Yes Ma'am This Is The Round Top Round Up

We left Austin Sunday morning.  Let me just say that the security at Austin airport took forever to get through.  We had a six a.m. flight and the lines were long and we stood in line for over half an hour as we siphoned through one, sometimes two attendants.  Our flight home was uneventful. No Amazing Race sprint on the way home.

Here are my Round Top thoughts and tidbits on the show.

TEMPERATURE.  Amy and I shopped for three days with cold, chilly, damp weather (in the 50s).  The last day at Round Top it was in the high 70s and warm.  I hate to admit it but I am glad we had some cooler weather. (I wish we had been prepared for the cold).  It was draining to be out in the sun all day shopping.  I can't imagine shopping the fields/shows when it is in the high 80s or 90s. I am going to quit whining about the cold weather.

PRICES.

The prices in some spots were high.  Amy and I had two different agendas when we shopped. She shopped primarily for resale.  I shopped for crafting and collecting.  We did find some good prices, but to shop for resale was definitely harder.

PACKING.  I packed a suitcase within a suitcase. (Amy did the same thing) I checked my luggage.  I filled both the big suitcase and the suitcase within (that now became my overhead carry on) for the return trip. I also had a few items in Amy's bags. My suitcase was 45 pounds on the return and Amy's wss 48.  We thought about buying a suitcase down there for the return, but it was just as easy to haul two down.  You can ship items but it was easier to bring them home with me. We also witnessed women at Walmart buying rolls of bubble wrap, packing tape and boxes.  I wonder if the Walmart in Giddings ran out of that stuff. There are places to ship, but we never had to look into that.

I took this photo with my cell phone. You can see how packing my one suitcase with my snowman head was a challenge. I had it in a box in the suitcase to keep it from crushing.ACCOMMODATIONS  Book early.  We booked our hotel in January for our trip in April. Lots of things were full at that point.  We stayed in Giddings which was about 20 or 25 minutes from the action, but it was not a bad drive (and we could grab coffee on the way in each morning).

TIDBITS.  I loved the Texas scenery.  The month of April had fields and fields of bluebonnets. Everything was green.  We saw deer on multiple occasions.

I loved being called Sweetie. I loved being called Ma'am.  I loved the accents. Everyone was so friendly.

I would do this trip again for sure. One of my blog readers who has been to the event on multiple times described it as a fair or carnival atmosphere. I totally agree with her.  It was an unique experience.

Thank you for the hospitality Texas...y'all come back soon...I sure hope too!

You can also read Amy's (my travel companion) funny post on Round Top here....she did not whine about the weather at all!

Comments

[Mitzi Curi]

It sounds wonderful! I would love to visit Round Top someday, too.

[Mitzi Curi]

Oh, and the suitcase within a suitcase is a totally genius idea!!!

[Diane]

Glad you generally had fun. I looked at Amy's post already-- love the hotel room photo!

[Sheryl Remy]

You are such a good tour guide. We were lucky to go along for the ride through your eyes. I want to go now more than ever.
Sheryl

[Maria (Magia Mia)]

Wouldn't it be fun to get a group together large enough to charter our own puddle jumper? Might make it easier to haul stuff home.....

Thank you so much for all your recaps. I've thoroughly enjoyed them!

[rae]

i would love to go to that sale! i'm hoping to go to the world's longest yard sale again this year. it was 80 degrees and up the whole time and it was EXHAUSTING! i'm hoping it might be a LITTLE cooler this time, or maybe a little less humidity!

[Melissa's Antiques]

you and Amy are definitely making me want to go next year!

[Heather]

So glad you had such a wonderful time!! Sounded and looked like a blast! xo Heather

[Rosemary watson]

I live in texas and have shopped roundtop for many years. The october show is show much better than spring. I was very disapointed in the show this year. I normally shop the week before the big shows start. This year i waited until the week of the big shows and everything was already picked over :( Come again in october but be prepared for very hot weather, however if you come early, the pickins are better!

[Betty]

Those of us who live here wine about the weather all the time. First it's too hot and then when the temperature goes down in the 50's we say it's cold. I'm with you though...I'll take the cold any day over the heat and humidity! Have you thought about staying in Brenham? It's bigger than Giddings. I stayed in Giddings once.

[Doreen]

Sure love following your posts of your excursions in Texas!Got some good packing tips from you too. Did not know how big that snowman head was until I hopped over to Amy's blog and saw you holding it up.I noticed the empty suitcases too so you must have been packing up to leave.Glad you had such a wonderful time shopping and bonding with a good friend.
Fun reading and looking through Amy's blog too.
Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful day!

[Kathy]

I think the very best thing of all was the chance to spend an entire week of vacation junking with a pal who "gets it". Finding inexpensive treasure would just be the icing on the cake!

[Kim Kenward]

I loved your blow-by-blow. Great tips. I'm glad you had such a wonderful time shopping with a good friend...chilly weather and all!

[Into Vintage]

I saved my whining for the prices.:-)

Thanks for such a fun collection of stories about our experiences -- it was definitely a trip of a lifetime and I love reading about it here through your eyes! I'd go back with you in a heartbeat. XO

[Hope G]

Thanks for the nice words about my home state, Ma'am! Glad you enjoyed yourself!

[pam]

Thanks for the great advice. WOuldn't it be great to do a blogger get together for one of these shows? Try a different one every year or the same one year after year? I just had to laugh when I saw the snow man head because all I could think of was the security screening people at the airports...they must see some funny stuff after events like this in people's bags. I once bought a cherry pitter and put it in my carry on. I got pulled out of line in ATL so they could show it to all the other employees b/c they had never seen one. They wanted them all to know it was not a weapon. My husband laughs about it to this day, "Only you would get pulled out of line for something like that!" Definitely going to read your pals posts too!

[Marci]

So glad you got to check Roundtop off of your bucket list. It is on mine and next year I am going! It was fun to follow along your week with your posts. You found some fun treasures, but I bet the experience and the friendship were even better :)