We hit the road on Saturday, heading to Brenham to visit my mother. We enjoyed some kolaches and a nice drive with little traffic. There is a lot of growth along 290 which translates into more traffic lights and more cars. 290 isn't known for being a sweet little hour and a half jaunt into Brenham anymore.
While we were there, I worked on some kitchen cleaning, washed a couple of loads of laundry to hang out, and found a couple of eggs the chickens were hiding. Hubby put new batteries in the thermostat, helped turn her mattress, bought her a fan, and fixed her vacuum cleaner. We enjoyed some Marmalade Chicken Salad sammies, chips, and blood orange beer. Mother gifted me a quilt and some eggs and onions. We left around 3 p.m., sweaty and tired, but it was a good visit.
I worry about her yard - looks like it needs a haircut, and the chicken holes are merely disguised by grass now - its a landmine trap of uneven ground just waiting for her to fall again...maybe that will be a Fall project. Its way too hot right now - we are already into 100 degree days.
We stopped by a nearby winery along the way - Windy Winery. It looked cute from the outside, but there was a wine bus parked outside - a wine trail is in full swing and this was one of the stops. Bad sign.
Visiting a winery when a wine trail or wine club pick-up is happening does not usually make for a great first impression. A lot of smaller wineries just can't handle the influx of people in a graceful way. You don't get much in the way of tasting notes from the person pouring - there are just too many customers to too few wine stewards. And the bus usually gets priority since they are on a schedule.
We found this one to have somewhat overpriced and marginal wines. They grow two grapes - the same ones that Saddlehorn grows - but the wine was not as good and couple of them were just different versions of the same grape. It had a pleasant patio that we didn't linger on. We probably won't go back and that's a shame as the owner took pains to make sure my tasting wasn't lost in the crowd of bodies from the wine tour.
We hit the road again, taking back roads to skirt around Austin and head towards Burnet. But it had been a looong time since lunch. And I wanted to try this place in Liberty Hill for dinner.
From the street it looks like not much. But in the back is a LOT of parking and a giant backyard, full of shady oaks and tables and a band playing country tunes. None of those guys could have been younger than 80 and it was delightful.
They had a separate little building serving cold drinks you could order while you waited for your table. It was warm out there, but not terrible - they had misters going and so much shade from the trees.
Kids were running around everywhere - a very family friendly place. We enjoyed the tunes and a couple of beers.
We ended up getting seated inside and dinner was ridiculously good - chicken fried steak with jalapeno cream gravy, crisp-tender green beans, fried okra, homemade roll. I didn't get a picture of it because I was busy shoving it into my mouth. I haven't had a meal that good in a long time! We sat outside a little while longer, then headed homeward.
{Warning - graphic picture of decapitated rattlesnake!}
We arrived back at Highlands at dusk just in time to have a run-in with a rattlesnake. We won. But it wasn't a fun after dinner activity, so we unwound at the firepit with a nice bottle of red and called it a day! Thankfully, I didn't dream about snakes.
The next morning we fried up some bacon and enjoyed some of the eggs from Brenham. We didn't have any chores to do, so we generally kicked back. Hubby hosed off the truck. I walked around a little, hearing a cow mooing some ways over that sounded like a mama looking for a calf. Other than that, no more wildlife encounters. We sunned for a bit until it got too hot.
{Looking up Highlands' driveway and out to the road.}
We left around 1 p.m. to do a little exploring in San Saba - there is a winery there that is also opening a tasting room in Burnet. So we had to check it out.
Along the way we ate in Buchanan Dam. It's a typical grill, serving burgers and such. Very fresh, friendly people, but closing at 2 p.m., like most places out this way on a Sunday. And yes, I had the Big Dam Burger - served with onion rings - so good.
San Saba is just a hop, skip, and jump away through winding highways of scenic Texas ranch land. It's a cute little town - looks like they are trying to revitalize the downtown area. Lots of places were closed (because of their 2 p.m. hard stop on Sundays) but the tasting room was cool and inviting.
We were the only ones there, so we had the steward's full attention. She was very knowledgeable and friendly, the wine was all very good, and before you know it, we had joined their wine club! The owners came in and introduced themselves - turns out they are friends with TNL and Perisso's owners, too. They are cooking up collaborative events that sound like fun. It will be great to have them in Burnet!
Small town Texas is very charming! The tasting room was in a restored old building downtown. We left for home at 4:30 p.m. and sat down to dinner by 8 p.m. with Scout, Dutch, and Bubbie. We learned a new board game (Castle Panic) and ended the weekend exhausted and happy around 10 p.m. This week is an easy one - work two days, off one, work two, then another weekend. Happy Independence Day! We are in Hamilton today having a road rally adventure - more about that later!
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