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A few weeks ago, I decided it was time to silence the cell phone, close down the two computers that are constantly running in our house, and turn on the answering machine-it was my plan to pack a small suitcase for my husband and myself, and steal away to a quiet weekend in the heart of Texas in the Texas Hill Country. Since we were going to be gone for three days, I packed my bag for medical supplies with enough medications and testing supplies for a week, plus plenty of carbo snacks and fresh fruit for the car and hotel room.
As a getaway, it's a four hour drive south on I-35 from either Dallas or Fort Worth, the two branches of the interstate connecting just north of Waco, continuing south through Austin. During most of the year it's a scenic drive through ranch country with sweeping vistas of green pastures and blue sky. Later, during the month of April, the drive will be spectacular when the area of hills, plateaus, arroyos, canyons, meadows, and valleys explode with the brilliant colors of 100 varieties of native wildflowers. From further away, fly into Austin and begin your trip there. Austin is the state capital and the home of Lady Bird Johnson's Wildflower Center. You can check out their hours and special events at http://www.wildflower.org/. The widow of former President Lyndon B. Johnson, Mrs. Johnson resides on the LBJ ranch near Johnson City (west of Austin), and was instrumental in getting our Texas highways and byways seeded with native wildflowers.
Still heading south, just before reaching New Braunfels we turned west on FM306 for 1 1/2 miles to a traffic signal, then left (south) onto Hunter Road for a half mile into the unique historic town of Gruene, a settlement of German farmers who grew cotton along the Guadalupe River. In the hot summer months, the river is the center for whitewater raft, tube, and canoe trips from early morning to late in the evening. Nearby New Braunfels has branches of several national motel chains from which to choose, while accommodations are available in the town of Gruene but are limited to two choices: Gruene Homestead Inn, the 1920's renovated home of O.A. Gruene (for reservations, call (830) 606-0216), and Gruene Mansion Inn, a Victorian lodging in H.D. Gruene's original home with cottages overlooking the river (for reservations, call (830) 629-2641).
The town of Gruene offers several antique and specialty shops, with the charming names of Cactus Jack's (primitive and country antiques), Dancing Bear (gourmet food to antique roses and herbs), By Popular Demand (stained glass, pottery, birdhouses, clocks, and such by Texas Artisans), Cotton Eyed Joe's (collection of Texas and Gruene-theme gifts and souvenirs), and Gruene General Store (selected as one of the 40 best places to visit in Texas) with its soda fountain, Texas foods, unusual gifts, signs, and tins. Buck Pottery is located here in Gruene, located in a turn of the century barn featuring hand thrown, wood-fired stoneware pottery.
For dinner, we chose The Gristmill, one of three Gruene family restaurants. Situated in the ruins of a 100 year old cotton gin overlooking the Guadalupe River, the place offers uniquely Texas casual dining. From the ample menu I elected grilled trout with a medley of steamed cauliflower, baby carrots, and green beans. Served with a lively tomatillo salsa, the fish was memorable. The meal came with a house salad of greens and crisp raw vegetables so there was more than plenty to eat. My husband opted for their 12-ounce T-bone steak with roasted red potatoes (he ate about half) and a small Caesar salad which was lively with anchovies. David finished his meal with their house specialty: flan, which he said was good, but not great-leave flan to the Spanish-influenced restaurants.
By the time we left the restaurant, the small town was packed with cars with a crowd already inside Gruene Hall, the oldest, continually operating dance hall in the state of Texas. Known through the world as a music venue, Gruene Hall has been instrumental in launching the careers of Lyle Lovett, George Strait, Hal Ketchum, and many others. It was also used as the set for the John Travolta dance scene in "Michael." That night's music group was still an unknown, but that didn't keep the hundreds of dancers off the dance floor. If you've never seen a couple of hundred cowboys (with the regulation boots and hats) twirling their gal counter-clock wise around a huge dance floor, you've missed a spectacular sight. Don't worry if you don't have a dance partner-in the space of five minutes, I was asked by six different cowboys (ages ranging from early 20's to late 80's) if I'd like to dance. What fun! And, this goes on every night, Thursday through Sunday, plus Saturday and Sunday afternoons in the summertime.
The next day we headed for Fredericksburg in the heart of Texas Hill Country. Beyond its German bakeries and biergartens, Fredericksburg offers a large selection of historic storefronts where you can browse for everything from antiques to fine Texas wines. On the way into town, you pass by Wildseed Farms, the world's largest working wildflower seed farm. The fields surrounding the farm's Market Center were green with young wildflowers, but not yet showing any color. When we first found the place last April, the fields were ablaze with every color imaginable from a painter's palette. You can stroll along walking trails through 217 acres planted with Bluebonnets, Poppies, and hundreds of other wildflowers. The Market Center sells unique home and garden gifts as well as a large variety of wildflower seeds and bedding plants. A favorite stop in town is the newly opened downtown location of Fredericksburg Herb Farm, which pampers both women and men with therapeutic herbal treatments.
For romantic accommodations, you can't beat Fredericksburg's lodgings, but first you have to make some decisions: in town or out in the country; privacy or in the midst of the social scene. Places to chose from vary froom 1800's log cabins to new cottages, rock barns, and traditional "Sunday houses," built for pioneer farmers to stay in when they came in to town for the weekend. For a list of lodging accommodations, visit http://www.fredericksburgtexas.net/stay.htm.
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Dinner that evening was a choice between two new restaurants, Navajo Grill which offers Southwestern cuisine with Cajun touches, and Ernie's Mediterranean Grill which promises Italian and French food with an American twist. We'd been steered to Ernie's on the recommendation of several culinary friends back in Dallas so Ernie's was our choice, and we were delighted from the moment we sat down to our good-byes to the charming chef/owners Ernie Briggs and his wife Ann when we literally "closed" the place hours later. The meal was technically Sunday Brunch, but the fare was better that any brunch we've had anywhere. I started with a field greens salad with Ernie's special herb dressing served with some of the best bread I've ever tasted, baked by Anne on the premises. David had a herbed lentil soup that was superb. My entree was an herb and pesto-infused roasted pork tenderloin served over angel hair pasta with a fresh tomato basil sauce. David chose ocean perch with shrimp sauce and the same pasta side. Anne also makes all of the desserts right there, and my one bite of the crème brûlée convinced me it was one of the best I've ever tried.
On our way home the next day, we drove through Blanco, a wide spot in the road with an operating general store that looks like a movie set. Entering Austin from the west, we soon found our next destination, Austin's fabulous Central Market. For a couple of hours we filled our shopping carts with beautiful vegetables and fruits from around the world; and for our freezer at home, with fabulous baby racks of lamb, very lean lamb shanks with which to make a favorite Persian lamb and chick pea stew, hand-made low fat chicken and cilantro tamales, and other specialty food items that will help to make memorable meals in the months to come. Once the food was packed in the coolers we'd brought especially for this purpose, we treated ourselves to a meal at the Central Café where I had Insalata Mista-a rustic vegetable salad of fresh asparagus, tomatoes, and chick peas, mixed in a lemon garlic vinaigrette and served on fresh baked semolina points. My husband had the Bistro special for the day: spicy chicken strips served on a bed of romaine with cheese, tomatoes, and cucumber, and a refreshing glass of Mango Ceylon iced tea.
As we drove nearer to the Metroplex and started to hit heavy traffic, I sighed and suggested that I'd like to turn back and do it all over again. Maybe we'll just have to go visit the bluebonnets just outside of Blanco in April!
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