Hi Friends – Sorry for the sporadic posting but I’ve just been so busy with work but luckily I have some time off to look forward to so I hope to catch up on some blogging. I hope you are all doing well. I am exhausted from work and not being able to travel has really gotten to me. When we travel I really have time to myself and not worry about all the responsibilities. As you know my mom lives with us and as she’s getting older she relies on me more and more which is understandable but that’s why my trips away mean so much to me. Anyway, due to Covid it’s hard for us to get away but we decided to make the most our time off. And, the fun started yesterday.
We went on a little day outing to Georgetown. All my life I’ve been passing by Georgetown as it is south of Dallas. When I was little and lived in Dallas we’d take many trips back and forth to Monterrey, Mexico so we’d always drive through Georgetown but never stopped. When I was going to UT Austin, I’d drive through to Austin and back to Dallas many times but again, no stopping in between. Now that we live in Austin sometimes we visit Dallas but again we just kept on going. So yesterday when we went I realized there are a lot of fun little stores and sights to discover.
Actually I have made two quick pitstops in Georgetown before to visit Lark & Owl Bookstore but this time, we went to the Georgetown Arts Center. There was a very nice exhibit by a local artist, Diane Fraser. I quite liked her works because she combined beautiful colors and collage and also had some book art on display. My visit was also a bit selfish because I wanted to see my journals on display in their gift shop! They’ve been carrying my journals for a couple of years now and I just hadn’t had the opportunity to visit. It was quite a treat.
Speaking of treats, we stopped at an ice cream shop and had to indulge in some because it was super hot yesterday. Not a lot of mask wearing inside the shop so we quickly got out of there and enjoyed our scoops while sitting on a bench enjoying the shade from a tree and watched people come and go around the historic square. It would have been fun to roam around a bit more but I think we reached 100 yesterday so we headed back home but not before stopping at Aldi.
This is a grocery store which is very well-known in Germany and we thought as we’re here why not see if we can find some stuff we’d normally get when visiting Germany. We walked out with a lot of chocolate and some gummy bears. You know, typically when we go to Aldi in Germany we are riding our bikes to the store and I don’t feel so bad about all the chocolate as at least I’m going to burn off some of those calories with the bike riding. Haha. That’s ok, I have some plans for this week that I think will help with some of the calorie-burning.
One thing I’m very much looking forward to is also spending time with my books, doing some crafting and enjoying nature. I hope you are staying safe and more book talk soon.
Iliana, so glad you got to go to Georgetown and have a peek at what a nice place it is. Lark & Owl is wonderful and I kept meaning to go see your journals, but I never did. If you guys ever go back, do try to see the B.I.G. store. It’s not on the square, but not too far away. B.I.G. stands for Brookwood In Georgetown and it’s a wonderful program that provides work for adults with functional disabilities. Their citizens (which is what they call the people enrolled in their program) create many things that are sold in the shop and cafe – art, ceramics, wonderful candy, and they have a greenhouse. The shop is great. Our church in Georgetown was very involved with the group and I recommend it to all. Oh, and Georgetown also has a Crumbl Cookie Shop – just FYI. Their cookies are amazing!
Sounds like you had a very fun time and, I totally forgot you designed journals in the past so thanks for sharing the link. You are so talented. We have a few Aldis in the area but, I have never shopped them. My daughter raves about the prices as well.
Kay – I think we passed the B.I.G. store but it was closed. And, a cookie shop? That’s reason enough to go back! Haha.. I definitely want to go back but it will have to be when the temperatures cool down. The heat was just oppressive. Lark and Owl is such a cool bookstore. Honestly Georgetown isn’t that far from Austin but as you know it’s the traffic that makes it a chore to get out there especially as I’m in south Austin. Thank you for all the tips and will remember then when I go back!
Diane – Ah thank you for the kind words. I love making journals but have been falling behind on my crafting. We have a couple of Aldi’s here in Texas but none that are really close to me. They have a limited selection of stuff but you can find some good deals.
Sounds like you had a great trip! My aunt was born and raised in Germany and I’ve wanted to visit there since I was a kid. I love shopping at Aldi. You can find things there that aren’t at other stores. And the prices are great. I even have a Quarter that has “I ♥ Aldi” stamped on it and clips to your purse so you always have a quarter on you. I bought one for me and one for my daughter in law on ETSY.
The trip sounds wonderful and I’m glad you’d a great time, Iliana. Thank you for sharing this post and oh, my youngest daughter loves those gummy bears, too. 😀
Iliana, I understand about the need to travel when you are a caregiver to an aging parent. My mom is 88 and while she can still drive and run her own errands, I provide all the dinnertime cooking, grocery shopping and a lot of companionship. My husband and I are happy to help, but our road trips provide all three of us some time apart from the caregiving role, which is so necessary for a healthy multigenerational home. I’m sorry Covid is messing up your travels and hope you can get away more often. Georgetown sounds like a fun day trip and I wonder if you’ve been to Fredricksburg. I’m sure you have, but we’ve enjoyed it the two times we’ve been. The first time was over the 4th of July (gosh, that must have been back in the late 90s) and it was SOOOOO hot!
I wish I had stopped in at the Aldi store that opened in Lincoln, NE when we were living there. I’d love to get some German chocolates! I hope we both get to travel back to Germany someday soon.
Vicki – That’s so cute about the Aldi quarter holder. Would definitely come in handy in any supermarket in Germany as you always need a Euro to be able to use a shopping cart. I hope you get to visit Germany one day. It’s so beautiful and so many things to do!
Melody – It was a lot of fun and I’ve been strong and haven’t broken into the gummy bears yet! 🙂
Lesley In OR – I’m so glad you are able to get away. It is so important to have that space and now that we haven’t been able to travel in two years I’m really feeling the pressure. I’m so glad your mom is pretty independent still and even drives. Unfortunately my mom relies on me for a lot but like you said, hopefully one day we’ll be able to visit Germany again! And, yes, I have been to Fredericksburg and it is fun. Traveling anywhere in Texas has to be done outside of the summer months right? So freaking hot!
Georgetown is a spot I’ve always wanted to visit. I’m glad you were able to get out and see a bit of the town, especially your journals. (BTW, I would love to hear more about your journals on your blog, please, Iliana.)
Deb Nance at Readerbuzz – I hope you get a chance to go to Georgetown. It really does have some fun spots. And, thank you for asking. Yes, I will try to do an update on my bookbinding projects!
The sweet treats look divine. I couldn’t really see anything beyond that, haha (esp. the gummy bears)! Glad that you had a good trip. 🙂
Lex @ Lexlingua – Haha.. I know what you mean! I’ve been holding strong and the gummy bears are still in the pantry. Not sure how much longer I will last though 🙂