We went to the Austin Convention Center and attended the Austin RV Show. Our ultimate dream is to own an RV and travel the country.
The Convention space for the Expo was huge. It took us five hours to walk from one end to the other. Everything was there from the tiny trailers to the monster motor coaches.
I did stop and take a look at one of the tiny trailers. I chuckled because I am 6’4″ and there is no way I could lay flat in those. One had a shower stall. That made me laugh with the idea of me attempting to at least close the door once I was inside. Tracy joked about it for about an hour.
Tracy gravitated toward the 5th wheels and I leaned towards the motor coaches. We both liked the idea of a toy hauler.
Tracy’s favorite was a 5th wheel that was 40′ long. It had a bath and a half, queen size bed, real refrigerator/freezer, leather sofa and chairs. It even had a washer and dryer. Tons of storage space underneath.
Mine was a motor coach diesel pusher. It was also 40′ long with all the bells and whistles. Very comfortable chairs. The passenger chair even had pull out desk so she could do her computer work as we drove down the road. I think the cabinets were of better quality with marble floors. Hers had wood floors.
Comparing the cost, we think it broke out even. With the 5th wheel, it would require a larger truck than what we have. Combine the two costs, it is the same as the motor coach. The added expense of the coach would be the car caddy to pull our car behind. If not we would be stranded at the camp site. Well unless we would want to drive the bus around like a passenger car.
All in all it was fun. It gives you a chance to dream and fantasize for the future.
Fredericksburg is an old German town established un 1846.
Many of the streets were created during the horse and wagon years. You can tell
the age on how wide the streets are in order to turn a wagon around. For many
years the primary language was German. Admiral Nimitz from WWII birthplace is
Fredericksburg. There is a Museum dedicated to him and a WWII Museum behind it
dedicated to George H Bush. It has a two-man Japanese sub on display. It is
worth the visit.
Fredericksburg is loaded with antique shops, wineries,
B&B’s, restaurants, and museums. We have visited the area many times. This
area is very popular during weekends.
But this day was a special trip. Very special!
Our day started in Marble Falls for breakfast at Bluebonnet Café. This place is getting close to being 100 years old. It is a hopping place, good food, homemade meals. When you arrive, don’t be surprised the line is all the way outside. Don’t worry, this place has a very good system of moving people. Oh, the pies! Tons of freshly made pies! Oh, a word of advice. Bring cash to Bluebonnet. They do not accept credit or debit cards. The establishment has been a cash only business since it started.
Our next stop was HEB. We purchased two grocery bags of
produce. Carrots, cabbage, bananas and apples. We were buying treats.
So off towards Fredericksburg we went. Once we got into Johnson City, we took a side road and ended up at the gates of Hill Country Elephant Preserve. /That’s right folks, we have elephants in Hill Country.
The couple who own the property and animals moved here from
California last May. They said the reason for the move was the change in
California laws pertaining to exotic animals. They said the new laws made it
impossible to work closely with these large exotics. Kari(owner) told me the
other reason was society had gotten to close for them. 30 years ago a trip to
the store was over 30 minutes. Now it is just a few blocks away.
She also said most of her staff came here with them. Many
had been working with them for over 20 years.
For those of you who know me, I am a nut about elephants. My
bucket list is a trip to Africa and spend a month with them. We had an
opportunity years ago to spend time with elephants on the back side of the
Indianapolis Zoo. That was an experience of a lifetime.
When you arrive at the property, you will notice a few red
circus type canopies. There is a greeting canopy, main display canopy, bathing,
and one for foot care display. There is obvious new construction going on
around the area.
Now before I go any farther. These are not wild Asian
elephants. They are domesticated performing elephants. They have been in
movies, commercials, and other festivities. What you will see is five elephants
performing small routines. But mostly this is about learning about elephants, how
they are cared for, and some one on one interaction with them. This is not a
circus or zoo.
For $75 per person, you get to be up close to elephants.
Kari talked about their history owning them, routine for caring for them, described
each elephant, and differences between African and Asian elephants. You then
follow an elephant to the wash bay. Everyone gets a chance to brush one of the
elephants as she lays on the ground. You can watch her breathing while lying
there. She was relaxed and seemed to enjoy the attention. During this time the
other four are just hanging around away from everyone. Occasionally you would
hear one of the trainers call out a name and tell them to back up when they
tried to mingle with the crowd.
Next, we went to another area and learned about the anatomy and
care of their feet. Did you know elephants walk on their toes? The trainers
have the elephants put their feet up on tables for you to see the bottom of
their feet. They describe how they inspect and clean their feet. There is an
opportunity to feel and inspect their feet. You will be amazed how smooth and cushiony
their feet are.
You do get to spend some quality time with a few of them.
