Everyone will be happy to know that the restaurant critic is taking a break. I won't bore everyone with any more restaurant reviews - at least for a while. The restaurant blog was actually fun to write. I didn't think it would be, but it was.
I'm starting to realize that there are going to be some uniquely Texas places, vegetation and events that I'm going to miss. After all, except for a 7 year hiatus in New Orleans, we have lived in Texas since we drove across the Red River in August of 1972. We drove into Houston at rush hour in the August heat that summer at the ripe old age of 21. I particularly remember the 610West/I-59 South interchange. I'd never seen or experienced anything like THAT. I always say that once you've driven in the summer in Houston during rush hour (where your AC overheats every time), you can drive anywhere.
While Houston freeway traffic may be memorable, I'm really starting to visit some iconic Texas places. One day this past week, we drove to Shiner, Texas. I'm sure everyone realizes that the ONLY reason a sane person would make a special trip to Shiner is to tour the Spoetzel Brewery. Now, Shiner beer has become a great beer. I can remember when, if offered Lone Star, Dixie or Shiner - take anything except a Shiner which was actually green if you held it just right up to the light. It also tasted awful. It languished as a 'family owned' brewery until the late '80's when it was bought by Mexican beer makers. They revamped the beer, smartened up the brand, and really became a full fledged micro brewery before that term became common knowledge.
One of the most intriguing things about the Brewery was that it is still a very, very local operation. The current brewmaster has been there for more than 30 years. The beer has dramatically improved, but most of the people are the same. Their signature beer is Shiner Bock, and it's no longer green. Shiner also makes an anniversary beer every year. They make it for a limited amount of time, and it's different every year. Only the 1996 anniversary beer continues to be made today: Now, it's called Shiner Black, and it's the smoothest dark beer you've ever, ever drank. This is the 101st anniversary of the brewery, and you should run right out and buy a six pack of Shiner 101. It's a very tasty pilsner (you know, the yellow beer). Unless there's a big public outcry for them to keep making it, this 101 beer will only be made this year.
Yes, they do have a tasting room. They give you 4 wooden tokens - you give them a token, and they give you a beer. I think there were several 'locals' taking the tour the day we were there. I got the feeling that as long as you didn't really abuse the free beer in the tasting room too much, you could drop by a couple of times a month and get 4 cups of beer. The new beer this summer is really interesting: It's Shiner Smoky Mesquite - and yep, it has a smoky mesquite flavor that is just going to go like gangbusters with BBQ and burgers. Surprisingly, the tour was actually quite interesting, snappy, and not too long. After all, EVERYBODY came to drink free beer - DUH.
Naturally, Shiner (the cleanest little town in Texas) - their slogan, not mine, revolves around the brewery. I mean, after all, this is a town of 2000. It is a Czech town, and I asked the tour guide (Shiner native) where were the best kolaches in town. For the uninitiated: kolaches are what I consider to be a Czech delicacy. It is yeasty bread, shaped like a parker house dinner roll, with a dimple of filling in the center - usually some type of fruit (apricot is my favorite). The other kolache variation is like a pig in the blanket - which is so inadequate of a description. Think handmade sausage with/without cheese (and sometimes with jalapenos and/or sauerkraut along with the sausage ) with that yummy yeasty bread wrapped around it. The very, very best kolaches are in another Czech community known as West, Texas (Exit 353, I-35) at Gerik's Bakery which is just north of the freeway. BUT - if you are in Shiner, Texas, the best kolaches are at the Short Stop Convenience Store. Ok, Ok - I know I promised no more food reviews, but hey, I can make a case for kolaches. Actually, I could eat a case of kolaches.
Back to my original premise: Shiner is quintessentially Texas. It's especially central Texas with its Czech roots that stretch back to the 1840's. That's the reason there's a brewery there. When Germans, Czechs, Poles, etc. left Europe and immigrated to Texas, they organized themselves just like in the old country - the farmers, the cabinet makers, the sausage makers and the beer brewer all just continued their jobs when they arrived in Texas. Several Texas towns in the Hill Country have used their roots to create a tourist atmosphere - think Fredricksburg or New Braunfels. (Incidentally, one of my next visits is going to be to this superb furniture museum in New Braunfels.)
A bonus on the drive to Shiner was Chapter 2 of the Spring wildflowers. Now that the bluebonnets have faded to seed and the indian paintbrush are quickly following them, it's time for the indian blankets and the black eyed susans. They were breathtaking seas of yellow along great stretches of the drive to Shiner. It is really a banner crop of wildflowers this year. Just driving between Bastrop and Austin is a visual treat.
In the interest of not making this blog a zillion pages long, I'm going to close this chapter, but you can look forward to blogs about The Texas State History Museum, the Fayetteville Chamber Music Festival, and the Texas Girls Roller Derby Matches. I know you all can hardly wait! I certainly can't.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Food, Anyone?
A few weeks ago, I got a comment on my blog which basically said, "Hey, since you're eating out so much, why don't you write a 'where to eat' blog. The idea intrigued me since eating good food is something I really enjoy. In my humble opinion (no surprise here) the best food is ANYTHING someone else besides ME cooks. Actually, I'm slightly more picky than that, but, shall we say I pretty much enjoy everything from a $5.00 entree to a $30.00 entree as long as the food in fresh.
I was curious as to how many different places we have eaten over the past six weeks or so. The list was surprisingly long. Think of this blog as a guide to the best places to eat in and around downtown Austin as well as ranging out and around the Hill Country of Texas. Since we've pretty much stayed off the beaten Hill Country path, this list will not particularly include iconic restaurants. We have been quite surprised by the quality and variety of restaurants we have encountered. I think that is the Austin mentality about food creeping outside the city. Austinites pride themselves on 'Keeping Austin Weird'. This means in a nutshell that it's important to patronize local businesses. Restaurants lead the list of businesses that are enthusiastically patronized. I've never been in a town of the size of Austin in which the chain restaurants we all know (and alternately love and hate) are almost non-existent. When you see them inside the city limits, they are sparingly patronized.
This is not particularly scientific, logical or chronilogical. I've never attempted restaurant criticism before. Here's the list of places we've eaten with entertaining comments - at least I hope the comments will be entertaining. I've included the name of the places and the town they are located in. If they are in Austin, I've given you the quadrant of the city. In no particular order:
Cindy's - downtown Bastrop - She's made an appearance in an earlier blog, so I'll just get her out of the way. Killer, killer chicken tenders. House recipe, beer battered, fried when you order them, perfectly seasoned, chicken moist and perfectly cooksed. The tenders are served hilariously in a metal cone that looks like it belongs in a bathroom accessory set. The chairs, tables and decor are totally forgetable, and for a Sports Bar, the TVs are pretty small. I find it funny that they don't play the sports channels during the day - instead it's the Soaps and Law and Order re-runs. These tenders are soooooo good that it's one of the few places that we've eaten twice
Gumbo's - downtown Austin - The claim to fame: The best Cajun food we've eaten since we lived in New Orleans. The only thing that was slightly clunker was the bread. The Gumbo bread was OK, but in NOLA, the bread is a crucial element of the meal. It's always crusty on the outside, fresh, fresh, fresh on the inside, and never, never, never served on any day except the one it was baked. That is the only slight flaw to this Austin restaurant. Otherwise the food was Cajun hot - which means for you uninitiated - that it starts out slightly spicy and just builds throughout the eating of the dish until at the last bite, your lips are tingling. Terrific decor. Fancy. Expensive - but worth it.
Kay's Place - On Hwy 71 between Bastrop and Smithville in a totally forgetable metal building which includes the restaurant and Tri-Cheer. That means your odds of running into prepubescent and pubescent girls is fair to good - especially on try out day which was our introduction to Kay's. There were bevies, herds, flocks, and packs of teen and tween girls all running around and giggling. It was people watching at its best. If that wasn't enough, the food came, and that was the true surprise.
