On the Runway

Have you ever gone on a date at the airport? I'm talking in particular about tiny airports, the ones where small planes come and go. We've done this before an airport in a small town about an hour away, where they actually have rocking chairs and a diner on the premises! But this past Saturday, we went on a date to a small airport literally 10 minutes from our house, the Austin Executive Airport.

Why would we want to go on a date there? The few times we've sat and watched small planes come and go, we found it fascinatingly fun. We saw close-up takeoffs and landings, watched the planes get refueled, and just enjoyed the novelty of it all. So this time, we realized we could go close by and we did!

We packed up a picnic lunch, using pimiento cheese and homemade pickles from a diner where we had just eaten. They pack up their homemade goodies to go and sell them to customers, in mason jars! We included chips, some fruit, and leftover lemon cake we had made at home. And since we were going right down the road, we didn't need a cooler. We were able to use our fun picnic tin from World Market that's so cute!

Our plan was just to park nearby and watch from as close as we could get, and sit outside in our lawn chairs. However, when we drove up we realized there was an actual lobby, so my husband went in to ask if it would be okay to park on the premises and watch. The lady inside invited us to bring in our lunch and watch right at the glass, in comfy seats, from the lobby!

So we did!

A few people came and went, including a family with two children. We saw the planes circle to take off, and some that landed from the side - all right outside the window. And of course, we enjoyed our picnic lunch! We even browsed some of the aviator magazines that were left on the table. We stayed at least an hour and enjoyed every minute!

If you're looking for something odd or different and you love airplanes and the open sky, check out an airport near you. We're hoping to head to Bergstrom Airport soon and check out their food trucks...and then head there soon for a trip on an airplane, ourselves!