You will be amazed on how soft their skin is. The owners said they receive
daily baths and semi-annual olive oil treatment. Can you imagine how much oil
is used to give these girls a rub down? Tai the big girl, she and I can see
almost eye to eye. We had some long eye contact. She curled her trunk and
checked me out a couple of times. Yes I
was in heaven with the trunk checking me out and getting snot on me.
Our time there was almost three hours. I wish I had more
time with them. Maybe I can talk them into me going over and just have some
play time.
The trip was well worth it. It was a great opportunity to
see them up close and able to touch and feel them. The rumbling sounds they
make, puts me at total peace.
Before we left, I talked to some of the staff. They pointed
to where the elephant barn will be. There are plans on bringing in other
exotics such as giraffes. Eventually there will be an Australian petting area
with small animals, cabins and a possible event center. I think this will take
years to complete. You can see areas where they are building structures now.
Sunday was a very cold and wet day. The weather was gloomy
and stayed in the 40’s with fog. Pretty miserable for the human folk. The elephants
felt so warm when you held onto them. They have the capability of regulating
their temperature much better than we can.
We left telling them we would be back.
Off to Fredericksburg. We decided to have a late lunch. Once we arrived, the streets were quite busy. We wanted to try something different and decided on The Old German Bakery and Restaurant The place was quite busy for being 2:00 on a Sunday. We enjoyed our meal very much. Tracy couldn’t finish her meal and half went home for Monday’s lunch. Unfortunately, or fortunately we sat next to the bakery display. During lunch we kept giving the display a look. We decided to share an apple turnover and a blueberry pastry. Really enjoyed the apple turnover. And yes, we just had to take home a loaf of fresh pumpernickel.
We decided to check out Quintessential Chocolates down the street. /Not bad, not great, but worth stopping by. Sorry, Wiseman in Hico is still our favorite. They have a huge assortment of chocolates. You are allowed one free sample. Tracy really enjoys dark chocolate. I tend to sway toward the milk or while chocolate. Their prices are very good, and the staff is well informed about chocolates. Tracy bought chocolates for her coworkers and a small box for herself. I bought a couple peanut clusters.
We had planned on walking around and check out the shops,
but the drizzling started again. It was too unpleasant to walk around being
that cold and wet. So, we packed up back in the car and headed to Johnson City.
While traveling down 290 there are a ton of wineries that
have popped up throughout the years. Most were pretty busy as we drove by. Tracy
couldn’t get rid of that wet cold feeling, so we did not stop. Trust us, it is
worth the trip to check out these wineries. Our next trip in this area we will
dedicate to wine tasting. There are probably 20 wineries, rum distillery, and a
micro-brewery between Fredericksburg and Johnson City.
Our Sunday trip was an eventful one. We were able to
experience something the majority out there will never experience. Just
imagine, holding onto an animal who weighs about four tons and is as gentle as
can be.
We did have a fantastic time visiting our grand babies, daughter, son in law, and friends in the Tampa Bay area. We also got an opportunity to meet our in law’s twin grandsons. OMG, are they tiny compared to our babies!
Earlier I posted about some of our travels in Tampa. We did not do as much as last time in Florida. It was about baby time, and three days of our trip was full of rain. Being winter, it is not much fun being rained on in the cold even if it is Florida.
We visited Fred Howard Park in Tarpon Springs. It was a cool windy day when we arrived. I kept chuckling while there. Tracy asked what was so funny. I was remembering my first winter in Florida. I was in High School and on Christmas day the family made the trip to Clearwater Beach. I remembered there was about three families out on the beach. We were the only family who went into the water. At Fred Howard, most license plates were from out of state, that is why I was chuckling. We walked the beach for a while, but the water was just too cold to walk in. It is free to go inside the park. But there is a cost to park along the water. I think it is $5. You can hang out at the beach, fish all around. There is an area where you can rent sail boards and other floating play toys. On the main land there are hiking paths and picnic areas.
We then decided we wanted some authentic Greek pastries. The only places we knew were at the Sponge Docks. So off we went. We drove around looking for an open parking space along the road. Our day exploring was a short one, and we didn’t want to pay for parking if we were only going to stay there for a couple of minutes. I highly recommend a trip to the docks. We were pressed for time so off we went to pick up one of our friends to head to St Pete to meet another longtime friend.
We stopped at Dickey’s BBQ on Tyrone. Being from Texas we are kind of a snob when it comes to smoked meat. I can honestly say this place was not bad. The meats had good bark, good seasoning, and good flavor. Our group stayed there for about three hours. While there Tracy was pulled aside and invited to a surprise birthday party.
So a few days later we headed to the Key West Bar and Grill in St Pete. We really enjoyed this place. It is old school just what you would expect for an older bar in Florida. Our party was in the patio and there was about 50 for the surprise party. There was a two-piece band that only would play music that was at least 30 years old. They have a very nice menu and the food was really good and fair priced. We had a blast. It is definitely a do over.
