Texas Travels Archives | TRAVELS WITH TAM

Fab Photos Friday: The World is Water 2

February 12, 2016 By Tam Warner 4 Comments

The World is Water, Part 2. I can never get enough of oceans, ponds, rivers, lakes, seas….just the sight of the water provokes a reaction. It may be calm, wild, turbulent, duckweed …whatever it is, it is lovely.

I will be in the Revillagigadoes Islands for the next couple of weeks, diving Roca Partida, Socorro, San Benedicto, el Boiler…and thrilled to see every manta, dolphin, shark, and hopefully, whale I see! I can’t wait to share it with you when I return! Off I go, on the luxurious Solmar V!

Exif_JPEG_PICTURE — Catalina Island View from the top

DCIM100GOPRO — Incredible view of Lake Tahoe

Smoke that Thunders…Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe

Good morning Thailand! — Good morning Andaman Sea, Thailand!

Incredible view from the hills of Santa Barbara

Waiting on the boat between dives, Caribbean Sea off Isla Mujeres

Roca Partida of the Revillagigadoes Islands (Where I will be for 11 days in February 2016)

Blue Whales on the way to Guadalupe Island (where the Great White Sharks can be found in August/September!)

San Benedicto in the Revillagigadoes Islands (I will be there next week!)

bk 14 canal feeding fish — Catfish going crazy for food in a Bangkok Canal

ca 11 los coronados islands — Los Coronados Islands off Pacific Coast of Mexico (where you can dive with Sea Lions!)

bs 14 elep seal — Elephant Seal Beach off the Pacific Coast Highway

A view from the 18th hole at Grand Isle Resort, Great Exumas.

sb 14 beach — The stretch of beach in Santa Barbara, Ca

sb 14 from the hills — A view from the hills above Santa Barbara

is 14 isla de la plata — Isla de la Plata, Ecuador

Wildebeest and flamingo in the crater — Wildebeest and flamingo in the water hole, Ngorogoro Crater, Tanzania.

chs 12 mag swamp — Magnolia Plantation, Charleston, SC

coz 14 storm clouds — Storm coming in Cozumel, Mexico

Empty Nesters Enjoy Austin: Stay at the Hyatt Regency Austin!

August 25, 2015 By Tam Warner 16 Comments

austin, Texas, Hyatt, empty nester — **A Room with a View at the Hyatt Regency Austin**

Empty Nesters, there is a lot to do in Texas! How about Austin? What do we really want to know about the Hyatt Regency Austin? The important stuff, right? Like the incredible location and views! Our recent stay was fabulous, and we enjoyed the view so much we didn’t even close the drapes at night…Austin looks mighty pretty as it twinkles in the dark!

austin, texas, empty nesters, hyatt — **Sparkly view at night**

One of the best perks was the online check-in. Check-in, and they email you when your room is ready. Don’t want to wait at the front desk? You don’t have to. Just pick up your keys at the kiosk. Love it!

The hotel feels big and airy as it has an atrium in the lobby of the hotel which goes all the way up. Very pretty!

The service is top notch. Any time I had a question or a request, boom! There it is. The staff is super friendly and helpful. A delight after staying in hotels where you are just a number.

Activities for Lady Bird Lake are right on the Hyatt’s doorstep. If you want to rent a paddleboard or kayak, there’s no better place to be.

The Hyatt hosts weddings and other events all the time…it is a fantastic venue for any occasion. Who wouldn’t want this backdrop for a special event!?

They serve a wonderful brunch at the Southwest Bistro, and their Pure Luck salad is delicious! The Bistro has views of the water and the cityscape. Soooo relaxing!

**Bat Fest. 1 1/2 million long tail Mexican bats live under the bridge! Yes….a great view of it! Next time I’m going out on a paddleboard to see them.**

What makes a hotel stay great? An inviting lobby area, friendly reception, and comfortable room are givens. These you expect, and the Hyatt Austin delivers these elements perfectly. In addition, they provide a great location, for in Austin, staying on Lady Bird Lake is the ultimate experience. Add an incredible view, friendly staff, good food, and Texas hospitality, and you have the Hyatt Austin. On your next trip to Austin, be sure to stay at the Hyatt, I guarantee you will be glad you did! And tell them Travels with Tam sent you!

*The opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Funny Things Happened on the Way to Austin

August 22, 2015 By Tam Warner 14 Comments

A Room with a View at the Hyatt Regency Austin

Austin, Texas is one of those places known as “cool”. Austin has always been a cool place to be, whether you are a college student or a Texas politician *(it is the capitol of Texas). It is also a vibrantly active city. The river runs right through downtown (*but it is known as Town Lake, or Lady Bird Lake) and nature exists right in the heart of the city. People are jogging, paddle boarding, kayaking, walking…and there are dogs with their owners. Like I said, a very cool town.

15 kayla ally — Car trouble? Look on the bright side!

My husband and I drove down to Austin yesterday to visit with our son while our daughter and her friends are having her “bachelorette” weekend at Lake Travis, only an hour away. Coincidentally, our daughter’s car full of young women left Dallas about the same time we did. Lucky for them!

