Crafty in Kerrville

We're so pleased to report that Spring has arrived in Kerrville. Finally! It's sunny and headed toward 80 degrees today. All of us, including the cats, are feeling much better.

The recent cold spell did provide a welcome opportunity to catch up on some craft work. It's been awhile since we mentioned any quilt store visits. But, we've made some. And, I'm pleased to report all of the fabric we have has been set in blocks for our someday fulltiming quilt. From top left in the photo above are South Dakota, Iowa, New York, Wisconsin, Oklahoma and Michigan.

I'm making two blocks for every state. And, someday, they'll all come together something like this. With 26 states "blocked", we're about halfway to having all the fabrics that will go into to this very scrappy quilt. It'll be awhile before this creation is complete!

I have managed to start and finish one project during our stay here in Kerrville. While visiting Bandera with Paul's sister and brother-in-law, I was inspired to pick up a pattern for this "Tattered Texas Flag" quilt. Later I picked up the fabrics at Creations, one of my favorite quilt shops anywhere...right here in Kerrville. This is my first-ever rag quilt, which was quite a learning experience. After sewing everything together and making a million clips along the seams, here's the quilt ready for the essential last step: a wash and dry.

See what happens after it's washed and dried? It gets really raggedy!

I appliqued that star all by myself! My quilting friends know: I don't do applique!

We're embracing our "inner Texan" and placed this new creation prominently in our rolling home. It's colorful and cozy. Most importantly, it's done!

Brrrville

The weather has been particularly wintry across the country this week. And, Brrrville - er, Kerrville - is no exception. And at least one of our kitties is none to pleased about it. If this guy could talk we think he would be saying "More heat. Now!"

We’ve been spared snow and ice, thankfully. But, Mother Nature has served up some mighty frigid temps. We’ve been below freezing since Tuesday afternoon. And, the overnight lows have been in the mid-teens.

Thankfully, we have plenty of propane. (And, more is just a phone call away.) So, we’re staying comfy inside the moose. We’ve made good use of the downtime - reading, quilting and finally updating our blog. (Check out the new posts of visits to Bandera, Luckenbach and the LBJ Ranch.)

We're expecting dear friends, propane and sunshine tomorrow. We should have more to report as the temperatures rise.

Bandera

Bandera is the self-proclaimed Cowboy Capital of the World. We wouldn't know, of course. But, we made not one, but two trips there this week to check out the place. On Wednesday night, Mike and Leslie joined us on the Buckhorn Bus for a group trip to the 11th Street Cowboy Bar.

The 11th Street Cowboy Bar had all the ingredients for a fun Wednesday night. The Jimmy Cribb Band was warmed up and ready.

Lots of folks from Buckhorn were out on the floor two-steppin' to the music.

There was even a really cute resident cat.

And, oh yeah. There were the requisite undergarments hanging from the ceiling.

There was plenty of ice cold beer. We alternated between a couple of Texas brews: Shiner Bock and Lone Star. And, since it was Wednesday night, we brought our own steaks!

Say what? That's right! Wednesday night in Bandera is Steak Night. Patrons to the 11th Street Cowboy Bar are welcome to bring their own meat and throw it on one of the many mega charcoal grills out back. With your steak hot off the grill you can add a plate of sides for just five bucks. What a deal!

Mike and Paul look quite at home at the mega grills. With our steaks on the grill they managed to find time to enjoy a cold one. We all enjoyed a very tasty steak dinner with some great music and wonderful company.

Can you find the cowboy in this picture? And, any guesses as to what he might be up to?

Yesterday, we made a return trip to Bandera with Susan and Doug. One of our favorite stops was the Bandera General Store. It felt like we were stepping back in time at this nostalgic spot.

Paul and Doug spotted this greeting card at the General Store.

We'll let you grade your own paper!

LBJ Ranch

One of the "must-see" attractions in Texas Hill Country is the LBJ Ranch, between Fredericksburg and Johnson City. This sprawling 1,500 acre park protects the birthplace, home and final resting place of our 36th President. It's such a big place that we made two visits. The first, last month with friends John and Sandy, and again yesterday with Susan and Doug. It's definitely one of those places that is worth a second look.

The Visitor's Center is the spot to pick up a free CD that narrates your driving tour of the ranch. The center also features several items depicting life on the ranch. How we missed this edible ranch house on our first visit is a mystery to us!

One of the first stops on the tour is this one-room Junction school house where young Lyndon B. Johnson began attending at age 4. As President, Johnson signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act on this very spot.

This is a reconstruction of Johnson's birthplace home. The "dog-trot" style home features an open center breezeway and sweeping views of the ranch.

This cozy sitting room is on one side of the breezeway.

The nursery sits in the front of the house. The teddy bear in the bed, though not original, is reminiscent of young Lyndon's favorite toy.

The ranch is indeed a working cattle ranch, though it never provided a major source of income for the Johnson clan. In the show barn, this tack box displays some of the tools of the ranching the LBJ way.

The President enjoyed bringing visitors to the show barn to see his prized Herefords. Today, visitors can take a peek at some pretty pampered bovines.

During the Johnson presidency, the ranch served as the Texas White House. President Johnson flew Air Force One to nearby Austin, where he made the short hop to the ranch on this Lockheed Jet Star, which he dubbed "Air Force One-Half".

Near the airstrip sits a hangar that was used for press conferences when Johnson was at the ranch. Paul looks like he's up to some pretty presidential business, doesn't he? Today the hangar serves as the gathering point for guided tours of the Johnson ranch house.

