SAYING GOOD BYE TO THE HILL COUNTRY

Last year when we were here in Texas Hill Country we spent a week and thoroughly enjoyed it....but it wasn't enough time.  So this year we came back for a month and it was wonderful.....but we could spend more time here, yes, we like it that much....so we will be back.

It is sad to see how badly south central Texas has been hit with this drought.  It has been going on for almost ten years and it is serious. Lawns and fields are brown even in the Spring, when they should be green.  Most creeks have dried up....no water at all.   And the major rivers in this area.....the Pedernales, the Guadaloupe and the Medina all are way below where they should be....and in many areas they too are dry as a bone.   And just today in a drive around Medina and Bandera, we saw what was formerly Lake Medina....no water at all.  Homes that used to have waterfront property and with boat docks that used to be at water's edge, are literally high and dry.   We were told today that Lake Medina is a 3% of its normal size right now....97% dried up and gone.   This drought is so severe that it will take very long periods of rain on a consistent basis to bring the lakes and rivers and creeks back....if it happens at all.   A huge IF.   Sad stuff indeed.

You can click on the map to enlarge it if you like.   Based in Fredericksburg (center of the map) we have enjoyed this city and its German history and flavor.  We have enjoyed the best pit BBQ at Coopers in Llano; and gorgeous drives all through the Hill Country....our favorites are TX 16 between Kerrville and Bandera...and TX Country road 337 between Leaky (Lay key) and Medina...both gorgeous drives with wonderful views through the hills and the mountains here in South Central TX.   We have enjoyed relaxing tea and pie at Miss Giddy's in Comfort, TX; and made new friends at the Cowboy Store in Bandera; had a great Mexican lunch at the Cafe in Leaky, population 540.   We have enjoyed San Antonio a couple of times this visit....and all it has to offer, and we have really enjoyed exploring many of the ranches in the area.  Bottom line is we have had a great time, and we will plan to come back at some point.

So it is with a bit of sadness that we depart the Hill Country for the timeless beauty of the West Texas plains.  We leave tomorrow en route to Marathon, where we will spend several days before moving on to the Maverick Ranch and RV Park in Lajitas, TX right on the border with Mexico.  Lajitas promises horseback riding, some kayaking (we hope) on the Rio Grande, some R&R as well as renting a jeep for a day or two to explore  Big Bend NP and its environs.....at 900,000 acres it just might take awhile!!   After our week in Lajitas we move on to the Fort Davis, Alpine and Marfa triangle north and west of Marathon for another week before moving on to Arizona with stops in Tucson and Yuma.....and from there we truck on to Southern CA.   So lots of interesting stuff is ahead and much of it will be "blog worthy"....so stay tuned.

TEXAS MISCELLANY

Amy, Pam and Ali at the "make believe" town of Luckenbach.
(last year's blog had an entry of the Luckenbach history)

Yes, sir...Texas Stonehenge.  Two fellows started piling rocks as a prank back in the 1990's...and the "prank" ultimately led to Stonehenge II in the Texas Hill Country town of Ingram.

Here is a fancy gate we came across that I inadvertently left out of the Ranch Gates blogs.  A wider view showed the gate flanked by two bronze lions.   

Many folks think of Texas as flat...and sure enough it does have its flat areas.  But not in the southern part of Hill Country.  This photo was taken along County Road (CR) 337, and we were rewarded with great views at every turn and every apex.







Another gorgeous view from atop one of the hills on CR 337.

                                On our way to Utopia!

The Willow City Loop Ranch is very clever.  They put an old cowboy boot on each fence post....when they ran out of old boots they began mounting hats on the fence posts.

These same fellas, Dave and Al, also came up with a couple of likenesses from Easter Island....here's one of them.   Some prank, eh?

                    Getting ready for a ride in the Hill Country

We made it to Utopia.  To find out what it's like, well....maybe a visit of your own is in order.  (we will say this....it wasn't Nirvana!!)

