Austin - Part III Keeping it Clean

Wrangling peacocks is dirty work and certain small people can become gamey.

Granny Susan steps in to save the day.

Austin Part II - Last Ride of the Peacock Wranglers

The day after Granny's memorial, Miguel returned to Portland and Aurelia and Sylvia were unleashed on the unsuspecting city of Austin. After the obligatory barhopping and duet with Willie Nelson, they settled down for lunch with Aurelia's childhood buddy Kristy and her two little men, Braeden (big) and Ross (little) . Sylvia scored a gift even though her birthday was still weeks away. (ok. I'm a little jealous).

Then it was back to Granny's to clean up.
Sylvia was put in charge of the recycling which she dutifully filled and emptied.

With the weather improving by the day, there was time out from the cleaning for posing in the sun.

And diving.

And peacock wrangling.

(Laguna Gloria Museum)

Peacock officially outta here.

We conclude this episode with a moment brought to
you by the National Institute for Cute Uncle and Niece Pictures (TM).

Austin, TX- Part I

This last week we returned to Austin, Texas to say goodbye to Aurelia's Granny. Family and friends from across the country gathered in her home and backyard to tell stories, eat good food, and remember a kind and humorous person. She was remembered by her family in the Austin American Statesman below:

"Eunice told many stories of adventures and hard work growing up on a traditional family farm with her brothers and sister. She met her husband Paul H. Vavra while they were attending Iowa State University in Ames and their wartime romance and marriage was a lasting one. They lived for many years in Hampton, Virginia, and Kemah, Texas, where they raised a family of five children and Paul worked for NASA. In Kemah, Eunice was known among family and friends for her casual seafood meals and for enjoyment of Galveston Bay and the fun it provided her husband, children, grandchildren and friends. After she was widowed, Eunice moved to Hyde Park in Austin. There she inspired, mothered, encouraged, and enjoyed her large group of friends, who were of all ages and from all walks of life."

I am proud to have had her as a grandmother-in-law and ever more proud that she was the great grandmother of my daughter.

Before the memorial, Granny's garage was filled with flowers.





Vic and Sylvia greet family and friends.

During the memorial stories were shared, jokes were told, and tears were shed. The day concluded with cases of cascarones cracking on cabezas. We left the garage covered in colored egg shells and confetti. I knew Granny liked cascarones and think she would have approved the memorial concluding with laughter and color.

We're still picking confetti out of our suitcase.






Sylvia made sure there was no confetti between the toes.

The following day I returned to Portland, leaving my sweeties in Austin. Without her fathers guiding influence Sylvia quickly turned to her shelf-clearing ways.

And don't get me started on the partying and mardigras beads...

Stay tuned for the Next Episode: Last Ride of the Peacock Wranglers

Austin Portraits I

There were so many wonderful pictures that I decided
not to post them all at once. But have no fear, discs will be winging their way around the country soon.

Sylvia, Aurelia, Susan, Stephen, Karen,
Bigdaddy, Oma, Granny