The Camera Gods Have Spoken

Today (Friday, March 31) was our last full day in Fredericksburg. I wanted to check out the quilt shops in town -- my friend Susie gave me a neat guide to quilt shops across the states so I knew there were four listed in town. Smoky stayed home processing his photos and I headed to the first on the list.

Fredericksburg Pie Company -- yummy
pies and so much more!

Fat quarters at the Pie
Company.

It was named the Fredericksburg Pie Company. I wondered about "Pie" in the name, but that passed quickly as I stepped inside the neatly decorated shop just one block off Main Street and found display cases full of pies. There were more than 20 kinds on the menu for today. I picked out one piece for me (chocolate pecan) and one for Smoky (peach blueberry) and headed to the quilt room. There I found a case full of fat quarters and a lot of vintage quilts and other linens. This was a great little shop, but I was still hungry for more.

One Quilt Place was amazing -- quilter's heaven!

The next shop was closed. It was really a design studio/classroom/B&B, so I headed on to number 3 on the list. The name, One Quilt Place, showed more promise, but I admit to being a little worried as I drove into a residential area of town. But then I saw the sign and the large parking lot in front of a huge building. Eagerly I parked the truck and went inside. Wow! This place was amazing.

Designed as a large open space with several alcoves plus another room at the end, there was room in One Quilt Place for everything imaginable -- sale fabrics, baby prints, patriotic, western, batiks, reproduction, and lots more, such as notions, patterns and cutting tables, and long-arm quilting machines. Lots of sample quilts were hung for inspiration. The room at the end was full of wool and flannel. I had a smile ear to ear. I left with some fat quarters and a few cuts of fabric for my stash back home. Check out their website.

One alcove of fabric at One Quilt Place.

This gorgeous quilt was hung
for inspiration.

After lunch we headed southwest to Kerrville, planning to drive a little north from there and back to Fredericksburg, taking back roads whenever possible. On the way to Kerrville on Highway 16 we spotted a field full of bluebonnets. The setting was exactly what we had been hoping for all this week. Plus there was room on the roadside to pull off and stop! Smoky helped me with some camera settings so I could capture the field just the way I saw it.

This field of bluebonnets was beautiful!

Working windmill near Fredericksburg.

After that excitement, we spotted a working windmill, which was on Smoky's must-find list, and some Texas long-horn cattle, another item on his list.

Texas longhorn, seen same day as
windmill.

We stopped for dinner at Mamacita's Mexican Restaurant in Fredericksburg. Mamacita's salad (taco salad with fajita chicken, mushrooms and cheeses) was my choice, and Smoky's chicken fajitas were great as well.

Inside Mamacita's Mexican Restaurant. Yummy food.

Back home I realized the Camera God had spoken to me. My camera was missing. We searched the truck top to bottom. No camera. Sigh. Fortunately I had downloaded everything last night so I only lost today's photos.

Smoky has many more great photos from today. Hopefully, I'll get some added later.

--Shann

A Step Back in History

Road to Sauer-Beckmann Farm.

Today was a stay-home day for me. Smoky ventured out after lunch to visit the Lyndon B. Johnson State Park and Historic Site and the Sauer-Beckmann Living History Farm. A visit to the farm gave Smoky a chance to see first hand what life was like on a pioneer farmstead a century ago. The people who work at the farm dress in period costume and do chores just as they would have been done a century ago.

Planting the garden.

Planting the garden takes more than one.

Smoky explained, as he showed me his photos, that this Texas-German farm has had only three owners. It was initially settled in 1869 by Johann and Christine Sauer. Then the Beckmann family acquired the property in 1900. The main crop was cotton; after a prosperous year, they were able to grow the farm and modernize the original rock home, creating a beautiful Victorian home on the property.

In 1966, a Beckmann relative sold the property to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and the farm was opened to the public in 1975. This farm is part of the LBJ State Park and Historic Site.

Step back in time at this farm.

On the way back from the Sauer-Beckmann farm, Smoky stopped by St. Mary's Catholic Church in Fredericksburg. The church began in 1846 and the current church structure in 1902. It is a remarkable church, inside and out.

St. Mary's Catholic Church, Fredericksburg, Texas.

The incredible inside of St. Mary's Catholic Church.

Tomorrow is our last day in the Fredericksburg area. We'll be heading toward Austin on Saturday (and making another stop in Luckenbach to get Smoky a new cowboy hat!). We can't leave Fredericksburg without a photo of the chicken truck, parked outside a business on Main Street.

