Weekend re-cap - McReynold's, Iron Wolf, and Spicewood Vineyards

Last weekend, Hubby and I agreed we would stick close to home on Saturday and get a number of odds and ends chores done.  For me that included raking up at least a dozen lawn bags of leaves in advance of some rainy weather we were going to have, and cleaning up the back patio.  I also got some Easter shopping done, ran to the grocery store, did some laundry...all those things I hadn't had time for during the week.  Hubby filed the taxes.  Fix my bathroom sink.  Secured a toilet.  Mow and sprinkle weed and feed on the backyard. You know, manly things. (:

All that raking...then the oaks dropped their pollen buds...

 We went to Whole Foods and enjoyed some oysters and beer, then impulsively decided to run up to Highlands for the night.  The next morning we slept in and had a big breakfast just outside of the barn - had we done nothing else for the day, it would have been a great weekend.  But we decided to go exploring!  I don't even have a photo of the first place we went - a winery that was apparently up for sale and literally on its last bottle of wine.  I don't have a lot to say about that place that's positive - go here to read about them, but imagine banjos playing in the background...

 We paddled up to Spicewood, Texas and visited Iron Wolf Ranch Distillery.

 They had a large deck overlooking the hill country, with fire pits and playscapes and seating areas.

And you could do a tasting of their spirits, but they weren't allowed to sell you a bottle on Sunday, so we might as well enjoy a cocktail.  {And apparently, they had live music the night before and a food truck, so we will have to go back sometime!}

Both of us had some sort of citrus-y drink with fresh fruit and spiced spirits.  Mine had Hotscotch, which was whiskey with flavors of  butterscotch and peppers, and Hubby's had sweet and spicy whiskey with flavors of cinnamon and pepper.  Both were delish.  We saw someone getting a Bloddy Mary that looked good - with horseradish infused vodka!

Just three miles down the road is a winery - Spicewood Vineyards.  So of course, we had to check it out!  We had a tasting, then bought a bottle of very good tempranillo to enjoy with our picnic lunch.

It's a large winery with loads of covered patio space and a pretty water feature bubbling gently in the background.  I didn't take loads of pictures - it was just so relaxing and the wine was wonderful and we were busy snackin'.

We enjoyed some smoked mackerel, crackers, and cheddar with stout - Hubby's choices from Trader Joe's.  We packed it all in around 4 p.m. and headed home to enjoy dinner with the fam.  And that happy weekend feeling is still with me today!