Good morning! Time to grab a delicious hot beverage- I’m back to my regular Earl Grey tea- and have a little chat. The first thing I would ask you, if we were having coffee (tea) together, is, how was the eclipse for you? I saw several people posting about their experiences. I have to admit it was a non-event for me. We were only at 50% totality, and I had to work.
BUT! My son had a great time. On Sunday afternoon he went to a concert by the Waco Symphony, where they played all space-themed pieces, like Star Wars, Star Trek and Theme from ET. Then at night he went to an “eclipse party” which I suspect was just a regular college party, pretending to be eclipse-related.
On Monday, it started our cloudy in Waco, but luckily the clouds cleared by afternoon, and they experienced almost four minutes of totality. He said it was very cool but hard to get good pictures.
I realized I’m 58 years old and I’ve NEVER experienced a total eclipse! Apparently I’ll have to wait until 2045, and the good news is that Florida will be in the path of totality! The bad news is, we would like to be living elsewhere by then. Sigh. Always in the wrong place, wrong time.
Speaking of Waco! This August will be my fourth, and final, road trip to Texas with my son. We started his freshman year at Baylor, and it’s become a tradition for us to drive to school every August. I’m calling this “The Ultimate Waco Adventure.” It won’t be my very last trip- we’ll be going for his graduation of course, but that will probably be a quick flight there and back, because it will be a very busy time of year. That won’t be a trip for sightseeing.
I have many thoughts and feelings on this subject (HOW is it possible that he will be graduating in a year???) but I’ll save that for another post. For now, I’m planning my Ultimate Adventure.
I took Elisabeth’s advice from this post, and googled “hidden gems in Waco.” Some pretty interesting things came up! My favorite is the Beer Spa:
“Pivovar’s unique beer spa experience consists of soaking in a bubbly bath of beer and an herbal beer mixture. The spa takes place in tubs made from copper and is based on bathing in natural extracts that are used in the brewing of Czech Beer- hops, brewers yeast, and malted barley. You are invited to pair your experience with a Pivovar beer flight, Czech wine flight, or a cheese board from our restaurant. Drinking beer during the spa experience will promote mental relaxation.”
I actually had to check to make sure this wasn’t a joke. I mean- what?…why?… While simultaneously sipping beer and taking a bath in it sounds intriguing, I’ll probably skip this experience. Mainly because the beers are all Lagers- now, if I could bathe in an IPA, that would be a different story!
Have you experienced a total solar eclipse?
Have you ever heard of a beer spa???
34 Responses
I have never heard of a beer spa! I think I would not mind bathing in lager as long as I could drink IPA (do you have to drink and bathe in the same kind?) I think actually the carbonation would probably feel nice! I hope that you enjoy your last road trip with your son; I swear it feels like you were JUST talking about your last one, which must have been last August! I wonder what other things besides (aside from) the beer spa you will end up doing!
Yes, the last trip was last August! This beer spa place only has lagers, sigh, it’s what they specialize in.
can’t imagine combining beer with spa. I never use the sauna, bath in spas, just the massage, maybe a tea afterwards.
Yes, I think if I were going to spend that kind of money, I would want a massage!
Wait – where would you like to move to?
That Ultimate Waco Adventure will be EPIC!!
We’re playing around with different ideas- nowhere too cold! North Carolina? Georgia? We really don’t know yet.
I can’t imagine a beer spa, so that means that I have to try it. We’d definitely have to put it on the list for a Cool Bloggers’ Meetup.
Sign me up for Florida 2045! The eclipse was awesome. We had a near-total one in 2017 and now a full one. I heard that there are “totality chasers” who travel to see eclipses, and I get it.
I remember when Paul started college and if I can’t believe that he’s headed into his senior year…well I can only imagine how you feel. Time is moving fast for the kids in my house as well. Next year is our last high school year.
Okay, I’ll have to really make an effort to see the 2045 eclipse… it could be my last chance!
I’m actually reconsidering the beer spa- depending on how expensive it is. One of the good things about Waco is, things tend to be reasonably priced. We’ll see!
Beer while in a spa. But not soaking in beer. lol.
I saw a total eclipse as a kid on LI. We used a shoebox with a hole.
Here I missed it since I was working.
Wow. College years fly by. Enjoy your final trips to TX unless your daughter goes there
Good point- there’s always my daughter. Right now she says she does NOT want to go to Texas, so I doubt she’ll end up at Baylor. Darn!
I don’t love beer but if it was a wine spa? Well, sign me up immediately.
I did experience an eclipse in 2018, and it was pretty cool. This one passed me by though, because a) we weren’t in the path of totality, and b) it was completely overcast. Ah well. I plan to still be around for the next one.
Your son is going into his senior year! How did that happen? My son is just finishing up his first year and wow, did that fly by. I can hardly believe it *cue Landslide*
Yep- it goes SO fast.
I don’t know- soaking in wine sounds kind of sticky. But so does beer, so…
Wow a beer spa. Hard pass on that even if I didn’t have a gluten intolerance. I do not like the smell of beer so it just does not sound enjoyable at all!!
I can’t believe Paul is going to be a senior already. Do you know what he plans to do next? Will he pursue a career in performance? I love hearing about the plans of college students!
