Sunday, September 1, 2019

Tales of the Traveling Tote # 20

~ 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.
Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths 
Emily with Miss Courtney Childs@ The French Hutch
 Patti with Miss Kenzie @ Pandora's Box
Jenna with Miss Coquille @The Painted Apron
Linda P with Miss Lola @ Life and Linda
Rita with Miss Luna C @ Panoply 
Sarah with Miss Merri Mac @ Hyacinths for the Soul ~You Are Here
Jackie and Miss Madi K @ Purple Chocolat Home





Saturday, August 17, 2019

Bee Kind ~ Celebrate World Honey Bee Day

August 17, 2019 ~ World Honey Bee Day!

 Please come join in the 
celebration out on the terrace.

 We are serving sweet 
honey lemon bee hive cakelets.

Everyone knows I'm a collector at heart.
Are you surprised that I would have a collection
of bee hive honey pots and other bee items?

 Buzz right on in and get a "bees" eye view
of all the bee inspired details.

 Mack the Bear is here to also share some 
important details about the day. 

A day to honor those busy buzzing bees who are responsible 
for more than a third of the food we enjoy eating.
A day to honor those dedicated honey bee enthusiast 
who care for the hives of bees across the world.

Mack the Bear wants to put a "bee in your bonnet"!
There are many envionmental issues that affect honey bees today.

We all need to be aware of what we 
can do to make a difference.
The Honey Bee Conservency 
offers excellent suggestions here.

Don't forget:

Plant a garden of bee loving plants. 

Support your local bee keepers.


Buy local honey and .   .   . 


Take advantage of the many 
health benefits associated with local honey.

Sadie encourages you to 
become an advocate for bees.

"Woof, Woof"
Spread the word!

If interested, you can find the recipe for 
Honey Lemon Cakelets 

Ten Ways to Make Your Yard More Friendly
to Bees and Other Pollinators 

Let's Celebrate 
World Honey Bees 
Everyday!


~ Save the Bees ~


Sadie Mercedes and I always 
appreciate your comments and visits.
Thank you for buzzing in today.

Joining

Saturday, August 10, 2019

Celebrate with the Hedgehogs ~ National S'mores Day


Come celebrate with the hedghogs for
National S'mores Day!

Summer isn't summer without s'mores!
I'm long retired from my days in an elementary classroom,
but if I were still teaching, I'd have a small teepee set up
for a quiet reading spot that would include a couple of these big, soft pillows fom MacKenzie-Childs.  
I predict such a reading corner would be in high demand for those students looking for some quiet solitude.  

Sadie doesn't read, 

but she agrees this cute MacKenzie-Childs pillow is a 
perfect soft addition for lounging.


It was also the springboard for setting a dessert tray to 
celebrate the day with s'mores and an afternoon cup of expresso.


Too hot for a campfire, so I'm serving these delicious bites
 of chocolate with roasted marshmallows ~ S'mores Tiny Pies.

Do you see those cute little hedgehogs?
Chocolate is toxic to dogs, so
I added a safe little treat for our Sadie girl.
Trader Joe's Organic Honey Hedgehog Cookies
are for people, but a bite or two is safe for Sadie.

The petite cup and saucer was a antique shop find  
last fall when I visited Kansas City.
It's the perfect size for an expresso, but mostly it was the rim of words that name different animals that intrigued me.
This teacher loving heart couldn't resist it!

S'mores is the contraction of "some more"!
As a young  Girl Scout, camping always ended 
with these gooey chocolate treats.
As an adult, campfires are no longer a frequent occurance 
in my life, but I never turn down a chance to indulge 
in a s'more of any variety.

S'mores Tiny Pies, 
chocolate custard baked in a graham cracker crust and topped with homemade marshmallows roasted to perfection.

What is your favorite way to eat s'mores?


Congratulations to Kitty @ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen,
the winner of our Starbucks Besties Gift Card.
Thank you to all who visited and left a comment on 
Fun in the Sun with Miss Merri Mac.
If you missed the post, you can read it here.
Joining