~ Rabbit, Rabbit ~
Welcome to
Tales of the Traveling Tote #20
It's been a stay at home kind of summer for us,
but I've managed to entertain myself.
The Texas Hill Country is a beautiful
rural area just west of Austin.
It's an easy drive and perfect for a day trip.
Follow along below to see what I mean.
Fields of wildflowers and grazing cattle
quickly give one a sense of calm.
These guys were curious about the
city girl taking their photo.
They decided to come a little closer
to check out the stranger.
It's hot in Texas, so relief is often
found in the shade of a tree.
Along the way, we spied this:
~ Shot Gun Wedding ~
Unexpected artistic humor, courtesy of a local rancher.
Camp Lucy was the destination for a day trip with friends,
a day to get away from the traffic and buzz of city life.
Whit Hanks, an avid Austin antiques dealer and collector,
opened his family ranch for others to enjoy the
beauty and quiet of the Texas Hill Country.
Whit's oldest son lived in Asia for several years,
and when Whit visited his son, an
unexpected odyssey began.
Inspired by the French Colonial buildings in Vietnam,
when Whit discovered an 1880's Catholic Church
on the brink of destruction, he purchased it, disassembled it,
and brought it to the Texas Hill Country to become the first of
several French Colonial buildings he brought over from Vietnam.
Click here to read the full history of how Camp Lucy came to be.
In addition to the various reconstructed structures,
including a repurposed Amish barn built in Ohio c1800,
and newly constructed lodging, Camp Lucy includes
Tillie's, a fine dining experience.
Read the details and histroy of Tillie's here.
Feast your eyes on just a
sampling of what is on Tillie's menu.
We are at "camp", so every
meal should finish with s'mores!
Miz Checkers and I had a terrific time
on our visit to Camp Lucy.
Another day, another trip.
The vistas of the Texas hills feed my soul.
This day friends and I headed over to Boerne, TX,
a small Hill Country town making a name for itself.
Quickly growing with an influx of new residents,
a beautiful historic downtown is home to locally owned speciality shops for antiques, home goods, unique gifts, fashion, jewelry,
art galleries, wineries, and a variety of fine restaurants.
Do you see this?????
Yes, in deed! Boerne, Texas is home to
an incrediblly beautiful MacKenzie-Childs shop.
~ Finzeas in Beachant ~
Generally, I have to rely on shopping the catalong online,
so it's nice to know this source is just a conversation away.
Finzeas is just one shop in the beautiful
Beachant Department Store.
Take a look at all that is offered here.
We enjoyed a delicious lunch at
The Creek, which you can read about here.
Again, fine dining in the
Texas Hill Country.
All to celebrate this beautiful
friend on her birthday.
After lunch, we returned to Main Street
to continue the shopping excursion.
Laurie Saunders, Antiques and Interiors
is chock full of beautiful home accents and delights for the table.
I was thrilled to discover this source for a favorite brand,
Hester and Cook.
Case in point, this fun farm house theme table
done in my favorite black and white.
Epicure ~ Boerne's Gourmet Market,
offered lots of choices for gifts for "the chef".
Two Trick Pony, an interesting and upscale consignment
store, definitely deserved a visit.
When back home in Austin, plant centers and farmer's markets are always favorite destinations and a good diversion.
Vivero, a new discovery for me,
will definitely be a repeat.
Arnosky Family Farms, my favorite Hill Country flower farm,
celebrated their summer launch of peonies with a Peony Party.
Miss Merri Mac and I drove over early on a Saturday
morning to take advantage of $2 a steam peonies.
Miss Merri Mac happily agreed to be filled with
peonies, sunflowers, and bright colored zinnias.
Weekends at local farmer's markets are great entertainment,
especially when there are bouquets of farm fresh flowers, . . .
And the company of the sweetest
sister a girl could want, along with . . .
these two special munchkins.
Ahh, yes! ~ Simple summer pleasures right here at home!
Be sure to visit all the adventures below.
Thank you for reading this extra long post.
I always appreciate your visits and comments.
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