Sorry its been a while since I’ve written. The hecticness of the holidays took over, but I have been out and about exploring when I can. To start, I have to travel back about a month or so to Thanksgiving, when Jeff and I decided to take a quiet road trip to the Gulf Coast and the Hill Country. It was the most nontraditional turkey day I’ve ever celebrated, but it was very relaxing and a lot of fun. Not to mention the fact that it was very odd to not need a coat or gloves, or be in the kitchen cooking all day. We did hosts friends for a fabulous turkey dinnerthe week before though, so I was able to bust out my apron and enjoy my time in the kitchen.
For starters not needing a coat or gloves on Thanksgiving was a big change for me. Being away from my family for the first time ever was another big change, but Jeff made sure that I had a very fun and memorable Thanksgiving.
Some of the cool spots we checked out
Gruene Hall - Built in 1878, Gruene Hall is the oldest continually running dance hall in Texas. With its creaky wood floors and no frills atmosphere, it is a Texas must see, and great spot to catch live music. We were lucky to see Hayes Carll play that night, and what a show he put on. Though eh had played there for years, this was his first evening headliner at Gruene Hall!
Port Aransas and Corpus Christi - Typical tourist spots of the Gulf Coast, both towns were relatively quiet for the holiday, but still very welcoming. It was actually warm enough to walk the beach and stick our toes in the water. This was my first time on the gulf coast and it was nice to be at the beach and test new waters. The water was a little too chilly to swim in but relatively calm and left many pretty seashells and icky jelly fish to navigate around.
Floore Country Store - Not your typical country store, John T. Floore Country Store ofHelotes, Texas is an historic music where many music greats have played including Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Elvis, Johnny Cash, Ray Price, BB King, Lyle Lovett, Robert Earl Keen, and Willie Nelson. Known for its live music and comfort food, the store has been doing business for 60 years now, and has just expanded with the attached Honky TonkCafe.
Banderas, Texas - This small town is apparently known as the "Cowboy Capital of the World". They have some unique and fun shops and many places to look at fun trinkets and western themed items. We also saw a number of cowboys riding through town on horses, which was a first for me and very entertaining.
San Antonio - This was not my first time down there, so we skipped the Alamo, but we did check out the historic Market Square Area and spent some time on the infamous River Walk. The night we were there also happened to be the Christmas Tree Lighting and River Parade. It was a little chaotic, and not very easy to get down to the river walk, but we were able to catch a glimpse of some of the decked out floats and found a nice piano bar to have a few drinks in while we waited for the crowds to quiet down.
Fredericksburg - Set in the heart of scenic Texas Hill Country and home to some of Texas' best vineyards, this country town also has an adorable downtown area filled with antique and other fun shops to browse. We had a nice dinner at Pasta Bella, where they only serve two types of pasta with pretty much any sauce and toppings you would like, and then headed to Torre Di Pietra for some delicious vino.
Whataburger - Our lunch on Thanksgiving Day. It was the only thing open in the small towns we were driving through, so we didn't have much of a choice. But it was also my first Whataburger, and I actually liked it!
