We escaped to Texas last week, to visit our son and his family, as well as head to San Antonio, where my husband participated in a scientific conference. 
Pico Iyer, a well-respected travel writer noted that “The urgency of slowing down — to find the time and space to think — is nothing new, of course, and wiser souls have always reminded us that the more attention we pay to the moment, the less time and energy we have to place it in some larger context. “Distraction is the only thing that consoles us for our miseries,” the French philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote in the 17th century, “and yet it is itself the greatest of our miseries.” He also famously remarked that all of man’s problems come from his inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”
So I tried to grab some undistracted time with my grandsons; Alex and I made a Lego sewing machine.
“When things come at you very fast, naturally you lose touch with yourself,” noted Marshall McLuhan, over a half-century ago.
It was nice to get away.
OccasionalPiece--Quilt! 
I’ve never been to San Antonio but would love to visit sometime. So nice that you get to go on so many travels. As for the rest of your post, I find my daily walks a great chance to slow down and just become aware of what surrounds me. I also love being alone. I’m really a home body at heart, comfortable in silence and sitting alone in a room.
Loved the picture of you. Blue is a great color for you.
Is that the River Walk in San Antonio?
I missed that one on a couple of my travels. Ugh!
It’s a great place I’ve been told.
I love San Antonio — lived there for 10 years and still have family and many friends there. The riverwalk is like an alternative dimension — separate from the streets and traffic above. There is so much art and many beautiful scenes. Glad you could enjoy it with such nice weather.
I reflected on this last night after coming home from spending two hours with Eli! I didn’t think about work or any of those other things that zap the pleasure out of the day! And boy, was it good. I see lots of inspiration in your photos Elizabeth! I especially love that spiral with the b/w checked accent!
I love the Riverwalk in San Antonio. Spending quality time with the grands is the best! !
It sounds like a nice getaway and it’s always a delight to spend time with the grandchildren. Love your lego sewing machine. I see so many inspirations for upcoming quilts there!!!! 😉 The Riverwalk is a rather eclectic sort of place. Was it cold there? You look bundled up.
wow! super cool post! absolutely love the sewing machine 🙂 thanks for sharing (lots of inpiration)! 🙂
Looks like you had a lovely time away. San Antonio offers a lot of visually attractive sites doesn’t it? It’s just a shame that the River Walk area is almost exclusively restaurants. The last time we were there it was Christmas, and there were sure some gorgeous lights. Glad you had a chance to travel like this.
That’s an awesome sewing machine, and I love your eye for architectural details. It looks like a wonderful, relaxing trip.