Marble Falls – April Coker, Author

BACK TO THRIFTY HUNTER THURSDAY!

We arrived home last night weary but refreshed from our short little vacation, but I was way too tired from all that driving to even think about looking at a computer screen. We put in about eight hours driving from Marble Falls through Burnet, Llano, San Saba, Goldthwaite, then up toward Hillsboro, Ennis, to Canton, and then home.

We didn’t do a lot of stopping, but we did have a very tasty lunch at the famed Bluebonnet Cafe in Marble Falls. This little hometown cafe has had famous diners such as Texas governor Rick Perry, former President and First Lady George and Laura Bush, and our son and daughter-in-law Matt and Taylor Coker! They serve breakfast 24 hours a day but we chose to have lunch instead. And since this little cafe is renown for their sky-high meringue pies, we had to sample a piece of pie! After all, they sell T-shirts that proclaim “In Pie We Crust!”

Man, my tacos and Jimmy’s club sandwich were good, but that coconut meringue pie and that chocolate meringue pie were to die for! Check out that meringue! I washed mine down with a strong cup of joe and practically floated out the door. That place is on my list of places to revisit!

Okay, now for Thursday’s theme–hunting. Jimmy and I are catching the fever as the evening temperatures are beginning to get a little cooler and the days are getting a little shorter.

We practiced shooting our bows in our own private backyard archery range before venturing out just before dusk with binoculars to see if the deer were stirring, and sure enough, they were!

On the golf course near our home we spotted two does. A few miles down the road across from a large horse ranch we spotted two good-sized bucks and a doe. We were able to gaze at them for a long time, and they let us without getting spooked.

I spotted another doe just a short distance across the road hopping through the brush, and then closer to our country road, we spotted four in a distant meadow. Driving closer to home, we stopped in front of an old pasture gate to see four does looking right back at us.

Beautiful whitetail deer are everywhere around us. We just hope they stay around for a few more months.

xoxo

MONDAY/TUESDAY: Hey, I’m on vacation here. . .

I would like to apologize to my teeny fan base of 3 followers for not posting anything yesterday. I failed to prepare my blog for my vacation, so I will write a little something from my little motel room. Jimmy and I took off Saturday afternoon to take in a Ted Nugent concert (Yes, TED NUGENT: our first date was a Ted concert in 1978!) at Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth, then we stayed overnight with my wonderful son Matt and his sweet wife Taylor at their new home in Dallas, and then we hit the road for Galveston to stay a couple of nights.

We picked a great week: kids would be back in school! But, we didn’t plan for an unruly one out in the Gulf. Yes, Hurricane Isaac was brewing during our stay, which didn’t affect us very much if you don’t mind 67% humidity and no wind! It seems Isaac was very jealous of any air movement besides his own, so yesterday was very sticky indeed.

However, Hubby and I did manage to stroll the beach, pick up a few seashells for my niece, grab some kitschy souvenirs, and relax on the new Murdoch’s deck. Murdoch’s on the beach rebuilt after Hurricane Ike and to my utter delight they connected their two shops on piers with an awesome deck furnished with rocking chairs, benches, and a bar! Murdoch’s began its historic presence on Galveston Island as a bathhouse in the late 1800’s. It has seen several rebuildings and restorations but is one of the oldest establishments on the Seawall.

From our perfect seat on the deck, where we were able to catch a slight breeze and an occasional waft of air conditioning from the shops, we were able to watch the seagulls and even dolphins playing in the distance. We could have sat there for the rest of the summer!

Sadly, with Isaac threatening the coastline, we decided to beat any possible evacuees and hit I-10 to Katy to check out their Bass Pro Shop and Katy Mills mall. But not before detouring off I-45 to check out the Kemah Boardwalk. We will definitely be making that a future destination! Then we headed north along Hwy 71 and ended up here in a budget-friendly Marble Falls inn.

On our plate tomorrow: a scenic drive around the Marble Falls area and through more Hill Country towards East Texas. Wish us a safe trip! Happy trails to you. . .

xoxo