MORE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY RANCH GATES

The Lakota Ranch gate is quite nice.  We wonder where the names come from.....are they historic or just family names....? or in this case, some relationship to the Lakota Indian Tribe??  

This Lone Star gate is a good example of how the simpler designs can be very attractive.

This gate on the Willow City Loop on the way to Llano, TX makes one pause.....does he/she own Pizza Hut franchises or is it because the ranch roof was red??   While driving "the loop" we stopped to ask a question or two of a fellow who was locking up a ranch gate behind him....his answer to the size of this particular ranch was "oh, it's just a few acres.....maybe 500 or so"!!   Well, that speaks volumes.

When we mentioned to this same fellow that we were headed to Cooper's Pit BBQ in Llano he replied "that's some good eatin' thar".  And he sure is right about that!   Here is the pit of meat that you select as you enter Cooper's.  You take your selections inside where you pay by the pound and select your sides and sit at long tables with other folks, use a large piece of wax paper as your plate, roll up your sleeves and dig in.   We have been to Cooper's three times....and there sure is some good eatin' right there!!

This is some great art work atop a Hill Country Gate.

And still another very elaborate example of the art involved with some of these gates.   This one atop the gate at Rocky Top Ranch.

The Texas Longhorns seem to be few and far between....but we have spotted them on occasion like this fella...we are told their neck muscles are massive in order to hold up the weight of these horns!!

And my personal favorite of ALL the ranch signs...yup, this beats out the likes of Plan B Ranch and the Pizza Hutt Ranch....I would love to meet the folks who live here....this says it ALL!

MEXICO'S "DIA DE MUERTOS"

Day of the Dead  is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico (and around the world in other cultures). The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died.  It is particularly celebrated in Mexico where the day is a bank (National) holiday.  The celebration takes place on October 31, November 1 and November 2,  Given the Hispanic population in South Texas, Dia de Muertos is celebrated in widespread fashion in the region.

La Calavera Catrina (or the Elegant Skull)

 La Catrina has become the referential image of Death in Mexico, it is common to see her embodied as part of the celebrations of Day of the Dead throughout the country; she has become a motive for the creation of handcrafts made from clay or other materials; her representations may vary, as above or as some of the photos below will indicate.

The 'calavera's ties' to the past heritage of the Aztecs can be seen in various ways. The indigenous culture of skulls and the death-goddess Mictecacihuatl (say that three times fast) is common in  pre- Columbian art.  Lady of the Dead, Mictecacihuatl, was keeper of the bones in the underworld, and she presided over the ancient month long Aztec festivals honoring the dead. With Christian (and pagan) beliefs superimposed on the ancient rituals, those celebrations have evolved into today's Day of the Dead

Here is another example of the Catrina....there are many.







The Day of the Dead is a very interesting study into Mexican and Aztec cultures.  Symbols of Dia de Muertos are found everywhere in the Mercado district of San Antonio.  This is where I photographed these.

Dia de Muertos just might be a "healthy" way for the living to deal with death....something to be "celebrated and honored" in a way, rather than feared and misunderstood.   As Wm. Cullen Bryant said in the closing lines to his poem Thanatopsis.....

"So live, that when thy summons comes to join
The innumerable caravan which moves
To that mysterious realm, where each shall take
His chamber in the silent halls of death,
Thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night,
Scourged to his dungeon, but, sustained and soothed
By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave
Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch
About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams"

Here is the link if you want to read the entire poem by Bryant....it is quite a good "study" of death.

http://www.bartleby.com/102/16.html

Not to worry.....the next blog won't be quite so grim!

AMY VISITS SAN ANTONIO'S RIVERWALK

Pam and yours truly waiting in the San Antonio Airport for Amy's arrival.  Yup, decked out in our Texas hats and boots.

Amy and her Mom after Amy got over the "shock" of seeing her Mom in a cowgirl hat and boots!!

