Goodbye Austin

My Austin trip turned out wonderfully. Before Don decided to join me there, I was very worried of this trip. It would have been my first time to travel (for business) alone, and I have never been away from Jackie since she was born. I was very glad that my family was able to keep me company there for almost the full duration of my training. Anyway, I did love Austin and I wouldn't mind moving there. People there are extremely friendly.

Some things I love/like about Austin:
1. Super friendly people
2. Tex-Mex and BBQ restaurants
3. 6th Street
4. Lake Travis
5. Fry's

Alone in Austin

Today, the gang headed home. During lunch break, I drove back to the hotel (only 5 minutes away) to bid goodbye. It was sad to see them go - I hate goodbyes!

Training this week is about "Support and Troubleshooting", and it is definitely more interesting and fun than last week. Students got to "play" by trying to figure out why Sentral server might not be able to discover clients (including Virtual Machines) and not able to pull device information. We went over different scenarios on why devices or clients can not communicate back to the Sentral server. And since I am an "instructor-in-training" I get to help Shannon (the teacher) break things and students have to figure out what's wrong and fix the problem.

After class today, I stuck around (since I have no one to go home to, boo hoo) to help Shannon update client software on couple of thin clients. We used NeoWare to push the images to the devices. From today's class I also learned how to fix intermittent communication problem between USB printer and Windows XP. I always thought it was printer compatibility problem, but it turns out that its the USB power management feature in Windows.

Don called at around 7 tonight. They're at Denny's somewhere in Arkansas for dinner. According to him, he will continue to drive for few more hours before an overnight stopover wherever they might be.

My first night alone in the hotel - it's lonely and I already miss my family. I hope they have a safe and smooth drive home.

Austin: Day Eleven

Today we took Jackie for riding lessons. Shannon, my training instructor, who also has a 5 year old daughter, invited Jackie for riding lessons. The lesson started at 10:15 a.m. at Grace's Riding Stable. The stable was in Georgetown, Texas - about 45 minute drive from our hotel. We got there early and met Paula, the instructor and owner of the facility. She was very nice and supplied Jackie boots and helmet to wear for the day. Jackie had the privilege of riding Sparky the pony. He is the pony for beginners because he is extremely slow, and lazy.

There were five girls in the class with age range of 3.5 to 6 years old. Before the riding lesson began, the girls were to help groom their respective ponies. It was great for Jackie because she got to groom a pony in real life. Before today, she's only groomed a virtual pony in her Little Pony Nintendo DS game. The girls were taught to mount and dismount, balance, proper riding posture, and how to hold the reign. They went through other routines that allowed the little riders get comfortable on their ponies. Trotting was one that Jackie had to skip because Mr. Sparky was a one speed (slooooow) pony. Per Don, the pony was misnamed - he should have been named Sparkless. LOL.

Playing with the friendly stable doggies

Jackie meets Sparky

Cowgirls in-training


Learning to groom

Installing the saddle


Balancing lesson


C'mon Sparky, get moving, we're way behind.

Zilker Park, Austin

We hit Zilker Park on Sunday, July 13th. Here are some photos taken during our visit. The park's official name is Zilker Metropolitan Park, but Austinites call it Zilker Park. The park is big, and because we got there a little late we were not able to ride the mini train that goes around good part of the park. The Nature and Science center had a nice exhibit including live animals. There, we finally identified the loudest bird (which Don finds to be a very interesting bird) in Austin - the great tailed grackle.

Lake Austin (shot taken from Zilker Park) -
the buildings in the background is Downtown Austin

People on kayaks playing some sort of water polo

Underneath the bridge, looking up from where we parked - these things are all over. I am not sure if these are birds nests, or wasps nests. Don thinks there are wasps nests.

Don's favorite Texas bird.This is a male great tailed grackle. The female is smaller and brown in color, while the male is bigger and black.

On our way up to Zilker Park's Nature and Science Center. Don is trying to poke on some grassy stuff which had infested the tree.

A beautiful water lily flower

The loudest, most obnoxious bird ever

Wow, that's a huge pine cone!

See, this is how you focus the microscope.

These are some good looking bugs!

A bobcat - cooling off in the shade. It's pretty hot in Texas.

Mr. coyote

Austin: Day Six

Training started today. I got to the facility at 8:50 this morning. I parked behind the building which was the ground level. I headed for the elevator and an employee looking guy joined me to catch a lift. As I reached for the buttons I asked the guy if he knew which floor was ClearCube. He was really friendly and helpful and told me that ClearCube occupied couple of floors, but the first floor would be a good start. I thanked him and pressed 3 for him, and I got off the first floor.

I followed the signs to the training room on the first floor. I ended up in the kitchen and met Shannon who will be helping us set up our training facility at the corporate office in Virginia. She directed me to the room and told me that the coffee would be ready soon and that breakfast is available. But I had a bite before I left the hotel - Don joined me for breakfast. Our teacher for this week's class is a newbie. She called us her guinea pigs - LOL. We learned how to install the ClearCube Sentral management server, agent, and console. Class ended an hour early - at 3 pm.

