May 15, 2014 (24th Day)

Cluck Cluck!! Another beautiful day for us

Sunny and 55 degrees

Before we were ready to leave for Dripping Springs, TX we met with and said good-bye to Tommy and Sheri Rush.  

Tommy, Sheri and Erwin

Tommy (Erwin's 2nd cousin) and Erwin

We chose to get on FM 967 to go to Dripping Springs. While on that route we saw the battered, but operable windmill with vines climbing up the structure.

Beautiful iron gate

There were 2 wineries and lots of grapevines.  We stopped at Salt Lick Winery, but it was too early for us to go in for samples, so we just looked around.

In Dripping Springs, TX we went to Crepe Crazy cafe that is owned by a deaf couple. Grand opening was on May 8, 2014.  Met Vladimir the co-owner of the cafe, his wife was out of town.  Erwin asked Vladimir which crepe he should order. He suggested Norwegian salmon crepes. Edith had strawberry crepes.  There was a good crowd of diners, met two interpreters.  Vladimir, on his break from the kitchen, came over, sat down and chatted with us. He told us stories about immigrating from Russia.

Vladimir greeting us 

Crepe Crazy's menu

Vladimir, Erwin and Edith

After our breakfast at Crepe Crazy we detoured to Driftwood Winery on Elder Hill Road. To sample their wines you need to pay $10 for 6 samples and you get to keep the wine glass. However, we decided not to try their samples because they did not have blush wines, just sparking ones.

Back to Ranch Road 12, rolling and twisting roads, very pretty. 

We stopped at visitor's center in Wimberly town at 12:45 pm.  Got some information on what to see and do while in the town. One of the suggestions was to drive to Woodcreek area from RM 12, beautiful pond, lily pads and nice homes.

Also, another suggestion was to go to La Toya trail then to Mt. Baldy to walk up 205 steps to the top, but there were shrubs and bushes around.  Not exactly a clear view of 360 degrees, but we got to see the whole area. There were lots and lots of dragonflies up there! They won't stay still, so it was hard to capture a great shot.

We stopped by and visited Wimberly Glassblowing. There was a glassblowing demonstration going on. It took them 20 minutes to make a beautiful vase, but as soon as someone cut the base from the rod it fell to the floor shattering into hundreds of broken pieces. They shrugged their shoulders and proceeded to make another one. This time they were successful.  It was very interesting to watch them work, we stayed about an hour while most visitors only stayed about 5 minutes becsuse it was hot in the room!  Nine employees, but only five glassblowers.  Edith wanted the pendants for our kitchen, but ouch the price! ($1,599)

Went to Dick's Classic Garage. Erwin did not want to go inside, said it is Edith's thing not his, so she went in by herself. The admission was $8. From 1920's to late 1960's vehicles, all of them in tip top shape.. She took lots of pictures of the hood ornaments and grilles, as well as some tires, etc.  It took her about 45 minutes to walk around. 

We decided that we were going to retire for the night in San Marcos

Good night!

May 14, 2014 (23rd Day)

Woke up to a beautiful, but chilly day. 50 degrees.

Even though we had light breakfast before going to Christy's apt we decided to go back to Torchy's for their delicious breakfast burritos. Met Christy's friend, Karen and we chatted for a while. Erwin called the Cathedral of Junk guy to see if we can come see his collection, but the guy said for us to call again when we knew for sure the arrival time, and also asked us to donate $10.  

Spent over an hour exploring the Cathedral of Junk.

Erwin's Throne Room

Christy and Erwin at Cathedral of Junk 

On way back to Christy's place we went by Pennybacker Bridge. The Pennybacker Bridge is a through-arch bridge across Lake Austin which connects the northern and southern sections of the Loop 360 highway, also known as the "Capital of Texas Highway" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennybacker_Bridge). Erwin did not want to go up the cliff, so he offered to drop Edith and Christy off, since there are new 'no parking' signs on each side of the road.  Christy had to help Edith up some areas of the cliff because the steps were deep and unpaved.  Once they got to the top, Edith was in awe of the bridge view and Austin skyline. There were some couples having picnic so they really can enjoy the view. Of course, Edith and Christy wasted no time in snapping/shooting pictures.  Edith had always wanted to go up there since she saw Christy's pictures from the same spot on her Facebook and Instagram, so she is now happy to have set her foot there and got pictures to prove it. 

Austin Skyline

Christy and Austin skyline in the background

Pennybacker Bridge

We bid Christy farewell and left at 3:30 pm heading south for Buda, TX. Bumper to bumper traffic for 8 miles, finally got on Loop 360 to I-35S. That took more than twice the normal travel time from Christy's to Buda.

 Arrived at Tommy and Sheri Rush's house around 5 pm.  Tommy was not around, and Sheri informed us that he had gone to pick up something near Dallas, TX that he saw on Craigslist. However, on his way back home his truck started to give problems, then the engine locked.  He tried to fix it, but did not succeed.  Sheri was making healthy blueberry pancakes when we were in the kitchen talking to her.  She gave us some pancakes for our next morning breakfast. 