First, "Kay" is a real person, a slightly dumpy, slightly gray, happy young woman who 'absolutely loves to cook'. This is the place for homecooking. She personally makes a couple of meat dishes (like the delish meatloaf Drake had) a couple of chicken dishes (like the King Ranch Casserole I had) and usually something involving tilapia every day. Her vegetables and salads are excellent. (I had a marvelous black-eyed pea, avocado and tomato cold salad dressed with something unique and homemade.) The food here was really, really good in that grandma made it sort of way.
Baxter's on Main - downtown Bastrop. This is Bastrop's attempt at fine dining. The restaurant is in a really old building - tin ceilings, brick walls, etc. The dinner menu is way, way overpriced, but the lunch menu was a good value - at least until we ordered dessert. The food was good - not great - but good. It kind of miffed me that the two desserts we ordered at the end of lunch cost the same price as the entire lunch - for both of us.
Jalisco's - On Hwy 71 in the 'new part' of Bastrop. This is the local Tex-Mex. It was tired. The food was forgettable. The salsa was slightly below mediocre. The restaurant was ugly. The food was eatable, but why eat here when there are so many, many better choices.
Shiner Restaurant - In downtown Shiner, Tx. This restaurant was fun. The food was very good, and they serve every beer Shiner makes. I went with the German sausage, homemade saurkraut, fried potato lunch. That good, good Hill Country ethic food. This restaurant has an old time wild west saloon feel to it. It has interesting stuff in glass cases all around the room, and a swallow nest over the front door.
Before we leave Shiner, let me recommend the Spotzel Brewery Tour - yes, with free BEER, and as this is a Czech town, I ask the tour guide where the best kolaches were. Here's her answer: Short Stop Convenience Store - and she was right. The second best kolaches I have ever eaten - only the ones you get in West, Texas are better.
Blue Dahlia - east downtown Austin. This is a stereotypical Austin restaurant. The food is slightly strange, but of excellent quality and always better than you think it will be. There are salads, open faced sandwiches with bizarre ingredients, and great desserts. Best part of this restaurant: The patio dining - away from the street - quiet, very Zen like. It also has a resident cat who wanders around the dining room and looks very, very well fed.
Mangia's - On Guadalupe near UT - but not too close, and one in North Austin. Pizza. Best ever. Fabulous ingredients. Forgettable decor. Perfect crust - two types: regular and pan. Excellently seasoned red sauce, and again, those fresh, fresh ingredients. (This would be Drake's favorite.)
Maxines on Main - downtown Bastrop - This is one of the 40 best cafes in Texas according to Texas Monthly. I believe it. Best food: Reuben, breakfast, (best pancake I've ever eaten), and burger. DON"T order the french fries - they fry in advance and they have been cold everytime we've had them. Maxine's has traditional Texas waitresses, and if you don't know who those might be, well, they are a combination of the tiredess woman you've ever seen, your favorite aunt and a perpetual motion machine. Decor is great in this restaurant.
East Side Cafe - East side of I-35, kind of across from the UT area. This is a kitchen garden restaurant. They like to grow their own food, and they know what to do with it. This is where we had Sarah's graduation dinner, and they fed 14 people superbly. This menu is always different - but in a good way. They make you love acorn squash (if you already don't). I've never seen a poorly prepared meal here. As a bonus, it's in an old house, and you get to eat in the small rooms which are still intact instead of one big dining area.
Ronnie's Real Food - far west Austin, oh, just Google map this one. I deliberately paired this with the East Side (above). This is a wanna be East Side Cafe. It's a guy (Ronnie - big surprise, huh?) who cooks for 10 people a night from Wednesday thru Sunday. You need reservations, and it's BYOB with no corkage fee. In fact, it's $25 a person - flat and that includes the tip. We celebrated our anniversary here, and I described it in an earlier blog. This place edges out the East Side above because of its intimacy. The food is about the same - gourmet, fresh, and exciting. Surprisingly, dessert was the weakest part of this meal.
The Roadhouse - Bastrop, intersection of Hwy 21 and Hwy 95. Best burger hands down. Not only the regular burgers, but also some interesting ones such as the fresh jalapeno slices with cream cheese burger. Blue Bell milkshakes, and fresh cut fries served piping hot. It is picturesquely ramshackle place with the modern version of the stereotypical Texas waitress.
Rico's - Taylor, Texas. Now this was a surprise, surprise, surprise. Taylor is a pretty much nothing much sort of small Texas town that is a very blue collar, railroad type of place. We were coming home on the back roads after attending a Roundrock minor league baseball game when we stopped here. Rico is a Californian whose family is into restaurants in California. (Don't ask me why they picked Taylor, Texas to start this place.) He calls his restaurant - Latin food - not Mexican. The salsa is smoky and spicy. He serves a pico to accompany the salsa which is made with shredded cabbage, chunks of jalapeno and tomatoes. Very fresh, very tasty. I had pollo con arroz which usually means a chicken breast plunked down over Mexican rice with some queso dribbled over it. In Rico's it means chunks of chicken that have been simmered all day long with onions, peppers, mushrooms and rice. The sauce was hot and spicy, and guacamole cool and refreshing. Drake's burrito was equally awesome. This place is worth the detour to get to it. It's about 20 miles southeast of Roundrock. Rico's is so, so much better than anything you'll find in Roundrock to eat. As a bonus, the decor is slick contemporary paired with nostalgia - very appealing and clever.
I'm certain you're tired of reading about food. I could list another 15 restaurants, but I'll give everyone a break and stop now before you eat the contents of your refridgerator because I've made you so hungry.
I'll finish with a list of the OTHER places we've eaten: Moonshine Cafe & Patio Bar (Austin), Anitas (Bastrop), Wildflower Cafe (Bastrop), Gracie's (Bastrop), Tommy's (Bastrop - excellent HOMEMADE ice cream), Casa Garcia (Austin), Bess Bistro (Austin - Sandra Bullock's restaurant), Cedars (Bastrop), Snack Bar (Austin), Hut's (Austin), Louis 106 (Austin), Flip Happy Crepes (Austin), Annies (Austin), South Congress Cafe (Austin).
I was curious as to how many different places we have eaten over the past six weeks or so. The list was surprisingly long. Think of this blog as a guide to the best places to eat in and around downtown Austin as well as ranging out and around the Hill Country of Texas. Since we've pretty much stayed off the beaten Hill Country path, this list will not particularly include iconic restaurants. We have been quite surprised by the quality and variety of restaurants we have encountered. I think that is the Austin mentality about food creeping outside the city. Austinites pride themselves on 'Keeping Austin Weird'. This means in a nutshell that it's important to patronize local businesses. Restaurants lead the list of businesses that are enthusiastically patronized. I've never been in a town of the size of Austin in which the chain restaurants we all know (and alternately love and hate) are almost non-existent. When you see them inside the city limits, they are sparingly patronized.
This is not particularly scientific, logical or chronilogical. I've never attempted restaurant criticism before. Here's the list of places we've eaten with entertaining comments - at least I hope the comments will be entertaining. I've included the name of the places and the town they are located in. If they are in Austin, I've given you the quadrant of the city. In no particular order:
Cindy's - downtown Bastrop - She's made an appearance in an earlier blog, so I'll just get her out of the way. Killer, killer chicken tenders. House recipe, beer battered, fried when you order them, perfectly seasoned, chicken moist and perfectly cooksed. The tenders are served hilariously in a metal cone that looks like it belongs in a bathroom accessory set. The chairs, tables and decor are totally forgetable, and for a Sports Bar, the TVs are pretty small. I find it funny that they don't play the sports channels during the day - instead it's the Soaps and Law and Order re-runs. These tenders are soooooo good that it's one of the few places that we've eaten twice
Gumbo's - downtown Austin - The claim to fame: The best Cajun food we've eaten since we lived in New Orleans. The only thing that was slightly clunker was the bread. The Gumbo bread was OK, but in NOLA, the bread is a crucial element of the meal. It's always crusty on the outside, fresh, fresh, fresh on the inside, and never, never, never served on any day except the one it was baked. That is the only slight flaw to this Austin restaurant. Otherwise the food was Cajun hot - which means for you uninitiated - that it starts out slightly spicy and just builds throughout the eating of the dish until at the last bite, your lips are tingling. Terrific decor. Fancy. Expensive - but worth it.
