It's crazy, but EIGHT years have come and gone since we boarded a catamaran on Lewisville Lake and said, "I Do." Each year we try and at least have a small getaway to enjoy a few days with just each other - no internet, no work, just us. This year we are not running very far at all and will hopefully discover some new little Texas fun. Yes, we did go out for dinner ON the actual anniversary date (picture on left), but it's the season, right?
Texas is under a water deluge right now and as we leave, it looks as though the rain will be with us all weekend. So be it -- fun can be had no matter what.I know that Mister has a destination in mind, but I have not been privy to the information so sit back and enjoy the drive south. Our first stop is in Lancaster, which we both love so much. It has that small town feel, but is truly only minutes out of Dallas. They are trying to have a little event in their town square, but the rain is not helping. I'm a little sad, as there used to be the coolest spinning shop here and I miss it.
We stop in several of the shops and find a wonderful pottery vase from a local artist who has a display outside. All of his items are very fun and sooooo reasonably priced.
The last time we were here, we met a man who had bought the old theater and was hoping to renovate it. Well, it was open for people to peek in and, although it is not currently a theater, he is having fun doing a wonderful Christmas themed adventure room. It is similar to an escape room concept except it's such a happy place that there is no need to escape. You do have to find clues to open doors and move about and the ultimate goal is to get to the North Pole, but it's all fun and happy along the way.
They open on November 1st and perhaps it is a fun spot to take Hyrum and Zyra while they are visiting. We shall see. Here are some peeks of the room, still under a great deal of construction.
The plan is back roads from here and lots of small town stops along the way. After Lancaster, the hunt is on for Red Oak. GPS is not on track here at all and takes us to a Wal-Mart parking lot. Um, no.Giving up and continuing down the road we had been on, guess what we run into? Yep, Red Oak. The right one. It is right along the railroad and the rain is starting to cause some issues for the track. I love the old train station and grab a few pictures of it before we travel on. I especially love that it is still in use, not as a train station, but not torn down either. There really isn't anywhere to stop and explore in the rain, but perhaps another time.
Mister pulls over for me to peek at a Historic Landmark sign (it said a calvary had rode through the area) but as I walk to it, this snail actually grabs more of my attention. Ya know we have had some rain when the snails are looking for a dry spot.
Check out this feed store that is STILL functioning as a feed store. How cool.
It's just after noon when we cross over Lake Whitney. It's pretty dang decent sized and appears to be a bit high.
Mister is now very destination driven so I know we must have a check-in time somewhere close. As we travel FM 3050, a bald eagle is spotted enjoying a lunch of armadillo in the middle of the road. The car does not bother him, but apparently me trying to get my camera up does and he takes flight. This is the best I can get as a result. Drat, but how fun to spot one in the wild.My sweetheart has booked a cabin on a pond but we are literally stopped in our tracks upon entering. See for yourself.
We are completely encircled. Even the microwave, which is sitting on an old treadle sewing machine, has it's own decor. Oh my.
With all the rain, mud is everywhere outside or I'm sure this would just be divine. Smile Mister -- all is good - let's have some fun. A few snacks provided by our hosts, Lee and Holly Harris, some local maps and a list of places to see adds to our driving tours Mister printed out ahead of time. By the time we have unpacked and settled in, our tummies are ready for a meal. Let's go.
We are driving past Meridian to a little German restaurant out in the middle of nowhere --- literally. Along the way, I spot these goats. They have found a way to get to the wonderful leaves on the trees overhead.
Zur Autobahn is the name of the restaurant and I get a kick out of the stoplight showing whether they are open or not. They have just opened and we are the first guests of the night. It is darling inside and owned by Conny and Dieter Sedlmaier.
Here is their story: "We, Kornelia 'Conny' and Dieter, moved to Texas from Germany because we love it here. Originally, we are from Gross-Gerau near Ruesselssheim in the state of Hessia. Our town is located about 15 minutes south of Frankfurt/Main (West). In Germany, we owned a business in the automobile industry, which is tradition in our families. Dieter's heart still belongs to cars. Conny has always loved to cook and spoil her guests. She has completed many seminars in Germany and obtained a license, but at that time the automobile business did not allow time to pursue the idea of opening her own restaurant. Here in Texas, she wants to fulfill her dream and will serve meals and spcialties from Hessia." Everything is fresh and mostly homemade prepared so sometimes this takes a bit longer but well worth it.Our meal is amazing and we are both so glad we made the drive out here. If we lived nearby, this would be a weekly stop. Oh, the flavors of my youth have come to be. As a young girl, I remember my aunt making many of these same delights and finding an authentic German restaurant is difficult.
It has been an absolutely perfect evening with my sweet man and as we leave the restaurant, the sun is starting to set. He turns the car towards the west and heads for a nearby hill to give me a better view.
Parking to watch for a few minutes
It's back to the cabin to relax for the evening. I know, boring old people. Tomorrow is another day. (keep reading)
Good Morning! Guess what???? The rain has stopped. Woot woot. I am able to walk about down near the pond. It's beautiful out and we are ready for some adventures. Who knows how long the rain will stay away and we want to play while we can.
We are able to walk right down near the release pool and I am fascinated with how high the water is. If you zoom in on these pictures, you will notice that it is at the 31' mark. We talk with a local fisherman for a few minutes and discover that it normally sits at around 2'. We know that more rain is coming this way and I'm sure it will keep rising. Wow.On we go and the next stop is in Clifton. What a great town and it is crazy vibrant as well. It seems as though every shop is undergoing improvements and new businesses are almost ready to open. On the main street is the Cliftex theater, the oldest, still operating theater in Texas. It is even showing current movies. How wonderful is this?
