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On San Angelo

October 11, 2009 in Da Fam., Day in the life., Ridin' with 4 Comments

In Chicago, we were lucky to have family straight down Pulaski and just around the lake in Western Michigan. Allegan is a hamlet of a town and my folks live in the middle of the woods – it’s pure and fresh and beautiful.

Now that we live in Austin, we’re fortunate for a similar set up. Our extended family is here in town and San Angelo is almost the exact same distance for us to travel to see the ‘rents. The commute is a bit different – the Texas Hill Country offers views second to none (sorry, Gary, IN).

But it’s more than beauty along the road. San Angelo is a cultural hub of western central Texas.

To understand that fact you must consider the far western counties. Some have as many as 2,000 people in them (yes, the whole county). It’s barren, the land is cheap and there is dirt forever, interrupted once by gorgeous mountains.

By comparison, San Angelo is huge at 88,000 people. There are sports teams and shopping and nice restaurants – everything you might travel hours to experience.

There is a rich tradition of military use of the land around San Angelo, and Buffalo Soldiers were even trained at Ft. Concho. Livesotck is the primary money mover, including sheep and lambs and cattle.

I’ve made several cycling friends in San Angelo, and the state park is a mecca for nature lovers and mountain bikers who enjoy dozens of miles of trail that change with the seasons.

The Playground Trail offers nice views at the top.

I often find myself resting under big live oak trees on the north end and calling loved ones to catch up. It’s very serene.

We’re fortunate to have San Angelo and her rest-filled days, swimming-filled afternoons (see Katie and PJ diving here – Facebook login req’d) and peaceful nights. They help us forget the big city and lawn care and neighbors and bills and jobs.

And much like Allegan and Kalamazoo, San Angelo is a place that some people might not consider as more than just a stop along the road. But if you experience them in further depth, you’ll guaranteed to uncover a hidden gem that’s just waiting to be found.

The DOYLES are headin’ north

September 21, 2008 in Da Fam., Day in the life., Friends, Ridin', White Sox Baseball with 7 Comments

Hey friends and family – we’re coming your way!

Many of you know about our planned vacation, but for those who are just finding out I apologize on the timing. We’ve been very busy and trying to schedule everything has been kind of nightmarish. Nothing more stressful than a vacation, right?

Here’s our plans, we hope to see as many of you as possible. Please know that you’re all invited to join us at any location at any time and we encourage it! It’s going to be hard for us to travel to everyone’s home with the toddlers, we hope you understand.

09.23 Tues – leave Austin, land at O’Hare, meet Grandma jean and Grandpa Bob to get their vehicle. They’re so nice and kind to travel six hours round trip to lend us transportation. [Thanks again.] After a quick lunch with them we’re headed to Galena, IL for the Goeres family reunion.

09.24 Weds – 09.26 Fri – Hanging out in the land of Ulysses S. Grant. Lots of family fun – games, shenanigans, possibly a mountain bike morning through The Prairie Peddler. Maybe an Alpine Slide for the kids.

09.26 Fri – Drive to South Bend, IN (Granger, really) to see our good friends, the Bells. Our kids will have much fun together, and Kelly has already offered up more than we’ll need. So nice.

09.27 Sat – Drive a little farther north to St Joseph, MI to see our good friends, the Finnigans. Even more kids craziness and reacquainting with old friends. Likely a good chimenea burn that night.

09.28 Sun – A few more miles up the beautiful west Michigan coast to Allegan, MI to see Grandma Jean, Grandpa Bob, Aunt Kelly and a lot of Ashley relatives. Mom’s hosting an open house to display the toddlers Doyle, just today I realized i get to see some family I haven’t seen for years. Very exciting.

09.29 Mon – After a visit to Aunt Kelly’s work, we’ll pop over to her new house in Kalamazoo. We’re looking forward to seeing the place and her friends!

09.30 Tues – 10.01 Weds – Back in Allegan, maybe a quick mountain bike ride for the kid at Yankee Springs or Fort Custer (where Stacey and I got engaged). Looking for a bike shop that has some demos, so we’ll see.

10.01 Weds – Drive to Chicago to see Grandpa Joe and Grandma Karen. We’re staying in a great condo just two blocks from Comiskey. GO SOX!

10.02 – Thurs - Stacey’s going to take some time and have a spa day at The Silken Tent, owned by our good friend Tiffany Cannon. Then it’s Doyle Day at the condo – all the cousins are coming by, you can, too. Any of these days feel free to visit.

10.03 – Fri – More Doyles in the morning, then a mountain bike ride at Palos with Paolo, Mike and Rachel. Night-time is wide open and dedicated to seeing friends. We’ll likely start out at Dugan’s in Greek Town. If you’d like to pop by the condo before to see the kids, please feel free.

10.04 – Sat – We leave at noon, but there’s always breakfast.

Aunt Kelly’s new house.

August 4, 2008 in Da Fam. with 6 Comments

We’re so proud of Aunt Kelly that we have to tell the world.

Below is a picture of her new house. It’s in Kalamazoo, which has a very forward-thinking college scholarship program for residents who maintain a decent GPA for four years or more. It will keep her house in high demand for years to come.

Grandpa Bob and a local inspector gave it flying colors and we can’t wait to see it this fall.

Nice work, Sis.

Upcoming trips

July 10, 2008 in Austin, Texas, Da Fam., Friends, White Sox Baseball with 4 Comments

Holy crap, we’re leaving Texas.

Not for good, mind you – Austin still feels like vacation to this northerner. But we are hitting the road for a couple of fun trips.

SAN FRANCISCO – August 10-13

Stacey’s company is sending her to UXWeek – a top-end conference for User Experience leads. She’ll learn a lot, I’ll ride my bike to coffee shops and eat seafood.

Actually, we do get a couple days to play and hope to take in a ballgame that Sunday at a park we’ve never been to, and see my cousin and a couple of friends. Karen and Corky are watching the kids – an amazingly-nice thing for them to do.

TOUR DE MIDWEST – September 23-October 4

This is a big trip – kiddos included this time. We were going to drive, but realize how sucky that would be with two, 16-month-old toddlers in a car for a total of four days. This schedule is still being worked on, BTW.

09.22 – 09.25 Galena, IL for the Goeres Family Reunion
09.26 Stopover in South Bend, IN to see the Bell family
09.27 Stopover in St. Joe, MI to see the Finnigans
09.28 – 09.30 Ashley Family time in Allegan, MI and Kalamazoo, MI (look at this sweet house my sister is buying – but don’t make fun of the bushes)
10.01 – 10.04 Doyle Family time and friends in Chicago, IL

For the last few days we rented a condo close to Comiskey Park. I’m not a man to upset the baseball Gods, so let’s just say I hope the White Sox are still playing at that time of year. The condo is big, has a great party deck on the third floor and overlooks the city (best view from the Southside, natch).

Hope to see y’all soon enough!