Kay's Place - On Hwy 71 between Bastrop and Smithville in a totally forgetable metal building which includes the restaurant and Tri-Cheer. That means your odds of running into prepubescent and pubescent girls is fair to good - especially on try out day which was our introduction to Kay's. There were bevies, herds, flocks, and packs of teen and tween girls all running around and giggling. It was people watching at its best. If that wasn't enough, the food came, and that was the true surprise.
First, "Kay" is a real person, a slightly dumpy, slightly gray, happy young woman who 'absolutely loves to cook'. This is the place for homecooking. She personally makes a couple of meat dishes (like the delish meatloaf Drake had) a couple of chicken dishes (like the King Ranch Casserole I had) and usually something involving tilapia every day. Her vegetables and salads are excellent. (I had a marvelous black-eyed pea, avocado and tomato cold salad dressed with something unique and homemade.) The food here was really, really good in that grandma made it sort of way.
Baxter's on Main - downtown Bastrop. This is Bastrop's attempt at fine dining. The restaurant is in a really old building - tin ceilings, brick walls, etc. The dinner menu is way, way overpriced, but the lunch menu was a good value - at least until we ordered dessert. The food was good - not great - but good. It kind of miffed me that the two desserts we ordered at the end of lunch cost the same price as the entire lunch - for both of us.
Jalisco's - On Hwy 71 in the 'new part' of Bastrop. This is the local Tex-Mex. It was tired. The food was forgettable. The salsa was slightly below mediocre. The restaurant was ugly. The food was eatable, but why eat here when there are so many, many better choices.
Shiner Restaurant - In downtown Shiner, Tx. This restaurant was fun. The food was very good, and they serve every beer Shiner makes. I went with the German sausage, homemade saurkraut, fried potato lunch. That good, good Hill Country ethic food. This restaurant has an old time wild west saloon feel to it. It has interesting stuff in glass cases all around the room, and a swallow nest over the front door.
Before we leave Shiner, let me recommend the Spotzel Brewery Tour - yes, with free BEER, and as this is a Czech town, I ask the tour guide where the best kolaches were. Here's her answer: Short Stop Convenience Store - and she was right. The second best kolaches I have ever eaten - only the ones you get in West, Texas are better.
Blue Dahlia - east downtown Austin. This is a stereotypical Austin restaurant. The food is slightly strange, but of excellent quality and always better than you think it will be. There are salads, open faced sandwiches with bizarre ingredients, and great desserts. Best part of this restaurant: The patio dining - away from the street - quiet, very Zen like. It also has a resident cat who wanders around the dining room and looks very, very well fed.
Mangia's - On Guadalupe near UT - but not too close, and one in North Austin. Pizza. Best ever. Fabulous ingredients. Forgettable decor. Perfect crust - two types: regular and pan. Excellently seasoned red sauce, and again, those fresh, fresh ingredients. (This would be Drake's favorite.)
Maxines on Main - downtown Bastrop - This is one of the 40 best cafes in Texas according to Texas Monthly. I believe it. Best food: Reuben, breakfast, (best pancake I've ever eaten), and burger. DON"T order the french fries - they fry in advance and they have been cold everytime we've had them. Maxine's has traditional Texas waitresses, and if you don't know who those might be, well, they are a combination of the tiredess woman you've ever seen, your favorite aunt and a perpetual motion machine. Decor is great in this restaurant.
East Side Cafe - East side of I-35, kind of across from the UT area. This is a kitchen garden restaurant. They like to grow their own food, and they know what to do with it. This is where we had Sarah's graduation dinner, and they fed 14 people superbly. This menu is always different - but in a good way. They make you love acorn squash (if you already don't). I've never seen a poorly prepared meal here. As a bonus, it's in an old house, and you get to eat in the small rooms which are still intact instead of one big dining area.
Ronnie's Real Food - far west Austin, oh, just Google map this one. I deliberately paired this with the East Side (above). This is a wanna be East Side Cafe. It's a guy (Ronnie - big surprise, huh?) who cooks for 10 people a night from Wednesday thru Sunday. You need reservations, and it's BYOB with no corkage fee. In fact, it's $25 a person - flat and that includes the tip. We celebrated our anniversary here, and I described it in an earlier blog. This place edges out the East Side above because of its intimacy. The food is about the same - gourmet, fresh, and exciting. Surprisingly, dessert was the weakest part of this meal.
The Roadhouse - Bastrop, intersection of Hwy 21 and Hwy 95. Best burger hands down. Not only the regular burgers, but also some interesting ones such as the fresh jalapeno slices with cream cheese burger. Blue Bell milkshakes, and fresh cut fries served piping hot. It is picturesquely ramshackle place with the modern version of the stereotypical Texas waitress.
Rico's - Taylor, Texas. Now this was a surprise, surprise, surprise. Taylor is a pretty much nothing much sort of small Texas town that is a very blue collar, railroad type of place. We were coming home on the back roads after attending a Roundrock minor league baseball game when we stopped here. Rico is a Californian whose family is into restaurants in California. (Don't ask me why they picked Taylor, Texas to start this place.) He calls his restaurant - Latin food - not Mexican. The salsa is smoky and spicy. He serves a pico to accompany the salsa which is made with shredded cabbage, chunks of jalapeno and tomatoes. Very fresh, very tasty. I had pollo con arroz which usually means a chicken breast plunked down over Mexican rice with some queso dribbled over it. In Rico's it means chunks of chicken that have been simmered all day long with onions, peppers, mushrooms and rice. The sauce was hot and spicy, and guacamole cool and refreshing. Drake's burrito was equally awesome. This place is worth the detour to get to it. It's about 20 miles southeast of Roundrock. Rico's is so, so much better than anything you'll find in Roundrock to eat. As a bonus, the decor is slick contemporary paired with nostalgia - very appealing and clever.
I'm certain you're tired of reading about food. I could list another 15 restaurants, but I'll give everyone a break and stop now before you eat the contents of your refridgerator because I've made you so hungry.
I'll finish with a list of the OTHER places we've eaten: Moonshine Cafe & Patio Bar (Austin), Anitas (Bastrop), Wildflower Cafe (Bastrop), Gracie's (Bastrop), Tommy's (Bastrop - excellent HOMEMADE ice cream), Casa Garcia (Austin), Bess Bistro (Austin - Sandra Bullock's restaurant), Cedars (Bastrop), Snack Bar (Austin), Hut's (Austin), Louis 106 (Austin), Flip Happy Crepes (Austin), Annies (Austin), South Congress Cafe (Austin).
Thursday, April 29, 2010
It's Festival Time!
As promised, this post is mainly about Yesterfest! This was the first annual festival planned on April 24th by the Downtown Business Alliance of Bastrop, Texas. Sarah poo pooed this festival saying that the first year was always bad at town festivals. Just goes to show you what 24 year olds know. I actually took a lot of ribbing and eye rollling as I described Yesterfest!, trying to whip up some excitement about attending it. I think Drake took me not only to shut me up about it, but also because he couldn't think of anything better to do that Saturday. Sarah, of course, refused to attend. Here's a quick capsule description of the festival: It was held on Main Street (which was closed and became a pedestrian mall), and there were three 'areas' set up on the street commemorating three eras in Bastrop's history. Admittedly, only one was valid while the other two were something of a stretch. The three eras were: Pioneer Days (this is the valid one), The Jazz Era - featuring Bonnie and Clyde (who came thru Bastrop but didn't rob the bank), and The Rockabilly Era celebrating the music and cars of the 1950's (they had two - see the picture). There were people dressed up in costumes from each era. Best costume in my opinion: the 'salon girls' from the Pioneer days. The costumes were straight out of Gunsmoke, but they looked good. There were gunfights in the street (think spurs, 'duster coats', gunbelts and Colt 44's). The bank was robbed complete with Tommy gun fire. There was a Runaway Scrape foot race, and the Spit Off the Bridge Club offered initiations into their peculiar institution. Plus, you could hula hoop and learn to dance The Stroll.