When I got back to the hotel, Jackie and Berna just got out of the shower. Don had taken the girls out to play tennis - a hot day for tennis, but they survived.

For dinner, Don took as to The Salt Lick BBQ in Driftwood. What a yummy dinning experience. The restaurant is about 27 miles from our hotel - it was worth the drive. They don't serve alcohol, but you are allowed to bring your own. We took our small cooler with us and filled it with Shiner beer we picked up from Whole Foods. We sat next to a group of four Filipinas from Houston. From my brief conversation with them, I found out that they came all the way here from Houston just for the BBQ at Salt Lick and to go shopping. One of the girls asked where we're from. And after I told them that we're from DC she asked (with astonishment) how we ended up at Salt Lick. Laughingly, I said, "The GPS". Another girl said to the other, "See, GPS!" Then, another girl recommended that we go to Ruby's BBQ, but she followed her statement with "but this place has better BBQ"- I laughed to myself because she recommended a place then immediately had put it down over Salt Lick. Don thought that they weren't very friendly - LOL

We all had the Combination of Meats platter. The platter had beef brisket, smoked sausage, and pork ribs with coleslaw and potatoes on the side. Jackie, our Ms Picky Eater, did not touch her plate. When she saw the food on her plate she immediately announced that she was very full, and that the bread and the meats should be taken home. Jackie always wants her left over fries and chicken fingers taken home, but she never eats them - she is funny like that.

While we ate, Ms Picky Eater played on her DS. I was very full, but I had read that the Peach Cobbler is very good so I ordered one for me and Berna to share - oh so good, with vanilla ice cream on top!

My plate - Combination of Meats platter, yummy!

Jackie did not touch her plate, but we did take the meats home,
just as she requested.

Delicious smoked sausage!

This is where they smoke the meats - you pass this on the way to the main dining hall.

I guess the BBQ really hit the spot - Don is now sleeping so soundly, it is not even bedtime yet :)

Austin: Day Four

Nothing too adventurous for the Fox family today. We enjoyed our breakfast at the hotel. Jackie had some boiled eggs and white bread; Berna and I enjoyed some scrambled eggs, french toast, and sausage, while Don stayed with his standard scrambled eggs and sausage. For lunch, we went to the Potbelly not too far from our hotel - I enjoyed my chicken salad sandwich. Then we did, as Don put it, the geeks pilgrimage at Fry's Electronics. I loved the place, it's like Disneyland to me, all the techie stuff! Why isn't there a Fry's in Virginia? Anyway, we went to Fry's to buy a wireless router so that we could have access to Internet through wireless. The hotel only provided a router with one cat5. We have three laptops and sharing one line is not very convenient. I tried using my phone as a modem but it's not good enough - it's way too slow for my taste. But today, that's been fixed. Ahh, finally, faster access to the Internet. The DLink G wireless router was only $24, but of course we had to pay the "Jackie tax" :) - she got a new Wii game - Catz 2.

After our field trip at Fry's we stopped at the bookstore next door. It was called the Half Price Bookstore. Don picked up a Tom Hillerman, Elmore Leonard, and Andrew Klavan novels. I got one by Robin Cook, while Jackie picked out couple of children's books herself. All were half the published/retail price.

We had dinner at the hotel. We grilled some burgers and hotdogs and had a little picnic by the poolside. Since Don's beer in the mini-keg had gone flat, we scooted over to Wholefoods nearby and picked up some Coronas. When we got back, Don suggested that we all go for a swim. We spent couple of hours at the pool - we brought our cooler and had a few drinks there. It was 9:15 p.m. when we got back to our room. It was a nice relaxing evening. Jackie enjoyed her time at the pool and so did I.

Tomorrow, we will try to find a real tennis court. The mini tennis court was fun, but Don and I would like to find a full court. There are a few public courts in the area and I hope there is one closeby.

Downtown Austin

Last night Don took me Downtown Austin. We got there around 7 p.m. and the place was not hopping yet. We got lucky in finding street parking easily. Apparently parking is an issue there, but even if we had to pay it's only between $5-$10, that's a bargain compared to DC parking.

Our first stop was Logan's at Congress and 6th Streets. Don had the Logan's burger with salad, and I had French Dip sandwich with fries. I had a taste of the burger and it was very good. Internet review was on point. My meal was okay - the roast beef was a little dry. We both ordered a liter of draft beer, $5 dollars per liter (happy hour price until 10 pm). Don had Bock and I had good old Miller Lite. It was a huge mug - I did not finish it. I could have if I tried, but I was the designated driver.

