Strolling Along in Wimberley

After visiting Driftwood Vineyards on Saturday, we headed to Wimberley, still on a quest for bluebonnets. Nicholas used to live in Wimberley, when we were "courting." We both know the backroads well. Depending on who is driving, it takes about 45 minutes to an hour to get there from South Austin. Here is a picture of Cypress Creek, which runs through Wimberley.

Wimberley is a small towns with lots of shops, bed and breakfasts, and artists. At some point, Travel Magazine rate it one of America's Ten Best Small Towns (but the Chamber of Commerce website would not dare say if that was in this decade).  Anyhoo...Wimberley is a quaint village town that is nice to walk around, unless you are downwind. They have no public sewer system.

Remember my encounter with a solid wood beam? This is the lovely picture I took afterwards.

We had dinner at Ino's, on the patio, overlooking Cypress Creek. It was lovely sitting outside on a beautiful day, until the wind changed.

Just goofing around!

This is what Texas dirt looks like most of the year.

And here is a lovely picture of a yucca plant.

On the way back home we stopped to take pictures at a low water crossing (the road is actually clear of water).

We finally found some bluebonnets on our way back to Austin!

Let's Go For a Walk--Slaughter Creek Trail

Welcome to another fabulous park in Austin: Slaughter Creek Trail. It's newly opened and available to hikers, bikers, and horses (so watch where you are walking!).

A couple Saturdays ago, the hubby and I checked it out with Nicholas' mom. It was a very sunny day.

We saw some things beginning to bloom.

And took a few breaks in the shade.

This picture screams Texas!

Since the trail is new, it is very un-traveled, and tiny. This is definitely a hiking trail.

Did I mention the trail is open for horses?

Driftwood Vineyard

It was a beautiful weekend, and Nicholas and I enjoyed every minute of it! After enjoying breakfast together Saturday morning, we head to Lady Bird Lake for a nice walk (with a gagillion other people) on the hike and bike trail. More on that later.

Then we headed out to the Hill Country in search of bluebonnets. Our first destination was Driftwood Vineyards. I enjoyed snapping some pictures along the way.

miles and miles of Texas

In the Summer, this sign will probably say the wildfire danger is HIGH, because we will be in a drought.

We finally arrive at Driftwood Vineyards!

Then we pretended my car was an SUV.

There was a wedding at the vineyard...a beautiful day/place to have a wedding!

But, we partook in the tastings. My favorite was the Chardonnay, Longhorn Red, and Syrah.

Then we had a glass of wine and did some people watching.

And some goat watching

Did I mention it was a beautiful day?

We didn't find many bluebonnets, that just means we will hopefully be able to find more later in April. Come back tomorrow for pictures from our trip to Wimberley.

Not Me! Monday--Bluebonnet Edition

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

It was not me that took this picture when I realize my husband had missed the floor when tossing the soap box outside the shower!

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It was not me that missed a turn more than once this weekend while driving because I was too busy admiring the bluebonnets on the side of the road.

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It was also not me who was trying so hard to get a cute/creative picture of bluebonnets in a wheelbarrow that I walked smack into a solid wood beam! I am not that clumsy! (It was not my mother who used to joke that my middle name was Grace!)

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It was also not my husband who insisted that we stop at a restaurant so I could put ice on my brusied noggin'. And he certainly did not take this picture!

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My head, by the way, is fine...just a little scrapped. What have you not been doing today?

Flat Stanley Update #1

I introduced you to our visitor a couple days ago. We have been busy showing him around Austin, now that I have assigned him a permanent home in my purse (so I would stop forgetting him)!

Flat Stanley has enjoyed bowling with us:

and drinking Uncle Nick's cappuccino.

He had a blast on our drive out to the Hill Country in search of fun and bluebonnets. Here he is at Cypress Creek in Wimberley, TX.

And in a wheelbarrow of bluebonnets:

He enjoyed the beautiful Texas Spring weather with a walk around Lady Bird Lake (a.k.a Town Lake, a.k.a. The Colorado River) in Austin. Here he is admiring the statue of Stevie Ray Vaughn and the view of downtown Austin.

He chilled with some canoers on the lake.

and relaxed in the bluebonnets.

He especially enjoyed the ride up Congress Avenue toward the Capitol Building (hello pink granite).

But being up close to the building was his favorite!

Flat Stanley is looking forward to all the exciting adventures Uncle Nick and Aunt Dana have planned for him in the coming weeks, including a wedding and an airplane ride!

Patio Season Has Arrived!

Delicious Food I've Eaten Recently

Food is a pretty big part of our lives. Nicholas and I both enjoy cooking, although, I currently do most of the cooking. I am constantly trying new recipes and am slightly obsessed with finding new healthy recipes chock full of vegetables and taste. I also shop at 3 stores every week for our groceries. You may have noticed I have started sharing food information, and will only begin to see more. This is a blog about my life, and well, food is a pretty important part of my life. That being said, here are some yummy things we have eaten recently!

Thin Mint (as in the Girl Scout cookie) Cheesecake with an Oreo crust from Jack Allen's Kitchen

Seared Ahi Tuna on a bed of greens courtesy of Austin Foodist--Check out his recipe.

Fresh made Homemade Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread that I first mentioned a couple weeks ago. I originally got this receipe from Jo-Lynne at Musings of a Housewife. (She has recently modified the recipe to fill her new soaking grains regimen. I have not tried the new version.) This is the 4th time I have made a batch (Each batch makes 2 loaves.), and I am still working out the appropriate timing with my oven, but this batch was more than picture worthy!

Strawberry Shortcake from EatingWell.com. Strawberries were outrageously on sale last week, so I was on a mission to find delicious recipes to use them in. I, of course, did not take a picture of my attempt--I was too busy diving in! I pretty much followed the recipe (although I halved the shortbread) except for the part about mixing the strawberries with sugar. I usually think that strawberries are plenty sweet without the added sugar, but if the strawberries are not ripe enough, it may be good to add the sugar.
Pizza using Whole Wheat Pizza Dough from EatingWell.com. Nicholas loves pizza, and I do, too, but I don't like the way greasy pizza makes me feel. However, this dough is amazing and pretty easy to make. It is good with a variety of toppings. Try it out today! As an aside, hubby made this pizza, and making the dough is also kind of his thing. He likes making bread type things from scratch.