Wednesday, June 15, began Patrick's A&M Soccer Camp in College Station, so dad took the day off and Mike Rine joined us for a road trip to "malfunction junction" (as my old Scoutmaster used to call it).
We started with lunch at Carl's Barbecue in Cypress, then stopped by the Bluebell Creamery in Brenham for ice cream.
Check-in is always a nightmare at soccer camp, but we got there a little early and found a spot in line that Erin & Patrick held for about 15 minutes until registration opened. Things moved quickly then and we were registered and had Patrick's dorm room assigned within another 10 minutes and the four of us headed to his room with his gear.
Funny thing, Patrick was assigned to the very same suite that Erin stayed in last summer!
We got Patrick settled then hugged him good-bye so we could force our way back through the crowds and make a quick exit. You can see from the photo below, taken on our way out, that getting there a little early really paid off!! We were driving out of the parking lot almost exactly one hour after arriving.
After stopping at the George Bush Library for Mike to add to his US Flag photo collection, we noticed Patrick had left his soccer ball in the car. As Erin said, "what's the ONE THING you shouldn't be without at a soccer camp?" So we stopped back at Callaway house and Erin bumped into him in the crowd and gave him his ball.
Next stop was the Messina Hof Winery in Bryan, Texas' most-awarded winery. I had a bad experience with a bottle of Messina Hof wine back in the 80's and had never tried another, but we learned a great deal during our tour and tasted some very good wines. We purchased a bottle of their Texas Tawny Port and a jar of Tawny Port Chocolate Sauce.
The winery sits in the middle of a small vineyard and now has a Bed & Breakfast and upscale restaurant on either side with small lake and showy flower beds around the property.
The grounds provided a nice backdrop to some "glamour shots" of both Erin and my new Camry, and Mike Rine took some great photos with the setting sun's warm lighting!
click on each photo to see a larger version...