Chihuly Nights at the Arboretum

When I went to the Arboretum with Mom and MaMa a few weeks ago, they were starting to set up a new exhibit - Chihuly.  We saw one of the displays that had been completed, and they were in the process of working on a couple of others.  I knew that I wanted to go back when the exhibit was complete.

Not long after that trip, Michael and I were presented with the opportunity to go...for FREE!  Yes please!  We went tonight and had a wonderful time.  We were able to stay for the concert and the night exhibit.  The weather was great, and the exhibit met my expectations.  It was so pretty!

This display was made of over 1,200 individual pieces of glass, and we were told that it took them over four days to assemble it.  Incredible!

While impressive during the day, the entire exhibit was even more spectacular at night!

You should definitely go check out this exhibit if you can.  If you get a chance, go at night!

Ranger Game

We enjoyed the fabulous weather at the Ranger game last night.

Even though the Rangers didn't win, we got to see some Josh Hamilton greatness.

We also got to see a great firework show after the game!

Jenni had invited us to a fund raising dinner put on by Great Cities Missions at the Hall of Fame prior to the game.  We had a great time at the dinner, visiting with Jenni and Rod, Kristin, and Mike and Judi.  Michael also came away from the auction with an autographed ball signed by Nolan Ryan and Greg Maddux.

Dallas Arboretum Field Trip

The residents at Garnet Hill got the opportunity today to get outside and enjoy this nice weather on a trip to the Dallas Arboretum.  I had the opportunity to go with Mom to meet them out there.  MaMa did not expect me to be there, and it was fun to surprise her!  Aunt Kathleen was also there, and Mom's cousin Debra came out to meet her.  We all had a great day looking at all the pretty flowers and having a picnic lunch together!  We couldn't have asked for a prettier day or better weather to be outside.

While we were there, they were starting to set up some of the exhibits for the Chihuly Exhibit that opens next month.  I definitely want to come back and check it out!

Down at the River

Back in July, we had a fun time hanging out with our friends at the Frio River for the weekend.  Thursday night, we enjoyed the trip to Austin with Kevin and Holly.  It was so good to catch up with them!  I think we only listened to one song the whole way there and just talked the rest of the time.  Of course, it was also great to see the Hixons when we got to Austin!

After spending Thursday night at Michael and Jessica's place, we got up and had breakfast at Magnolia Cafe with Kevin and Holly.  Those were some of the best migas I have ever had!  We also had a wonderful chocolate chip pancake.

The four of us went to the grocery store to stock up for the weekend.  Then we met Michael and Jessica back at the condo, and we all headed out to the river.  I don't know what all the boys discussed in their vehicle on the drive down, but they were in rare form when we arrived.  It was so fun to let loose, act silly, and just hang out with friends all weekend.

Jessica's parents have a family property on the Frio River, and it was perfect for the weekend.  It is an old summer camp that her family used to run, so there was plenty of space, and we had A/C in the sleeping cabin along with nice restrooms!

Even though the river was too low to float as originally planned, we had a great time!  Friday evening was pretty laid back, with a quick dip in the river, burgers cooked over the fire, and some horseshoes for the boys.  Jessica's parents came out for a little while on Friday night to bring the four-wheeler and have dinner with us.  It was fun to see them!

Saturday, we had a very full, but somehow also very relaxing day!  With only one full day to spend at the river, we managed to do a lot of fun things while we were there.

We...

-Swam

-Shot Skeet

-Played Games

Jessica's awesome nunchuck move landed the ladder balls in the tree.  Then the boys got a horseshoe stuck in the tree trying to get the balls down.  Jessica came to the rescue by getting the volleyball pole to rescue all the stuck equipment.  I'm not gonna lie, it was worth it.  First of all, her move was AWESOME!  Although, we did make her promise not to try it again!  :o)  Secondly, this little adventure provided about 15 minutes of almost uncontrollable laughter.

We needed a break from the heat and went to the cabin to play games.  After an intense game of Farkle, the boys played Risk on the iPad while the girls played Skip-Bo.

-Napped

-Took Turns on the Four-Wheeler

-Swung

-Fished

-Snorkeled

-Watched Animals

-And of Course, Ate Like Kings

Sunday consisted of sleeping in a little, packing and cleaning, breakfast, and loading up to head home.  On our way back through Austin, we got to stop and see the progress on the Hixons' new house.  I love it!

Michael and Jessica, thank you for planning and hosting such a fun weekend.  We definitely need to do it again when the daily temperatures no longer exceed 100 degrees!

