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Beardbrand and Bats

Posted on April 15, 2019 by Ching under Things to Do, Travel.

After Moonshine Grill, we walked over to Maggie Mae’s which calls itself the most iconic bar on Sixth Street. We were there with the OUUG conference group just the previous night but Brian had never been and I wanted him to be able to experience it. Plus, I found out about the Beardbrand customer appreciation party so I thought it would be a good way to get free drinks. I couldn’t believe I managed to talk four others into crashing the party with me. As always, Brian (who is a bit of a stick in the mud) was a very reluctant participant.

Lois and Michelle at the Beardbrand party at Maggie Mae’s.

They had these little mustache combs in a bowl for everyone to take so I took a few for my bearded friends in Wichita.

We could have stayed and drank for free all night but we had to be at the bridge by sunset to watch the bats, which Brian had never seen before, so we only had time for a drink. As we were leaving, they were rounding everyone up for a group photo. I really wanted to be in it but party pooper Brian wouldn’t let me. I guess he was still feeling really awkward about crashing the party. LOL.

We arrived at the bridge just as people were gathering both on land and in the water. They were in paddle boards, kayaks, paddle boats, and tour boats of all shapes and sizes — pretty much anything that floats.

I suppose the water is the perfect vantage point for viewing the bats as they emerge from their roost under the Congress Avenue bridge.

Our group decided to stay and watch from the bridge. It worked for me because Jackie and I watched them from the grassy area under the bridge the night before. She wanted to see the bats so I went with her and we both left the OUUG party at Maggie Mae’s early.

This is the spot where Jackie and I watched the bats.

It’s a very popular bat observation spot. However, as you can see, people watch the bats from the bridge and also from the river.

Here’s a short video the bats emerging from their roost. They are very small and difficult to see. I was actually quite surprised. I thought they’d be much larger.

Here’s a video of us viewing the bats from the bridge, which I think is actually much better because it’s easier to see the bats. However, I think watching them from a boat on the water would probably be best because you’d be even closer.

The bats start flying out of the bridge at sunset. The whole event takes several minutes and continues until dark. When Jackie and I left that first night, there were still many bats emerging but it had gotten quite dark and we could barely see them at that point and so we decided it was time to leave and head back to our hotel.

It’s really interesting to watch the bats. I can see why it’s a tourist attraction. The main thing to remember is not to touch the bats if you see them on the ground as the sign below says. I didn’t encounter any grounded bats on either night. That’s a good thing. I would have felt very bad for them.

Anyway, Brian and I decided to call it a night after the bats. He didn’t get in until almost three o’clock that morning due to flight delays. He was supposed to arrive shortly after ten and at the hotel by eleven o’clock. Luck was not on his side that night. He had a rough trip. We both turned in early to allow Brian to catch up on much-needed sleep. That’s all for now. GNG.

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Wine Tasting at Texas Reds and Whites

Posted on April 14, 2019 by Ching under Things to Do, Travel.

I thought I would be able to catch the blog up over vacay but the wifi at the resort was super sketchy. They also limited our connection to two devices so, after connecting Brian’s phone and my phone, we couldn’t connect anymore devices. Sorry, grandma!

While toodling around in downtown Austin, Brian and I happened upon Texas Reds and Whites Tasting Room by the convention center.

Here are some pictures we took of the tasting room.

It was pretty quiet in there all afternoon. We met these two guys who were on a bachelor weekend with their friends. They were killing time before everyone was to meet up for their room escape activity. Before they left, the Asian guy on the left performed a cool card trick for us.

It’s funny how we are always making friends no matter where we are.

They had an extensive selection of wines you could drink by the glass. They had $10, $12, $15, and $18 a glass options.

These are all wines made by local Texas wineries.

There was a good but considerably smaller selection of wines available for the tasting. The cost is $20 and you could try three wines or five wines. Both options allow you to choose from the same list of wines. The key difference is that you get more wine in each glass if you only pick three of them to try.

We tried the following wines:

Reds listed dry to sweet

Lost Draw Tempranillo
Messina Hof Malbec
Thirsty Mule Sweet Red Merlot

Whites listed dry to sweet

Lost Draw Picpoul Blanc
Los Pinos Blanc du Bois

We hung out for a bit and even took a selfie with the lady who was helping us.

Oh, I also saw this sign they had which I thought was sound advice I had also had a glass of sangria (see pic of my sangria below). LOL.

Anyway, we were killing some time while waiting for the brewery next door to open so Brian could sample some beers as well. I would normally create a separate post but the brewery was neither serving food nor their own beer. They weren’t quite officially open yet. They’re targeting a May opening. So, in the meantime, they were only serving beer from other breweries which was kind of disappointing.