Paul and Phil the partial eclipse on the beach in fort Walton – another young kid let them use his glasses. I was up in the room with taco while he napped so missed it. It was cool to see the news coverage from places of totality, though!
Yes, a beer spa sounds like your worst nightmare.
Paul plans to go to grad school, still as a music performance major. He’ll be dealing with those applications/auditions next year.
I’m thinking the eclipse must have been pretty cool up there? I’m sure you got more of it than we did- glad Paul got to see it!
I was going to guess he might continue onto grad school. Hopefully he will be a little bit closer to you maybe? I look forward to seeing what he does next! He sounds like a very talented young man!!
Yes the boys both loved the eclipse. Paul said it looked like someone had taken a big bite out of the sun! I am sure he will remember that experience!!
We were at about 70% totality and it was a partly cloudy day so it really didn’t look that impressive here either!
I think my parents and sister might enjoy a beer spa, they’re all beer drinkers and I am not, but it does sound interesting and I’ve heard of people washing their hair with beer because apparently it’s good for it?!
Even if you don’t go to the beer spa, I hope you enjoy your last adventure to Waco! I can’t believe your son is already going to be a senior!
Ashley, I can’t believe it either! And that’s a good point- people wash their hair with beer, so there must be some benefits.
I had a good chuckle over Nicole’s response re. wine. I don’t like either beverage, but a BEER SPA? That’s almost too interesting to not check out?
I feel like I saw a solar eclipse when I was a child, but my parents don’t remember it, so maybe it’s all in my imagination.
Where my parents live now they were in the path of totality and got to look at it without glasses for the 3ish minutes. We were 95% and I was still underwhelmed by it all, but the kids loved it so that makes it noteworthy in our family.
Also, I am so curious where you might want to move to. I assume nowhere in the North. We see eye-to-eye on cold weather conditions. I want to move closer to warmer temps. Maybe we’ll wind up in the middle and be close to each other?
WELL, we’re looking at anywhere in the vicinity of North Carolina, South Carolina or Georgia. Your sister lives in SC, right? Maybe we will end up close to each other!
I didn’t realize Florida would be in the path of totality in 2045! Okay, I’ll finally get to see one, as I don’t imagine I’ll be living somewhere else (but I guess we never know!!)
A beer spa is… intriguing, but I don’t know if it’s for me!
Intriguing is a good word for it!!! I do like beer… I’m still thinking about it.
Florida is a big state, but I’m thinking it is in our area (further south) that will be in the path of totality. Even if it’s a little farther away, it might be worth it to travel.
Sign me up NOW for the beer spa. I prefer wine but would happily have beer and swim in beer lol Which reminds me, I need to book an appointment for a massage.
Hmm, why can’t it be a beer massage? Maybe I’ll still do it, and then I can tell you all about it.
I remember you taking your son to college for the first time! Egads! Four years does go by so fast!
Engie, I literally remember it like it was yesterday. It is CRAZY.
A beer spa sounds wild – you actually soak in beer?! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a total eclipse. My daughter watched with a bunch of her friends in someone’s driveway (the Mr. thought it was hilarious that she was the only one really into it while everyone else ran around and played!) and I ran outside between meetings and saw bits of it here and there (and watched it get dark from my office). What a moment to know your roadtrips have an end date – but you’ve really had so much fun and made so many memories on them! I guess it’s also wild that they really do grow up… <3
Lindsay, its weird- when you start these things you don’t think of them as having an end date. I remember when he started college the years just stretched out ahead of us, endlessly… and then it sped by and it’s almost over. WHAT.
We have a beer spa in Orlando! I’d do it just to do it. lol
Family and I traveled to the 2017 eclipse.
And, you’re lying about it being four years lol (that means I’ve been reading your blog at least that long. Time flies!!). 🙂
I know Karen- time really flies. It’s a little alarming how fast it’s gone.
So there’s a beer spa in Orlando- I guess it’s really a “thing?” I’ll have to look into this more!
IPA boo, lager yay. Did you see that they’re taking reservations only for Baylor graduation??
Wait what??? No I didn’t see that- but I assume that’s for this year- my son will be graduating next May.
I totally forgot about the solar eclipse and worked right through it. Since it was only partial for us anyway, I didn’t even notice it getting darker or anything. I did admire the “sliver of moon” the following nights though. So pretty.
So cool that your son got to experience the full eclipse in TX… I experienced one in 2000 (?) in Germany and it was a really cool, but also eery event!
We were also at 50% totality here, and you really couldn’t see anything unless you had the special glasses, which I didn’t. So I just worked right through it as well.
I’ve never been in the path of totality, but I am hoping to experience one someday. It looks like the one in 2045 will come a couple of hours north of us. I think this last one was a missed opportunity for me, because one of my best friends lives in the path, and I could have just gone to stay with her for a few days, had I planned ahead.
That beer spa experience sounds interesting, though I probably would not spend money on it. Though my cousin and I went to an oxygen bar last year and had a water massage, so who knows. Decisions made after a glass of wine and away from home are not always as logical as those one would make at home. A poignant time, your last August trip to college. Sigh.