Last trip, we caught the bats emerge from the Congress Avenue Bridge purely by accident when driving by. This time, we made a point to see them. I wanted photos. We arrived early to secure a good vantage point on the bridge. We took in the sights while we waited. Darkness fell, the bridge was lined with folks as many as four deep, the river banks were filled with onlookers and the river was loaded with kayaks and other watercraft all of us were waiting to spot the bats. But they were a no show. We foolishly waited nearly three hours, finally giving up about 9:30. A passerby on a bike shouted that they hadn't been out in a couple weeks. It seems like there was no sign of them last week either. If anyone happens to know what happened to the Congress Ave bats, please share. I tried researching it, but turned up no details and when calling the bat line for info, it's automated and there was nothing indicating that they hadn't been seen recently.
We walked Sixth Street on Friday night, it was closed to traffic and pedestrians were free to roam. We were with friends, and The Gatsby was suggested as a place to stop to give a live band a listen. It wasn't too crowded, there was no line or cover. We sat on the upper patio, we liked the low key atmosphere and Frank was able to enjoy a cigar. We spent a couple hours there.
Rainey Street was my favorite. The block is super cute with tree lined streets and remodeled homes turned businesses, with few food carts thrown in for good measure. It was Banger's that brought us here, and we hung out at Craft Pride afterward. Excellent beer selection & chill vibe.
We had such a good time, Frank and I went back for more fun on Sunday. After we were dropped off by Uber we stopped by the Bungalow for an alcohol infused slushy. The sign on the sidewalk enticed me, it sounded so good - a perfect cool treat since it was warm and humid. I had about half before I tired of the sweetness. We left and set off on our bar-hopping adventure.
But the universe had other plans...
We crossed the street and we were walking along the sidewalk, Frank was a few steps ahead of me. I heard live music and I turned my neck just for a second to see if they were in the backyard of the house I was passing. It was just long enough to distract me from the uneven sidewalk that met the drive way. The next thing I knew I was on the ground in intense pain. Time seemed to stop, but seconds passed, I looked up for Frank he was too far ahead for me to get his attention. A group walking toward me did take notice and they were able to draw Frank's attention to me. I tried to get up, but my ankle couldn't bear my weight. It immediately swelled. Frank assisted me to a retaining wall across the sidewalk, I pulled down my sock and my ankle was already bruising, it didn't look good. He called for Uber on the spot, not even a minute later, I was hoisted into the Uber car. The pain worsened as were drove to the studio.
Frank helped me inside and I stretched across the bed. I lost it. I wept. I had only been feeling good for a few weeks, I had just started exercising - I felt like I was just gaining back control of my life. Now, this! Pity party, for one. Frank calmed me, and left to get ice and a brace from Walgreen's. Anyone that's been around a while, knows that my right ankle is weak. After breaking it in Mexico (and walking on it for a week) on our honeymoon, it has never been the same. This was my 6th injury to it in 10 years, my last sprain four years ago took an extremely long time to heal, I was in a cam boot for three months. Years later it still gave me grief - I just learned to deal. Now, I was faced with it all again. Icing it made it no better. It still couldn't bear wait, this scared me. I've always been able to tolerate standing - it hurt like hell, but I could manage. Not this time. I agreed to go to Urgent Care.
Frank found one downtown near University of Texas campus. I figured we'd be there all night. It was a great surprise to find only one patient waiting ahead of us. We were offered snacks and K-Cups while we waited. I was shocked when I was called back a few short minutes later. The rooms were clean and modern, each with its own TV. My vitals were taken, then I was wheeled away for xrays. No more than ten minutes later, the doctor was in to see me. The good news was that nothing appeared to be broken, but it was a nasty sprain. I refused pain meds, so after I was put in a lace up brace and given crutches, I was free to go. The whole process took about 30 minutes. That is unheard of by Vegas standards. At home, it takes that long to complete the paperwork to check in.
At least it was our last night in Austin. So, it wasn't like it was ruined the trip. It just made getting around a challenge. As I laid in bed that night with my foot elevated, I was so thankful for the Studio; we had a large king bed, a freezer for ice packs and strong WiFi for watching Netflix. I was grateful for my husband that sprung into action and took such good care of me. Despite my aches and pains, I'm one lucky girl.
2 comments:
I'm very sorry to hear you hurt your ankle/foot. Wishing you a speedy recovery.
Thanks for the well wishes!
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