First, for my non-Texas readers, The Runaway Scrape was when all the women and children of the Texas rebellion families fled before Santa Anna's army in 1835 and 1836. Their husbands, sons and brothers were all part of Houston's army fighting for Texas Independence and thus away from their homes. The "Scrape" was a large caravan of women and children who didn't trust Santa Anna, the Mexican General sent to quell the rebellion, to treat them as non-combatants. After the Massacre at Goliad where he lined up prisoners against a stone wall and shot them with a firing squad, who could blame them?
Spit off the bridge is just nasty. It became a town institution in Bastrop in the 1970's when some group of assine men formed a 'club' so they could spit off the bridge over the Colorado River right outside of downtown. I think beer figured prominently in the club formation. They have a song and a initiation ceremony. Well, you get the picture. I suppose we should all be grateful they didn't think of another body fluid to, shall we say, dribble off the bridge. The only good thing I can say about this activity is they turned over their $5.00 initiation fee to charity.
It was a pleasure to attend Yesterfest!. We've been at festivals where the crowds were so thick you felt like you were leaving a sold out baseball game and walking out of the stadium with 50,000 other people. Sometimes the crowds at festivals are so packed together, that if you jumped into the air, your feet wouldn't come down and the crowd would just sweep you along. Yesterfest! was nothing like that. It was relaxed with plenty of elbow room. There were kids. There were dogs. There was conversation everywhere. People were greeting friends and just having a really good time.
Another nice feature of the festival was that it was obviously a fund raiser for all the non-profit organizations in town. I bought raffle tickets out the wazoo for the Senior Center, Disabled People, Cub Scouts, Boys/Girls Club, and a couple of others I can't even think of at the moment. There were vendors selling everything you can think of. There was food, beer, ice cream, cotton candy, and funnel cakes. What's not to like? It was a great way to spend a lovely April day out in the sunshine watching people having fun. I think the most interesting exhibition was the guy showing his arrowhead collection. It was magnificent, and he had the zeal of the true collector.
The book store on Main Street also had six different authors who had written books that loosely fit in with the festival give small pep talks about their individual books and then signed bought books. I made a point to see Ken Kesselus, a Bastrop native, who I think is a history professor. He's writing a history of Bastrop from 1795 forward. He admitted that it's the Anglo history of Bastrop, so you can't expect anything in it about those pesky Commanche or Mexicans. I did find out that Bastrop is named for the Baron de Bastrop, a close friend and early supporter of Stephen F. Austin (father of Texas). The Baron had just died, so the town was named by Austin as a tribute to his dead friend. The founding of Bastrop was the reason for the second "Little Grant" - a land grant from Mexico that allowed the settlement of 100 Anglo families where the Colorado River crosses the Camino de Real (the only big time road - think interstate - within 1000 miles). Anyway, it's an obvious place for a town - but talk about the middle of nowhere at the time.
That was Yesterfest! I'd recommend it to anyone. I'll leave you with a picture of Maxine's (one of the 40 best cafes in Texas) - where we had lunch while we people watched - 
Hooray for Bastrop. Good job everybody.
Monday, April 26, 2010
What Did You Do Last Week?
This past week has really been fun. As I look around the apartment, I'm realizing how comfortable it is. I'm really glad that I brought pictures - my favorite pieces of original art. I even brought some of my pottery. I loaded some pictures on my digital picture frame, and it's cycling thru over 100 pictures at the moment. Our 40" flat screen is getting ready to show the Rangers baseball game. This apartment is such a contrast to one place we saw this past week.
I have a friend that I've known since 1975. Who says that writing personal notes on Christmas cards doesn't pay off. Helen and I have been corresponding via cards and now, email for the past 25 years! We haven't seen Helen and Frank for more than 20 years, but now we live just 60 miles from them. They live on a ranch, yes a real ranch, outside of New Braunfels in a house built in the early 1900's. They invited us for a visit, and their life is a complete contrast to what Drake and I are doing.
They have 110 acres, several outbuildings, and a gorgeously restored 1900 farm house - with additions which include three exquisitely decorated bedrooms with kingsize beds in each, as well as two major dining areas, 2 kitchens, and 2 living areas - not to mention the porch as well as the upstairs 'dormer' room for their teenage granddaughters which sleeps seven. It's a life they love and have lovingly built over several years - which involved living in a trailer on the property for several years until they could get the house restored! (The trailer is now a guest house.) They raise cattle, rent out their bulls to stud, raise goats (25 of them), chickens (organic eggs, anyone?), guinea hens, have 7 horses - 5 theirs, 2 they board, 6 dogs, 3 rabbits and 16 cats - 4 of which live inside the house with the 3 rabbits.
We offered to take them out for lunch not really understanding their daily commitments........but, when you have this many animals dependent on you day in and day out, it takes two feedings a day to keep everybody humming along. Frank and Helen feed, clean and tend animals EVERY DAY until noon. Then they break for the afternoon doing various projects - such as constructing a dog bathing house. Frank is plumbing it himself using stuff he has laying around - including one of the three claw foot tubs he picked up in the Heights neighborhood in Houston. (One of the tubs graces the 'yellow' bathroom in the farm house.)
One of the reasons they have so many animals is that Helen is really an animal rescuer. As Frank puts it - she can spot a dumped animal a half a mile away, and is not above sending him into the high grass along the side of the road chasing it. Not to mention, that she marched up to a house one day where she kept seeing a horse tethered for hours at a trough - and she came out the owner of the horse.
They entertained us royally with a wonderful steak, potato, salad, asparagus dinner which included sausage made by Frank's family using an generations old Czech recipe. We toured the ranch and caught up on old times, our children, and trying to figure out exactly when we saw one another last. We finally settled they came to New Orleans and saw us when Sarah was a toddler.
The really interesting thing is the contrast in our lifestyles. I've whitled myself down to the contents of a 5x10 trailer, and 900 square feet of living space. Helen has an fabulous house filled with her collections - which include a smattering of her 500 pieces of green glass, as well as her black ameythest glass, lots of appropriately massive furniture for the giant rooms. (She confided that after living in the trailer for years - her command to the contractor who helped remodel the house was 'make big rooms'.) She has at least two outdoor entertainment areas. I really loved the separate stone building which includes the remains of the fabric store she owned for years - think fabric, notions, buttons, patterns, paints. It's a crafter's delight, and set up to be totally functional as a project room. Helen is actually a very talented painter, and has a creative streak about 2 miles wide.
After marveling at all the work Frank and Helen routinely do, we decided to figure up our 'work' commitments. We arrived at 5 hours a week: laundry, grocery shopping, car washing, house cleaning, and miscellaneous errands - like going to the post office. This is exactly the life I want. I want to go places, eat at new restaurants, enjoy the scenery, and take in the local color. Our week has pretty much been a poster child for that life style.
During this week, we have visited the above described ranch, visited Austin twice - where we had dinner at a new restaurant - The Blue Dahlia, hiked in Bastrop State Park, discovered mini-cabins on the lake at Buescher Park, found the local Tex-Mex restaurant, attended the Yesterfest on Bastrop's Main Street, as well as ate the best hamburger/fries/chocolate shake in town. I got to visit the two major thrift shops in town and found Drake a bedside table (which we will take back when we leave) for $6.00 I also brought out the sewing machine and made a "drape" for my improvised entertainment center so I didn't have to look at the numbered tubs and trunk that composes it. It looks really good.
