Travel

Detailed travel logs and trip journals live here. Expect day‑by‑day itineraries (e.g., our Switzerland & Italy trip) with weather notes, meals and family anecdotes, plus posts on museum visits, road‑trips and cruises.

Final piece of “Magnolia Day” in Waco was the Brazos Tours “Fixer Upper Tour of Waco”. We visited the 3 Little Pigs House (S3E12), with a stop inside. We also went met Jimmy Don, who does the iron work for Fixer Upper.

Group of visitors gathered outside the 1902 teal Fixer Upper house with a wide front porch and metal roof in Waco Texas

Farmhouse kitchen with navy blue lower cabinets, white upper cabinets, marble island, wood range hood, and globe pendant lights

Five people posing in front of a white Brazos Tours van, including two children and a man in a cowboy hat wearing a JDH shirt.

We continued “Magnolia Day” in Waco with a visit to the Magnolia Silos. Went in the morning and in the afternoon.

Family of four posing in front of the Welcome to the Magnolia Silos mural painted on a white brick wall in Waco Texas

Family of four taking a selfie in front of a large rusty grain silo at the Magnolia Silos in Waco Texas

Family of four posing under a hashtag MilesToMagnolia sign surrounded by potted flowers at the Magnolia Silos in Waco

Child in a blue jacket and Magnolia cap playing cornhole on the lawn at Magnolia Silos in Waco TX

We started “Magnolia Day” in Waco with an early breakfast at Magnolia Table. Good food, and a lot of it. 🍽🥓🍳

Black-and-white photo of the Magnolia Table roadside sign in Waco Texas with a marquee reading Hot Coffee Is Brewing Chip

Magnolia Table restaurant exterior in Waco, a two-story white stucco building with red tile roof, black bollards, and people walking toward the entrance.

Family of four seated at a wooden table inside Magnolia Table restaurant in Waco, smiling at the camera

Heritage Creamery was today’s Vacation Ice Cream stop. The Salted Caramel was very good, and the homemade waffle cones were amazing!

Four hands holding waffle bowl cups filled with scoops of ice cream in flavors including mint, caramel, and chocolate chip.

The snakes at Cameron Park Zoo Cameron Park Zoo in Waco was great. So many snakes! I had no idea there were dozens of types of Rattle Snakes! 😬🐍

Green tree python coiled tightly around a dark branch, head resting on its body, vivid lime-green scales with white spots

Coiled rattlesnake resting on gravel among rocks and a spiky plant inside a zoo enclosure

Brown and tan patterned snake climbing over pale limestone rocks in a zoo enclosure with gravel floor and succulent plant

Coiled rattlesnake with open mouth on gravel amid dry grass and rocks in a zoo enclosure

We had a great morning at the Cameron Park Zoo in Waco this morning. Impressive natural settings for the animals.

Lioness lying on a flat rock surface gazing upward, with rocky cliffs and a small pool visible behind her

African elephant with tusks and curled trunk standing in a zoo enclosure surrounded by black vultures on a sunny day

Three white rhinoceroses grazing on a dirt path in a zoo enclosure surrounded by green trees and fencing.

Meerkat standing upright on a rocky outcrop in a sandy zoo enclosure, with a second meerkat partly visible at right

Departing for Texas Spring Break! 🌵 Visiting Austin, San Antonio, and Waco. 🛫

Family of four smiling together at a Delta airport gate, departing for a Texas spring break trip.

International travel is hard on sleep. 😳

AutoSleep app widget showing Last Night 2h 45m at 37%, Sleep Bank 5h 23m at -28.1%, and Readiness 49, all with red low battery indicators.

Richmond v Carlton

Taking in my first game of AFL Footy at Melbourne Cricket Ground! 🙌

Richmond 7-8-50 over Carlton 4-4-28 at half! Starting to understand Footy. Fun, fast game! 🇦🇺😊

Richmond 14-13-97 beats Carlton 9-10-64! Great game! Footy fan now! 🇦🇺😊👍🏻

Melbourne Cricket Grounds at night.

Packed MCG stadium at night under floodlights with fans in black and yellow Richmond scarves watching an AFL match on the oval below.

AFL match in progress at the MCG with players in yellow-black and navy-white kits on the oval before a packed floodlit crowd

AFL match in progress at the MCG with Richmond and Carlton players competing on the oval before a packed stadium crowd at night.

AFL match in progress at the MCG with Richmond players in yellow and black and Carlton in navy on a floodlit oval before a packed crowd, scoreboard showing CARL 3-3-21 RICH 7-7-49

AFL match in progress on the MCG oval at night, packed stands surrounding the floodlit green field with players spread across it

I tried a Melbourne “Magic” today. I would have a hard time telling the difference between a Magic and Cappuccino. ☕️

Latte art tulip in a teal ceramic cup and saucer with a small spoon on a wooden cafe table