Texas Hill Country

Checking out Texas Hill Country

From Waco we headed to the “Hill Country” and explored Fredericksburg, a town settled by German immigrants, Luckenbach, to sample some real music, Austin, because, well, how could we not if we were this close, and San Antonio, particularly to ride our bikes to the missions, a series of four missions, which comprise the San Antonio Missions National Historic Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Fredericksburg was very interesting and had several museums highlighting life in that area. Texas, between 1860 and 1900 welcomed nearly 40,000 German immigrants. I hadn't realized that there was such a large German community there. (Yet another thing I didn't know about Texas.) Martin is of German heritage so he is always up for a bratwurst or schnitzel and I thought it was fascinating to discover how similar the communities the German immigrants developed were (at least initially) whether they were in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Iowa or Texas.

Pics of Fredericksburg

Pioneer Museum, The museum incorporates several historic structures and elements from the area to show aspects of life at that time period, similar to the Shelburne museum.

an early pioneer cabin

the church was at the center of town, providing spiritual sustenance and community meeting space

Schoolhouse. I'm not sure if you can see it, but the lesson on the board is written in German!

A bathtub. It was in the barbers shop.

a nice antique toy wagon

and tricycle

the ubiquitous windmill

and a few things that caught my eye …. wagon wheel

birdhouse

white iris

texas mountain laurel

After Fredericksburg, we went searching for Luckenbach and a Texas music experience. For those of you who are not aware, Luckenbach is a tiny little town deep in the hill country with an official population of …..... wait for it …........ 3. Yes, 3!!! This is the Luckenbach, Texas from the famous Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson song. We spent an afternoon under the oak trees listening to music, taking some pics and drinking a couple of cold ones just soaking it all in.

some pics ...

They put up license plates from all over. I was happy to find one from Vermont and see that we were represented.

the requisite selfie in front of the post office

I'm trying to use the techniques I saw at the rodeo in Houston to rope the sawhorse steer. I thought I looked pretty good, until I tried to throw the rope … instead of it landing perfectly aroung the sawhorse steer's neck, it landed in a crumpled mess at my feet! Bwahaahaa 🤠

Bullock Museum of Texas History in Austin.

Fossil leaf

San Marcos

Wimberley Glassworks and Studio

I have become really fascinated with glass blowing and various glass art techniques. We were able to stop at a studio and watch this artist working on a new design for the shop. We were the only ones there, so not only did he tell us what he was doing, but I was able to move around and get some cool pics of the process.

Adding color. Rolling the hot glass on the end of the rod in blue colored little snips.

Now it is being “worked” on the table to melt the blue snips and create different patterns within the colored glass.

More clear glass was added and now a multicolored layer is being added. That will result in a different color on the inside than there is on the outside of the piece.

As it's being worked on the steel table the patterns develop

The heating and working process was repeated to gain more of a striped swirling pattern than splotchy smudges

then he worked it down over the edge of the table to let gravity help with shaping and design of the piece

heating it up again right before blowing.

and the blowing. It takes very little air to create a large space in the glass at the bottom of the tube. (I believe it's like a 1:10 ratio)

Next is another tricky phase, transferring the vessel from one rod to another which allows them to work on the other end of the vessel. Once that is done, they heat the vessel up again and use scissors to cut around the glass. I know it sounds crazy, but that is literally what they do!

The opening is then stretched to enlarge it and polished so there won't be any sharp edges, and finally the whole piece is tapped off the rod.

After this whole process, it still gets fired in the oven overnight before the piece is complete.

I really enjoyed watching this and could have watched him make about 10 more!

He said it typically takes 6 - 10 years to become proficient (ie, complete more projects than you break) and 5-10 more years before you become really skilled (ie complete projects that look like something you intended ). I suppose that means it's not a great hobby for me to think about picking up in my mid 60s …haha

San Antonio

San Antonio is a lovely city full of color, culture, history and life. We walked and biked, toured museums dedicated to aspects of the city's rich history, reveled in the street art and sat along the riverwalk enjoying the spectacle it provides. But one of the best things we did, was to ride our bikes to the San Antonio Missions National Historic Park of the five missions founded in Spanish colonial times.

Street Art!

This large tiled mural was along one of the streetsides of the Casa Navarro Compound. A museum dedicated to a native Texan (Tejan) who worked for the rights of Texas and Texans. He worked with the Spanish, Mexicans, Republic of Texas (he was one of two native Texans to sign the Texas Declaration of Independence) and then with the United States.

a street mural

The Spanish Governor’s Palace, - the last visual remnant of the “Presidio San Antonio de Bejar”, the original name the Spanish gave San Antonio, which was also their the provincial capital. This Presidio was built in the early 1700s particularly to protect the Mission San Antonio de Valero which was also later renamed. Now we know it as "the Alamo". And now, as the saying goes, you know the rest of the story …

the street front

a few shots of some of the treasures inside. I liked the geometric shapes in this pic

trim on an armoire

key, anyone?

Fillagree metal work around the lock on a chest

There was a lovely shaded courtyard with trees, a garden and a well. a study of cross, bell and lantern with shadows

San Fernando Cathedral

stained glass windows from the oldest continually practicing Catholic Church in the country.

When the Canary Islanders came to San Antonio, they were deeply faithful and with the soldiers and their families built this cathedral. They included an altar to la Virgen de la Candelaria, Virgin of Candelaria, the patroness of the Canary Islands. She is known as one of the several famed representations of Mary and as the “Black Madonna”. It is a replica of the la Virgen de la Candelaria, in the Canary Islands.