I also went to Bastrop First United Methodist Church which is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year. They have 3 services - 2 traditional and 1 contemporary. I chose the traditional this past week, and it was like being transported back in time to the church service of my childhood. I must confess that I enjoyed the old hymns, but missed the contemporary touches such as the contemporary music and the SCREEN. I also went to a Sunday School class in need of a teacher, and NO, I didn't volunteer to teach for the next 6 weeks. I'm also taking the last few weeks of the Psalms Bible Study on Sunday evenings. I do like the preacher - he's laid back and preaches a good, coherent sermon. And, YES, I embroidered thru the whole sermon.
Overall, it's been a great week. As much as I appreciate the beauty and tradition of Helen and Frank's lifestyle, I think my scaled down, transitory version suits me much better. It's working out even better than planned. Upcoming events are going to include a trip to Round Rock to a minor league baseball game, a stay on a lake in a mini-cabin (Buescher Park), showing Sarah the historic district of Bastrop - some amazing houses here, and a night at the 1889 Bastrop Opera House where we'll taking in Always Patsy Cline. There are two new restaurants in my sights for this week, and a revisit to a couple of others. Oh, and we are going to Shiner to take the brewery tour and an the way marvel over the new set of wildflowers which now include Indian Blanket, Wine Cups, and Black Eyed Susans. I'll also be looking for another festival to attend - they are thick on the ground in April and May in the Hill Country.
Finally, where are all those cards and letters you all owe me? I gave you my address, and so far only the Mary Martha Class has come through with a wonderful card signed my everyone in the class. Plus, Paula has been writing me delightful letters. I may be transitory and scaled down, but I do like to hear from my friends. Stay tuned......wait until you hear about Yesterfest.
I have a friend that I've known since 1975. Who says that writing personal notes on Christmas cards doesn't pay off. Helen and I have been corresponding via cards and now, email for the past 25 years! We haven't seen Helen and Frank for more than 20 years, but now we live just 60 miles from them. They live on a ranch, yes a real ranch, outside of New Braunfels in a house built in the early 1900's. They invited us for a visit, and their life is a complete contrast to what Drake and I are doing.
They have 110 acres, several outbuildings, and a gorgeously restored 1900 farm house - with additions which include three exquisitely decorated bedrooms with kingsize beds in each, as well as two major dining areas, 2 kitchens, and 2 living areas - not to mention the porch as well as the upstairs 'dormer' room for their teenage granddaughters which sleeps seven. It's a life they love and have lovingly built over several years - which involved living in a trailer on the property for several years until they could get the house restored! (The trailer is now a guest house.) They raise cattle, rent out their bulls to stud, raise goats (25 of them), chickens (organic eggs, anyone?), guinea hens, have 7 horses - 5 theirs, 2 they board, 6 dogs, 3 rabbits and 16 cats - 4 of which live inside the house with the 3 rabbits.
We offered to take them out for lunch not really understanding their daily commitments........but, when you have this many animals dependent on you day in and day out, it takes two feedings a day to keep everybody humming along. Frank and Helen feed, clean and tend animals EVERY DAY until noon. Then they break for the afternoon doing various projects - such as constructing a dog bathing house. Frank is plumbing it himself using stuff he has laying around - including one of the three claw foot tubs he picked up in the Heights neighborhood in Houston. (One of the tubs graces the 'yellow' bathroom in the farm house.)
One of the reasons they have so many animals is that Helen is really an animal rescuer. As Frank puts it - she can spot a dumped animal a half a mile away, and is not above sending him into the high grass along the side of the road chasing it. Not to mention, that she marched up to a house one day where she kept seeing a horse tethered for hours at a trough - and she came out the owner of the horse.
They entertained us royally with a wonderful steak, potato, salad, asparagus dinner which included sausage made by Frank's family using an generations old Czech recipe. We toured the ranch and caught up on old times, our children, and trying to figure out exactly when we saw one another last. We finally settled they came to New Orleans and saw us when Sarah was a toddler.
The really interesting thing is the contrast in our lifestyles. I've whitled myself down to the contents of a 5x10 trailer, and 900 square feet of living space. Helen has an fabulous house filled with her collections - which include a smattering of her 500 pieces of green glass, as well as her black ameythest glass, lots of appropriately massive furniture for the giant rooms. (She confided that after living in the trailer for years - her command to the contractor who helped remodel the house was 'make big rooms'.) She has at least two outdoor entertainment areas. I really loved the separate stone building which includes the remains of the fabric store she owned for years - think fabric, notions, buttons, patterns, paints. It's a crafter's delight, and set up to be totally functional as a project room. Helen is actually a very talented painter, and has a creative streak about 2 miles wide.
After marveling at all the work Frank and Helen routinely do, we decided to figure up our 'work' commitments. We arrived at 5 hours a week: laundry, grocery shopping, car washing, house cleaning, and miscellaneous errands - like going to the post office. This is exactly the life I want. I want to go places, eat at new restaurants, enjoy the scenery, and take in the local color. Our week has pretty much been a poster child for that life style.
During this week, we have visited the above described ranch, visited Austin twice - where we had dinner at a new restaurant - The Blue Dahlia, hiked in Bastrop State Park, discovered mini-cabins on the lake at Buescher Park, found the local Tex-Mex restaurant, attended the Yesterfest on Bastrop's Main Street, as well as ate the best hamburger/fries/chocolate shake in town. I got to visit the two major thrift shops in town and found Drake a bedside table (which we will take back when we leave) for $6.00 I also brought out the sewing machine and made a "drape" for my improvised entertainment center so I didn't have to look at the numbered tubs and trunk that composes it. It looks really good.
I also went to Bastrop First United Methodist Church which is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year. They have 3 services - 2 traditional and 1 contemporary. I chose the traditional this past week, and it was like being transported back in time to the church service of my childhood. I must confess that I enjoyed the old hymns, but missed the contemporary touches such as the contemporary music and the SCREEN. I also went to a Sunday School class in need of a teacher, and NO, I didn't volunteer to teach for the next 6 weeks. I'm also taking the last few weeks of the Psalms Bible Study on Sunday evenings. I do like the preacher - he's laid back and preaches a good, coherent sermon. And, YES, I embroidered thru the whole sermon.
Overall, it's been a great week. As much as I appreciate the beauty and tradition of Helen and Frank's lifestyle, I think my scaled down, transitory version suits me much better. It's working out even better than planned. Upcoming events are going to include a trip to Round Rock to a minor league baseball game, a stay on a lake in a mini-cabin (Buescher Park), showing Sarah the historic district of Bastrop - some amazing houses here, and a night at the 1889 Bastrop Opera House where we'll taking in Always Patsy Cline. There are two new restaurants in my sights for this week, and a revisit to a couple of others. Oh, and we are going to Shiner to take the brewery tour and an the way marvel over the new set of wildflowers which now include Indian Blanket, Wine Cups, and Black Eyed Susans. I'll also be looking for another festival to attend - they are thick on the ground in April and May in the Hill Country.
Finally, where are all those cards and letters you all owe me? I gave you my address, and so far only the Mary Martha Class has come through with a wonderful card signed my everyone in the class. Plus, Paula has been writing me delightful letters. I may be transitory and scaled down, but I do like to hear from my friends. Stay tuned......wait until you hear about Yesterfest.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Hello, Lodge of the Pines
The last time I rented an apartment was 1972 at 1700 Wirt Road in Houston, Texas. It was close to Drake's first office where he counted milk. (His first job was with the Milk Market Administration, an arm of the Department of Agriculture - and boy, were we glad he got it.) It was such a typical apartment. There were very few windows. The rooms were small. The kitchen was a slot. Oh, and as an added bonus all the appliances were turquoise. Yep, turquoise. Perhaps that explains why we bought a house a year and a half later.
Back to the present. When the house we were sitting sold, we were in the ticklish position of having to find a short term lease - very short term - 7 weeks. The first thing we discovered is that rental property in Austin doesn't really exist for that short of a lease. We fooled around for a day looking on-line for something. We had Kit (boyfriend's mother), who's a real estate agent, looking for us. Finally, we resorted to Craigslist. That is an amazing website for any of you who haven't used it. You can probably find your great grandmother's teeth if you searched it correctly. Anyway, we found an apartment in Bastrop advertised on Craigslist which seemed to be willing to take short termers.
