Fredericksburg

This morning, Don asked if I would like to drive over to Fredericksburg for lunch and, of course, I said yes!  I had noticed on my walk this morning that it was cloudy and here you can see the clouds, but we got no rain.

At a motorcycle shop in Ingram, my eye caught this classic looking motorcycle, so I got a picture just for my motorcycle friends.  You know who you are. :-)

While we were just getting started across to Fredericksburg, I got a call from Nancy Beilke in Nebraska.  It was so good to hear her voice and that she and John are doing well.  However, she and Don have shared the misery of a broken rib this spring.

Don loves taking a new route which took us past this old house.  We went past and I just got a glimpse but knew that I wanted a picture of it.  My sweet man made a U-turn and stopped so I could get some good shots.  If this house could talk.

On the other side of the highway, we were being watched very closely by the Axis buck.

Don noticed this small cafe on the main street of Fredericksburg, so we parked and went in.

None of the walls in this transformed house had been completely removed, giving each room it’s own dining spaces.

The woodwork is warm and beautiful.

This group of ladies was having a good time in the next room.  The room we were in had four tables.

We both ordered the grilled Chicken Poblano and it was delicious, with the sautéed squash, rice and pico.  Yes, that is sliced avocado under that melted cheese.  And the poblano sauce is… poblano peppers, garlic, heavy cream and white wine.  Really yummy, however, I only tasted it, but did not eat it.  The cheese was enough dairy for my meal.

A couple from Austin came in and sat at the table next to us.  How odd that we would strike up a conversation with them, recommended what we had just eaten and they tried it and loved it, too.

Now, the waitress came with the dessert suggestions and Don chose the peach & blueberry cobbler with a dip of vanilla ice cream.  She brought it to the table, hot, with two spoons.  I tasted a small bite of peach and a small bite of blueberries, but no cake or ice cream.  Mr. Skinny ate the whole thing and when the waitress asked him if he liked it, he asked, “Is my mama in the kitchen?”

OK, Kelly’s Cafe was a hit.

On the way back to the truck, I took a few pictures. ….

Our next stop was a veggie stand on the highway where we purchased fresh tomatoes and fresh peaches.  Locally, they’re between peach crops, so the peaches we bought were from east Texas.

On the Opa’s!  Can’t go to Fredericksburg without getting Opa’s Smoked sausage.  Today, Don chose a package of Southwest and one of cheese.

Taking yet another route back to the Q, Don spotted this old house and barn.  Looks like the windmill has seen it’s better days.

It’s difficult to see, but this is a vegetable truck farm where something is being harvested today.

Back at the Q, I prepared some of the tomatoes for salsa.  Notice what is written on the box.  The tomatoes had a couple of flaws, but nothing major and they do taste good.  We finally found fresh tomatoes that taste like the ones my mama used to have in her garden.  Now… if I could just find some fresh black-eyed peas.  Anyway, the salsa was made using the Ninja Food Processor that Stephanie gave Don for his birthday.  Wow!  It’s great!  And the salsa is so good.

Have a wonderful day wherever you are and we will do the same here in the Texas Hill Country, for... “This is the day that the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”

(Thanks LoPo!)

Memorial Day 2011

THANK YOU

to all who have served and all those who have loved those who have served.

We remember you, not just today, but everyday.

 

God bless you and God bless your family.

and Ms. Soldier, too!

Deer questions

I’ve been asked about the white spotted grown deer here.  I had the same question:  why are these deer still spotted as adults and why are the bucks’ horns shaped differently, high and further apart?  The owner of the park explained to me that they were brought here from India in the 1930’s and they are called….

 Axis deer.  They are not native to the Texas Hill Country like the White Tail deer.

Memorial Day message.

I took a few pictures from inside the chapel while waiting for the chapel to cool down and for folks to get there.

 

Don’s message this morning was about remembering.

Remembering our soldiers and military personnel who have sacrificed for our freedom.

We mourn for them, we remember them, we are grateful to them.  They gave their lives so we could live in freedom.

We, also, remember Jesus Christ and the sacrifice He made for us.  He gave His life so we could live truly free, victorious over sin.  He gave His life so we could live forever with Him.

I Corinthians 11:24-29

Every pew had someone in it this morning!  I didn’t count, but I think I can picture 21 worshippers this morning.  We also had a musician!  Dr. Bruce played his harmonica for us as we sang and you should have heard us singing!  I’m sure that dad and his son, fishing at the creek, enjoyed  it.

A special Thank You to Dr. Bruce.

And a special Thank You to Mr. Ken for helping serve communion.

After church, we went to church again in Kerrville. We also returned the communion service.  Pastor Chris is preaching through the Gospel of John and doing a great job.  We thoroughly enjoy going.