The San Antonio River Walk (also known as Paseo del Río) is a network of walkways along the banks of the San Antonio River, one story beneath the streets of Downtown San Antonio.  Lined by bars, shops and restaurants, the River Walk is an important part of the city's urban fabric and a tourist attraction in its own right.

the following is a quote from Wikipedia:

In September 1921, a disastrous flood along the San Antonio River took 50 lives.   Plans were then developed for flood control of the river. Among the plans was to build an upstream dam (the Olmos Dam) and bypass a prominent bend of the river in the Downtown area, and then to pave over the bend, and create a storm sewer.

Work began on the Olmos Dam and bypass channel in 1926; however, the San Antonio Conservation Society successfully protested the paved sewer option. No major plans came into play until 1929, when San Antonio native and architect Robert Hugman submitted his plans for what would become the River Walk. Although many have been involved in development of the site, the leadership of former mayor Jack White was instrumental in passage of a bond issue that raised funds to empower the 1938 “San Antonio River Beautification Project”, which began the evolution of the site into the present 2.5-mile-long River Walk.

Amy and Pam on one of the archway bridges across the river.

The "present day" 2.5 mile long River Walk has since been expanded on numerous occasions and now stretches some 8+ miles throughout the city.   It has become the city's #1 tourist attraction (relegating The Alamo to #2) and is enjoyed by locals as well.   The Riverwalk has been on Amy's "bucket list" for some time......now she gets to cross it off.

San Antonio is a charming city....hard to believe I am saying that for one of the 10 most populated cities in the USA... the photo to the left captures much of the southwestern charm and flavor one can expect when visiting. Visitors can also get great Tex-Mex food here....and it is possible to find the real deal when it comes to Mexican food...given that over 50% of the city's population are of Mexican descent!

This placard on a small adobe home's wall along the river walk got my attention.....El Retiro 515 indeed looks inviting.

One doesn't tire of visiting the River walk in San Antonio....it is a wonderful and quiet (during the week, that is) place to move about the city in a way that almost allows you to forget there is a city of nearly 1.5 million folks one story above where you are walking.   I have visited more times than I can count and it still holds a kind of fascination for me. 

  Beautifully crafted tile work above depicts much of the history of the city and the region, to include the Alamo and the other missions along the San Antonio Mission Trail. 

  

If it isn't already, do yourself a favor and put San Antonio and its river walk on your bucket list.....you won't regret it.

Texas Ranch Gates - Part 1

As we travel through the Texas Hill Country we see ranches of all sizes...from some of the smaller 100 - 200 acre "small spreads" to the larger thousands of acres "real spreads".   (The King Ranch in South Texas, as an example, is one of the largest at 850,000 acres-imagine that if you can).   

In our travels we have seen all manner of Ranch Gates...one yesterday had a gate made out of copper that gleamed in the sun (so much so that I couldn't get a good photo of it).  They run the gamut right down to some made of cedar poles from the property, and other simple designs like this one

simply decorated with clay pots on the flanking stone pillars and a simple chain across the front.   Simple yes, but not without a measure of quiet elegance.

Sometimes the names make you wonder about the ranch....we saw one the other day that I couldn't get a photo of (we passed by too quickly)....with the name Plan B Ranch.  Makes me wonder what happened to Plan A!!

The 4 Bar G Ranch

The 4 Bar G looks inviting as the ranch road ambles around mountain cedar and live oaks.

This gate also beckons....note the Texas Star on the left wall...and the gate is attractively "balanced" with guava cacti plants .

The gate to the Escondida Spa in the Medina area is quite decorative.

The 9 Star Ranch road is lined with the blossoms of dogwoods.

This quite fancy ranch entrance didn't show a name but looks inviting all the same.

The Spirit horse ranch is Pam's favorite.   Do you think it is because of the name?

There are many more "Texas Ranch Gates" that we have photographed as we move about the region....so stay tuned for more in future blogs.

Lamb Creek Ranch.

BANDERA, TEXAS....."COWBOY CAPITAL OF THE WORLD"

Methinks this sign speaks for itself!!

