Miscellaneous stuff...

I was looking through some of my older blog posts last night which made me realize that I haven't been posting nearly as often lately. I used to take my camera with me all the time and would take pictures wherever I went. I just don't do that anymore...maybe because I've become somewhat bored with the area where I am and don't think there's anything to take pictures of that I haven't already taken. A few weeks ago, I DID take my camera along when I went down to New Braunfels to have lunch with my son. When I got back home, I looked at the photos I took while I was there and thought, "boring," so I never posted them. I looked at them again last night, and decided to post them anyway, so here they are.

A couple pictures of the Guadalupe River...one of the prettier areas of Texas Hill Country...

I was experimenting with different settings on the camera on this one trying to get a softer effect on the waterfall, but couldn't figure it out. I'll have to work on that one...

I had to stop and wait for a train and took this one across the street. For being so scraggly looking, these cacti sure have beautiful flowers. This one is going to be incredible when all those buds open up. I'll have to swing by there when they start to bloom.

Unless I'm in a hurry, I never mind watching trains go by. I think there is a real art to graffiti, although some of it is hard to read. I wonder if there is a graffiti school somewhere...I would like to take a class.



So, Jonathan and I had lunch at Schobels...a German restaurant in New Braunfels that opened about a year or so ago. Really nice building...

Nice bar area...

Great fireplace, but it would look nicer if they had a fire going. When the outside temp is over 100 degrees, though, I guess I can understand why they don't.

Here's the main dining room. Uh-oh...I see lots of old people. Even though I'm an "old person" myself, I always worry a little when I see that the majority of a restaurant's customers are of the elderly persuasion.

Buffet...

Liver and onions (that is definitely an old people thing...yuck)...

Here's the menu. Kind of on the pricey side if you ask me. While I was doing this post, I checked online for reviews and a LOT of them were not good. Bad service and bland food.

Here's what I had...a chicken salad sandwich. I love chicken salad sandwiches...but not this one. Look closely...what do you see?

That's right...MUSTARD!! WTF is up with that?? Who on God's green earth puts mustard in chicken salad?? I ate half of it, but I'd certainly never order it again. The fries were pretty good, though. Jonathan had a caesar salad which was average. Would I go back? Only if someone else was paying for it. Haha!

So, while I was in New Braunfels, I decided to run by the old homestead and see what they had done to my "yard from hell." Remember how it looked when I moved in six years ago?

And what it looked like when I sold it a year ago?

Here's what it looks like today. Kind of boring if you ask me...

And remember when I did the post on Bad Times in Texas? This is a picture I took in February of 2009 of a nearby shopping center they had built I think sometime around the Summer of 2008 that was still vacant.

This is it a few weeks ago. Only one business has moved in. I guess times are still not so good in Texas.

And kids are still using the sign for target practice.

So there you go. Another fascinating post from South Texas. I need to go somewhere exciting.

Another Market Days in Gruene...

Okay, so I apologize right off the bat for this being a lengthy post. I haven't done too many leisurely posts lately because of the sale of the house, so this one will make up for that. I'm not going to say anything about the house deal other than things are going ahead and I'm a little tired of thinking about it. The day started out well with an unexpected call from a friend this morning, so I decided to get out of the house and head out to Gruene for this weekend's Market Days. I know I've done a post about that before, but there are always new things to see, and I was looking forward to some fresh air as opposed to cleaning or doing home improvement projects...which I am EXTREMELY tired of. (But, again, they have paid off, so I can't complain too much.)

Whenever I go to Gruene, I always start with the garden store which has some good photo ops. This is the dove...pigeon...bird (whatever) they have in a cage...

I'll start with the Texas "artwork" they have available. Here's your Texas bird house...

And another one. (I'm sorry, but I think this is so totally lame. I can't imagine anyone actually wanting to hang this in their yard. But then again, I am not a native Texan...or a cowgirl, so that may have a lot to do with my choice of lawn ornaments.)

And what do you do with this? Paper weight? Desk ornament? You have to be a BIG Texas fan to want to purchase these items.

Another one. Well, at least it's only $3.00.

Here is Ann Pressly and her mother. They're friends of my brother and his wife. When I told them I'd be going to Market Days, my sister-in-law told me to check out Ann's booth.

She makes purses out of used cigar boxes. Pretty original...and a lot of work has gone into these pieces.

Furry ones...

Artistic ones...

And more furry and artistic ones... You can contact her at pressly@texas.net if you're interested in her purses.

Then we get to the unusual art of Texas. You definitely need a theme to be able to use this guy in your home.

As well as this one. This isn't something that's going to fit in with your Colonial or Early American decor. And having gone for a few bike rides myself, I can see that long coat of hers getting caught under the wheel when she takes off which is not going to be a very pretty picture. Okay, so I'm being WAY too realistic about this one. Just take it for what it is, Deb.

And I thought this one was REALLY weird. John Wayne's death certificate and mortuary bill?? Is that a little morbid?? Would you really want that hanging on your wall? I didn't check the price, but I bet it wasn't cheap. I think I'll pass on this one.

Lots of cowboy things in this store.

Let's continue on to the "lame" items. Tie-dye T-shirts. It's like WHEN are these people going to realize that this time has passed?!

And this is a must. The poor person's version of a bird feeder. I wonder how many Miller Lite's the poor guy had to go through to get a good supply of feeders for the craft fair.

I'm always interested in the photography booths. Nevermind, no, I'm not.

San Antonio missions...at $450???? I don't think so.

These guys were very good. I don't know what those instruments are, but their music was very soothing and ZZZZZzzzzzzz...................oops...sorry...dozed off, there. It was so soothing, it just about put me to sleep. Time to go on...

Lots of the stores and booths had free samples. You could just about have a free lunch going from one to another...

"Guy gifts..." They were some lighter thingies that sparked dry kindling into fire. Definitely a guy thing. LOVE the deer tent material and camouflage.

This was a long-distance shot. Some of these crafty people get kind of weird when you want to take pictures of their stuff because they think you're stealing their ideas. NOT! HaHa!

I did like this dress. Kind of a totally different look amidst the whole Texas deal. (But I think I'll pass on the $95 price tag.)

I went into one of the stores and found this book and had to take a look.

...and found a couple cute quotes...

And they had these really unusual cards...

Here's the inside. I don't know what occasion you'd use this for, but I had to chuckle when I read it.

And a pig in a blanket. HaHaHa!

This was an unusual sight. I don't know if Mr. Monkey was in the corner because he was in trouble or whether....well, I don't think I want to go there considering the positioning of Mr. Monkey's hands. I will say that he could go blind.

I'm not one to post pictures of myself on my blog, but I did have some fun with some mirrors today.

Then I walked down to the Guadalupe River to see what was happening. Lots of toobers...

Then I walked back up the hill to Gruene and decided I could use a cold beer on a VERY hot day in Texas. I decided to try Oma's Secret Garden...a place I've never been to...and am very glad I did because I ran into a friend that I worked with at my previous job from hell. He was there with his wife so we sat and talked for a long time catching up on everything. That was fun and such a surprise. After they left, I listened to the band for awhile...

...finished my beer (love the tablecloth)...

...and tossed my garbage...and my cell phone...into the trash. Fifteen minutes later when I realized I didn't have my phone, I went back and looked in the trash and found it. Okay, so that's the first time that has happened, so cut me some slack.

Finally...there were lots of pretty flowers in Gruene today, so I will finish with a few of those...

It was a good day.