Peeking in the windows, we see that it is still VERY original. That just makes it all the more fun. Ooooh, loving this town so much.
Remember those shops I mentioned? Check out the door on this one. It's all hand painted. Very cool.
Art Alley provides some fun too
I spy a quilt
The back of this shop looks so cool
And then I step back
Next up is The Cell Block -- a 1920's era jail that has been converted to a boutique hotel space with a private rooftop patio. Hmmm, perhaps next trip we will stay here for some fun.
The post office is even in a historical building surrounded by live oaks.
A nearby park sits right on the main drag and offers a calm that almost seems unnecessary in this sleepy town, but I'm sure it's just because it is a Sunday.
Most of the many antique shops here are closed on Sunday, although a few do open later this afternoon. For now, though, we are on our way again and our route soon has us on a REALLY backroad. I love these driving tours. As we come to a fork in the road, a small deer stops to check on us and I look everywhere for mama. She is not to be found and the little one's patience with us stopping is also over as he/she hurries away. I'm hoping that mama is still nearby.Just a bit later, we come to a Lutheran Church with a very fun rock wall around it. Must stop to peek.
On the other side of the wall are some really beautiful wild flowers - Mister is attempting a shot with them and the wall. His pictures are not developed yet, so I will just have to wait and see what he has.
Finally, 8 miles of back roads and we have come to the next destination. It is St. Olaf Lutheran Church but is lovingly called The Old Rock Church by locals. It was built in 1886 using native rock and is still functioning to this day - mostly for special services on Easter and Christmas. It originally had a dirt floor and planks laid on wooden kegs for pews. The bell was acquired in 1897 and the church served the Norwegian settlers of the area. The Norwegian heritage of the area comes to life in this little church. Come along with us as we explore and truly LOVE this great little building.
If this doesn't feel Scandinavian, I'm not sure what does.
Love the upper pulpit.
Looking towards the back, I spot the organ way up high above the front door.
Look at those stairs that go way up into the bell tower.
Looking through the simple stained glass window allows for a view of the adjacent cemetery.
What a fun and wonderful stop. I know Mister has a ton of great pictures that I will share later.
Within moments of leaving the church, Mister stops the car and backs up. I had seen horses, but something else caught his eye. Llamas!!!One is even quite content to simply pose for us. We talked, took pictures, and had the windows down. He/she couldn't care less. Truly.
As the old road came to an end, we arrived at Cranfills Gap. It's lunchtime and I'm hungry so push for a stop at the Horny Toad Bar and Grill. A couple of hours later --- yep, fun stop filled with locals to visit with -- we are back on the road and returning to Clifton. By now the antique shops are open and we are ready to browse for treasures.
I'm not sure what it means when the Harry Potter series is in an antique shop.
Once again, as we are leaving, a young deer stops to say hello. This time it is not spooked quite so easily.McCown Valley Park comes up next and we enter for a fun "look-see". As it is "off-season," the place is pretty empty and it appears that the picnic area has new occupants. That's a lot of vultures in one place.
Look on top of the covering -
They are everywhere and not the least bit worried about us.
Moving on --- we have arrived back in Whitney and have one more church to look at before calling this driving tour Done. King Memorial United Methodist Church stands on this spot and has since 1880 and is the oldest operating church in Whitney. I tried a back door and found the pastor's wife who asked if I was with the Girl Scouts. A polite no, but may my husband and I peek at the chapel followed.
We were granted entrance AND she called her husband to come over and say howdy to the "travelers".
The windows are amazing but it is not until the Pastor explains to us that they are mosaic instead of stained glass that we take a closer look.If you walk up close and look from the sides, you can see that they are three dimensional and very cool mosaic. Wow. I love them so much even though they were added in the 70's and not from the original building.
We visit for quite awhile and learn all about the building and some of the local townsfolk. It's a great stop but we are ready to go. The pastor mentioned another church that is closed down the street but thought we might like to have a look at the outside. Off we go.
It is a cool building but Mister and I both love the picture more because of the water tower in the background.
Now, where to watch the sunset? How about the Lake Whitney Marina. It starts out looking like it will be beyond beautiful, but then the clouds rolled in. Watch and enjoy with us.Oh, what do you think Mister is taking a picture of here? Well, it's a hige spider carrying it's babies on her back. My picture was blurred but I'll share his when he gets them finished.
Back to the sunset.
Not spectacular, but crazy peaceful. We're off to get pizza and call it a night.
It has stormed ALL night and we wake to very chilly temperatures. It's going to be a wet drive home today.The direction is towards Hillsboro and warm coffee. Please let something be open on a Monday.
Finding the Overflow Coffee shop is perfect. Even the pillows inside are fun.
Warm and sweet fits the bill today for me, but Mister goes for a quiche. Now we are ready to continue on.
The trip will end in Waxahachie. We try and journey back each year to remember where I was proposed to and to say howdy to Wayne and the gang at the College Street Pub. Some antiquing and a stop to see Diana Buckley at Seldom Seen Quilting come first and then the pub. Our weekend has been lovely. Honest. Even with the wet weather, we have enjoyed each other's company and all that we saw. This neck of the woods is indeed beautiful and hold potential for the future.
See ya'll around.
No comments:
Post a Comment