Austin

We decided to make an impulse trip to Austin for a n overnight stay. The kids wanted to go to the Lego Store and I really wanted to see the bats. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency, so it was just a short walk to the Congress Street Bridge.

We sat on the grass under the bridge and some people lined the bridge itself. The signs you can't read in the picture below, basically say don't touch the bats, no problem there.

We waited and waited and then the bats began to pour out from under the bridge.

And continued to pour out from under the bridge.
They live in those little crevasses, which are so small it is hard to believe anything can live in there, let alone 1.5 million Mexican free-tail bats.
They fly off into the night sky
making beautiful formations as they go off to catch dinner for their families.
Evan was hoping for something more horror movie like, but I was grateful it was more like a dance recital than a bloodsucking horror film. Jack was my little photographer after the bats had performed. So, I actually have proof I was there.

Austin was great. Even though the trip was quick, we got to see quite a bit of the city and it was really beautiful. Parts of it, especially around the lake reminded me of Arlington, VA. Other parts were reminiscent of the Kansas City-area, very green. It is a very active and fun city.