand. He's staring you down, if you can't tell. And no, he doesn't have time to pull his swim-trunks up.


Aaron trying to give Andrew a bird's eye view of the pool.


Rob, Kathy, and Ann chilling at the more behaved end.


Jake kept trying to get me to do a flip off of the diving board, and I kept saying no. So we settled on doing a pencil instead.


Jake executing beautiful form before he completes his flip.


Of course, the boys had to have some time with Amadeus, who was only too happy to run and fetch whatever it was they were throwing.


And here's a little video of the pup in action!

Jake's trip

Well, better late than never! Here are a few pictures of Jake's trip down here in early June. We tried to show him all the best of Texas, from blistering hot days to fly fishing to family reunions where you don't know anybody. All in all, though, I think he might have had a decent time!

Here he's not actually scowling, but squinting. It was very bright. And little does he know he still has almost five hours to go in the car.


Thank goodness he had a traveling companion/fuzzy pillow.


The day after we got there, John and Mills gave Jake the grand tour of Texas A&M University. Sorry, Dana, he's already signed up to be in the ROTC program.


And, of course, the one thing the boy wanted to see in Texas was 3 1/2 hours away from us. So we loaded up in the car and drove all the way to San Antonio to see the Alamo. 'Twas a good trip, despite the distance!


While there, we had the obligatory Mexican meal, which we all enjoyed (though Jake doesn't look it).


Next up: fishing. We took Amadeus along so yours truly could get some training in.


And though Jake already knew how to fly-fish, Tom graciously provided additional lessons.




Then on to the Bing family reunion, set in historic Oakwood, TX--a town to which time has not been kind. Anybody feeling multi-cultural?


The one business still open in Oakwood is the bank. John and Mills tell me that it has been closed on family reunion weekends in the past. Why? In honor of Jefferson Davis's birthday.


That closes our trip! Thanks for coming to visit us, Jake. Amadeus misses you!

Piano, piano

"Piano, piano" as the Italians say. In other words, "little by little." I'm so far behind on this blog that the only way I'll catch up is little by little! So here are some pictures from our Chicago trip. John and I went up there for a conference of mine. It was a fun trip--on the way, we drove through downtown Springfield, IL, to get in touch with Lincoln.

Downtown Springfield makes for a neat afternoon stroll. You can follow the steps of pre-presidential Lincoln, including his law offices. Okay, on to Chicago!


Our first stop in Chicago was Gino's East, which is famous for its deep-dish pizza. Though the decor, as you can see, is a little grungy, I highly recommend the food.


Here's John, showcasing the glory of deep-dish.


This was my favorite thing in all of Chicago. It's official title is the Cloud Gate, but most people just call it the Bean. I love it. It's just so big and shiny. Plus it reflects the surrounding buildings.


A nice view of the Chicago River.


"The theatre, the theatre. What happened to the theatre?"


Me all gussied up for a night out on the town.


The "L" or "elevated train," which serves as Chicago's metro.


We both liked these buildings. Look closely at the bottom levels--they're parking garages.


From Chicago, we drove over to South Bend to stay the night: John wanted to show me the campus of Notre Dame, which was definitely worth the visit.

The Golden Dome of Notre Dame.


The campus had many, many trees--it looked like a forested park. So since my feet were sore from walking in Chicago, I took the opportunity to recline by one.


"Touchdown Jesus", so-named because this spectacular mosaic on Notre Dame's library is in view of the football field. Despite the tongue-in-cheek name, the mosaic was a good reminder of Notre Dame's need/desire to focus on Christ as the center of truth, academic or otherwise.


John outside of ND's stadium. This is where the magic happens.


On the way from South Bend to West Lafayette, we spotted some unusual barns. Apparently it was a trend at some point to shingle designs into the rooftops. Can you tell what's on this barn?


On our way back from Chicago, we swung east over to Indiana to visit our friends Matt and Courtney (we met them when we were in Italy last year). It was our first time together on American soil! They live on a scenic little plot just outside of West Lafayette, near the campus of Purdue University. Their two kids, Nolan (4) and Meredith (2) enjoyed showing us around their turf. With the help of his father, Nolan even took us on a hay ride! Here he is, showing us how it's done.


In honor of our visit, Matt and Courtney orchestrated a BBQ over by their fire-pit. We enjoyed ribs and corn-on-the-cob, Indiana-style.


Meredith is quite the adventurer. She took great joy in digging under rocks to find bugs and caterpillars.


Nolan, making a car seat look cool.


They also took us on a tour of Purdue. On one part of the campus, there's a child-friendly fountain which Nolan and Matt took full advantage of. We thought we'd better get a group shot, so here it is. Again, we had a wonderful, relaxing time. If only Indiana were closer to Texas. Or perhaps we could start a commune in Missouri. . .


Nolan kindly took this picture for us--good job, Nolan!

A fun video

Here's a fun little video to brighten your day! Here's Amadeus doing what he does.