I love this chicken truck. We need one at our house in Tennessee.

--Shann

Traveling the Fredericksburg Back Roads

Early Wednesday morning (a little after midnight actually), a serious thunderstorm hit Fredericksburg and a lot of the surrounding areas. I didn't get to sleep before it arrived, which was too bad because it was quite a noisy and well-lit storm, with heavy rain, lightening and thunder. I finally got to sleep between 2 and 3am. Oh yes, and Smoky slept through the whole thing!

Enchanted Rock, a massive granite batholith.

The sun came out and the day was beautiful! We tried another popular wildflower route -- State Route 965 out of Fredericksburg past Enchanted Rock State Natural Area. Enchanted Rock is a massive pink granite batholith that is a popular rock climbing spot. We pulled into the parking area, took a closer look at the rock and the people climbing it, and decided it was a bit out of our league.

Bluebonnets along Route 965 past Enchanted Rock.

Besides, the road past Enchanted Rock was framed with beautiful wildflowers. From 965, we turned north on Highway 16 and found a small road marked as a Texas State Wildlife Route. Smoky and I looked at each other and said, "Why not try this?"

One problem we had been having on the more heavily traveled roads was finding a spot to pull over so we could take photographs. We hoped this road wouldn't have much traffic and we might see flowers and wildlife!

We saw wild turkeys first followed further down the road by a deer. And the flowers were lovely. We turned around and headed back to Highway 16 and into Llano, Texas.

Wild turkeys in Texas look a little different from those back in Tennessee.

This cow may not quality as wildlife
on the Texas State Wildlife Route, 
but she wanted her photo made!

Because it was past lunch time, we decided to look for an ice cream shop. Instead we found Berry Street Bakery, and my, my, was it full of deliciousness! We bought an apricot twist for dessert and ate it (along with our packed sandwiches) for lunch, sitting on the bakery's porch. Afterwards, Smoky bought a cinnamon roll to bring home and I got some homemade granola. Absolutely everything in their display case looked incredibly yummy, including the doggie treats!

Apricot twist from Berry Street Bakery. It was as yummy
as it looks!

Introducing Heaven, who works at the
bakery and served us heavenly treats!

Llano's striking stone courthouse.

After a walk around Llano's amazing stone courthouse, we headed back to the wildflower route, taking FM 2323 to Route 87 back to Fredericksburg.






Our plans for the evening included a trip to Old Tunnel State Park, where an no-longer-in-use railroad tunnel is home to millions of Mexican free-tailed bats, who emerge from the tunnel around dusk to feed. We knew we were taking a chance, because most of the bats are migratory, and it is a little early in the season for them to be in Texas. But about a thousand bats of a different species live in the tunnel year round, and we hoped to see them.

Unfortunately, when we arrived, the volunteer rangers who monitor the area each day said they had not had a dusk emergence in a good while. The bats are coming out later, after dark, when there isn't enough light to see them. If we get back to Texas Hill Country between mid-April and September, we'll check on the bats again!

Here are some of our other favorite photos from today.

--Shann

Indian Paintbrush along road to Llano.

Hudson flax.

We were hoping to find an area where the paintbrush
and bluebonnets were evenly mixed.

Drummond's onion.

Comanche dancer.

Willkommen to Fredericksburg

On the evening of Monday, March 27, we arrived in Fredericksburg in the Texas Hill Country, population just over 10,000. Here's what their welcome sign says:

Rich with the culture of German pioneers who settled here over 160 years ago. It's in our music. Festivals. Architecture. Everywhere. So Willkommen, y'all. Enjoy!

Scene from the Fredericksburg area.

We drove down the main street of town, totally enchanted. There was something about this little town that really felt, well, welcoming. Maybe Ron's German heritage on his mom's side has something to do with it. Whatever it is, after the first night, we decided to change our plans and stay a few extra days here.

We were already seeing some bluebonnets and Texas Indian Paintbrush along roadsides, and the hostess at the super nice Fredericksburg RV Park gave us advice for where to go to see more flowers. In addition, she recommended an RV repair man who makes "house" calls. We phoned Glenn after we got set up (about 6:30) and he was here within 10 minutes. Not only did Glenn fix our toilet (it flushes better than it ever did), he also gave us some great advice about how to maximize battery power and electrical performance. Before he left, he said, "Call me anytime you have a problem, no matter where you are. I'll try to walk you through what to do by phone, and there will be no charge."