Another plus for us was to get out of Bee Caves. This is a very upscale neighborhood out amidst the hills of the Hill Country. It's a robust 30 minutes into downtown (Sarah's house) when the traffic is at it's lowest. In addition, there were very few choices of places to eat or shop. The washateria was 5 miles from the house. Then, there was the premium added to every purchase since you got your item at Bee Caves. What I was really missing was the convenience of day to day living in Hurst. Bee Caves made living in Bastrop look really attractive. It's 27 miles from the heart of downtown Austin, which makes it about the same drive to Sarah's house. Another Bastrop attraction was two nice golf courses with small town green fee prices.
The Bastrop brown stucco apartment complex, The Lodge in the Pines, was big without being gargantuan, and seemed well kept. We liked the model apartment. The first thing I learned is that apartments have changed. Now, I knew that Sarah and Jay have a spectacular apartment with super windows everywhere, and island kitchen and stainless steel appliances (turquoise has gone by the wayside - can't imagine why), but they live in downtown Austin - the high rent district. I didn't expect this Bastrop apartment to be any different than the tiny, dark Wirt Road apartment. I didn't expect 9 foot ceilings and one entire wall of the living room/dining room to be a window wall. I didn't expect two large bathrooms, and while the kitchen is still a slot, it's a wide slot, so it doesn't have that closed in feeling of being inside a toothpaste box.
Being favorably impressed as well as realizing we certainly weren't going to find anybody else to lease us a place for seven weeks, we settled down to review the lease. Actually, I reviewed the lease cracking jokes all the way. I got so out of control that Drake got nervous, afraid we might be viewed by the assistant manager (Charlotte) as terrorists. All because I told him he couldn't bring his explosives with us when we moved in. Now that's one thing that hasn't changed a bit: the lease is all in the favor of the landlord. If the tenants sneeze too loud, they can be evicted and forced to pay damages for the pain and suffering of the apartment building. Of course, it's not QUITE that unfair - but close. In the end, the apartment management really cut us a good deal. As an added bonus, we get to park our trailer in our 'other' parking slot, thus eliminating the need to rent trailer storage space. I would be deleriously happy if we could replicate this deal in Bellingham.
What has really impressed me though was the immaculate condition of our actual apartment when we arrived. It had been completely painted - correctly. They laid all new carpet and linoleum. All the appliances (white, thank God) were pristine as well as all the fixtures. Nothing leaks. Nothing is discolored or dingy. The complex's laundry room was equally clean and everything in it works! Another pleasant surprise were the number of electrical outlets in the apartment - one on each wall, sometimes two. That's a real benefit with two laptop computers in the family which constantly need recharging, not to mention the two cell phones.
We learned some things moving in. With Jay and Sarah's help, the move in was quick and smooth. We definitely needed the help which we'll hire when we get to Bellingham. It took the moving day itself for us to get set up to eat, sleep and get clean. It took half of a second day to decorate. We brought the right amount of furniture. The only thing I'm really missing is one bedside table. I'll probably buy that along with a desk when we move to Bellingham - off Craigslist - and then resell them when we leave. I'm glad I brought art for the walls. I could even use a few more pictures. I've devised an "entertainment center" out of tubs and a trunk for the TV, the DVR and the DVD player. I'm off to Austin tomorrow to buy a tablecloth to cover it and make it look better. The tubs (these are our Rubbermaid moving tubs that hold our stuff in the trailer) are stackable and surprisingly usable. For instance, I stacked 3 in my bedroom, and now I have a place to put my jewelry that's easily accessible as I change out necklaces every day.
Another surprise has been the food. Every restaurant we've eaten at has been excellent. We have discovered that Bastrophians are expected to eat lunch before 2 p.m. It's apparently nap time after that because 90% of the restaurants close their doors at 2 p.m. We went downtown to eat yesterday since my mission was to get a library card and the library is on the edge of downtown. We got there about 2:15 p.m and discovered that the Mexican restaurant we wanted to try had just closed. Surveying up and down the street, we finally had to resort to the few tables attached to the downtown sports bar. The menu was limited to say the least: a set of poorboys, a variety of burgers, chicken tenders and wings. We tried the tenders, and they turned out to be the best ones I've ever eaten. The batter was handmade and the tenders were handbreaded and fried up when ordered. Added bonus: Got to see the end of the NASCAR race at Texas Speedway and witness the big crash. Well, you take your entertainment where you can find it.
We're headed to Austin tomorrow just for fun, and to take our friend Cody to dinner. I'm really looking forward to seeing him.
Finally, I do have a personal mailing address for the next 6 weeks (until June 1st). Here it is:
3950 Highway 71 East #816, Bastrop, Texas 78602. You can just keep those cards and letters coming - after all, I'm writing you!
Back to the present. When the house we were sitting sold, we were in the ticklish position of having to find a short term lease - very short term - 7 weeks. The first thing we discovered is that rental property in Austin doesn't really exist for that short of a lease. We fooled around for a day looking on-line for something. We had Kit (boyfriend's mother), who's a real estate agent, looking for us. Finally, we resorted to Craigslist. That is an amazing website for any of you who haven't used it. You can probably find your great grandmother's teeth if you searched it correctly. Anyway, we found an apartment in Bastrop advertised on Craigslist which seemed to be willing to take short termers.
Another plus for us was to get out of Bee Caves. This is a very upscale neighborhood out amidst the hills of the Hill Country. It's a robust 30 minutes into downtown (Sarah's house) when the traffic is at it's lowest. In addition, there were very few choices of places to eat or shop. The washateria was 5 miles from the house. Then, there was the premium added to every purchase since you got your item at Bee Caves. What I was really missing was the convenience of day to day living in Hurst. Bee Caves made living in Bastrop look really attractive. It's 27 miles from the heart of downtown Austin, which makes it about the same drive to Sarah's house. Another Bastrop attraction was two nice golf courses with small town green fee prices.
The Bastrop brown stucco apartment complex, The Lodge in the Pines, was big without being gargantuan, and seemed well kept. We liked the model apartment. The first thing I learned is that apartments have changed. Now, I knew that Sarah and Jay have a spectacular apartment with super windows everywhere, and island kitchen and stainless steel appliances (turquoise has gone by the wayside - can't imagine why), but they live in downtown Austin - the high rent district. I didn't expect this Bastrop apartment to be any different than the tiny, dark Wirt Road apartment. I didn't expect 9 foot ceilings and one entire wall of the living room/dining room to be a window wall. I didn't expect two large bathrooms, and while the kitchen is still a slot, it's a wide slot, so it doesn't have that closed in feeling of being inside a toothpaste box.
Being favorably impressed as well as realizing we certainly weren't going to find anybody else to lease us a place for seven weeks, we settled down to review the lease. Actually, I reviewed the lease cracking jokes all the way. I got so out of control that Drake got nervous, afraid we might be viewed by the assistant manager (Charlotte) as terrorists. All because I told him he couldn't bring his explosives with us when we moved in. Now that's one thing that hasn't changed a bit: the lease is all in the favor of the landlord. If the tenants sneeze too loud, they can be evicted and forced to pay damages for the pain and suffering of the apartment building. Of course, it's not QUITE that unfair - but close. In the end, the apartment management really cut us a good deal. As an added bonus, we get to park our trailer in our 'other' parking slot, thus eliminating the need to rent trailer storage space. I would be deleriously happy if we could replicate this deal in Bellingham.
What has really impressed me though was the immaculate condition of our actual apartment when we arrived. It had been completely painted - correctly. They laid all new carpet and linoleum. All the appliances (white, thank God) were pristine as well as all the fixtures. Nothing leaks. Nothing is discolored or dingy. The complex's laundry room was equally clean and everything in it works! Another pleasant surprise were the number of electrical outlets in the apartment - one on each wall, sometimes two. That's a real benefit with two laptop computers in the family which constantly need recharging, not to mention the two cell phones.
