Breakfast at Nelda's

Well, we tried a different breakfast place today, another very popular one. The place is larger, and the atmosphere is pleasant. We had good food and decent service, but this place too has people waiting for your tables, so we had breakfast in under an hour.

Afterward we met Judy and Sandy at the state park for a walk. We did four miles, mostly on the road, but we also walked out to the Hawk Tower. We were shocked to see that the resaca is practically dry. There were definitely no water birds. A birder said there was one hawk, but it was too far away to see without binoculars. We did see a few Altamira Orioles in the park today, a really colorful treat.

Downton Abbey Season 3 started tonight, with a one-hour history of the castle used as a setting for the show running before the main event. The opening show was a two-hour special that put us on an emotional roller coaster--but also struck some comic notes. Shirley Maclaine plays Lady Grantham's mother, an American through and through, and terribly iconoclastic when it comes to Tradition.


We finally got our second dual sensor smoke alarm installed over the sofa today. We bought them in October and installed the first one right away in the bedroom, but put off installing the second while we waited to see if we were happy with the operation. Also, we were uncertain where to put it. Now it's up, so we're better protected, but also may have more nuisance alarms when I'm cooking. We'll see.