Sign on door


This sign cracked me up. It's on the door at Cheatham Street Warehouse.

Cheatham Street Warehouse



Part of our reason for staying in San Marcos was because we knew John, Walt and Sam were playing at Cheatham Street Warehouse. It was just what I needed after the hotel fiasco. What we didn't know was that it was being filmed for a future episode of Texas Showcase Cafe that will air on PBS toward the end of the year. It was the most amazing show I have seen in a long time. You could have heard a pin drop. No one would move or go get a beer until between songs. It was just one of those nights... All was right with the night.

End of Day 1 ~ San Marcos & motel hell...

When we were planning our trip and decided to stay in San Marcos, I started trying to find a place to stay. It seems there was 4 weddings and 1 conference going on that weekend and the only place to stay was the Roadway Inn. So I booked two rooms (one being handicapped) and figured I might be able to get rooms at a better hotel later. On Friday, I called the Hampton Inn and they had 2 rooms left. Perfect! I booked the rooms. So I called the Roadway Inn about 2pm to cancel our reservations only to be told that if I cancelled I would still be charged for one night. We were only staying one night, so basically they weren't cancelling the rooms. When I made the reservations, I read that I could cancel prior to 4pm. Well, that was true if you DIDN'T use a credit card. What the crap??? I thought because I HAD used a credit card I could cancel, but no. So I had to call the Hampton Inn and cancel THOSE rooms. Thankfully they didn't have a problem with it. We go on and check in. The so called handicap room was no bigger or different than any other room. The bathroom was arranged a little different but still very difficult for a person in a wheelchair to manuver around in. So I go to the front desk and raise hell and finally the clerk agrees to cancel our rooms and give us a full refund, but with an attitude. I tell everyone we are changing hotels. I call Hampton Inn to try and get rooms there, again. But no. They are now full. Again. SHIT! Now I have to go back to the front desk at the Roadway Inn and try to make peace with the women who I have pissed off and ask for the same rooms again. Bottom line, I never have liked crow.

Can you say "Vyvjala"?


This is between Shulenburg and Shiner. A nice Czeck name I'm guessing. According to Aunt Polly it is pronounced "Vivialla". She said she worked w/a lady with that last name. It's Aunt Polly, so who knows for sure????

White flower


I know, such technical names for all the flowers. Played around with a lighting technique with this one. Again, I like it.

Purple flower


Not sure what kind of flower this is, but I liked it. Used a macro lens for this shot.

Ceiling and Altar of St. Mary's at Praha





This is the ceiling that hasn't been repainted since 1865.

Windows of St. Mary's Parish of Praha







These windows aren't as ornate as the ones at High Hill, but still very pretty.

Oops... forgot the church at Praha


The stone were hauled to the location by oxen.


There are 3 of these memorial buildings/shrines is dedicated to soldiers killed during WWII. Not sure if they were members of this church or not, but I would think probably so.

Next stop ~ Spoetzl Brewery ~ Shiner, TX


Don took this one. I want to give credit where it is due...


I was hoping to take a tour of the brewery at Shiner. They only give tours at 11:00 and 1:30. We got there at 3:30. But we still got 4 tokens for sampling beer. Don mentioned to the "bartender" that he might have to get one of Mom's tokens. The lady let him know real quickly that he was allowed 4 and ONLY 4 cups of beer and she knew that he was at his limit. We must have gotten there as a shift ended as there were workers at the bar drinking their 4 beers. Not a bad place to work I would think....

Last from St. Mary's at High Hill



More from St. Mary's






Windows of St. Mary's of High Hill







These are the windows at the first church we visited. Very ornate and detailed. Lots of statues inside. The alter is very intricate, but not scary... Be sure to click on each picture to see a larger image.

Schulenburg, TX ~ Home of the Painted Churches




When I was talking to Crystal about our trip, she told me of the Painted Churches in Schulenburg so we added that to our trip. The windows in the churches were painted to look like stained glass. We toured two of the churches, St Mary's Catholic Church in High Hill built in 1868 and St. Mary's Parish in Praha built in 1895. Both churches were built/established by Austrian/Czeck-Moravian families. The stone used to build the church at Praha was brought by oxen from a nearby village and the ceiling was painted by a famous Swiss artist and has never been repainted. St. Mary's at High Hill has been placed in the National Registry of Historic Places. They are both very beautiful. The detail of the work is amazing.

First Stop ~ Round Top





We actually came through Warrenton first, but didn't stop because of the rain and cold. However, I did convince Don to stop in Round Top for a little while. The cabin was built in 1823 by John Henry Moore. It is the oldest structure in Fayette County. And I think this must be the biggest oak tree I have ever seen.

Chicken at a gas station???


We stopped for gas in Elgin (I think) and here is this chicken roaming around the parking lot. It didn't seem to be afraid of people as it came about 3 feet from Don. Not sure what he was doing here. Maybe looking for water?

The Step Stool


Anytime Mom or Polly got in/out of the van, Don had to get the little step stool for them, then get the wheelchair for Mom. He's a trooper. Needless to say, his "201 file" is running over!

Wildflower Tour 2008 ~ Day 1 ~ April 4, 2008


Our route for the first day was to leave Austin, go to Round Top/Warrenton for the Flea Market, Schulenberg to see the Painted Churches, Shiner and tour the brewery, then to San Marcos for the night. The theme of the first day was RAIN! And cold...

April 9, 2008 ~ Wildflower Tour 2008 Intro

Don and I started a little tradition with my mom and 2 aunts a couple of years ago. We load everyone up and go on a little wildflower tour through the Hill Country. However, we haven't been able to go since 2005 because mom wasn't up to it. But she has been feeling really good as of late and so we decided to give it a try. We left Weatherford on Thursday, picked Barbara up south of Mineral Wells, got mom in Hamilton and then on to Austin for the night. This was the first time Mom had stayed overnight anywhere since she broke her hip back in July 2005. She was SO excited. Polly had picked our rental van up just before we got there. However, she didn't look in the back to see that it wasn't going to be big enough for luggage and a wheelchair. But we managed it for the night. The highlight of this day was going to El Patio and having my favorite dish, Guacamole Cheese Enchilada's. MMMmmmmm.... After El Patio, Mom wanted to drive down Congress Ave and reminisce as she had worked in a dress shop there back in the 40's. Friday morning Don and I went to exchange the van for a bigger one and to pick up breakfast. As we pulled up to the Taco Shack (about 3 miles from Enterprise Rental) it started to pour down rain. We ran inside, ordered and waited. About the time our order was ready it was REALLY coming down. We decided to make a break for the van. Just as I got to the van, it started hailing. Don was fumbling around w/the lock trying to get my door unlocked and I'm getting drenched just hoping that the hail doesn't get me. I get in the van just as the hail starts pummeling us. It just beat the crap out of the van. Which by the way only had 2000 miles on it. Luckily Aunt Polly had taken out the extra coverage to cover any damages. So that was good! So this brings us to the start of the trip and pictures to come....