LA and TX Road Trip - July 2020

Before we took off to drive to Louisiana

We took the week of July 4th off and drove to LA and TX to see our families.  We were supposed to be in the Azores but Covid messed up those plans.  So we found the closest next best thing!!

We rented a one way rental and left early on Sat morning to make the drive down to Louisiana.  We packed the car with our luggage, food and 9 large bags of clothes that we donated to the women's shelter at which Jean volunteers.  The drive took 14 hours with stops (we only stopped for gas and bathroom breaks) and surprisingly, it went by faster than we had expected. We listened to music and some podcasts (Shawna's first time listening to podcasts) and called a few friends to pass the time.  We packed all of our food and drinks to limit the stops so we had lunch and dinner in parking lots - eating salad and hummus with veggies.  We arrived at Shawna's mom's house around 8pm - we chatted with her mom, ate a piece of cake that she made for us and then went to bed.

At Shawna's Mom's House

Honny (Shawna's Mom)

We spent Sunday to Wednesday at Shawna's mom's house. Because of Covid, we didn't go out and do very much.  Keith worked and Shawna cooked and hung out with her mom.  Since we were still on our diet, we worked out each morning and we continued to eat healthy food, with the exception of the cake that we had each day!  On the last morning, Shawna was not feeling well and was concerned it might be Covid so she spent four hours waiting to be seen at the urgent care but thankfully it was just a sinus infection.

On Wednesday afternoon, we drove to Texas and arrived around 9pm at Keith's parent's house.  We had a glass of wine with them and then went to bed.  We spent the rest of the week there until Sunday morning.  On Thursday, Shawna made lamb with couscous and salad along with an almond cake to celebrate Jean's birthday - Keith's siblings and Lily joined us for dinner.  Earlier that day, we had lunch with one of Keith's employees and his wife and their kids.  

On Friday, we had planned to go to the lake but decided against it since Frank was going to be there and we didn't want to risk getting him sick so instead we rented a pool in someone's backyard which turned out to be great.  Margaret and Graham joined along with Owen, Josie and Lily.  When we arrived, we had lunch of cheese and meats with bread and fruit.  The kids played in the pool and then Margaret and Keith challenged them to a round of volleyball.  For dinner, Graham grilled some yummy burgers and after we ate, we packed up and went back to Jean and Dick's house.  

Dodds Clan

On Saturday, we went to see Peter, Jenn, Jordan, Michael and Peter's parents at Peter's house.  We had lunch with them (brisket with salads) and then hung out in the pool for a while.  That evening, we ordered in Indian food and Graham joined us.  

On Sunday, we left after breakfast and drove down to Austin as Keith needed to go see some properties down there.  We had brunch with Jeff and Nina and their kids at their house - they made quiche and breakfast potatoes which were tasty.  Before we left, Keith participated in a pie eating contest with them which was quite funny and disgusting at the same time!  That evening, we had dinner with Nancy, Hall, Tracy and Dave - we sat outside at a restaurant near their house.  It was great to be able to catch up with friends.

Otchis Family

Tracy, Dave, Nancy and Hall

On Monday, Shawna worked from the hotel (we stayed at the Westin in downtown Austin) and then flew home (first flight after Covid had started) while Keith stayed in TX for the rest of the week visiting properties in Austin, San Antonio and Dallas.  He was able to spend the following weekend with his parents and then he flew home on Sunday.  On the Friday, we met up with Peter and Khris (buddy from high school) for drinks and dinner.  And on Saturday, he caught up with Rebecca with a walk around White Rock Lake and then that evening he had dinner again with his parents and siblings - Graham made dinner for the family.

Keith and Rebecca

Keith, Peter and Khris