Hill Country Slacking Part Deux

After our hotter n' hell hike at Enchanted Rock, we made our way back to the hotel for a nap. That is the first commandment of traveling with a toddler ' Thou shalt respect nap time for the toddler is a tired toddler and her wrath is mighty.' The second commandment is something along the lines of 'Thou shalt have no other blankie than the beloved blankie for I am a picky toddler and will forgo the nap if thou should try to foist another blankie upon me'. Fortunately, the preferred blankie was merely hidden under the bed in the hotel and a short nap ensued vitalizing the wee one and her parents for our jaunt to Luckenbach.

What was once a real town is now the coolest beer joint in all of Texas. Kitty couldn't wait to kick her shoes off and hang out. There was a pickers circle going on and familys, bikers, retired couples and local poets all hung out in the shade of the trees enjoying the music and some cold beers. Okay, the kids enjoyed dancing on stage to the music but did not have beer. No drinking until you can order it yourself. A really great way to spend a late afternoon and early evening, just doing a whole bunch of nothing. Highly recommended

.

We headed back to Fredericksburg for dinner. Since Fredericksburg trades on its German heritage, every restaurant in town serves up hearty faux German food. My favorite name of a dish was schweineschnitzel überbacken. I didn't actually eat it, but it is fun to say. I was able to find stuff to eat at most of the restaurants that was appropriate for 100f+ weather. Except at the Bavarian Inn that is. We went in to look at the menu and while the early 1980s did not delight my aesthetic senses and there was a weird odor, what put me off was the menu listings for 'On the Lighter Side'. A German sausage sampler plate or chicken fried steak. They have a very different definition of what constitutes light than I do.

The next day we headed out to Johnson City to see a man about a camel. And a zebra. And some goats. This was the highlight of the trip for Kitty. She not only got to hand feed a buffalo( who has a very raspy tongue) and play with some goats but got to actually pet a zebra foal as well. She has been kind of obsessed with zebras lately. I grew up on a farm so the first thing I noticed was the condition of the animals. All of their feet were healthy (the first thing I look for), their enclosures were big and roomy and everyone appeared to be really well fed. Its actually a good business model. Breed and raise the exotic animals you love and have tourists pay to  feed them. They also have highland cows. I love highland cows.

We drove past vineyards and sunflower fields on the way back to Fredericksburg. We procured the ubiquitous peaches and preserves. After an afternoon nap and long soak in the pool, we wandered around the shops of Main street. We opted to skip dinner and instead had peach pie with Blue Bell ice cream at the Tootie pie company. It was worth every single calorie.

We woke up bright and early the next morning, hit the road and by late afternoon, Mark was back on the boat working. Seems that it was time for our regulator to receive some attention. More on that later but all in all, Fredericksburg provided a much needed opportunity to do a whole bunch of nothing. I hope to be doing a whole bunch of nothing on the boat very, very soon.