Murray & Randy Chilling on Back Porch
Hummingbirds around the feeder
Baby Geckos
Baby Fawns
Healthy Baby Bull Bison
Cowboy Cross
View off Back Porch this visit - all green 
View off Back Porch last visit - so dry
Murray, Trish, Wanda, Randy, Dennis & PamThis is the second time we were able to call in on Randy & Wanda at their 'Lazy Possum Ranch' in the Texas Hillcountry east of Austin. Last time we visited they were in a drought, so we were surprised to see the countryside all green this visit. Randy is an avid 'critter' lover, and in his attic he keeps coloured geckos, snakes & spiders as pets. He was keen to show us his family of pets, but after admiring his collection, I got down from there as quickly as I could. That night I was sitting with Wanda under the stars in the hot tub, and the tie from my bathers brushed against my arm and scared the living daylights out of me - I thought one of Randy's pets had escaped! Wanda found a scorpion in the kitchen one day, and Randy found one in the attic the next day. They are nasty! On our last day we found a wolf spider waiting to go inside the door. Critters everywhere! We saw racoons there on our last visit, but they are being discouraged from around the house (so we didn't see any), as are the squirrels, as they eat seeds from the bird feeder. As we were returning from a Texas steak house one evening, we were not far from the ranch gate when we saw a doe and two fawns in one field, then a bison in the next.
A colleague, Pam, who Randy & I worked with in Australia is spending 4 weeks travelling around the USA with her husband. They are using passenger trains for each leg - a cabin and all meals included, and from their experience so far, the meals have been fabulous, and the train trip very enjoyable. Their itinerary includes Los Angeles, San Antonio (their hotel there was only 2 blocks from the Alamo), New Orleans, Denver, New York, Chicago & San Francisco. Their stopover in San Antonio coincided with our visit to Randy & Wanda, so we came up with a cunning plan. Randy & Murray would drive to San Antonio to pick Pam & Dennis up and drive them to Fredericksburg, an area settled in 1846 by Germans. Wanda & I would drive 40 mins through countryside that took us past the Lyndon Johnson Ranch, and meet them there. The town was chocablock with quaint shops, so it was not a hard decision for us 3 ladies to decide to forgo a day at the nearby National Museum of the Pacific War (Fredericksburg was the birthplace of Admiral Chester Nimitz, Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Pacific Forces in World War II. The hotel owned by Nimitz's grandfather has been converted into a museum, named the National Museum of the Pacific War honoring the men and women who served with Nimitz in the war.Courtesy Wikipedia). So the men went to the museum and Wanda, Pam & I spent many pleasurable hours wandering in and out of each shop along both sides of the street. We refueled mid-way by meeting the menfolk for a delicious lunch at a local German brewery, which was conveniently right in the middle of our shopping street, and only one block from the museum.
A colleague, Pam, who Randy & I worked with in Australia is spending 4 weeks travelling around the USA with her husband. They are using passenger trains for each leg - a cabin and all meals included, and from their experience so far, the meals have been fabulous, and the train trip very enjoyable. Their itinerary includes Los Angeles, San Antonio (their hotel there was only 2 blocks from the Alamo), New Orleans, Denver, New York, Chicago & San Francisco. Their stopover in San Antonio coincided with our visit to Randy & Wanda, so we came up with a cunning plan. Randy & Murray would drive to San Antonio to pick Pam & Dennis up and drive them to Fredericksburg, an area settled in 1846 by Germans. Wanda & I would drive 40 mins through countryside that took us past the Lyndon Johnson Ranch, and meet them there. The town was chocablock with quaint shops, so it was not a hard decision for us 3 ladies to decide to forgo a day at the nearby National Museum of the Pacific War (Fredericksburg was the birthplace of Admiral Chester Nimitz, Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Pacific Forces in World War II. The hotel owned by Nimitz's grandfather has been converted into a museum, named the National Museum of the Pacific War honoring the men and women who served with Nimitz in the war.Courtesy Wikipedia). So the men went to the museum and Wanda, Pam & I spent many pleasurable hours wandering in and out of each shop along both sides of the street. We refueled mid-way by meeting the menfolk for a delicious lunch at a local German brewery, which was conveniently right in the middle of our shopping street, and only one block from the museum.
Being Texas, the cowboy theme was common throughout, but the thing that amazed me the most were the amount of christian items in the stores. Most of the shops had a whole wall devoted to crosses of all kinds - even the Christmas Shop! Some were made of turquoise & some were cowboy crosses made of metal, others were enamel,gold or silver metals, others glass or mosaic. I was on the hunt for a cross for our new home in Ballina, and I sure had a lot of choice in this town. When I commented on the multitude of crosses, Wanda explained that we were in the bible belt here, so it was not surprising to her. In memory of our Texas visit, I decided on a metal cowboy cross. It will have pride of place in our home.
After our day out in Fredericksburg, we headed back to the ranch for dinner, a chat on the back porch overlooking the valley, and a swim in the hot tub for some. Neighbours joined us after dinner for a drink on the porch, and then a USAF colleague of Randy's and his wife arrived to spend the night. By 9pm it was time for Randy to drive Pam & Dennis back to San Antonio to catch their midnight train to New Orleans. What a great day was had by all. Next morning, we sat on the front porch with Randy, Wanda and their friends Susan & Dave, had a coffee, then waved goodbye as we headed SW to our current campground in Ingram, Texas.
After our day out in Fredericksburg, we headed back to the ranch for dinner, a chat on the back porch overlooking the valley, and a swim in the hot tub for some. Neighbours joined us after dinner for a drink on the porch, and then a USAF colleague of Randy's and his wife arrived to spend the night. By 9pm it was time for Randy to drive Pam & Dennis back to San Antonio to catch their midnight train to New Orleans. What a great day was had by all. Next morning, we sat on the front porch with Randy, Wanda and their friends Susan & Dave, had a coffee, then waved goodbye as we headed SW to our current campground in Ingram, Texas.
Hi Trish, you may recall i was in touch with you about RVing in the USA, unfortunatly I have lost your email address due to a PC crash and a change of my email address and so i have difficulty contacting you. My new email address is tommboyd@westnet.com.au and I would like to plan to meet up with you if possible as we will down your way at the end of January early February. Can you send me your email address so we can communicate.
ReplyDeleteThanks and all the best for 2011.
Regards Tom Boyd