They also had some wine, cider, cold brew coffee, and a selection of other beverages. Nothing really appealed to me so I didn’t have any.

Since were already there, Brian enjoyed some beer.

I forget what he had but he seemed to like it.

Here’s a picture I took of the inside of the brewery. Eventually they will be fully open and serving food in addition to their own craft brews.

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Chicken N Pickle

Posted on February 25, 2019 by Ching under Food and Drink, Things to Do.

In case you didn’t know, Chicken N Pickle is officially open. Brian and I have been there a few times already. We were there for the lunch and learn event on Martin Luther King Day, during their soft open, for the Ditch the Date Valentines Day event, and again on Sunday morning for some pickleball. I’ve also been out there with Uncle Roy and his group for pickleball on a couple of Tuesdays.

Here are some pictures we got on our very first visit.

The indoor courts were ready but that was pretty much it.

They had a few food items you could buy for lunch but the main restaurant wasn’t open yet so the food selection was limited. It didn’t bother me too much, though. I was there to play pickleball mostly.

Brian and I were both off work that day for the Martin Luther King holiday so he took me to play pickleball at West YMCA first, where they play on Monday mornings starting at 9 AM. Then we went to Jay and Becca’s travel agency office to book our Costa Rica trip, since we were just down the street. After that we took my car to the dealership to get washed.

It was warm enough for the carwash to be running but, we found out the hard way, that it was actually still very cold. Chicken N Pickle is just down the street from the dealership so I talked Brian into walking over there for the lunch and learn while we were waiting for my car to be ready. I think Brian was cursing me under his breath the entire walk over. Anyway, despite the proximity, we ended up taking a Lyft car back to the dealership afterwards because neither of us wanted to deal with that cold wind again.

My next visit out there was for pickleball with Uncle Roy’s group. It worked out because we needed to pick up a TV mount at Best Buy so I went over there to play and then Brian took a Lyft ride over after taking care of our girls. Then we just went to Best Buy before heading home after pickleball.

I’m glad we went because Roy and Bonnie’s daughter Maddy who is an event coordinator at CNP was there and she told me about the soft open (read: free food).

Alex and I met up with Brian for lunch there the next day and had the opportunity to try several menu items.

I’m not sure what it is about free food but it’s always so tasty. Kidding aside, everything was truly very good.

We enjoyed everything we ate. In case you are wondering what all these are, here’s the menu card that we drew:

Here’s a picture of the vast dining room.

It is the perfect place for a party because they have so much space.

The following Tuesday, I was back again for pickleball with Roy’s crew. I took a picture of the card they had showing all of the upcoming events.

Then Brian and I were back again for “Ditch the Date” on Valentines Day. For $25 per person you got free food, two free drinks, and free pickleball from 6 PM to 9 PM. It was a pretty good deal!

Here’s a picture of us with Maddy.

When we arrived, we ran into one of the ladies who goes to my Zumba class (Diana Miller) and her husband. The four of us ended up hanging out for most of the evening on an accidental double date of sorts.

Here are some pictures of the beautiful exterior grounds, which are a far cry from the state they were in just a couple of weeks prior.

Another one of the Millers.

I also ran into some folks that we play pickleball with at the church that night. These are Debbie and Tiffany.

And, yes, Brian and I were nerds who wore matching outfits from head to toe.

It was such a fun night. Overall, I’m really pleased with CNP. I think it’s my new favorite place now. How can you go wrong with drinking and pickleball?

Brian and I like it so much that we actually went on location and did our Sunday morning FLIP + CHING video live from there.

If you haven’t tried CNP yet, I highly recommend it.

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Fun Times with Friends

Posted on January 6, 2019 by Ching under Events, Food and Drink, Things to Do.

Brian and I had a bit of fun over holiday break. We got to hang out with some friends we don’t normally get to hang out with. First was the the annual beer gift exchange at the Smiths, who are always such fabulous hosts.

Here are some pictures from that evening…

This is a pic of me and Jeff, our friend who sometimes joins us for breakfast and coffee chat. We met him through Twitter over ten years ago.

This is a pic of me and Cindy, another Twitter friend.

This is one of the beer gifts (click to watch the video).

This is Laura, taking her turn (click to watch the video).

Just a silly Boomerang (click to watch the video).

Brian is so good at the group selfies. It was a super fun night. And, although I didn’t participate in the beer gift exchange, I did get to sample some beers and found some that I actually enjoyed — much to my surprise.

