God Bless Texas ~ My Weekend at Round Top

I grew up in Texas, & well you know, once a Texan always a Texan…One of my dearest friends, Marylou, lives in College Station with her husband Duane & their cat, Lily. We got together in Houston this summer &, at that time, planned our next meeting…in Round Top, Texas.

~Check out the Chicken Coop Duane is building~

When Wednesday arrived…I headed out.

  (I don’t know what I would have done without the Navigation app on my phone. )

~Heading down a back road, somewhere in Texas~

I arrived in College Station, thrilled to be reunited with my bestie...(whoever thought this Longhorn would say she was thrilled to be in Aggie Land, but I was!)

We headed out Thursday morning, after two cups of hot coffee and a delicious scone... footloose and ready to play….Marylou drove and I enjoyed every minute of our trip…

and, well, hello Round Top!

We shopped all day. It was crazy hot & dusty…until…the freak lightening & thunderstorm in the afternoon …that we spent in the HGTV booth!...

(this is the view from the HGTV booth into the Junk Gypsies Booth)

…& then, that dust…it turned into mud....

&, happily, it got a little cooler....

Friday we headed back..made a quick stop at The Blue Bell Creamery in Brenham…& out to find more fun...they stopped by Leftovers Antiques…& picked up more goodies to bring home!

The whole area around Round Top hosts a huge antique, junk, craft, art…whatever you want…event each Fall & Spring…I thought I’d just let the pictures speak for themselves…

I can’t wait until Spring…Marylou, leave the light on because… I’m coming back!

 (Lily)

New York 1976 ~ New York 2011

I spent the 1776 ~ 1976 ~ 200 year celebration in both New York and Washington, D.C...This was the first time I gazed upon the Twin Towers...we were riding a ferry on the Hudson river...I hold many magical memories of our time there...subway rides, a fancy dinner at the U.N., numerous Broadway shows, passing Peter Jennings on the sidewalk, being mistaken for Charlene Tilton in an elevator (hey...it was the era of Dallas), the Empire State Building, shopping at Macy's & buying that, dream pair, of designer gauchos (yes, I still have them tucked away...just in case...), cab rides, NBC Studio tours where the best classic Saturday Night Live actors were practicing, seeing the Statue of Liberty from afar (no climbing to the torch allowed back then), touring the Towers after arriving via subway, the sailors,in town with their fleets, for the celebration, eating lobster at The Palms, fresh bagels, hearing the ringing of the bell on Wall Street...well, I could go on and on...or did I?













This year, My husband took me to New York for my birthday...the big 50. We revisited so many familiar spots. Memories were rekindled...we stayed at the "W" on Times Square (love the free wifi in Times Square)...we saw the Naked Cowboy, Regis & Kelly, David Letterman & Broadway Shows..(loved Wicked), we enjoyed a 4-star evening dinner cruise down the Hudson, Had my picture taken with the bull on Wall Street, reenacted a "Sleepless in Seattle" moment at the Empire State Building, saw Chinatown, ate at the famous Lombardi's Pizza, shopped Macy's, rode the double decker buses, strolled around Rockefeller Center, Central Park and Radio City Music Hall, drank our fair share of Starbucks coffee... & once more, enjoyed freshly baked bagels from the street vendors...





Still fabulous...but something was missing...The Twin Towers


...in the past...as one gazed through this church yard ( where George Washington once attended church )..you would see the Twin Towers....

In May 2011 it was under construction...now Ground Zero...they were preparing for this weekend...commemorating 10 years, since the attacks on September 11, 2001...





This is a 9/11 NYC Firefighters uniform from that fateful day...now resting inside the church..in this church many were cared for on 9/11 and the weeks that followed...





Click here to see my Ground Zero WorksiteVideo





The beautiful tribute will be officially unveiled this weekend....

It now is a place of reflection, comfort and inspiration...

In honor of those who lost their lives that tragic day...(tears still spring to my eyes when I think of them and the pain their loved ones have endured...)



Through the years, Lady Liberty's torch has burned brightly....now, visitors from around the world wait hours on end to see her up close...just for the thrill of being near her...she symbolizes hope...She will forever represent freedom....our freedom.

And New York....you & your dear people, will forever hold a warm place in my heart...





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Location:Tri Oaks Farm