Out of the blue, a lady at church told us about a friend who had just restored a Shasta camper trailer.  When she said, “Shasta,” Don’s ears perked up.  His first job away from home when he graduated was at the Shasta trailer manufacturer.  He worked in every department of that place and ended up being manager of quality control.  Until Uncle Sam said, “You’re going to Viet Nam, son.” 

But, I digress.  So, anyway, before we left church, Ruth and hubby, Jack, called the Shasta camper owner, and arranged for us to go over to his home to see his newly completed project.  Don could hardly wait to see it.

This is a 1957 Shasta trailer that Dan purchased in Iowa and drug it back to Kerrville to restore for his niece.  He gave $300 for it and has put about $5000 into it, but isn’t it beautiful.  Where once there were staples, Dan replace them with screws.

Dan completely gutted the original and restored it from the frame up. I’m sorry that this is the only picture I took of the interior.  Those are the original gas light fixtures that Dan converted to electricity.  Dan’s niece is making the curtains and bringing them with her when she picks up the trailer.

The only thing that Dan didn’t do himself was the exterior paint.  If you ever saw a Shasta trailer with the wing on the sides at the rear, that trailer was made in 1958 and after.

Dan is a master craftsman and he loves to have a project going, but he will only do one project at a time and never repeats a project, i.e., he will probably never restore another Shasta trailer.

Both Dan and Don were thrilled to meet each other and Dan could not believe that right when he completed this Shasta restore, he meets someone who worked for Shasta Trailer Co.  This trailer was manufactured in Van Nuys, CA, but Don worked at the plant in Grapevine, Texas.  Guess where Dan’s niece lives?  Grapevine, Texas!

Dan was so gracious and delighted to show us his Shasta restoration.  Also, what we have here are two Navy veterans. 

We are hoping we get to be present when Dan’s niece sees this work of art for the first time.

This is a view of Kerrville from Dan’s property.

Dan lives up on a hill.  Can you tell?

Sunday lunch was at Mamacita’s.  Wish I had taken my camera inside.  This was quite an interesting place.

Well, just let me tell you that it is hot here.  102 for the high.  Humidity is up to about 41% so it feels a few degrees hotter than the 102.

This is another long post, so I’m closing it even though our day isn’t over.  If something blog worthy happens later, I’ll post it.

Thank You to any and all veterans and veteran families who may read this post.  We are so grateful to you for the freedom we enjoy today.

Walk this way

On this beautiful Saturday morning, I thought I would give you a glimpse of Johnson Creek RV Park from the route I walk.  As I walk to the end of our driveway/site, I turn right and walk to the turnaround.

From the turnaround, I walk by past the Q …

going past the office and…

the clubhouse which is located behind the office.

When I got to the main road, I turned around and took a picture back toward the office and the clubhouse.

Turning around, I head down the road toward the entrance, past the….

donkeys.  

As you can see, the road has this S curve.

A morning shot of the flags at the entrance.

Now it’s time to turn around and head back.  This is a view of the park from the entrance area.

I turn up the first street and walk, enjoying looking at all the rigs and ….

some very nice trucks.

There’s a rally in the park this week which brought a lot of really big motorhomes.

This is where I have just walked.

Turning right I head back up the next street to do it all over again.

I walked back to the entrance, and on my way back, look who I met!!  My sweetie!  So I walked with him back to the entrance and..

this time we walked between the office and the clubhouse….

and another nice truck…..

and finding ourselves at the creek.  Imagine that. :-) 

We held hands and prayed on that shady knoll to the far right.

These wildflowers are called Mexican Hats, which I always thought was a sombrero.

We had breakfast/lunch brunch at Denny’s mid-morning, then we rode around Kerrville and back to the Q.  It was very hot today, so we spent most of the day inside.  Don got a call from a local pastor who is loaning us a communion set for in the morning, so Don went to pick it up.  Then we found a table cloth in the clubhouse for our small table.

Late this afternoon, we took another walk and decided on the road behind the park.

I love new photo material and you know how I love old barns.

These are real geese.  I was a little concerned that we might be chased.

Live oak trees make a striking figure of contrast when they are dead among live trees, with the glow of the setting sun.

Metal artist dreamed of shooting a 12-point buck!!

The road we walked came out to the highway, so we just kept walking as we knew we would wind up at the park entrance.

Back in the park we could hear live music from the gazebo behind the clubhouse.  Sounded like the rally group were have a good time.

We stopped to visit Monte and Vicki at their rig.  They were sitting out by the road with their two doggies.  We sure enjoyed getting to know them and could have visited longer, but the flies were biting our legs, so we called it a night.

Do know what this is?That is the interesting design our solar lamp makes on the ground and concrete.

That’s our Saturday in pictures, mostly.  Hope you enjoyed.  “See” you in church in the morning!