Sunday was our seven year anniversary. To celebrate, we went to The Lodges at Lost Maples in Vanderpool, TX. We left home sometime between 4 and 5 and headed west. When we got to Dripping Springs (or, as the fella at the next table continued to tell one of his companions that she must learn to call it, Drip), we stopped at Creek Road Cafe. Hubba had their Mahi Mahi special and I had a watermelon salad and a chicken pasta dish. It was very good. We also decided to order dessert - Lemon Curd Mousse Cake with Prickly Pear Gelato. It was so amazingly good. The gelato was a good balance against the citrus of the cake. Hubba, who does not like sweets much, ate just as much of it as I did.
After dinner, we got back on the road and headed to Kerrville, where we stopped to buy some groceries for the weekend. I was surprised that I didn't see any Johnny Manziel-ania, but maybe we weren't in the right part of town or maybe he is old news to them. I was surprised at how large Kerrville is. What do people who live there do?
Now things started to get interesting as we really and truly entered the Hill Country. The roads had a lot of hairpin turns and steep grades. Trucks were strongly encouraged to go another route. One area had a sign that told you if you were going to fast (you were if you were going over 20 mph) followed by rumble strips, followed by a sign that said HILL. Apparently there were still quite a few people who didn't get the message judging by the number of tread marks leading off the road. It was pretty late by this time, so we didn't get to see much of the area we were driving through, but we saw lots of deer (including a fawn that was just learning to walk), a fox, and a raccoon. The Versa reminded me of The Little Engine Who Could, barely making it to the top of the mountain that our cabins were on.
We finally pulled up to our cabin, the Firefly, a little before midnight and got settled in. I found what would be my main spot for the weekend on the back porch - the porch bed swing. We laid out on that bed and listened to the wind blowing through the trees, watching a firefly go by, and I told Hubba, "This is wonderful..." I was able to fall asleep out there, but Hubba seemed to have a harder time. Finally, at 6am he told me he was going to go sleep inside, so I joined him.
By the time we made it back to the cabin, I was hot, dusty and thirsty. So I got myself a tall glass of cold water, washed my face and feet and cooled off in the cabin. I read a little bit more, Hubba and I cooked the pizza we had picked up with a couple glasses of wine, and then Hubba and I drove down to the Lost Maples Country Store for some supplies we forgot to pick up in Kerrville. I wish I had pictures from that drive. It was breathtaking. I had no idea Texas had anything like that until this weekend. I thought I knew what the Hill Country was about. Wow. I was wrong. (I also don't mean to say that I didn't think Texas was beautiful before this weekend. I love the Piney Woods. I love the big, endless blue skies. I love the lakes and the wildflowers. I just didn't expect "mountains" and valleys.)
Hubba made fajitas that night and we had some more wine. Then, I had a bubble bath in the claw-foot tub. Best bubble bath ever.
We listened to music, made some tea, and hung out with each other. The next day, it was time to pack up, clean up the cabin, and start our journey home. Again, I was just struck by how beautiful the land was. We decided to go through San Antonio so that I could stop and answer student emails and so we could see Hubba's brother. We stopped in Bandera, the self-proclaimed Cowboy Capital of the World, for lunch and had us some barbecue. The brisket was really nice and tender. We definitely saw some cowboys. We then exited the Hill Country and all I want to do is be back.
It is heaven on earth.
Thanks and Gig 'Em!
Peacocks have a cry like a small child in distress. Very, very alarming if you don't know that and think it is a small child in distress!
ReplyDeleteThey didn't make a sound. Just "ran" into the woods. I just looked up images of peacocks vs wild turkeys. I wish I got a closer look. I am now thinking they were turkeys...
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