openingexpandingcelebrating

West Austinites tell of favorite summer vacations

— Compiled by Forrest Preece

Ed and I have been taking annual trips with our two sons, Mark and Chad, since they were little boys, to everywhere from Disney World to France to Alaska fishing, fishing and fishing, to Italy and many more places. Alaska fishing was the favorite of all our trips until we decided to show the family the Amalfi Coast in 2017. This trip was also to celebrate our 50th Wedding Anniversary!

Our family had grown from the four of us on the earliest trips to include spouses and then grandchildren soon thereafter to make for a lot of annual family fun for the eleven of us! The entire family would concur that the villa with chef in Sorrento, the captain’s daily private cruises to Capri, the Blue Grotto, Amalfi, Positano and all the stunning beaches and coastal splendor along the way put Amalfi coast at the top of the “Auler favorite trip” list.

— Susan Auler

Cakes in the West Woods Shopping Center at 3267 Bee Caves Rd celebrates 17 years of baking this July. The bakery offers fromscratch desserts, including cookies, cupcakes, pies & custom layer cakes. Visit the store for grab-and-go treats or order online at www.suziecakes.com.

Like most Texans, my husband Mark and I love visiting Colorado and New Mexico. We always assumed we’d buy our summer home in the Mountain States, but climate change had us concerned about fire danger and water shortages, so we turned our gaze northeast.

In 2022, we bought an RV and headed to the Great Lakes. First destination: Appleton, Wisconsin where our son, Taylor, graduated cum laude from Lawrence University. Next stop: Door County, Wisconsin’s famed peninsula forming Lake Michigan’s Green Bay.

Mid-June found us in Michigan’s sparsely populated Upper Peninsula. The UP, as they call it, is bounded to the south by Lakes Michigan and Huron, and to the north by Lake Superior. Glamping with our two dogs, Loretta and Chula, we enjoyed spectacular vistas of Lake Superior from several gorgeous state parks. Favorites were Porcupine Mountains and Ft. Wilkins State Parks.

Lake Superior is the largest freshwater body by area in the world and this Texas gal is consistently awestruck. We stayed until late September!

Marquette, the UP’s largest town, felt like a miniature version of what Austin once was. We liked this college town so much that we purchased a big 125-year old home walking distance from cool shops, restaurants, pubs and the prettiest beach you’ll ever see. Marquette is full of students, history, hiking and bicycle trails - and plenty of water. With an average July high temperature of 71, we can’t wait to get back up there.

— Kristen Hallman