Key West Bar is located in the Grand Central Historical District We did not know this until we were looking around waiting for our friend to arrive. Of what we saw, there are a few micro breweries, sports bars and blocks of buildings we couldn’t tell what was inside. I think our next trip to Tampa Bay will be exploring the District. Looking at Maps, there is also a Florida Holocaust Museum east of the bar. Sounds like a good day trip.
We as a large family visited Broken Yolk a few times in New Port Richey This place has been here a long time. It is a hole in the wall. Serves comfort food. The food is good.
Now I did make a couple of trips with my friend Ronnie to the Tampa Bay Clays. Ronnie got me hooked a few years ago. To me it is like playing golf but with a shotgun. Golf is more of you and the ball. You are your own competition. Shooting clays is the same. It is just you and the shotgun. Each time I go I improve my score. Last trip I shot at 40 clays and hit 30. Ronnie hit 48. Yes he gave me grief too!. The staff there is very friendly. You ride a gold cart to each area. It takes about three hours to go through one of the courses.
One day after our clays we met up with Tracy at Toast in Holiday. They are only open for breakfast and lunch. You guessed it, most of the meals are based around toast. They have great omelets, hamburgers, and such. Very nice staff, and great atmosphere. We don’t go after fancy stuff. We just like a good meals and great service. This is located in the Bealls strip mall off of 54 and Rowen Road.
And you guessed right, we went Greek again. We went to Mr Souvlaki’s for dinner one night. And we ordered carry out another night I suggest you arrive very hungry or split your order with someone. Their plates are huge. This place has been around for over 30 years serving home made recipes. It is located on Alt 19 just off the Sponge Docks. Our other favorite places is Momma Maria’s and Mykonos We highly recommend all three restaurants. Being family recipes, if you order the same item from each, they will all taste a little different. We have had lamb at Maria’s and Souvlaki’s.
All in all we had a fantastic time. We got our baby time, family time, and friend time. We do plan on going back in a few months.
But for now it is time to start focusing on some Texas travel time.
Well we did it again. We just had to make the trip to
Florida to see the babies.
We spent 10 days there. Tons of baby time.
We were in Tarpon Springs, New Port Richey, Tampa, St Pete, and Clearwater. We did so much that I will need to break this down to two or more posts.
Let me start with Tampa first.
We took the babies to Busch Gardens. I had not been there since our children were little. When I lived in Florida, I must have visited this place 50 times. I was lucky, I had a very good friend who worked there. I got in for free.
It has changed a ton since I was there. Going there during
the week in January is a good time to go. There weren’t many people there. The
lines to the rides were small compared to peak times. The times are limited. They
are only open from 10 AM to 6 PM during the winter. Our babies are way to small
for the rides except a couple. But my little guy loves animals. All of us had a
blast with the two babies and our daughter. After about seven hours, everyone
was worn out. Tracy and Tif think we walked at least 10 to 12 miles. Who knows?
What I do know is it was a perfect day to make the trip. Little cool, bright
and sunny.
White Rhinos riding on the train
Things that have changed at Busch Gardens. You can now do
close encounters with animals. Obviously, there is a fee for this. You can go
out to the giraffes and feed them. Spend time with the vets, feed many animals.
When the little ones get older we will make another trip.
Many more roller coasters. My favorite, the Python is now
gone and has been replaced with some awesome coasters. When the Python opened,
I rode it that opening day. Somewhere I have the button that says, “I conquered
the Python”.
I really enjoy riding in the gondola. It takes you all over
the grounds. They say there are over 10,000 animals and I believe it. The train
is fun, get to see many animals on the ride.
Riding the train Zebras
We did not go on the rides, shows, or other activities. Our
trip was just to see the animals.
Oh, one good thing they do now. They offer a set up where
you can have digital photos taken of you on these rides. I think it is around
$30 for this. They also offer a one price for all day meals. You are limited to
a couple of items per seating, but you can eat all day for one price. Going as
a family, this could be a cost saving program.
If you enjoy animals and going to the zoo. Tampa has a very nice zoo called Lowery Park. I used to take dates there when I was in High School. Back then it was free. I think it is around $40 per adult per day. If you plan on going there multiple times, they have a great year long package. The zoo is not far from Busch Gardens. They have expanded it with more animals. Also they offer back of the zoo programs for close encounters. We went there a last year and had a great time. Trust me, there is plenty to do to make it a full day.
While in Tampa we highly suggest Bern’s Steak House! I took Tracy there for her Prom. And we went there a few times prior to us moving to Texas. Since our babies have been born, we have attempted to make reservations when we visit. Unfortunately, we have not been. This trip Tracy tried to make reservations, but they were booked for two weeks. She kept calling and finally there was a cancellation. Was she ever excited!