So you can see how Glenn contributed to our very positive reaction to this lovely little town!

View along Willow City Loop. Lots of bluebonnets!

On Tuesday, after a grocery run and lunch, we drove the Willow City Loop road, one well known for having lots of beautiful wildflowers near the road. We understand that over the weekend this road was bumper to bumper with "peepers" (what I've dubbed folks like us who want to see those wildflowers). Today, traffic was much lighter. That was a good thing, because it really isn't possible to stop along the roadside. The public road runs among private ranches, and most land owners don't want people on their land. Our trip today was a great example of a photographer's "drive-by shooting." There were few pull-offs, but we managed well with me driving and Smoky hopping out to quickly frame some shots before we had to drive on.

A creek along Willow City Loop.

We were surprised at how lush and green this part of the Texas Hill Country is. We passed a number of meandering creeks. Beautiful mature trees are scattered around everywhere. And of course we saw some fields full of wildflowers such as the striking bluebonnet, the cheery Texas Indian Paintbrush, and the elegant white poppy.

The "blue" in these bluebonnets was particularly dark.

There weren't very many places to pull over on the Willow City Loop (or on any of the other roads we've been on), but at one we had a great view of the valley and the rolling hills. At another, in the distance we could see fields of blue. What a treat!

View from one of the higher elevation points on Willow City Loop.

The hint of bluish purple color in this photo comes from fields of bluebonnets.

Near the beginning of the Willow City Loop, we passed a ranch where the boundary was fenced, and atop each fence post on the Loop road was a cowboy boot, carefully inverted over the post and attached. What better way to know just where you are!

Boot-topped fence on Willow City Loop. 

Smoky is on the look-out for a new cowboy hat. So stay tuned; I'll let you know the outcome.

More photos coming.

--Shann

Back to the Basics

On Monday morning, March 27, we left San Antonio with Fredericksburg our destination. Because the shortest distance between these two places is only 70 miles, we decided to take an alternate route through Luckenbach, Texas. It was a few extra miles but well worth the time.

Luckenbach, if you haven't heard of it, has an eclectic history. You can read the whole interesting story on the Luckenbach, Texas, website, and I encourage you to do so. Afterwards, I bet you will want to visit there, too, if you are in the area.

The current population of Luckenbach is officially listed as 3 on the sign, but that doesn't count the free roaming hens and roosters or the cats who live in the bar. We loved the mailbox with its separate container for bills. No wonder life is so good there!

Cat no. 3. Let us know if you want
to see the other two.

Luckenbach rooster, who crowed while the
cowboys sang!

You'll find a dance hall, a bar, a general store in the building that once was the post office, the Lone Star Cafe -- where they serve real food, including some incredibly yummy apple pie fries (granny smith apples, fried, covered with cinnamon and sugar, and dressed with caramel) -- and a great outdoor area where musicians gather. You can hear live music every day.

Lone Star Cafe, where the food was yummy. 

Lone Star's Apple Pie Fries!

Luckenbach Dance Hall, empty (almost) the day we were there but rocking
most weekends.

Luckenbach general store, the post office in a previous life.

Note sign over door about not writing on the store. Note writing, which was
literally everywhere on the building's porch.

Back in the mid-1970s, Bobby Emmons and Chips Moman wrote “Luckenbach Texas (Back to the Basics),” which became a massive hit for Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson, and this brought Luckenbach to worldwide fame. While we were in Luckenbach, we found a copy of "Ultimate Waylon Jennings" because it had that song on it. We later learned that Willie Nelson returns to Luckenbach each year in July along with about 1000 of his friends. Now wouldn't that be a great time to visit.

Music happens every day.

Sitting under the live oak trees, playing
the guitar -- what could be better?

By mid-afternoon, we figured we had better move on down the road, so we headed out of Luckenbach toward Fredericksburg.

One last side trip was a stop at Wildseed Farms, the largest working wildflower farm in the nation. Here we saw our first view of acres of blue bonnets and poppies, both red and white. This definitely got us in the mood for more flowers.

Blue bonnets at Wildseed Farms.

Fields full of red poppies waving in the breeze at Wildseed Farms.

Fields of blue bonnets at Wildseed Farms.

Closeup of the lovely evening primrose. Amazing!

Yellow poppy.

Smoky's closeup of a red poppy. 

More about Fredericksburg in the next post.

Keep scrolling down for more amazing flower pictures.

--Shann