In a rugged Texas county filled with hills, rivers (albeit many of them dry in this epic drought), and a sprawling lake, the small town of Bandera holds a "really big place" in the hearts of Texans. Located in the beloved Texas Hill Country less than an hour from San Antonio, Bandera reminds us of a different, more authentic, era when a handshake was all the contract you needed, self reliance was the norm, and chivalry was a given.   There is a spirit of independence and individualism in Bandera that speaks of the cowboy tradition of hard work and equally hard play.

In just a few days and a couple of visits we have come to love "the idea" of Bandera as well as the place itself.   A great place to shop and enjoy good food and meet very friendly local folk, Bandera does not disappoint.  

Here Pam samples some of the western rugs for sale outside one of the many shops in Bandera.

Busbee's is a good bet if you want to sample "pit barbecue".

Bandera's County Building is an historic and gorgeous reminder of olden days....it is the first thing  you see as you approach the town from any direction.

Along with Ali, where the owners and employees made her feel right at home, we spent quite a lot of time shopping in Bandera's Cowboy Store.   A great place with great folks working there.  Be sure to stop in.

Can you guess which pair Pam bought??  Actually, we both walked out with a new pair of Texas Cowboy boots....after all, we are Winter Texans!!

In this map of the Hill Country you can see Bandera in the lower left corner.   Fredericksburg, where we are staying at the Lady Bird Johnson Park and Campground is more in the center.  

We close this blog edition with Bandera's littlest cowboy.  Stay tuned for more of the Texas Hill Country.

A note to readers:   You can click on any photo to bring up all the photos in that blog, making them larger too.

EL MAGICO VALLE DE RIO GRANDE

A blend of two cultures is evident everywhere you look in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.

The Bridge from Port Isabel to South Padre Island

The Rio Grande Valley (RGV) offers a unique cultural mix between the United States and Mexico. In fact, it is a little of both and not completely either one. Many of the locals consider themselves as residents of the Valley and not any specific city or town. Crossing the River to visit one of the border towns such as Nuevo Progresso is a great way to experience the charm of Old Mexico.

If you thought this sign was in Nuevo Progresso you would be mistaken.
It is along side Route 83 in McAllen, Texas. 
The Rio Grande Valley is not actually a valley, but a delta or floodplain of the Rio Grande. Over many hundreds of years, the River's periodic flooding has made the Valley a very fertile area and combined with the warm subtropical climate, it has created an ideal place to grow citrus and vegetables.  This combination of fertile land and warm climate have also created some unique ecosystems which have led to the rapid growth of nature tourism. The Rio Grande Valley is one of the top birding areas in all of North America, and only three states, including the entire state of Texas have more species of butterflies than can be found in the Valley.

The Valley is also a popular getaway for people looking to escape the harsh winters up north. These Snowbirds or "Winter Texans" cause the Valley's population to swell from October to March each year.   Many of them also take advantage of the much lower costs for health care and cross the border for minor health issues, prescriptions and dental care.

Many Winter Texans own RVs....there are hundreds of RV Parks in the RGV....and some of these Texas "snowbirds" stay here a bit beyond winter and purchase RV homes like the one above.   

So whether you want to play golf in January, get in touch with nature or cross the border for a little cultural exchange, the Valley has much to offer.   Spending a winter in the Valley would be a great place to immerse yourself in the culture and add to one's Spanish speaking abilities, for sure!

There are some beautiful parks in the Rio Grande Valley...and they offer walking and birding opportunities....not to mention picnics and good places for the dog.   And everywhere you go you see signs like this one in two languages.   Sometimes it makes you wonder what country you are indeed in!!

Some beautiful plants can be seen in and around the Rio Grande Valley that you won't see in too many other places, like this banana yucca tree above....a cousin to the cactus family.

It wouldn't surprise us if we were to find ourselves parked somewhere like the little town of Zapata (Spanish for shoe) along the northwestern reaches of the Valley.