So here is the story of Berns. It has been around for over 60 years. They have their own farm and raise some of their vegetables. Their beef comes from Nebraska. They age their beef in house. Your beef is hand cut when you order. You order your steaks by thickness and weight. They fly in fresh seafood every day. For you to be a waiter, you have to work at their farm, then work the kitchen, and end up in the dining room. Once you have waited tables for a period of time, you become a full-fledged waiter.
They will ask you two things while there. Would you like to
tour the kitchen? And would you like to reserve a room in the Dessert Room? The
answer to both is yes. Trust me, it is an experience.
When we arrived, we were asked if we were celebrating
anything. Well yes, my birthday was a few days away, Tracy’s birthday was a
couple weeks ago, and we celebrated our anniversary a month ago.
We sat in a small room with about 6 or 8 tables. Tracy
enjoyed a couple glasses of wine and since I was driving, I had my standby iced
tea. I drink gallons of it.
Tracy ordered Filet Mignon 8 oz, and I ordered Special
Chateaubriand 9 oz. We didn’t want to over do it because we wanted to head up
to the Dessert Room. We also ordered a goat’s milk Brie cheese as an appetizer.
Included with your steak order is a fresh salad, French onion
soup, these little crackers with a melted cheese.
Four cheeses in the French onion soup
The Brie cheese came with green apple slices and walnuts on
the plate. The brie was very creamy. When you placed on the toast with apple
and nuts, totally different flavor! They make their own dressing. The French
onion soup has four different cheeses. They even cut up a strawberry into a
rose.
Sorry for the quality of the photo. Was using my cell and I
didn’t want to use the flash to disturb others.
When our steaks arrived, the plate included a baked potato,
fresh vegetables, and thinly sliced onion rings. The steaks were so tender you almost
didn’t need a knife. We really enjoyed our meal.
After we finished our waiter asked if we would like to tour
the kitchen. We had never made the tour before, so we said yes. We were then
asked if we would like to reserve the Dessert Room. Well Ya!!!
He took us to the kitchen and were waiting for our guide.
Man is this place huge! People everywhere on a constant move. Our guide
explained each station as we walked by. We watched the butchers cut and weigh
the steaks. There was a salad section, cheese section, soup section, even a bar
with two bartenders making drinks for the dining patrons. The Lounge area had
their own bartenders. We then walked into their wine cellar. This cellar houses
100,000 bottles of wine. They said they have the world’s largest wine cellar.
Across the street they have over 500,000 bottles of wine. The oldest was 1847
and is still in perfect taste according to them. The most expensive is $45,000.
We were at awe of the 100,000 bottles.
During our tour we saw a ton of people moving about. I asked our guide how many they employ per day to keep this place running. He said there are 350 people working each day. It is a well-oiled machine.
Oh, did I mention they have steaks up to five pounds? They sure do. Apparently they will cut these gigantic steaks for large groups. They have suggestions on how to have it prepared. This way some people who like medium has a cut, medium rare and what ever. I cannot imagine someone walking around with a 5 lb steak and placing it on a table.
Off to the Dessert Room upstairs. You can either take the elevator or take the stairs. We took the stairs and enjoyed all the old paintings and other art along the way. There is art everywhere for your enjoyment.
The Dessert Room has about 50 small rooms. Each of these rooms has a stereo system and a phone. If you want the piano player to play a certain song, all you had to do is lift up the phone and make the request. We sat in the room that housed the piano player. We were the only ones in that room. Very romantic.
The dessert menu consists of over 50 desserts. They make their own ice cream. And there are hundreds of choices of drinks and dessert wines. We ordered Baked Alaska and Taste of Bern’s which is sample size portions of Macadamia Decadence Cake, King Midas, Banana Cheese Pie, Chocolate Cheese Pie, and Vanilla Cheesecake.
Tracy had a Cafe Con Leche’ Bern and I had their regular coffee. Did I mention they have two coffee roasters? Yep, they roast their own coffee. Both roasters are about 100 years old. I can honestly say that was the best coffee I have had in years.
We just
sat there enjoying our coffee, incredible desserts, listening to our own piano
player serenading us. We felt like royalty sitting there all alone.
Again,
if you are in Tampa or close by, we highly recommend you experience Bern’s
Steak House.
My next
post will be about our trip to St Pete, Clearwater, and Tarpon Springs.
A few months back I made a trip to Gothenburg for work. I
drove and it took about 15 hours. Let me tell you something. The cliché’s you
hear about that area it true. For hundreds of miles all I saw was flat ground,
corn fields and grain silos.
Gothenburg is located on highway 80 and it looks to be a
route for people traveling between Denver and Omaha.
