Weekend re-cap: San Saba places, Bill's, Highlands

We ventured out earlier than we normally do on Saturdays - we have pushed the hard stop to around 10:30 because of the heat.  Hubby wanted to re-visit Wedding Oak winery and since we were going to be out that way, may as well enjoy some BBQ...

 So we stopped at Young's Burritos and BBQ and oh. my. word.

We got a couple of BBQ plates, loaded with pork ribs, brisket, beans, coleslaw, and potato salad  And we enjoyed some live acoustic guitar from an elderly gentleman in the back of the restaurant.  Those were the best pork ribs I have ever had - falling off the bone, perfectly seasoned, smoked over mesquite.  We will definitely be back!

 Wedding Oak is just down the street. 

 It was afternoon and getting to be super hot but the tasting room was so nice and cool.  We settled in with a bottle of Tioja (a tempranillo blend) and Hubby snagged the owner coming out of the tank room.  He told us where to eat in San Saba (Young's!) as well as all about the winery and how he has helped other wineries to get off the ground.  He's a nice guy and loves to gab, same as Hubby.

 He also told us about the boutique next door, which we visited:

Full of antique pretties - mostly things ladies love to look at.  (I came across a man sleeping in a chair with his wife in the distance calling out his name...too funny)  We knew that Old Man Scary Cellars was nearby - turns out it was in the next building over - a winery that the owner of Wedding Oak has helped another couple to open - an incubator project.  So we had to check it out, too.

 I loved everything about the tasting room and the wine was really good.  

 

 We enjoyed a glass in their very large and cool space.  We should have bought a bottle to bring home - I'm sure we will come back here, too.  We might even consider joining their wine club - we'll see.  We have whittled our wine club memberships to three, and that seems plenty for now.

 

 Back in Burnet we stopped at Bill's Burgers - fully intending to eat a burger and listen to live music.

 But the musician was taking his sweet time setting up - it was close to 7 p.m - so we drank a margarita and had chips and queso in the backyard, then left for Highlands.  We were both still full from BBQ anyway, so the burger experience will have to wait until another day.

 Someone really enjoys his white cowboy hat and red shirt.

The next day after breakfast we putseyed around Highlands, installing a sink table out back and moving some things around in the barn.  Last weekend we managed to break one of the benches for the inside table, so we bought a new set and set it up.  The original was an old set from scouts which had seen better days (the table was bowed in the center), and the new set has a smaller footprint in the barn to save space.

Pretty soon it was hard stop time.  We decided to catch a bit of sun and made a new-to-us version of summer sangria - two parts very cheap wine to one part sparkling fruit water.  This one is pomegranate and blood orange with cabernet.  It was refreshing and delightful and we ate some leftover BBQ with it, then rested and packed up.  It's getting to be so hot at Highlands - summers are rough.  110 under the barn roof is too hot for me!

 

On the way home, we spied smoke blooming that was actually about 16 miles from us, scorching nearly 600 acres and causing parks and campsites and homes to be evacuated. On Tuesday, the hill country got rain but none of it on the fire lines. Temps are down under 100 degrees but we sure do need more rain.  Everyone, do a rain dance for Texas!
Happy August!