Everything is BIG in Texas!

After exploring the river walk at San Antonio, we drove to the German/Cowboy town of Fredericksburg. What a charming town! So much German and yet so western!  A great vibrant downtown area with really unique shopping. Absolutely loved Dooley’s 5c 10c 25c store……….an old dry goods/hardware store with things you haven’t seen or bought for many years like, panty hose, brush rollers, aprons, etc. Then the antique shop with a most unusual find that I have only seen in books……a chasity belt! Can you imagine really having to wear one of these????

  Then it was on to see the Enchanted Rock park. We hiked quite a ways up the rock before Claude called it quits and I chose not to go to the top without him. It still was a fun jaunt! Sedona sure enjoyed laying on the cool rock in the shade after about halfway up.

 

 

 

 

Of course, I had to check out the western store, Texas Jack’s. Great stuff but all was too small or too large. Just as well. Just had to go for a walk along the Guadalupe River and de-stress after driving. Then we decided to hit some thrift stores just for fun. Fantastic Finds was going to have a 25c sale on Thursday, so we decided to stick around to check it out. I messaged some friends on what was not to miss and dear artist/sculpter John Phelps said we should eat at the Cowboy Steakhouse and be sure to have a Jalepeno Margerita…so we did; amazing drink! I am hooked now. The steak was super thick and delicious with mesquite smoking before broiling. YUM! We treated Sedona with a few bites and she greatly appreciated that.

 

Having heard a lot of buzz about kolaches and seeing a donut shop that specialized in them we planned to pick up a couple . We tried the apple and cherry, along with a raspberry filled chocolate iced long john! OMG! It was superb! We shared that one and Claude ended up not being able to resist eating half of my cherry one, in addition to the apple I got for him. They also come in savory with sausage and such…you bet I will try them next!

 

Since the fog was still hanging around a little and we had a little spare time, we explored the park along the Guadalupe River. Great photo opp for birds! I got real lucky and captured a few!

 

Of course, Sedona wanted to chase the squirrel who posed for me….then there was the goose and gander along with some other ducks with unusual coloring.

 

 

 

Time for the sale….we had no idea where to enter…then a lady informed us the long line was formed around the other side of the store!  So, you guessed it, most of the things I had spued that I would grab for 25c was gone…but we managed a few nice things, including a great handmade leather belt for me along with a leather dress and some storage containers for thr RV. Most of the fun was the conversation with the locals…you can’t put a price on that! They say everything in Texas is BIG…they meant the bugs, too, evidently. This one looked like he was made of a silver metal. Yuch!

 

On the road again, headed for Ft. Stockton….had no idea it would be so desolute…no buildings or anything as far as the eye can see and very little traffic on I-10…rather spooky! Grateful when we pulled in to Hilltop RV for the night, just in time to see a Texas sized sunset!

 

 

 

 

Deep in the heart of Texas!

Yes, it is past Christmas but I am being reminded that mistletoe grows in trees! What a strange sight.

Claude is still the master chef when it comes to breakfast! Even in the RV. YUM!

If you have never driven to Dallas on I-35, be assured you did not drive all the way to the ocean when you see this! Claude and I both were unprepared for this view and wondered how we could have veered so far off course....yet this is just a lake called Ray Hubbard!

 We  maneuvered all the turns and rises of the twisting concrete until we drove one that we thought was taking us all the way to heaven! ( or going to come to an abrupt end and dump us into that huge lake,) 

Then there appeared a sign warning us of storm damage up ahead and we might consider a new route. As I had our route mapped, we plugged on and were unprepared for what met our eyes!

This is just a small portion of what we saw and many were completely gone, thanks to the tornado

that went through just days ago. So grateful we didn't experience weather like this. Our hearts go out to those that did.

************

On to San Antonio to meet up with Scott and Laura and finally see Scott's house and all the work he has done and Chris, to landscape the back slope.

Welcome to Scott's...a friend helped design and make the incredible steel entrance...

Here is a portion of one of the back landings. It has the makings of the greatest party pad outdoors you could find! Huge smoking bbq pit, pool, firepit, horseshoe pit, cornhole deck complete with stainless steel scoreboard!

Then we all went to lunch at this great place! Huge and super busy...food was wonderful!

Really upset that I didn't get a photo of the 4 of us together! We were way too busy catching up.

Then on to the River walk to see where our Kristen married Dyllon...

 

****************

REMEMBER the Alamo!

Here's where I lit a candle for my daughter, Missy!

Love to all....

Adventure awaits those who dare to wander!

High winds and rain delayed our departure on

 this great adventure by a day but we decided to

 get on the road before the next batch of cold

 arrived in Ohio, despite the fact we both had

 come down with a rare cold!

We decided on a route that would take us on some highways that we had yet to travel. Sad fact is that there has been so much flooding that it was all we could see from the time we left; traveling down I-75 to I-71 west then taking I-65 south to I-40 west through Nashville, Memphis and Little Rock.

Our first night was parked right across from the Sheperdsville Government Office in Kentucky with this beautiful Christmas display of lights.

 

Luckily, no accidents along the way but I found it interesting that not many deer as far as roadkill but yet I saw a total of 6 coyotes, 2 turkey vultures, an owl and two young armadillos! The owl was quite a sad sight, as I have only witnessed an owl in the wild twice, both very recently. My only encounter with an armadillo was in the Texas bayou on a short nature walk when I was startled by one! He could have cared less.

We stopped for lunch along this cute little church.

Although the forecast was for cloudy conditions, we were blessed with a blue sky streaked with wisps of billowing transparent white. It surely made for a cheerful drive!

Tonight we are in a charming place called Ramblin Fever RV Park in  Mt. Pleasant, TX. Nice park, nice people!

Tomorrow we should arrive in the Austin area for some days of exploration and start of  my '30 paintings in 30 days' for January. Hoping I can stay on track for that!

Why I lost my heart....

This is one of the views I was blessed to experience with my own eyes last winter while camping in the Superstition Mountains of Apache Junction, Arizona. Can you see why I am so excited about returning?


There is a lot of gray green and brownish gray in AZ in the winter but when you have sunsets like this, it makes it all that more spectacular! As an artist, it is difficult for me to even think I could capture this beauty in paint but I certainly am going to try.......over and over!

Countdown begins...

as I prepare to make this life-changing move to the west, specifically Arizona, I pause to reflect on all that is being left behind. So many wonderful friends, as well as dear family members but as others that have gone before me say........."they will visit you often!", so this is an official invite for you all to come explore Arizona with me as soon as I have a house. Or you can choose to come sooner and stay in the motorhome if you like camping as much as I do!

Happy to be able to stay here in Ohio for the holidays and spend Christmas with those I love before hitting the road. Planning to check out Austin, Fredricksburg and San Antonio in Texas before making a beeline for Arizona. If I am lucky, I will get in a little plein air painting while in Texas. Excited to see this area for the first time. Check another one off that bucket list!

Speaking of bucket lists, do you have one? Seems I keep adding to it, but I have checked off quite a few these last couple of years. Somehow, Europe just keeps getting bumped down the list as I find more beautiful and exciting places to explore right here in the good ole USA...