A brief history. I had to look it up. It was established in
1881 and named after Gothenburg Sweden. As you can imagine, there is a strong
Swedish heritage in the area. The city was a Pony Express stop and had a
railroad station back in the day..
I spent the time staying at the Comfort Suites. It was a nice place compared to others I have been in. I can tell you the place was packed every night. For a free breakfast it was better than OK. The funny thing about the place. It has a Tesla docking station across the street. Each night I saw at least one plugged in. Just thought it was funny because it is the middle of nowhere and the locals pretty much drive trucks. The only complaint I had was the front desk staff. They seemed to be not happy. They never greeted anyone or acknowledged you as you walked in or leaving. They just sat there stone faced. The rest of the staff were very friendly.
Points of interest: I arrived Sunday so I could prepare for the week of work. Decided to look around to see if there was anything interesting to see. My partner and I headed east on 80 towards Kearney. We did find the Classic Car Collection located on the side of the Cabela’s building. I really enjoyed this place. Spent hours drooling over the cars and trucks.
I wish I had more few time because I did find many places to see. Gothenburg Pony Express, Sod House, and Gothenburg Historical Museums.
Since this was a work trip, I had the free breakfast, ate
out of my cooler for lunch and most times had dinner out.
While working people kept telling us we needed to try the Runza. Had not clue what they were talking about. Apparently this is a Swedish sandwich. It is a shredded beef sandwich with onions and all the fixins. It was pretty good. I had the regular Runza and to me it tasted similar to White Castle.
One day we were hungry and too tired to have a sit-down dinner so we gave Godfather’s pizza a try. Well it’s not like the original from years ago. It is located in a gas station. We watched them make it. It was hot and filled the void but that was about it. Why is it so hard to find a great pizzas anymore?
We tried Lisa’s Kitchen in Gothenburg. Asian food, very small place. When we arrived, we were the only ones there. At first we were worried, but they have a strong take out clientele. Lisa who owns the restaurant was very friendly and the only one there. My partner mentioned his favorite Asian dish to her and she made it for him. The food was very good. It was good enough to go back again.
Not a fan of McDonalds, we decided to head east 20 miles and found Dairy Queen in Cozad. The $5 meal did the trick. While there we needed more supplies and found Walmart in Lexington. Not a fan of them, but that was the only thing available. Did I mention corn fields earlier?
Our last night there we decided to treat ourselves to a nice dinner. We found Kyoto in Kearney We were impressed. The chef did a pretty good job preparing our dinner.
Make sure you save a little space for dessert. They make tempera ice cream. From what I understand they pour cream mix on a cold plate charged with liquid nitrogen. Man was it good!
If I am back in the area again, I will make time to see the
area. It seems to have some interesting places to visit. But don’t go during
the winter. The have railroad crossing gates on the entrances. Seems the
highway closes when it snows.
Our daughter had a little girl. Meet Millie Adrian.
Miss Millie
She is such a precious little thing. She and Tracy bonded
immediately. It took her a couple of days to decide if she liked me or not. She
decided she does!! Her brother just turned two. I think he thinks of me as a
play toy. Works for me!
The name Adrian is from a high school friend of ours.
Throughout the years Tracy and I kept in contact with a few friends after we
graduated. Unfortunately, our Adrian died earlier this year. Prior to his
death, our daughter became very good friends with him.
Our daughter lives in the Tamp Bay area. We flew into the
Tampa Airport. Unfortunately, our flight was delayed four hours. Michael the hurricane,
was traveling in the Gulf. Our stay in the area started with a little wind and
rain, but quickly changed to being absolutely perfect weather.
Between our time with the babies, we traveled to our old
stomping grounds. Most of the time we were in Tarpon Springs.
A brief history of Tarpon Springs. It was established in the
early 1800’s with farmers and fishermen. It was the first city to be incorporated in Pinellas
County. The city is named after the Tarpon fish jumping in the Gulf of Mexico.
The area in the Gulf is known for the abundance of sponges. In the early 1900’s
Greek sponge divers arrived, and the city is known for being a Greek city. The
Orange Belt Railway went through downtown Tarpon, creating a winter location
for northern visitors.
Today the sponge industry is still strong, as well as the shrimp
industry. As with all other Florida cities, it is a vacation spot.
There are two beaches in Tarpon, Fred Howard Park and Sunset
Beach. Howard is huge with a causeway, hiking trails, picnic areas, sailboarding,
beach and obviously fishing. We used to live between the two beaches.
When you arrive, I suggest the Sponge Docks. It is a good day trip. It reminds me of old-fashioned Florida tourist attraction. They rebuilt the docks area a few years ago and it is full of things to do. You can board one of the ships to watch how they harvest sponges. If you like cigars, there are two cigar makers on the docks. There are two restaurants we like to frequent on the docks, Hellas and Mykonos. Hellas has a huge bakery and is a larger restaurant. Mykonos is smaller and more family style. A brief walk up to Tarpon Avenue you will see Mr. Souvlaki. And if you travel further south you will see the Original Momma Maria’s. Those four are our favorite Greek restaurants in Tarpon.
