Of Festivals and Cook-Offs

Clay and Taylor at the Zilker kite festival

We've been making a point of getting out and about over these lengthening winter days, recently attending the fourth annual "Pair It With Claret Chili Cook-Off" at Spicewood Vineyards and the 2012 Zilker Park Kite Festival. Taylor spent most of the day pack-forward at the cook-off, admiring the color and body of the wines we sampled (in our commemorative glasses) and fielding compliments throughout a perfect breezy, blue sky Hill Country afternoon. The kite festival had similarly ideal weather and our first family flyer, a squat little frog, joined hundreds of other kites in the skies above the city.

During the weekdays, we've been attending the bilingual story time at the local library branch  along with a Friday morning "Spanish for babies" meet-up group gathering at the home of a second generation Argentinian American mom (sometimes attended by a Cuban American, a Columbian and a Mexican American or two, along with other Spanish-language beginners). Tuesdays is our baby love massage class at the birthing center, and between these various scheduled events we enjoy a daily constitutional with John Henry, weather permitting, and oftentimes an afternoon stroll through the neighborhood across the way, sometimes stopping off in Garrison Park to take a turn on the swings.

Taylor assessing the wine at Spicewood