We learned some things moving in. With Jay and Sarah's help, the move in was quick and smooth. We definitely needed the help which we'll hire when we get to Bellingham. It took the moving day itself for us to get set up to eat, sleep and get clean. It took half of a second day to decorate. We brought the right amount of furniture. The only thing I'm really missing is one bedside table. I'll probably buy that along with a desk when we move to Bellingham - off Craigslist - and then resell them when we leave. I'm glad I brought art for the walls. I could even use a few more pictures. I've devised an "entertainment center" out of tubs and a trunk for the TV, the DVR and the DVD player. I'm off to Austin tomorrow to buy a tablecloth to cover it and make it look better. The tubs (these are our Rubbermaid moving tubs that hold our stuff in the trailer) are stackable and surprisingly usable. For instance, I stacked 3 in my bedroom, and now I have a place to put my jewelry that's easily accessible as I change out necklaces every day.
Another surprise has been the food. Every restaurant we've eaten at has been excellent. We have discovered that Bastrophians are expected to eat lunch before 2 p.m. It's apparently nap time after that because 90% of the restaurants close their doors at 2 p.m. We went downtown to eat yesterday since my mission was to get a library card and the library is on the edge of downtown. We got there about 2:15 p.m and discovered that the Mexican restaurant we wanted to try had just closed. Surveying up and down the street, we finally had to resort to the few tables attached to the downtown sports bar. The menu was limited to say the least: a set of poorboys, a variety of burgers, chicken tenders and wings. We tried the tenders, and they turned out to be the best ones I've ever eaten. The batter was handmade and the tenders were handbreaded and fried up when ordered. Added bonus: Got to see the end of the NASCAR race at Texas Speedway and witness the big crash. Well, you take your entertainment where you can find it.
We're headed to Austin tomorrow just for fun, and to take our friend Cody to dinner. I'm really looking forward to seeing him.
Finally, I do have a personal mailing address for the next 6 weeks (until June 1st). Here it is:
3950 Highway 71 East #816, Bastrop, Texas 78602. You can just keep those cards and letters coming - after all, I'm writing you!
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Goodbye Gray Whale, Hello Goldie
I'm beginning to think that pretty soon I'm going to wake up one morning and I'll be in a new body. That's my way of saying: Look out! More changes coming. Yesterday and today were important days. Yesterday represented continuity and today represents change. I know you're all wondering what's going on, so I won't keep you in suspense. Read on if you want to understand this picture.
Yesterday we celebrated our 39th wedding anniversary with Sarah Lynn, Jay (the boyfriend) and his parents. We ate at a wonderful place called "Ronnie's Real Food". This is an insider Austin restaurant that is out in the 'country' in the owner's house. He's a gourmet chef who cooks for 10 people a night from Wednesday thru Sunday. He makes two entrees, a soup, salad and dessert. It's BYOB and it is a fixed price of $25 per person which includes tax and tip. It was terrific. It was like having the best dinner you can imagine in your own dining room without the rushing around to get the food on the table. Our four dinner companions brought us a gift of Teuscher Chocolates for our anniversary. Sarah claims she's never had better chocolate, and she knows what she's talking about. They are divine. They told us there was a funny story that went along with the gift. Here it is.
Jay and Sarah found the chocolate shop, and Jay took Sarah there for Valentine's Day knowing her complete love affair with chocolate. He bought her a rather large box - not just a little four pieces box - as a Valentine gift for her. Sarah was so enthralled with the chocolate that her Only Child reared up when Jay tried to get her to SHARE at least one piece out of the box with him. She totally refused, so Jay has to go back into the store to buy himself a truffle explaining that his girlfriend loved the chocolates so much she wouldn't even give him one piece!
Fast forward to April. Kit and Jeff (Jay's parents) went to buy us a box of the chocolates for our anniversary dinner, and they mentioned that their son and his girlfriend had sent them to the shop. They further commented how much their son's girlfriend loved their chocolates. At which point, the people in the shop said, "Oh, yes, we know who you are - that's the girl who refused to share her chocolates with her own boyfriend!" At the conclusion of this story, Sarah, still being in the grip of chocolatamania, was adamantly unapologetic and unrepentent about failing to share. We all think the episode would make a great TV commercial for the shop. That's my continuity story. Drake and I have been together and supremely happy for over 40 years. Now that's the kind of continuity that makes me fearless about all the changes that have been happening in my life.
Moving on then to today and more change as well as an explanation of the above picture. Drake has been rumbling for the past two weeks that he was not very happy with the Lincoln Towncar's (aka The Gray Whale) performance in pulling the trailer. Yes, it would do it, but boy, could he ever feel the strain as it pulled the trailer up the modest hills from Hurst to Austin. He realized how uncomfortable it was going to be driving long distances with a car at the very edge of its performance capabilities. He felt he would have to be on high alert, grip the wheel firmly at ALL times, watch the traffic carefully since we would always be the slowest on the road, and pray that the Gray Whale could take the next hill pulling the trailer. He didn't even want to think about mountainous terrain. It was visions of the Gray Whale failing to reach the pinnacle of a mountain that started him car shopping. Oh, and in the middle of all his research he paused to sell our red Volvo station wagon since we had previously decided we weren't going to need or want two cars.
This is where the picture comes in. This is the first time since 1973 that we haven't owned a Volvo. It's kind of like looking down and noticing that you're missing a foot. I'm 23 years old in the picture standing proudly in front of our first Volvo. We brought our naive 23 year old bargaining skill to the table with a car salesman and finally bought the very Volvo in the picture from the dealership. It had 7500 miles on it - an almost brand new car!
Fast forward, 37 years and, we're sitting across from a car salesman in his tiny office at a car dealership negotiating for a car. Amazingly, it was all comfortingly similar. As much as the internet has changed the way we live, it has changed very little about negotiating with a car salesman to buy a car. [Drake did confide to me that he thought he had honed his negotiating skills considerably from the last time (1973) that he was in this precise situation.]
The salesman still went to the "manager" to see if he can "sell" our offer to his tough manager. Right. Probably the only thing that's really changed is that the salesman doesn't smoke a quick cigarette before coming back into his tiny office with the counter-offer. Actually, to be fair, the 2010 car salesman isn't sleazy at all, and the negotiation wasn't all that adversarial. I think both Drake and Marc (the salesman) felt like they won the negotiation. We now own a new car - well, new to us.
In the past 30 days we will have : sold our house of 20 years, stored some of our belongings, sold the rest, moved into another house, rented an apartment, sold two cars, bought a car and moved again. You can't say I'm letting any grass grow under my feet. Other than a nanosecond of sadness is letting go of my red station wagon - I just love red cars - all this change has been fun and exciting. I'm so happy to be waking up to a new challenge each day.
Yesterday we went all over San Antonio looking at cars - a specific make of car, actually, - a Lincoln Aviator. It's really ironic that we wound up buying a Lincoln. My father tried for 30 years to get Drake to agree with him that a Lincoln was a better buy and a better car than a Volvo. It's a pity my father isn't here to savor his victory. It was the Gray Whale (my father's last Lincoln) that convinced Drake that yes, now in 2010 a Lincoln is a better car than a Volvo. Especially in light of what Drake needs for his car to do. Drake has had a great time researching a dozen cars trying to isolate the brand and make of car which would be a towing monster hauling our cargo trailer up mountains while offering us passenger comfort while traveling cross country. The final irony is that we bought a Lincoln that handles like a Volvo. It's the best of both worlds.
Next week is going to be another one of the fun ones. Packing up and moving out of the Bee Cave house. I'm interested to see what I've found that I don't need, and how long it's going to take me to pack up. I'm babysitting Nate, the nine month old who's into everything, crawling at the speed of light, and really, really pleased with himself. I get to unpack the entire trailer and set up housekeeping exclusively with what I brought in an apartment in a new place (Bastrop). I'm having deja 'vu. I did this exact same thing in August of 1972. One big difference is I didn't have to live on pain killers in 1972 in order to get everything unpacked but I'm also certain that I know a lot more about love, life, and people.