After dinner, we strolled down 6th Street. As we walked passed some of the bars, we were seduced with $2 dollar per shot drinks. Don just told each one of them (with a smile) that we'd be back. We ended up at the Thirsty Nickel - a place where Don visited in the past and remembered it to be a good place to hang out. When we got there, there were only a few people - mostly college kids having fun drinking shots. We each had bottle of beer. There was live (rock) entertainment provided by a 3 crew band. They took requests and they played Johnny Be Good for Don. One of the band players was a girl, and man could she play! At one time she had the guitar behind her head playing it - quite impressive. After we had enough at the Thirsty Nickel, Don wanted to call it the night. As we walked back to our vehicle, 6th Street was a totally a different place. It was livelier (louder) and a lot more people strolling about. What a fun place to be, I have never been to any place like it. I thought Georgetown was fun :) - Downtown Austin is the place to be. Before we made it to our truck, an emergency stop was in order - Don had to pee really bad. A coffee house was a perfect place - while I waited for the coffee to be brewed, Don hit the John. It was all good - better to pay for couple of cups of coffee than to end up in Austin jail - ha ha ha.

We had a great time especially the beer was only 2 dollars a bottle, plus the free live entertainment, really good entertainment, could not be beat. We made it back to our hotel close to midnight. Jackie and Berna were still awake playing Super Paper Mario.

Austin: Day Three

Today, after breakfast, we played tennis at the Residence Inn's mini-tennis court. After we had enough chasing the ball around we joined Jackie and Berna at the pool. We were the only ones there and the temperature was perfect for a swim. For lunch we went to Chick-fil-A. Jackie needed to have a good meal, yes, some good chicken fingers :)

While we were getting ready to go out for lunch, Jackie asked if we all arrived here on earth on January 1. I had to ask if she meant me, daddy, her, and Berna. She said all of us, all the people. Boy, I struggled answering the question. Don to the rescue LOL. He explained evolution and told her the story of the white butterflies in England that evolved over 100 years ago into black butterflies.

When we returned to our room after lucnh, the maid had already changed the linens and the towels, and cleaned the counter tops. The bathroom smelled good - citrusy. Tonight, we'll cruise back to Downtown Austin to check out the nightlife.

For the rest of the afternoon we'll just chill in our room - it is now almost 5 p.m. Jackie is playing Wii - Super Paper Mario. It was Jackie's personal request to bring the gaming console. When she asked me about bringing the system before the trip I told her that system might get stolen in the hotel room. She then reminded me that it did not get stolen when we took it with us to North Myrtle Beach last year. Since daddy said it was alright, then it was good for me too.

Austin: Day Two

Today we drove around the Arboretum area - where we are staying at. Don also wanted to do a drive by to my training facility so I know how to get there on Monday. We found it and it is really easy to get to - only a mile from our hotel. How convenient is that?

For lunch we went to The County Line Bar-B-Q. A place recommended by Ra, an electrical engineer (Korean) who is also staying at our hotel. We met him outside of the hotel while Don is out for a smoke. I had the chicken and brisket platter served with coleslaw and beans. Don and Berna had pulled pork sandwich, and Jackie (our Miss Picky Eater) had some chips and some of my chicken. The food was good, but did not have the Wow Factor. We will try another BBQ place in the area. I want to try some good Texas BBQ. Don might drive us down to Salt Lick in Driftwood which is about 3o minutes from our place. I read that it is suppose to be the place for BBQ.

Jackie and Don befriended a kitty at The County Line

After lunch we headed to Downtown Austin via Scenic Road which is along the Austin Lake. A nice drive on a winding road lined with huge expensive looking houses. Nothing too exciting downtown - we drove along 5th and 6th streets, and through the Capitol building. We might be back there and do some sight seeing, maybe.

Austin's Capitol Building. It looks like our Capitol Building in DC, but it is smaller and the color is beige.

When we got home from our afternoon adventure, we spent some time looking on the Internet for good authentic Mexican food. Don found Jardin Corona Mexican restaurant to have good reviews and so we decided it was the place to be for dinner. The food and margarita was very good. Our waiter Luis provided us with very good service. My meal came with a plate of crispy corn tortilla topped with cheese, and gaucamole salad on the side. I had no idea how to deal with it, whether I should wait for my meal or what. When Luis returned Don asked what to do with it. Luis was a bit puzzled with the question and responded "do you think it is going to do something?" - and we all had a good laugh. Then Don told him that we are not from the area and that we have never been served such item back home. And so he (Luis) explained. When it was time for Don to have his margarita refill, Luis asked if "more little bit stronger" was desired, the answer was a definite yes. Luis made Don taste the new and improved drink - he stood and waited for the confirmation that indeed it was good and strong. When Don asked him how he should ask for the good margarita when we return to the restaurant, he jokingly said to just say Luis. LOL. It was the "top shelf" margarita. It had premium tequilla and a dash of Grand Marnier. He did not charge us the "top shelf" price. Don gave him a good tip.

On our way home we stopped at the Dollar Tree for window cleaner (to clean our very dirty windshield), a big plastic cup for Don's beer, air freshener, and dish washing sponge. And of course you cannot leave the dollar store without a toy for Jackie.

It was good second day in Austin. Tomorrow, we'll figure out what we'll do with our day after breakfast.