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Published: January 30th 2014
Blanco State Park
On the banks of the Blanco RiverIt has been a while since the last posting . It seems there has been one polar vortex after another reaching down into the South. I know it is not as bad as some states, but it has kept us inside and cautious about our water line which needs to be unhooked in weather below freezing. The evening weather reports here can make us laugh as Texans deal with a bit of snow and sleet. One lady made the news when she couldn't find the ice scrapper for her car windows. Actually, black ice is the real problem here and can shut everything down until the afternoon when above freezing temps usually arrive.
Since last we 'talked' we have been to some new parks and tried some new foods. We stayed one week at Sam Houston State Park in Louisiana. Great park since it has sewer hook-ups and a free laundry - unheard of in state parks! There are deer in the park that are so tame that they watch us as we watch them . Our next stop was supposed to be in the Piney Woods of Texas at Village Creek State Park
Sam Houston Jones State park
This little deer had no interest in eating crackers in Lumberton, TX, but the sites were too small for our set up. We could have moved on, but we had scheduled a mail drop at the local post office so we found a private park . It was an interesting stay, the sheriff visited our neighbors twice and we were next door to the Texas Honky Tonk. Thursday was Wings and Washers Night at the Honky Tonk, so Ron called to ask what that meant. "It's chicken wings and a washer tournament," the fellow told him. To which Ron asked, "What are washers?" The fellow answered, " You aren't from around here are ya?" The tournament amounts to people throwing huge metal discs ( washers ) into holes cut into a board.
We did get out and walk the Flood Plain trail at the Sandyland Sanctuary. A long walk since the trail was so poorly marked we covered lots of area just looking for trail markers. But the reward was seeing 3 river otters at play. This is the third time we have seen river otters in the wild - the first time was in Florida when we were in our kayak and we followed a
family of 4 otters as they made their way down the river and the second time was at a Provincial park in Canada.
Currently we are staying 2 weeks at Blanco State Park in Blanco, TX. A great park in the Hill Country of Texas on the Blanco River. The small town of Blanco is laid out like so many Texas towns . There is a town center which has a huge court house . This area is surrounded on all four sides by streets lined with shops and businesses. Blanco is still doing well in the downtown area and most shops are still open. From Blanco it is a short drive to Pedernales Falls State Park - see the pictures below of a great park, but the campground really isn't good for big rigs.
We took a short break from our RVing trip to stay in a B&B in Fredericksburg, called 2 Wee Cottages. And that is just what it was - our wee cottage was so cute, with doilies and lace everywhere. The best part was the enclosed porch with a 2 person hot tub! When we arrived the owner had just
The Wee Kitchen
On the table is our chocolate cake snack and a fresh loaf of bread. brought in our loaf of freshly baked bread still warm from the oven and the cheese Danish that would be our breakfast . Each day we also found an afternoon snack on the porch table. For two days we walked the down town , relaxed in the hot tub and watched movies on the big screen TV. It was just like a vacation!
Two new foods to report on. Fresh Cracklin (from a butcher shop, not the bagged kind like you see in the potato chip aisle) - which is fried pork rind. The frying renders much of the fat that is attached to the rind causing the finished bits to be crisp and delicious. The second food is a sausage called boudine - the king of Cajun food - which is made with rice, seasonings and pork or crawfish stuffed into a natural casing. A local butcher had a good laugh when I asked him about the sausage - seems I didn’t pronounce it correctly . He said, " You aren't from around here are ya?" Then came a lesson in pronunciation as he walked me to the register. There are also boudine Balls which is
The Auslander in Fredericksburg
This is for Tim and Ann who encourage us to get a beer at local establishments breaded and deep fried boudine sausage.
We'll be in the Hill Country for several more weeks - sure wish the cedar trees would would quit their pollinating and leave my sinuses alone.
Euchre Tournament scores so far - Tam - 532, Ron - 510
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Doreen
non-member comment
NICE!
Great pictures;great adventures...like everything but the cold weather!