There was a full moon, so Edith set up the tripod and spent time taking pictures while Erwin read a book.

Early bedtime for us.

May 13, 2014 (22nd Day)

Very cloudy and gloomy when we got up at 8.

We, along with Christy, went out for breakfast at Torchy's.  Got breakfast burritos. Very very good!

Erwin waiting to get his breakfast 

After we finished our breakfast we toured the Texas School for the Deaf that is not far from Torchy's.

Christy took us to visit the Pfluger pedestrian bridge. A great place to see the skyline.

Christy taking a picture of the bicycle lock

Austin skyline and the railroad bridge 

Visited the Hope Outdoor Gallery, very funky, weird and interesting!  This is where graffitti artists are allowed to do their work without getting arrested! Christy walked up to the top of it. Brave soul!

Went to Cathedral of Junk (Roadside America), but found out that an appointment is needed before you can go in, so Erwin called, but the answering messages said too many calls and they are not able to answer every one.  We were very disappointed.  Christy said they have added more junk to the collection, now there is a 2nd story to the cathedral since the last time she was there 2 years ago. 

I dare you to walk through the Cathedral of Junk

Now on way to Pennybacker Bridge.  Found that new no parking zone signs were posted on each side of 360. So, Christy went up to the top of the hill to allow us to get a good view of Austin skyline and million dollar homes. Then went back to 360, then to the boat ramp and parked. Erwin did not want to walk up to the bridge, so Christy and I went up. Found out the sidewalk is on the other side of the bridge and it was difficult to cross the road to the sidewalk. It started to drizzle, so we went back to the parking lot.  Under the bridge there are thousands of barnswallow nests.  Lots of barnswallows buzzing around.  

Pennybacker Bridge

Barnswallow nests under the bridge

Christy and CJ wanted Erwin to fix goulash for supper so we stopped at HEB grocery store to get some items.

When we got back to Christy's house Edith was so so tired that she took a nap and Christy took a pic of me and posted it on Instagram! Have to watch out for her when you are not looking!

While Edith was napping Erwin showed CJ step by step on how to fix goulash.  This time he added Italian sausage and mixed it with ground beef.  They loved the dish. There was enough left over for a meal..

After supper Christy went out for a walk so we caught up on messages and emails.
When Christy got back she showed Edith more lightroom tips. 

May 12, 2014 (21st Day)

It was starting to get cloudy when we woke at 7:30 am.  Tommy and Sheri have chickens, so they have been collecting eggs each day for their daily use.

Got on the road north to visit Christy Miers (Erwin's niece by marriage), but along the way we stopped to check out Cabela's sporting goods store. It was not open at that time, so we just drove by and took some pictures of the sculpture there.

We were happy to see Christy Waits Miers again! The last time we saw her and her family was 24 years ago.  Christy is a photographer, so she and Edith share the same passion. We chatted for a good while and before we knew it, we were hungry. Christy suggested that we try hamburgers and French fries at her favorite hamburger joint called Mighty Fine. Yes, the hamburgers were delicious. Too bad that Edith cannot eat their French fries because hey were fried In peanut oil and she is allergic to any peanut product. We enjoyed lunching and chatting with Christy.

It started to rain after we finished lunch, but it did not stop us from going out sightseeing.  On the way to Mt. Bonnell there was a homeless guy begging for something, but there was something unusual about him. He had NO SIGN informing passerbys.  An invisible sign, so it could be anything. He got a dollar for being creative!

First stop was Mt. Bonnell.  What a great view of Austin skyline and million dollar homes along the riverfront.  To get to the top you have to climb over 200 steps. Christy and Edith took pictures, but the weather was not favorable for quality pictures, but with editing they can come out great.

Erwin and Christy on top of Mt. Bonnell

                                                                                                        Two shooters

Next stop was Mayfield Park to see peacocks and lily ponds. There were like 5-8 peacocks around. Beautiful lily ponds. Lots of Koi fish in the ponds. Walked around the property taking pictures of this and that. 

It was time for us to go back to Christy's place to pick up her son, Conner Justin, aka CJ (Erwin's great nephew). It was his birthday and we wanted to take him out to his favorite dining place. He wanted Salt Lick BBQ, so off we went.

The dinner was great. We had BBQ ribs with sides. By the time we finished our dinner it started to rain heavily and then there were lightning all around.  We informed the waitress that it was CJ's birthday and she nodded and asked which dessert he preferred. He begged her not to sing Happy Birthday for him.  He got a bowl of fruit cobbler with ice cream, and he ate it happily. Because it was raining hard and we did not bring an umbrella we had no choice but to stay inside the restaurant for 3 hours and chatted and chatted.  It was nice spending quality time with Christy and CJ.

Christy taking a selfie of her and CJ

After we got back to Christy's apartment Erwin was ready for bed, but Edith stayed up and watched Christy editing pictures. She learned some tips.