Weekend re-cap: Brenham, WVW, and Desert Door

Hubby is in transition with his job (again)...this time he is returning to the insurance agency he was at for several years, and both of us believe it s a good move.  But that doesn't mean it isn't stressful...  So we started our weekend out at Whole Foods on the upper deck with a full growler...

The view from here is not spectacular,

but you can get a sense of sunset and the people watching always amuses me.

 The next morning we headed to Brenham to visit my mother and enjoy lunch together.

She wanted a gardenia plant, so I got a very full and fragrant one at Home Depot - $18, not bad.  I also took some homemade stock, rice, a bag of mire poix, and some oranges (just because).  I got to hug her neck a couple of times and wish her a Happy Mother's Day, I made a sausage and rice lunch with garlic toast, and she baked a tomato soup cake which was wonderful!  We did a few odds and ends chores and left around 2 p.m....

 ...and headed for Saddlehorn.

 It's so peaceful out here - birds chirping, no highway noise...

 ...pastureland with big oaks and wildflowers, far as my eyes can see.  We were home by 5 p.m., then waited for The Girl to come home to fix omelettes for dinner.  Teddy will be here for a week while she's away to Florida for training.  I'm hoping she squeezes a little R&R in there, too!

Sunday morning we headed out to a winery pick-up, with breakfast along the way.  The restaurant was super busy, but we enjoyed a Tex Mex feast complete with Ruby Red Margarita and Bloody Mary. 

Then it was off to Wimberley Valley's pick-up. The pairings this time were mostly sweet wines, with a new pinot noir and syrah.  Hubby enjoyed the apple wine, and I liked the raspberry.  They were both paired with a desert bite.  But my all-time favorite is...

 BLACKBERRY.
This is the motherlode - directly behind me in the tasting room!

 Card playing on the deck followed.

They have such a giant backyard area, full of old oaks and decks.  It looked like everyone had the same idea for Mother's Day - hang out at a winery - but it didn't seem too busy.

 And I enjoyed the wildflowers!

We had passed a distillery we wanted to check out, so we double backed and visited this very cool place.  I  have never tried Sotol and have only heard of it recently, but it certainly is not new to the world.  It's not anything like tequila, though you think it would be.  Very smooth, kinda smokey, maybe a little like scotch?  I don't know, so hard to put my finger on the taste.

I wish I had taken better (and more) photos.  They had a large outside seating area under a pergola, as well as a cool, southwestern vibe interior with leather couches and rustic wood bar.  I enjoyed a strawberry rhubarb margarita and some live music.

Then we headed home for queso, sloppy joe's, guacamole, and time with the fam.  the one thing I wanted I forgot to do: get a new pic of me with my peeps...maybe next Sunday when The Girl returns.  Scout and Dutch gave me a sweet gift tote with a candle, bath bomb, and truffles.  Firstborn and Bubbie gave me a silly card, and The Girl ordered something due to arrive on Friday.  But I couldn't think of thing more that I wanted than just time with them - and it was very fun, and wore me out!

Can you believe we are halfway thru May?