Winter Break (Part Two)

The first part of winter break was full of family celebrations and a couple of us feeling under-the-weather, but the second week of winter break was all about getting out and enjoying our time away from work and school. On New Year's Day, Gene took the boys to Nana and Pop's to play D&D with Uncle Mike and the cousins. Ruby and I stayed at home.

Thursday was a rainy, dreary day, so we went to the MFAH to see their current exhibitions.  The two impressionism exhibits, From Monet to Picasso: A Very Private Collection and Berthe Morisot: Impressionist Original were both very good. The Norman Rockwell American Freedom exhibit was absolutely spectacular and I'm so glad we made the time to visit the museum.  

Friday was a beautiful day in Houston, and we had planned to visit Galveston, but two of the attractions we wanted to see are currently closed for renovations. So we improvised and took ourselves down to the 1940 Air Terminal Museum by Hobby Airport.  This Art Deco building was the original airport terminal in Houston and looks at the history of air travel in our city.  It had been on my list of things to do for years and I'm glad we finally made it!

We were there on the last day of the Space Age Christmas Trees exhibit on the second floor of the terminal.  

A volunteer took us outside to see the 1930 Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar.  

We even got to go inside! This plane was used as a training plane during World War II, and then was flown commercially in South America before being purchased by two Houston oilmen and then finally donated to the museum in 2002.  

Henry purchased a small toy plane and flew it around on his way to check out this colorful aircraft. 

After visiting the museum, we decided to head to Armand Bayou Nature Center for some hiking. We haven't been in years (mostly because pets aren't allowed) and we were so glad to get out there for a short hike.  

The farm (including sugar cane and a sugar press)

What a beautiful day to be outside!

Since Armand Bayou is close to Kemah and Will had been looking forward to a seafood dinner in Galveston, we decided to head to the boardwalk for an early dinner.  

We arrived a bit after 4pm and played some games before heading to the Flying Dutchman for dinner.  

 

This boy is obsessed with rubber ducks!

Local Gulf oysters on the half shell for Gene and Will 

On Saturday, Henry and I went to the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft to see two exhibits. We really enjoyed Nahtalie Miebach: The Water Line, which uses sculpture and weaving to explore the relationship between art and weather, especially with regard to flooding and hurricanes in Houston. The installations were quite engaging!

The artist used tweets in her work to highlight the emotional impact of weather events.  

This morning, on our last day of break, we headed to the Houston Arboretum with Gramma and Grampa.  We visit quite often but they hadn't been to see the new and improved trails. It was the perfect January day to get outside!

 

I was excited to see the new great horned owl mural by Anat Ronen on the Ravine Trail.  It is just beautiful.  

Our winter break was really lovely, full of time with family. What a perfect way to begin 2020.   

Winter Break

While the days leading up to Christmas were hectic and full, we finally had some down time after the holiday itself.  On Friday, we went to iPic to see Jumanji, 2, which was our big Santa present this year. Experiences are great gifts, and iPic is a fantastic way to see a movie.

Monday was a gorgeous day with bright blue skies, so we headed west to Stephen F. Austin State Park. We had a full car:  the four of us, Gramma and Grampa, and Ruby!

Stephen F. Austin State Park is one of our favorites.  It's less than an hour from Houston and is full of cardinals and other birds in the winter.  

We hiked about 2 miles and then enjoyed our picnic lunch before visiting the new museum at San Felipe de Austin Historic Site. When we arrived, Ruby thought the sculpture dog was real and barked like crazy until we dragged her over to have a sniff.  It was quite amusing!

The museum is really well done, with artifacts like this original 1834 log cabin, as well as interactive, multi-media displays. 

Outside the park are some short trails through the original lots of land given to the first colonists.  

The museum is definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.  

On New Year's Eve, Henry and I decided to head to the zoo, and Gramma and Grampa joined us for our morning adventure. 

We arrived at the zoo ten minutes before opening so wandered around the lake, looking at the ducks and getting chased by an angry goose.

At the zoo, we toured the new wetlands exhibit, where we saw the bald eagle and the whooping cranes.  

Almost as tall as a crane!

It was a beautiful day and the zoo was not very crowded at 9am.  

The male tiger was out

and the lions were receiving enrichment (bones were thrown in the water, so we actually saw the lions active and in the water, which is unusual).  

We even saw all three gorilla groups: the bachelors, the family group, and the three new young boys.

Henry, the gorilla, is 9 years old and is part of the new group of young males.  

Bobbie is the new baby giraffe, born in October.  

The zoo was absolutely delightful and we all had a wonderful time.  

By 10:20, we were all tired, so we headed over to the train to ride it around Hermann Park. Henry and I enjoyed lunch with Gramma and Grampa to end our morning outing.

On New Year's Eve, we went to the annual family party that we attend every year. It was as loud and fun as always. We ate and talked, the boys played, and this year, I saw many students from my school. Will was the dog whisperer and had these two snoozing on his lap. 

2019 was a busy, busy year for us in all sorts of good ways. I'm looking forward to seeing what's in store in 2020!