The centerpiece of the ranch is the Johnson home, which sits on the bank of the Pedernales River. The front yard is dominated by a centuries-old live oak, which reportedly was a favorite spot for the President to gather his staff. If that tree could talk!

The Texas Oval Office was just behind this covered porch. No cameras allowed inside, of course. But, a visitor can only imagine who may have rocked with the President just outside his office.

One of the treats of our second visit to the ranch house was this stop, which we missed the first time. Our very cheerful and informative guide showed us the President's collection of Friendship Stones. LBJ didn't have a guest book. Instead, he encouraged visitors to sign a small square of wet cement. There's quite a collection here!

After two visits to the ranch, we have a much better appreciation for who LBJ was. When you have a chance to peruse this vast ranch, you know that Lyndon B. Johnson was, first and foremost, a true Texan.

"All the world is welcome here," LBJ said of his beloved ranch. Thank you, Mr. President. We certainly enjoyed our two visits!

Luckenbach

Let's go to Luckenbach, Texas, with Waylon, Willie and the boys....

We weren't feuding like the Hatfields and McCoys, but we did manage to make a couple of stops in this Texas town of, count 'em, three this week.

When you get to Luckenbach, one thing is pretty obvious. There's not much to Luckenbach. The center of town is the General Store. Once upon a time it also served as the town Post Office. But, this town hasn't had a Post Office since 1971. Today the General Store is pretty much just a souvenir shop.

The General Store features some fine displays of apothecary of yesteryear. We picked up some Teaberry gum. (And, yeah. Now we remember why nobody chews Teaberry gum anymore!)

The Luckenbach Dance Hall is home to live entertainment most nights. This weekend it's hosting a Blues and BBQ Fest. Sounds like lots of fun to us!

And, this would be the Luckenbach Mall. That's it. Just the hat store!

When we stopped by with Mike and Leslie the most active thing in town was this rooster. It seems like Mike struck up a special bond with this feathered friend.

We never did find Waylon or Willie. But, here's proof that Leslie and Mike made it Luckenbach.

And, so did we.

And, on today's trip we introduced Paul's sister Susan and her husband Doug to the place.

And, we're pleased to report there ain't nobody feelin' no pain.

Hill Country Christmas

Merry Christmas from Texas Hill Country! We are woefully behind with this blog. But, hey, we've been busy! We'll fill in the blanks of the last month soon. But, this is a timely post that we just couldn't pass by. We hope you and yours are enjoying a very Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season.

Our home for the holidays is Buckhorn Lake Resort in Kerrville. This very comfortable place is definitely decked out.

Bullwinkle is all snug in a his lovely spot with all the trimmings, and a view, too.

Our site overlooks a pretty creek where we have enjoyed some colorful sunsets. We're so fortunate to have friends close by. John and Sandy have been here for a couple of weeks and fellow former Kansas Citians Steve and Cathy stopped by for the week on their way south. We've enjoyed good times and nice weather, which is an extra special holiday treat.

San Antonio's Riverwalk was dressed in its holiday finery when Sandy and John joined us on a park-organized trip one recent evening. We strolled the waterway, enjoyed some tasty barbeque and watched the the lights and luminaries come to life. It was all very festive.

Our Christmas Eve was spent in the company of friends as we gathered at Steve and Cathy's for some holiday cheer. Today we drove to Austin to enjoy a holiday dinner with Paul's cousins and family. We are so blessed to have family and friends with whom we can celebrate the season.

Tonight on the way back to Kerrville, we stopped in Johnson City to see the one-million light display at the headquarters of the local electric company. This illuminated forest was something to see, and brought a perfect end to a wonderful holiday.

Merry Christmas!

Enchanted Rock

One of the things we "saved" for our winter visit to Hill Country was a trip to Enchanted Rock State Natural Area. We had heard that it's a pretty special place to spend the day, take in the interesting formations, and (oh yeah) climb. Today was the day to check the place out. John, Sandy and Steve joined us for the hour or so drive north for a short, but not so little, hike.

Here's a good look at the rock from the start of the trail. This enormous pink granite formation covers approximately 620 acres and rises 425 feet above the surrounding terrain on the just over a half-mile long trail. Sounds like a pretty decent hike. Doesn't it?

This is a closeup look of the previous picture, focusing on the top of the rock. Can you spot the "ants" in this picture? Actually, those are hikers. They're just a mere 425 feet above us.

Just after stepping off the trail, we came to a fork. We opted for the Summit Trail to the top. Soon at least one of us would be wishing we'd taken the level Loop Trail around the monadnock.

On the way up, we enjoyed the view of neighboring Turkey Peak. The most notable element of this photo, however, is the 45-degree angle of the "trail" in the foreground.

After the steep but short climb, we treated ourselves to an hour or so at the summit to enjoy the 360-degree views.

From here, we could see miles and miles of Texas. Literally!

Oh yeah, we almost forgot. We still had to go down! Thankfully, everyone made the trek down as easily as the climb up. Back at the trailhead, we decided we had all earned a late lunch at Coopers BBQ in nearby Llano. After an afternoon of climbing, it was a well-deserved treat.

Along the road to Llano, we spotted several signs like this one. Finally, an exasperated Paul joked, "I keep seeing these signs, but I haven't seen anybody yet!"

Yes, here in Hill Country, we are so easily entertained.