Final Stops: Keeping it Simple with Friends

The final leg of our Spring Break mini get-away took place around Temple and Georgetown. We started our trip seeing ancient dinosaur relics, so why not pair that with one of the most ancient religions: Hinduism. Jeff coordinated a visit to the Hindu Temple of Central Texas and a private tour with Dr. Rao. (Side note: Danielle recently wrote a paper for her Humanities class after visiting a temple in Frisco, so she was primed to learn a bit more.) Dr. Rao did an incredible job explaining the history and beliefs of Hinduism while thoughtfully weaving in comparisons with other religions, including Christianity. The overlaps and intersections between traditions were fascinating to hear about, making the stop both educational and unexpectedly engaging.

Another surprising stop—one that no one saw coming—was at the Wilson House. We entered the address, which routed us to the middle of a quite suburban neighborhood. We all thought Jeff was bonkers. Until we walked inside! It was like stepping back in time to the 1970s! The interior of this otherwise ordinary-looking home was filled with bold colors, vintage patterns, and laminate everywhere you looked -- designs from the past. It was awesome.

This house built in 1959, was owned by Ralph Wilson Sr., the founder of Wilsonart, a company looking for creative new ways to use laminate in homes. It was his private residence, but doubled as a creative test lab where new laminate designs and applications could be experimented with throughout the home.

After he moved out, the home stayed with the company and later received National Landmark status and has been restored to preserve the moment in time. It sits empty most of the time -- only shown about twice a year, and we were one of those times, thanks to Jeff's quest for unique activities! 

Not quite as unique—but still plenty of fun with friends—was an evening of bowling. Matt dominated the competition, while the rest of us were simply happy to break 100 and keep the ball out of the gutter. And apparently bowling has evolved as the modern scoring systems now allow you to play games like "Horse", with one shot on a different configuration of pins. 

This part of Texas is also geologically unique, so we made sure to explore Inner Space Cavern. Formed thousands of years ago, the cavern is filled with incredible rock formations (built one drop of water at a time) and winding underground passages that make for a fascinating walk beneath the surface. (Note: Naomi and I had been here back in 2017 for her 5th grade field trip, which Danielle missed out on this annual rite of passage due to covid)

A perk of traveling with older kids: they’re perfectly capable of safely entertaining themselves. In the evening, we picked up food for them and left them back at the hotel while the adults went out for dinner. In our absence, the kids apparently staged their own version of Shark Tank before burning off some energy with spirited rounds of Just Dance. 

Meanwhile, Jeff embraced the season and enjoyed a green beer in honor of St. Patrick's Day..

From ancient history to modern days, our Spring Break trip was full of fun stops and memorable moments. Good times with friends we always enjoy hanging with, and another Spring Break adventure in the books. Only a handful left on the horizon... 🥹