I received a call about 20 miles north of Temple, Texas from my niece who was in the car. “Tam, the air conditioning just suddenly went out. It’s not cold air.” Uh oh. That may not sound like a tragedy to people living in more temperate climes, but in Texas it is a calamity! They were driving an older Escalade, so I called the Cadillac dealership in Temple and arranged to meet the girls there.

They needed a new compressor. Did they have the part? No. Could they get the part? Yes. They really went out of their way at Garlyn Shelton Cadillac to help us! We spent 2 and a half hours with the young women (it is hard not to call them girls even though they are in their late twenties…a sure sign of advancing age) and we just laughed and said it’s another Minton adventure. Life is full of the unexpected, and since the unexpected seems to be the norm in my world, we just flow with it.

We ended up late to meet my son for dinner, and we were even later to our hotel, the Hyatt Regency Austin (the view is AMAZING!). We met our son at a delicious sandwich place called the Noble Sandwich Co. which has been featured on Food Network. Delicious? Oh yes, and we were very hungry!

Great meal! They even have a Knuckle Sandwich. Seriously.

So off to the Hyatt where our room awaited, and the view sparkled from our window. I know I am going to enjoy this stay!

The Sun is Finally Shining in Texas!

May 31, 2015 By Tam Warner 16 Comments

After three solid weeks of pouring rain, flooding and storms, Dallas is sunny. For the first time since 2012, Texas is not in a severe drought, which is good, but the rains have cost people in the state both lives and property. Texas can never do anything in a small, reasonable way…if it is going to exit the drought, it’s going to do it in a BIG way.

The weather says sunny for several more days, and I can only hope that is true. I now understand the concept of depression without sunshine. I love rain and storms, but even I am completely sick of the weather. Sunny weather, please do stay!

The famous Oasis in Lake Travis during 2013 when the lake was 52 feet low on water.

Lake Travis is at its highest level since 2011, but Texas is still not out of water trouble. Some cities were within 90 days of running out of water. It only took Texas 5 years to draw our water supplies down to critical drought level. Hopefully, Texans will be a little more conservative with water use now. If we go back to months of relentless sun and heat, our water supply won’t take long to dry up again.

Texas is such a conservative state that one never hears anything about critical water levels (except water restrictions for lawns), and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality won’t comment on whether or not water conservation will continue. Hopefully it will!

So, here’s hoping for several sunny days…but we will hope for rain on and off throughout the summer to keep water supplies topped off!

And I’m Back from my Adventures!

May 18, 2015 By Tam Warner 14 Comments

What a whirlwind the last month has been! I’ve been to two weddings (one of them was my son’s) and had a major surgery. I’ve either been walking on the beach, dancing, hosting a rehearsal dinner, or recovering. Right now, I am recovering from surgery. A long story short: a MRSA infection several years ago left me with a tummy deformity…and the idea of fixing it was always with me, but the fear of going through 3 months of MRSA stayed my hand. Finally, I went to see a Reconstructive Surgeon at UT Southwestern, and did it, 2 days after my son’s wedding. With no time to fret or think much about it with all of the wedding activities going on I can say now I am very happy I went through with it. Surgery went well, and I know I will not only feel better physically, but I will be more confident emotionally.

A Corgi/Retriever Mix! I met this little cutie in Crystal River.

The first wedding I attended was in Clearwater Beach, FL. My daughter went to school in St. Petersburg, and my in-laws lived on Siesta Key, so I was familiar with the area though I had never been to Clearwater Beach before. Prior to the wedding I drove up to Crystal River, FL which is famous for snorkeling with Manatees. I took my underwater camera and was excited to meet some manatees, but alas, the water was so murky you could be 2 or 3 feet from one and wouldn’t be able to see it. So…that was a bust. I was very disappointed, but I had fun exploring the Crystal River area. I even saw Black Bears! I had no idea that Black Bears existed in Florida, but they most definitely do. The black shapes crossing the road stunned me, but since I was driving, there was no time for a photo. They were moving quickly into the woods adjacent to the sea grasses.

Plantation Inn at Crystal River, I recommend it as the best place to stay!

Sandpearl Resort is the place to stay in Clearwater Beach!

Clearwater has a beautiful beach, a terrific walking beach. Randy (who is doing very well after two hospitalizations this year due to viruses) and I also came across interesting critters I had never seen before. (to learn about Randy’s Double Lung Transplant, click HERE)Have you ever heard of Sea Pork? I have spent my entire life visiting sea shores, and this was the first time I had ever encountered it. These weird blobs are actually colonies of tunicates covered by cellulose for protection. They were all over, and I even found a heart shaped one! The whelk and conch egg cases were beautiful, and so intricate and delicate. There were plenty of birds to entertain me as well! The birds screeched all through the outdoor wedding ceremony, but it added rather than detracted from the event. Of course, not everyone felt that way.

Randy found another heart for me! A cool colony of tunicates!

2015 cb whelk egg case — A conch/whelk egg case…so incredibly intricate. Don’t you just love nature?