I moved into my apartment in 1972 out of a uhaul truck and a 1965 Oldsmobile. On Saturday, I'm going to move into my apartment out of a cargo trailer, and oh, we'll be driving a gold Lincoln Aviator. I can already tell that "Goldie" is going to be a great car.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Here Come the Bluebonnets!
Today we had the kind of day we envisioned when we started this whole vagabonding project. That is to say, an absolutely delightful day full of surprises and new sights. We went to see the bluebonnets today. The buzz has been all over the websites, the television and the radio that the wildflowers this year are amazing. We heard today from residents in the heart of the Hill Country of Texas that they've never seen such a colorful season. I'm here to testify that the flowers are amazing. The bluebonnets are about 'peak' right now. As Texans know, there is a small window of bluebonnet perfection, and when it's over they're gone. You never know from one season to the next how good any season will be.
The heart of the Hill Country, where we were today, is on the Llano Drift which is the geological formation that produces the granite the region is famous for, as well as a plethora of other minerals. It's actually craggy as you can see from some of the photos I'm going to direct you to. This is really a rugged landscape with rock outcropppings, and we actually saw a hoodoo on the top of one hill today.
We took the Willow Loop near Fredericksbury which is not even a state road - it's a small winding county road that actually winds thru a series of meadows that are actually canyons. There are fabulous bluebonnets all along the road as well as stretching out into the meadows for acres and acres. There are also loose cows on the road. We never could determine if the cows ate the bluebonnets or not. This road is so small that the traffic is a nightmare on the weekends when the wildflowers are in bloom. This road was an unforgettable experience and as we all know, the viewing of bluebonnets is akin to a religious experience for Texans. We wondered outloud why bluebonnets have such a powerful effect on us. It's a combination of overwhelming beauty, the rarity of actual blue flowers - there just aren't that many true blue flowers, and also the fragrance which is negligible in small clumps, but a delicate, distictive perfume when there are acres of them. It's also the pride of having a specific flower native to the state - there are other lupines - but there's only one Texas bluebonnet. On a Wednesday morning we did get the peak time, but didn't have to deal with much traffic - just other oldsters like us. It was great. There are also many other flowers in bloom right now - the pink flox, the yellow groundsel, the prickly poppy, and the yucca.
You may ask how I know this? Two reasons: First, I have a Texas Wildflower book (naturally), and second, I went to the Wildflower Center which was founded in 1982 by Helen Hayes (yes, the actress), and our own Lady Bird Johnson. Lady Bird was a true radical. In 1965 she decided to beautify America. She was into environmental issues long before it was even an imagined field of study. I can remember the highways bordered by forests of billboards, and littered with all manner of trash. Lady Bird's campaign of beautification changed all of that, and she lavished her ideas along all Texas highways. That's why even in the center of urban Texas, you can enjoy bluebonnets. I must tell you, though, that enjoying them in their natural environment is even more spectacular. The Center is celebrating Wildflower Days right now, but what I really got turned on about were the bonsai trees - native Texas trees - miniaturized. They were amazing.
No day is complete for me when touring unless I can visit a small town museum. Today I took in the Llano Historical Museum. It was marvelous with a real covered wagon, lots of vintage clothes, household items, guns, and even a piano. Llano is the county seat and thus, has a Texas courthouse in the town square - a very familar township style all over Texas. The most interesting things about the courthouse are that (1) it is only one of 3 courthouses in Texas that hasn't been 'added onto', and (2) the only one which is asymetrical. I got a Christmas ornament commemorating the 150th anniversary of Llano - which is a brass cutout of the courthouse. We had lunch at the Acme Cafe which is justifiably famous for their handmade, homemade crab cakes. Then we drifted next door for scoops of BlueBell Ice Cream - it doesn't get better than that unless you get a piece of jewelry.
Yes, I got a new piece today - amazonite - a green stone native to the hill country at the Enchanted Rocks and Jewelry Store. (Any one of my friends KNOWS that I couldn't pass up that shopping opportunity.) Drake got it for me for our 39th anniversary which is Friday.
Yes, all in all, an excellent vagabonding day. If you want to see the pictures of the visit to the Wildflower Center in Austin and the driving day to view bluebonnets, then go to:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jalyss1/2010CentralTexasTrip?authkey=Gv1sRgCOaJ9fHajYHs4AE#
Let's hope this will work because the pictures are really spectacular.
The heart of the Hill Country, where we were today, is on the Llano Drift which is the geological formation that produces the granite the region is famous for, as well as a plethora of other minerals. It's actually craggy as you can see from some of the photos I'm going to direct you to. This is really a rugged landscape with rock outcropppings, and we actually saw a hoodoo on the top of one hill today.
We took the Willow Loop near Fredericksbury which is not even a state road - it's a small winding county road that actually winds thru a series of meadows that are actually canyons. There are fabulous bluebonnets all along the road as well as stretching out into the meadows for acres and acres. There are also loose cows on the road. We never could determine if the cows ate the bluebonnets or not. This road is so small that the traffic is a nightmare on the weekends when the wildflowers are in bloom. This road was an unforgettable experience and as we all know, the viewing of bluebonnets is akin to a religious experience for Texans. We wondered outloud why bluebonnets have such a powerful effect on us. It's a combination of overwhelming beauty, the rarity of actual blue flowers - there just aren't that many true blue flowers, and also the fragrance which is negligible in small clumps, but a delicate, distictive perfume when there are acres of them. It's also the pride of having a specific flower native to the state - there are other lupines - but there's only one Texas bluebonnet. On a Wednesday morning we did get the peak time, but didn't have to deal with much traffic - just other oldsters like us. It was great. There are also many other flowers in bloom right now - the pink flox, the yellow groundsel, the prickly poppy, and the yucca.
You may ask how I know this? Two reasons: First, I have a Texas Wildflower book (naturally), and second, I went to the Wildflower Center which was founded in 1982 by Helen Hayes (yes, the actress), and our own Lady Bird Johnson. Lady Bird was a true radical. In 1965 she decided to beautify America. She was into environmental issues long before it was even an imagined field of study. I can remember the highways bordered by forests of billboards, and littered with all manner of trash. Lady Bird's campaign of beautification changed all of that, and she lavished her ideas along all Texas highways. That's why even in the center of urban Texas, you can enjoy bluebonnets. I must tell you, though, that enjoying them in their natural environment is even more spectacular. The Center is celebrating Wildflower Days right now, but what I really got turned on about were the bonsai trees - native Texas trees - miniaturized. They were amazing.
No day is complete for me when touring unless I can visit a small town museum. Today I took in the Llano Historical Museum. It was marvelous with a real covered wagon, lots of vintage clothes, household items, guns, and even a piano. Llano is the county seat and thus, has a Texas courthouse in the town square - a very familar township style all over Texas. The most interesting things about the courthouse are that (1) it is only one of 3 courthouses in Texas that hasn't been 'added onto', and (2) the only one which is asymetrical. I got a Christmas ornament commemorating the 150th anniversary of Llano - which is a brass cutout of the courthouse. We had lunch at the Acme Cafe which is justifiably famous for their handmade, homemade crab cakes. Then we drifted next door for scoops of BlueBell Ice Cream - it doesn't get better than that unless you get a piece of jewelry.
Yes, I got a new piece today - amazonite - a green stone native to the hill country at the Enchanted Rocks and Jewelry Store. (Any one of my friends KNOWS that I couldn't pass up that shopping opportunity.) Drake got it for me for our 39th anniversary which is Friday.
Yes, all in all, an excellent vagabonding day. If you want to see the pictures of the visit to the Wildflower Center in Austin and the driving day to view bluebonnets, then go to:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jalyss1/2010CentralTexasTrip?authkey=Gv1sRgCOaJ9fHajYHs4AE#
Let's hope this will work because the pictures are really spectacular.
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