This trip, we only were able to visit Momma Maria’s. Oh man, what a delight. We were a group that came in. We had octopus, calamari, fried cheese for appetizer. Lamb chops, Souvlaki, Moussaka. I had lamb shank. It just fell off the bone. I felt bad not being able to finish my meal.
One thing you need to remember about these Greek family
restaurants. If you order the same item from the restaurants, they all will be different.
These are all old family recipes. All of them are incredible.
One day we decided to head into St. Pete to visit a place we had heard about. It is called Mazzaro’s Market. When you arrive, there are many buildings. We never had the chance to visit all of them. We went into the main market building. Wow, tons of stuff. There is a grocery, meat market, deli, bakery and coffee bar. They have a section of prepared meals. All you need to do is heat and serve. Another area is Italian wines and cheeses. They make some of their own cheeses. Did I mention the smells? We did wander over to another building. That building is geared toward the kitchen with kitchen gadgets and such.
We didn’t spend a ton of time there. We needed our quality baby time. On the way up north on US 19, we stopped at Tiffany’s. Very nice family restaurant. Excellent sandwiches, especially the Reuben.
Other places we had breakfast, Toast in New Port Richey You guessed it, they serve toast. They are only open for breakfast and lunch. We have not had a bad meal there. The other is called Broken Yolk in New Port Richey This is probably our favorite place to go with the family for breakfast.
Both places are laid back. Serve good food and it looks like
everyone is happy working there.
One great thing about Tarpon Springs, it is within an hour
of beaches, Ybor City, Busch Gardens, Tampa Zoo, the Gulf, St. Pete,
Clearwater. There are tons of things to do.
Our last day in Florida we went to West Palm Beach to visit Tracy’s Aunt. She is in her 90’s. Her nickname should be Grandma GoGo. She is still full of energy. We had a great time with her. One of her favorite places to eat is called Duffy’s Sports Bar. That is a fun place to hang out. TV monitors everywhere. It is not loud but stays very busy. I would assume on game day is gets rowdy. The food is fantastic.
All in all we had a fantastic time. It was very hard for us
to leave.
When we visit Florida we are not tourists since we lived
there. We tend to go to places most tourists don’t frequent
Sorry we have been absent. We have been extremely busy. Will be posting more soon
My Father’s Day started early with a text message from my daughter. She lives in a different time zone, and the text message included a smiling picture of our grandson. It was then followed by a video chat. The chat was cute. He is not quite two years old. He does say a few words. But when he sees me he starts a whole volume of words describing what I think is how his life is.
All I can do is smile and giggle when he giggles because I have no clue what he is saying. Obviously it is important to him because he is quite animated when he is talking. Man he is so cute!!
Next was a great breakfast made by Tracy. A little sitting in the hot tub, then the shower and get ready for the rest of the day.
Off we go to Georgetown Texas to visit Genesis Flight Training Academy. Tracy bought a gift certificate almost two years ago. We have set up appointments many times, but weather conditions did not permit and had to cancel each time. Being in a small plane in bad weather is not my idea of a good time.
Saturday the weather prediction was a 50/50 chance we were going to cancel again. Tracy was on the phone twice before we left. There were storm fronts surrounding the airport. Oddly enough the skies opened up when we arrived.
We met with Chris(instructor) and went into his office to discuss the flight. We talked about the plane, the topography, and our possible flight plan. We told him we wanted to fly over our house as well.
We then went outside to inspect the aircraft. I must say, it was tiny. I had to bend over to walk under the wing. It has four seats, but I do not know how four people could fit. Tracy said the storage section for luggage might have enough room for a day bag. https://genesis-aero.com/aircraft-n1232g
Chris walked me around the plane explaining the inspection procedure. We played with the flaps, looked at the skin of the plane, tested the fuel for water. We also checked the instruments, amount of fuel and battery power. I did find a dent on the tail and asked about it. He said most likely the dent was caused by a bird hit.
Next we were inside doing the preflight check list. Headphones on, test for sound. Chris then explained what I would be doing from taking off, flying and landing the plane. He then fired the little girl up and down the runway we went.
Now I know Chris was in full control. But from here forward it felt like I was in control. Chris instructed me during the takeoff, and I did just that TAKEOFF!!. I had the throttle and steering wheel in hand. Up we went and he instructed me how to turn the plane.
We flew over Lake Georgetown and he started showing me points to look for to figure out our location. Let me tell you, it took me a while to figure out the landmarks. We flew around Leander, Liberty Hill towards Lake Buchanan. Tracy found our house and I circled around it. We then flew around Lake Buchanan and Inks Lake. It was now time to head back.
