Texas visit with Bob and Karen

Been a few days since the last update, but we've been having fun.

After Carlsbad Caverns, we had a couple of travel days into Texas. Please remember, our travel days consist of waking late, breakfast, walk the dog, drive, stop for the dog, drive, stop for Doug, drive, stop for the dog and Doug, find a place to stay for the night.

We're probably averaging about 40 miles an hour between starting and stopping each day but I have been getting great mileage on the flat highways - read the green digits in this photo - the Scamp is great to tow.

We've stopped at Bob and Karen Reinarz's home in Texas for the past few days. They have an absolutely lovely ranch in Sisterdale where they've raised prize winning long hong steers for years, chickens for eggs, hay for their cattle, fresh veggies for their tummies, extra bedrooms for their kids and grandkids and smiles and great stories from their many happy years together for anyone to hear.

I'd met Bob and Karen in Hawaii and recognized their Aloha spirit right off. {Doug speaking} Okay, I'll tell the truth, they had not heard all of my old jokes - so, since they were willing to listen, they were immediately "Okay" in my book - and I still like them despite running out of jokes!

But seriously, these are two gracious people that enjoy sharing good times.

One morning, while Bob chased a darn well water problem, Karen took us around the ranch. They've got three streams (or was it two streams and a river?) on the ranch. And, following a high rain, the banks of the rivers reveal new treasures - from indian artifacts, to flint tools to petrified mollusks. Here are Karen and Sharon (peas in a pod as it turns out) by the electric car near one stream where we collected some knapped flint tools and fossils (which you'll be able to see when you visit us in Florida!).

Karen had stories about her son falling out of the pecan trees and getting two broken arms. Bob had stories about trying to stop a young longhorn from avoiding it's medication and getting two broken arms in return. Karen relayed her exploits with a new vet as she "jumped" her 4X4 over a bump and broke a leg, sprained a knee and more - seems that vet got a bee sting and left her in the field so he could get himself a dose of antihistamine. He later told people that she had simply "tweaked her leg." (Needless to say, the vet fell off her phone book.) Karen drove herself to the hospital.

Well, these two tell the stories and laugh - great attitudes. Speak of attitudes here's a few longhorn that really didn't want to get out of our way as we explored the ranch that day.

And again, speaking of attitudes, here we are at renowned Luckenbach, Texas which was crowded with cowboy/motorcyle/local/music-loving/guitar-strumming/country-western singing/friendly-smiling/laughter-totting folk. We strolled the grounds, tried on cowboy hats (Sharon looked gorgeous in any of them - go figure), laughed about our, and other's, antics. Listened to the "open circle" guitar music that was going on and soaked up a bit of the culture that's been in the area for years. Bob is the fellow walking towards us in the cowboy hat to the left in the picture. Towards the right is the "open circle" with folks taking turns grabbing their guitars and singing.

Here's a better picture of Bob from years ago. Notice the stalwart hunter. Cowboy hat to protect from sun and rain, leather jacket to protect from cold, nettles and spines. Tough blue jeans to guard against abrasion and cold and goofy slippers for added traction and hilarity. Yup, that's Bob.

We followed that visit with a road tour of the area, LBJ's ranch is nearby, Admiral Nimitz was raised in the area and has a museum in Fredricksburg, which also seems to have an incredible amount of history, from early settler forts, to indian treaties that actually where honored by the pale-face, to Tanya Tucker and other icons of industry, commerce and entertainment all live within a 50 mile radius.

With the knowledge and history that Bob and Karen could recite (much of which involved their families as Bob's ancestors established the local town back in the day - and I think I've got that correct) - but as I was saying - after learning about the going's on in the area, I'm beginning to wonder what the heck the rest of the country has been doing because it seems to be pretty quiet in comparison!

Well, we had a good time and had some wonderful home-cooked meals while we strengthened our friendship. Oh yeah, the warm house and the beds were GREAT!

After checking the tires and greasing the hubs we'll be on the road this morning. Don't know where we're headed exactly, but I've got my woman by my side...