My son’s wedding was in Austin, and we held the rehearsal dinner at Abel’s on the Lake, an iconic restaurant in Austin with a view of the sunset over the lake. It was an incredible setting for a great party. The wedding itself was at Inn of Wild Rose Hall, an absolutely charming venue complete with horses, donkeys and goats! It was owned by Stevie Ray Vaughn’s bassist. My daughter-in-law used vegetables like artichokes, and succulent plants for decor, and the men wore air plants on their shirts. Many of the guests had never visited Austin before, and believe me, Austin, Tx is easy to fall in love with. It is an active city, people are walking, running, kayaking, paddle boarding, etc. Add to that one of the most beautiful Capitol buildings in the country, 6th street with all of its music venues, and UT Austin. Yes, a very active city!

The View from Abel's on the Lake — The View from Abel’s on the Lake

A very pretty venue, Inn at Wild Rose Hall.

As I recover, I look forward to my future travels, and to my daughter’s wedding in October. 2015 has been a non-stop year, and it will continue to be so! Stay tuned.

LBJ Presidential Library at UT Austin is a Must See for Texas Empty Nesters!

June 9, 2014 By Tam Warner 11 Comments

boomers, Texas, LBJ, empty nesters — **Ending the National Origins Formula, kind of ironic now.**

Ever been to a Presidential Library? Well, for a history buff like me you’d think the answer would be yes….but no, not until I visited the LBJ Presidential Library at the University of Texas Austin campus! The Library is celebrating the Sixties (which, you know, makes sense for LBJ), and wow! Talk about Boomer heaven! I was mesmerized!

As I have blogged previously, I am a 70s boomer, but seeing all of the sixties paraphernalia was a trip back in time. Magazine covers and album covers and TV show openings! Maybe I remember more than I thought I did….or maybe I’ve just seen some of these things on TV so much I think I remember them. However, I did see some things that absolutely came from my memory banks.

Such as:

–a commercial with a rabbit who tries to eat Trix! Ah, Silly Rabbit, Trix are for Kids!

–Bewitched’s opening!

–Lawrence Welk and his orchestra, with bubbles, doing the Pennsylvania Polka.

–Nixon on Laugh In, saying “Sock it to ME?”

–Barbie and Ken original dolls! I remember them because my older friend Holly had them, and I thought they were so cool!

boomers, LBJ, adventures, Texas Empty Nesters — **Float like a butterfly…**

–Muhammad Ali…floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee!

–Did you know Hugh Hefner started in the 60s with those stupid pajamas???

There were more serious moments in the library. The assassination of JFK, MLK, and RFK. The 1968 Democratic Convention debacle in Chicago. The Chicago 7 trial. Civil rights. I listened to the phone call between J Edgar Hoover and LBJ, when Hoover called to advise the President they had found the car of the missing civil rights workers, burned. It gave me chills.

We tend to think of LBJ as synonymous with the war in Vietnam, but throughout the Library are the reminders of Johnson’s Great Society, and the state of our union when he became President. It seems unbelievable now, but 25% of adult Americans did NOT have a high school diploma; 20% of Americans lived in poverty; and 33% of the elderly population lived in poverty. LBJ came into office with plans for his Great Society. The two main aims were the elimination of poverty (War on Poverty) and racial equality. Johnson passed four Civil Rights bills, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 forbade job discrimination and segregation of public accommodations. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 assured minority registration and voting. It suspended use of literacy or other voter-qualification tests that had sometimes served to keep African-Americans off voting lists and provided for federal court lawsuits to stop discriminatory poll taxes. The Immigration and Nationality Services Act of 1965 abolished the national-origin quotas in immigration law. The Civil Rights Act of 1968 banned housing discrimination and extended constitutional protections to Native Americans on reservations. Johnson passed Medicare, Medicaid and Welfare. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 gave poor children funds for materials for education, and Head Start. Clean Air, labeling cigarettes as dangerous….Johnson’s legislative victories were beyond anything we could see today from our do-nothing Congress. For more information on the Great Society, continue reading on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_society.

It is said that Johnson could twist the arm of any lawmaker. He wasn’t subtle. They called it “the Johnson treatment”. Did you know LBJ was 6’4″? He towered over people, and was extremely intimidating. He was a wheelin’ and dealin’ Texan, and didn’t take no for an answer.

What brought Johnson’s presidency to an ignoble end was the escalation and disaster of the war in Vietnam. The escalation of the war intensified the war protests, and Johnson announced that he would not seek, nor accept, the nomination of the Democratic Party for President in the election of 1968. Bobby Kennedy was running against him, and if he had not been killed in June 1968, Kennedy would have been the nominee, and most likely, President. Nixon, of course, won the 1968 election.

Seeing the library, hearing conversations that LBJ had with Jackie Kennedy, MLK, and J Edgar Hoover was a remarkable experience. I would love to go back, and spend the entire day, looking carefully at everything, and listening to every conversation available to visitors. Floors 5-9 are archives, filled with the documents of the times. Fascinating. I highly recommend a visit. The 60s were iconic times, turbulent times, tragic times, violent times, and a time of love and peace. I wish I could remember more of it, but seeing it in the library was astonishing. I’m very happy I made the trip.

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