During the flight I was instructed to fly at the level of 3500. He allowed me to go above and below that level. As I said before we had small storms surrounding our area, so it was very cloudy outside. As I flew closer to the clouds we would get turbulence. I quickly figured out the best level for a smooth flight.
As we got closer to the airport the skies started to open. You could feel the heat from the sun. And because of that heat, more turbulence. Chris said he was going to land the plane. At first I was disappointed. But as we were over the runway, I was happy he did. We did bounce a lot before we were on the ground.
As we were leaving the airport, I was given a Pilot Log Book. My hour fight counted as flying time if I decided to learn to fly.
This was a thrill of a lifetime. Thank you Tracy for the wonderful Father’s Day present.
Next we were off to see our son Chris. He is an accupuncturist and has been treating me for a couple of years. What a difference he has made on my body.
The other day I talked about our trip to Blanco Texas. It was the Lavender Festival. We brought home a bunch of Lavender and a Lavender steak recipe.
Last night we gave it a try.
The recipe called for the steak to be pan fried. . The glaze is made with red wine vinegar, little olive oil, with trimmed Lavender flower. Simple seasoning of coarse salt and cracked peppercorns.
I served it with sauteed onions and mushrooms, broccoli, and sweet potato.
Well: First, I am not a fan of pan fried steak. Second, I just couldn’t get past thinking of Lavender soap with each bite.
Every time I smell Lavender it is from soaps and air fresheners. Every other bar of soap Tracy buys is infused with Lavender oil. Our dish soap has a Lavender smell.
So for us, the recipe was not a do over. Every bite just reminded me of soap.
Blanco is a little over an hour drive from where we live. We decided to go to the annual Blanco Lavender Festival.
Blanco was incorporated in 1853. Blanco means white and was named after the white cliffs on the nearby river. It originally was the county seat. But that changed after a few years when it was moved to Johnson City about 18 miles north. The Courthouse is huge. It has been a bank and other businesses throughout the years. The city is located in Highway 281 and is almost smack dab in the middle between Austin and San Antonio.
The area is beautiful. This is Texas Hill Country with surrounding small mountains. In the 1800’s to the early 1900’s livestock was the major commerce. They would have annual cattle drives, hog drives, and believe it or not turkey drives. You read it right, they had turkey drives. Can you imagine watching a turkey drive down the road? The hog drives consisted of a wagon full of corn. They would call the hogs and drop corn to get them to move. Cotton became a crop of choice. The city eventually had their own cotton gin.
By the way. The area did not start receiving electricity until 1939.
So back to our trip. We started late. It was my fault, I was just being lazy. By the time we left, it was over 90 outside.
Our drive was sunny and pleasant. We did not put the top down, it was to bright and hot. Our drive was winding around the hills going through Burnet, Marble Falls, Round Mountain, Johnson City, finally to Blanco. When we arrived, the place was packed. We ended up parking about four blocks away.
The first thing I noticed walking to the Courthouse Square was the width of the roads. The area was built before the automobile. The wide roads were designed to allow a horse and wagon to be able to turn around in the road. We parked in the residential area. That area all the way to the business area had wide roads.
Before we made it to the Square, Tracy just had to find out what a quilt hanging over a doorway meant. There was no sign, just a quilt flopping in the wind. We walked into a quilt supply store called the Textile Studio. This place is packed with everything you need to make a quilt. And it was very busy. I found it interesting, no signage. Obviously, it is working for them because they were very busy.
As we walked across Highway 281 all you could see was a sea of tent canopies around the Courthouse. I apologize for not providing pictures. I left my camera and cell phone at home. I felt naked all day.
As with most festivals, there was the usual knickknacks, lotions, and potions. We found original oil paintings and other handmade crafts.
About half was through we decided we were hungry. There is plenty of places to eat on the Square. We were told about the 4th Street Bistro. We didn’t see it. But we didn’t look too hard. It was hot outside. We decided on Blanco Bowling Club Café.
This place was packed. This place is also old, established in 1948. By the look of things, not much has changed since 1948. The place is clean and larger than you think. The Daily Special was pot roast, mashed potatoes, vegetable and salad. Tracy said it was quite tasty with real mashed potatoes. I had a cheeseburger with onion rings. Huge burger and hand made rings. It was a nice relaxing meal with lots of iced tea.
This place is also a bowling alley. In the back they play 9 pin bowling. Apparently, this is a German influenced type of bowling. There is a heavy German influence throughout Texas. Because there isn’t any equipment to set up the pins, they use the local kids to set the pins and return the balls. Can you imagine being the little kid?
