A Texas Thanksgiving

  This Thanksgiving Day we were up way to early to catch our 6:00 a.m. flight to TX to visit our son, Joshua and daughter in law, Alessa.  Many of you know I am not a morning person so this is a big accomplishment for me to get to the airport by 5:00!  OK, I will admit, I was so excited to see my children I found it very easy to get up and out of the house. 

  Our flights went from CAK to ATL to SAN and I made sure I thanked every employee I came in contact with for working on Thanksgiving Day so I could get to where I wanted to be.  Some were shocked to be thanked, others just nodded.  We were met at the airport by Joshua and off to San Marcos we went.  It was a nice drive, not too much traffic. 

  Stepping into the apartment, we were greeted by Alessa and the wonderful aroma of a Thanksgiving dinner!  It was a total surprise that they had fixed dinner for us to share together.  I was deeply touched by this sweet gesture.  It was delicious! 

 


 On Friday we took off for Bastrop State Park, about an hour away.  This is a beautiful State Park that offers camping, cabins, fishing and a golf course.

Three years ago a devastating fire swept this area.  Even though you are wakling through charred remains of a once great forest, you can see the regrowth that is making it a lovely place to wander.  Many historical building were saved from destruction.

 

The roof did have to be replaced on this shelter, and you can see the burnt stones.  The view from that bench was amazing!


 "Let's go to Luckenbach Texas Willie and Waylon and the boys."  Yep, there is such a place and I was there!  Willie and Waylon weren't.

This is just a burp in the road and if you were not looking for it, you would pass it right up.  This is was made famous by the song and they had live music on Saturday.  We listened to Rosie Flores.  She was really good and I have never seen or heard any female play a guitar like she could.  Amazing! 

 The above photo is of the outdoor stage.

 Most visitors get their photo taken in front of the post office.

 

Or sitting on the longhorn steer.  It is a live steer too!

This is the Dance Hall were the evening shows are held.

 

This is the restroom.  There are license plates from all over the country and some from other countries!  It was very interesting to look at!

 

I found this to be very interesting also.  I cannot imagine all those pickers gathered together in one place.  I think Jeff's Dad would have loved it!

This was a fun day and the ride to Luckenbach reminded me of the roads back here in Ohio!  Next stop, The Salt Lick BBQ!

 
  I come to Texas for two things, one is to visit my children, the second is to eat at The Salt Lick BBQ!

This place seems to be in the middle of nowhere, but it has the most delicious BBQ I have ever eaten.  It has a beautiful outdoor seating area that was packed when we arrived.  We waited 1 1/2 hours for a table....yes, it is THAT good!

When you walk inside the Salt Lick, you pass by the open BBQ pit.  Everything looks delicious!

I always get the brisket, and it is served with German potato salad, baked beans and slaw.  This slaw is made with a vinegar dressing that when mixed with the potato salad is delicious!! 

Another photo from inside the Salt Lick BBQ.

If you are ever anywhere near Austin, you have got to try this place.  It is amazing and my favorite BBQ place ever!!!!!!!  Well worth the trip and the wait :)

  We did eat at some great places in San Marcos too.  Have you ever had a breakfast taco?  Who knew you could put all your breakfast foods in a taco?  We ate at The Rodeo for breakfast two mornings.  Just trying this new concept in eating was fun.  I also found I like Migas.  Eggs, peppers, tomatoes with corn tortillas in it, served with beans and potatoes.  Eating in different parts of our country makes me realize how boring Midwestern (ie: Ohio) food is.  Spice it up baby!

I was able to pick up some more coffee beans from one of my favorite coffee roasters.  Redbud Roasters is a local roaster and I really like their Guatemalan and Honduras coffee.

You can order from them at:  www.redbudroasters.com

Another stop on our food adventure was 2 Tarts Bakery in New Braunfels, TX.  A nice quaint place with a delicious selection of  every pastry you can think of as well as a quiche or frittata of  the day!  I enjoyed a lovely cup of Austin Breakfast Tea here with my breakfast of a spinach frittata, then Joshua and I shared a blackberry scone that was delicious.  Jeff enjoyed a cinnamon roll after eating a pig in a poncho.  That is a smoked sausage wrapped in a sweet bread. 

   In New Braunfels there is a great quilt shop.  The Quilt Haus!  www.quilthaus.com   It made me happy my son knew where it was :)  When I walked in the first thing I noticed was the great samples they had hanging everywhere.  They were quick to greet me and offer any assistance.  After meandering around for a while I decided on a pattern by Creative Solutions called Dupont Circles.  The designer of these patterns is also the owner of this quilt shop.  I did not like the fabric of the samples, but fell in love with other fabrics in another sample.  With the help from this awesome staff, we found most of them and even added a few we liked better. The Quilt Haus has a Facebook page too!  I am anxious to try this pattern as there were quite a few choices.  I'll keep you posted on the progress of that quilt.  It will be for my son in law, Keegan.

On the morning we were heading to Luckenbach, Alessa got a macaroon that was half dipped in chocolate and I got a gluten free lemon bar at The Root Cellar.  Yummy!

  It does look like all we did was eat, but I can tell you for sure we spent quality time visiting with each other.  It was so nice to relax in their apartment and knit.  Yes, there was knitting going on as well.  Alessa is an accomplished knitter.  She finished a hat for her nephew and I showed her how to make the pompom!  I knitted a Spa Cloth for Joshua while visiting.  I also got to enjoy my newest Grand Kitten.  His name is Lieutenant! He is such a people cat and loved all the attention we gave him.  I am sure it will be a week before he is back to his regular self!  Isn't that what Grandparents are for? 
 I don't know when I will get to visit my children again and that makes leaving very difficult and very teary.  I have a saying on my fridge that reads:  "The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence."  I feel I have done that, but it still doesn't make leaving any easier. 

 Thank you Joshua and Alessa for a wonderful visit!  I love you both with all my heart!  Lieu too!