The best part of the weekend was that Thursday night, we found out Kevin and Holly are expecting their first baby.  Congratulations guys!  We are so excited for you!

Good Tunes and Grilled Food - Brisket and Springstein Edition

Michael checking in...

You might recall that Melissa recently had a fun filled weekend of bachelorette fun.  What did that leave me doing?  The answer: very important things.  Things like modifying my grill (and getting pumped that I got to use my drill for the first time...well, the second time, but the first time to use it on something heavy duty like metal), and the testing out those modifications to ensure that they work.  You might call it "playing."  I call it "working."

To get out of the heat (or at least the sun), I rolled my grill from the back patio into the garage.  (Side note: next modification will be adding two more wheels and changing the plastic casters out for some actual tires!)  Here is everything lined up a ready to go...

Improvements on the grill included...

Adding two new thermometers.  The original thermometer on top is inaccurate by 25-50 degrees on the hot side due to its elevation, so by adding two thermometers at the grate level, I get a better reading, and am able to tell if there is a big heat difference on the fire side of the box versus the exhaust side.

Drilling and finishing off a hole for a probe meat thermometer to be used without opening the grill and releasing heat.  This enables me to not damage the steel cord that the probe is attached to.  I used a watertight electrical gasket for this.

Extending the exhaust stack down to grate level. (Notice in the before picture that the exhaust is at the top of the grill.  That caused a cool spot in the lower left quadrant of the chamber, and the heat would enter the right side, immediately rise, and then flow to the left into the exhaust.  By extending the stack, it forces the heat into the lower left quadrant, thus eliminating the cool spot.  I used dryer vent exhaust for this.)

Sealing off the edges of the grill with fire caulk.  (The grill is not sealed very well, and I was hoping that this would help.  It did not.  I will continue to work on this deficiency, likely with a rope gasket.)

Once that was done, it was time to try it out.  That meant a brisket and some Bruce Springsteen (don't know why, but for some reason the Born to Run album was really doing it for me this weekend!).  I bought an eight pound brisket, with plans to cook it for around 12 hours.  First, I slathered it up in yellow mustard (to hold the rub and form a flavorful bark) and then rubbed it down with a mixture of the stuff seen below.  Once that was done and the temperature had hit ~230 degrees, I put it on and went to bed (this was around 1AM).  I got up at 90 minute intervals to check on it.  It was a long night, but fun as always!

Like I said, I planned on twelve hours of cooking.  It actually only took around nine.  The grill stayed around ~240 as opposed to the ~220-230 I wanted, and that could have made the difference.  No worries, though!  It turned out great and tasted amazing!  Look at that great, pink smoke ring...NICE!  This made for some great meals.

I also made a homemade barbeque sauce to go with it.  I got the recipe from a TAMU website via Google, and it was delicious!  It was more of a Texas barbeque sauce than what I usually make.  While I still enjoy a good vinegar sauce, this one was very good, and I think it was Melissa's favorite of all the ones I've tried.

All in all, another good run at the grill.  Many thanks to Kristen, who planned a girls' weekend that allowed me to not feel guilty about "working" the whole weekend.  Many thanks to my wife for the grill she got me for our wedding...it is still like a new toy to me!  Thanks to the cow...mainly for being so freakin' tasty on bread with some BBQ sauce.  Thanks to The Boss for singing every note as though it might be your last, and for keeping us all in touch with our "glory days."  And thanks to my in-laws for the drill that lets me put holes in metal!

BONUS: Top 5 American Bands that I like to listen to when I am feeling a little outdoorsy, a little bit southern, but not enough to really wanna go full-on country...in no particular order...

• The Black Crowes - Yes, they are also my favorite band.  A lot of rock'n'roll, bluesy influences, a tinge of country, with a little hippy on the side.  Very, very American.
• John Mellencamp - A little less rock, a little more country.  I always feel like I wanna move to Nebraska when I listen to Johnny Cougar.
• Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Almost of his stuff is great, but it's the jangly stuff that I like the best.  You know what I am talking about...the stuff that sounds like it could only come from a Telecaster, or a nice vintage Rickenbaker.
• Bruce Springsteen - He's the Boss.  I shouldn't have to say anything else.  It always seems like he's gonna pass out after every note.  Love that about him.
• The Allman Brothers - See the Crowes entry, add a little deep south soul and some good slide guitar.  "You're my blue sky, you're my sunny day..."