We went back outside and walked through the rest of the booths in the Courthouse Square. Very interesting items we saw, and talked to many friendly people. Tracy did purchase a handful of Lavender from a local farm. She found out that you hang the bunch upside down to let dry. The oils remain for the fragrance. She said the Lavender will last up to five years hanging around the house.
Tracy did find a recipe for Lavender Steak. Guess what we are going to have tonight?
The east and south roads of the Square were closed for more booths. The east road had the food and beverage vendors. The most popular booth was the fresh lemonade stand. There must have been 30 people standing in line. The south road had a huge tent with the local wineries, breweries, and local merchants. When you enter, you will be surprised on how many local wineries and breweries there are. We did find some awesome beef jerky. We ended up buying four bags.
Like I aid before, it was sunny and hot outside. Six hours under the sun standing on blacktop was enough, so we decided to head towards home.
On the way out of town we saw the Buggy Barn Museum.. Unfortunately, it was closed for the day. That was disappointing! The place has a large assortment of old fashion wagons and buggies. Many were used as props in movies such as True Grit. Also, they have an Old West Studio that is rented out for movie sets, weddings and other gatherings.
While driving home we stopped at Lighthouse Hill Ranch. When we pulled into the parking lot, we were awestruck on the view. The place is located on top of a mountain and you can see for miles. We decided to not go in. We were still sweating with the A/C on.
We will be doing this run again soon. Our day did not go as planned.
We highly recommend this area. There is an over abundance of Bed & Breakfasts. There are two rivers nearby. Within 30 minutes there is plenty of place to visit. Johnson City has President LBJ’s Visitor Center. A little farther West is the Texas Whitehouse(LBJ’s Home). Wineries, Breweries, a ranch to drive through with exotic wildlife, a lake, rivers for tubing. There is a ton of stuff to do.
It was a cold and windy morning. Temperature started at 50 and very cloudy. It did warm up to 72 mid -day once the sun came out.
The Bluebonnet Festival is held annually in Burnet Texas. Burnet is the county seat of Burnet County with a population of a little over 4000. . The city was first named Hamilton established in 1852 next to Fort Croghan (established in 1849). In 1857, the 35 residents of Hamilton petitioned to have the city renamed Burnet. David Gouverneur Burnet was Texas’ first President. The city itself has been doing some nice changes. The Square has antique stores, restaurants, salons, even a candy shop with old fashioned candies and ice cream. Saturdays there is the Farmer’s Market.The southeast corner is scheduled for restoration of two buildings. It is quite possible a winery will move into one of the buildings once completed.
By the way, you can visit Fort Crogdan Museum. It is located on Highway 29 just west of Highway 281.
We took my parents to the Bluebonnet Festival Saturday morning. We made it in time to see most of the parade. The parade was much larger than the previous year we attended. According to the placards on the vehicles, there were 93 in the parade. The parade was filled with floats from local businesses, organizations, schools, vintage cars. You name it, most likely they were there.
The Austin Steam Train brought in a full load of people from Cedar Park. When we moved to Texas, they had a Steam Locomotive. It was a sight to see when they fired it up. In 1999 they took the locomotive in for repairs. They found a large repaired crack caused by a runaway car from many years ago. They have been working on restoring this since. Hopefully they receive enough donations to finish the restoration soon. They have other locomotives for their many trips each week. It is worth taking a trip in the old vintage dining, sleeper, and other cars.
Now this is something I would ride. I was a teenager when the Big Wheel came out. It looked like the Shriners were having a blast sliding around.
We sat at the beginning of the parade. When the last vehicle went by, I grabbed my father in his wheelchair and followed behind like we were part of the parade. I was amazed on the many floats from outside the area. Some traveled for hours to get here.
The Festival was mainly in the town square. I have no clue how many vendor booths there were. They covered the square and down the street t the railroad tracks. They had about 20 booths with food of all kinds and smells.
And there was plenty of rides. I tried to get Tracy to ride this with me. No luck on my end.
I estimate there were about 20,000 people attending Saturday. On one corner of the square was a stage. We topped and listened to a Bluegrass band. They were good. Both my parents were tapping their feet.
For lunch we decided to head to Marble Falls. We had a great meal at Holy Smokes. It is off the beaten path, but worth the trip. This is one of the few places I eat BBQ. The reason? As Tracy says, most are not as good as what I make. Well, it’s true. Mine is very good. All of us had brisket and I had a side of jalapeno sausage. About half way through our meal, the owner(Randy) sat down to chat. It was a nice chat. He has plans on opening two new smoke houses soon. They are also committing to moving on Highway 281. He said within 90 days the move should be happening.
Saturday was a good day. It was full of sites and people to see, let alone being with my parents. I highly suggest you look into taking the Austin Steam train to the next Bluebonnet Festival. If you stay towards the evening, there are plenty of bands to enjoy. And in the evening, you can take the hort trip and watch the demolition derby.
