Wildflower Ride

It's Bluebonnet Season here in Hill Country. It's time for the official state flower of Texas to be in full bloom. So, on this sunny Spring day, we boarded the Buckhorn Lake Resort bus for a day-long wildflower tour. With cameras in hand and eyes peeled for bonnets, we headed north.

We drove through Fredericksburg to the Willow City Loop, a 13-mile private road that takes you through some stunning Hill Country landscape that, this time of year, is usually filled with blooming wildflowers. This year, though, it seems that Mother Nature is a bit late. We enjoyed the few flowers we did spot. But, it'll be a few more days before these green fields are saturated with rainbow colors. It's supposed to be a sight to see.

Even though the wildflowers were a bit of a bust, the ride was fun, the company was enjoyable and the scenery was still photogenic.

With the flowerless loop behind us, we headed to what was destined to be the highlight of the day: Lunch! We pulled into the tiny town of Llano and it became obvious where everyone eats. At Cooper's Pit Bar-B-Que the lot was packed.

Before we entered the place we saw this sign and knew this wasn't your ordinary BBQ joint.

We stepped up to the pit and couldn't believe our eyes! Something like 16 different types of meat were sitting in that huge smoker. When the pit master asked what we wanted, it was a tough choice! We opted for brisket, which he is slicing here, sausage and a couple of pork ribs. Our order was dipped in sauce and handed to us on a red plastic tray to take inside.

At Coopers, they say it's all about the meat. And, it sure is! Once inside, our brisket was sliced thin, and everything was wrapped in brown paper. We picked up some corn and a side of slaw and helped ourselves to plenty of tasty beans and white bread. (For someone who doesn't take pictures of food, I'm sure taking a lot of pictures of food!)

We found a spot in the communal dining room and made ourselves at home. We struck up a fun conversation with a family of four from Louisiana. The eight-year-old was having such a good time she didn't want to leave. Neither did we! This place had the feeling of being at a small town picnic. It's all very fun and very tasty!

After lunch, we waddled back to the bus. No pictures were taken on the way home. Why? The well-fed photographer napped!

(Special thanks to the First Baptist Church of Fredericksburg for filling their planter box full of early blooming Bluebonnets. I just had to get a picture!)