The next night we went on a double date with the Dills (above). I had some Illuminations passes from work that I’d been trying to use. The four of us were actually supposed to go to Illuminations a few weeks ago when we went to have dinner with them at the ramen place but it was cold and rainy and none of us felt like going so we ended up enjoying some wine at their place instead. It was a good night to stay indoors.

It worked out that the four of us were free and we actually had nice weather this night. Except, it seemed everyone in Wichita had the same idea. Botanica was ridiculously packed.

Still, we got some nice photos courtesy of Jay’s fancy, new Pixel phone. It has a front-facing wide-angle lens that’s perfect for group selfies.

The was s’mores for the kiddos and child-at-heart.

Just a goofy pic with the giant bird’s nest.

After Illuminations we went to dinner at the Hill where Mama Dill met up with us.

Here are some pictures of dinner…

A couple of things that we didn’t get pictures of are the chicharrones and the beignets. You know Brian and I cannot go to the Hill without getting chicharrones. They are just so good and so fresh. Anyway, we scarfed them up before I could get a photo. Then, we had beignets for dessert and we also ate those before I could get a photo. Overall we had an amazing time.

To top it off, the Dills picked up our dinner tab, which was so generous and unexpected. Thanks, guys!

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Potwin Place Christmas Lights

Posted on December 23, 2018 by Ching under Things to Do.

My chance tour of the Christmas light at the Potwin Place Historic District in Topeka is definitely one of the highlights of the year. I didn’t even know what I was getting into until it happened. It was the best surprise ever.

Since several of us were in town last week, one of our coworkers decided to host a Christmas party at his house. I knew that he lived in a Victorian house in one of the oldest neighborhoods in Topeka but I knew nothing of it so I had absolutely no expectations. Even after he updated the meeting (party) invitation to include a picture of his home, warned us about the roundabouts, and encouraged us to drive through the neighborhood to enjoy the lights, I thought nothing of it.

Fast forward to that night. Most of our coworkers went straight to the party from the office but I had an errand to run after work. Misty had me a wild goose chase for this necklace she wanted made of copper from the State Capitol roof and I had to go to the Kansas Historic Society to get it. That is a whole story in and of itself but I digress. Since the place is right by our hotel, I decided to drop off my stuff first. I was the only one coming from the hotel so there was no one to carpool with. I don’t particularly enjoy driving so I decided to order a car. I had a 25% off special on all Lyft rides so I think the ride cost lest than $10 before tip. It was very reasonable. Anyway, this has got to be the most memorable Lyft ride I’ve ever had. (If we don’t count the time that I had a big box of the driver’s donuts on my lap on the way to the office one morning. But that’s also another story.)

The Lyft driver followed the instructions on the GPS (as they all typically do) and we pleasantly chatted on the way to my destination. I casually mentioned what my friend said about the neighborhood Christmas lights. She asked me where I was going and I told her that I think he lives in an area called Potwin. That’s when she perked up and got very excited. Apparently, she is very familiar with the area. She decided to disregard the instructions of the GPS and told me she was going to take me another way so I could enjoy the lights. That’s when I found out that the Potwin Place Historic District Christmas lights displays are a very big deal up there. Potwin Place is a highlight of every Topeka Christmas lights tour.

I wasn’t in a hurry and I’m always down for a good “Easter Egg” (and she didn’t didn’t give the the axe murderer vibe) so I didn’t object. Although, I did tell her that her GPS was probably going to go berserk on us. As long as she was okay with that, I was too. So went for a nice, leisurely drive through the neighborhood with her pointing out some of the houses with the best decorations. Of course, you can’t really breeze through the neighborhood because of all the roundabouts which, I found out later, were installed back in the day to keep the horse carriages from racing through the neighborhood streets. Oh, I forgot to mention that she even tuned her radio to the special radio station as we entered the neighborhood. By the time she delivered me to my friend’s house, she had earned herself a very good tip. That was, by far, the best Uber/Lyft ride experience I’d ever had.

The evening was full of surprises so it didn’t end there. My coworker had actually arranged for his friend (who also lives in the neighborhood) to give us a hay ride to enjoy the lights. While I was very pleased with the tour that the Lyft driver had given me, this was even better. I didn’t have car windows between me and the beautiful lights. The only thing that could have made it better was if we actually had time to tour the lights on foot and walk through the displays.

I’m posting a few pictures below but, I must warn you, these aren’t going to do the Christmas lights display any justice. If you’re up in the Topeka area, I highly recommend taking a tour of the lights yourself. This year’s theme is “International Celebration” and will be up through January 5.