"Breast Friends Forever"!

20 Nov 2010--We have been back in San Antonio for almost a month now, and it seems like we have been busy, but I am not sure at what! haha Time seems to be flying, but mostly we have just been going to the gym, trying to lose a few pounds before Thanksgiving (haha), going to medical appointments, making our list of "things to do" while we are here, and hanging out with friends.

Back on the 7th we went up to Austin with our friends Hallie, Donna and Barb to do the Annual 5K Race for the Cure. Donna, the baby of the group at 40, was diagnosed with breast cancer several months ago so we met up with some of her friends from work to walk the Race. Donna's friend Sandra made capes for all of them; black BFF capes for them and a pink cape for Donna.

And we get started!

Along the route. Quite festive!

Isn't she too cute!

After the Race we went back to Donna's and Hallie's house to make a small coffee table for our RV. I have been looking high and low for a light-weight and relatively small coffee table that wouldn't dominate the RV, but to no avail, so we decided tomake one ourselves. We had bought the wood, legs and brackets the previous day, so we were ready to get going as soon as we arrived from Austin...except Hallie, the oldest of the group, who needed a nap before getting started! haha

After Cathy and Donna put the router table together we were ready to begin. I had to tell them how to put the wood thru, then I took the camera back for shots and filming.

As we had all been in the military we were very aware of safety, so as a reminder I enticed Donna into announcing the "all clear" signal before we engaged the router!

We bought the legs pre-made, so all we had to do after putting a finishing edge on the table top was to attach the brackets and legs, and then Hallie sanded, stained and shellacked the table for me from top to bottom.

The finished product back at the RV...perfect size, almost perfect coloring, and I couldn't be happier with my table!

Back on Oct 30th Hallie and I went to the 50th Annual Wurstfest in New Braunfels, a small town just north of San Antonio where Hallie and Donna now live. Cathy and Donna stayed home to watch the college football games.

New Braunfels was settled by Germans and still very much has a German flavor. The Wurstfest was started as a celebration of sausage, believe it or not, and is very much like the Oktoberfest in Germany, just on a smaller scale. When I was stationed in Germany in the 80s I went to the Oktoberfest and had a blast...but I was much younger then...haha! There is lots of eating, drinking, music and dancing over the course of the 10 day event.

After hanging out at the Wurstfest for a couple hours, we took a walk to the downtown area which was blocked off from traffic for early Halloweeners. That building below is the courthouse, followed by the Comal River, which according to Donna is the shortest river in the United States. Along the way we saw these kids dressed as Pebbles, Bam-Bam, and I don't know who the puppy was supposed to be, but they were very cute so I took their picture.

Hallie wanted to show me this bar, the Phoenix Saloon, which back in 1871 was the 1st saloon in Texas to serve women. Back in those days it would have besmirched a woman's reputation to enter a bar, so they built a shaded ladies beer garden with push-button bells wired to trees out back. The male bartenders would then run outside to serve the ladies. They also served liquor here, in the basement, back during Prohibition in 1918.

Back at the house, we sat out front waiting for the trick-or-treaters. This girl looked a little old to be out begging for candy, but seeing as she was dressed as a hippie, I took her picture so Emily could see her. (That's what Emily went as, too!) She didn't have the wig like Emily, so you looked better Em!

One day out at the Army base we were staying at, on a branch about 3 feet away and 10 ft above us, stood this hawk. He had been eating a bird, but I couldn't get my camera in time to catch that. Look how beautiful it is...especially in the last picture.

So that's all for now. Just wanted to let you know we are still out here. We hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!!!