Tag: Texas

2023 Week 43 – Bohemian Bobbleheads

What’s Going On:
I had the opportunity to join my lovely partner on a trip to the Austin TX area a few weeks ago. We went down to check out the Original Round Top Antiques Fair, in Round Top, TX. The entire place had a Texas-type Bohemian feel to it (hats, sun dresses, and cowboy boots) that we dubbed the “Bohemian Boobblehead” look.

Where I’ve Been:
We rented a sporty little Audi A5 and stayed in an Air B&B that could not have been nicer. It was in the middle of nowhere, next to a Longhorn ranch, and a perfect place to relax and unwind.

What I’m Eating:
We tried a local BBQ place, and it was just OK. But, the local bakery was delicious, and the local butcher had steaks and loaded baked potatoes so good we had them two nights in a row.

Round Top is a small town with a normal population of 90 people. The antique fair brings in around 200,000 people over a few weeks. One of the local food attractions is Royers Pie Haven, which deserves all the accolades. After waiting for 10-15 minutes, we each got our little slice of heaven to enjoy for dessert later that night.

It was raining when we flew out of Austin and back to Indy; we skipped the line at Franklin BBQ, visited Terry Black’s, and had some of the best BBQ we have ever had. I didn’t get any decent pictures because I was chowing down!

And Finally…
I am heading down to Cincinnati in the next couple of weeks to visit the historic Voice of America Bethany Station.

2023 Week 19 – Giddy Up

I Spent most of last week on PTO in the Texas Hill Country and loved every minute of it. I flew down to San Antonio, picked up my better half, who was down there for work, and drove north to Comfort, TX, about 45 minutes northwest of the city.

When I booked the Trip, Enterprise had some very affordable options, including several premium models for just a little more than a full-sized car. I ended up with an Audi Q3 SUV for the trip and really enjoyed driving around the Texas roads. You’ll first notice the speed limits if you’ve never driven in Texas. On a 2-lane curvy road, the posted speed limit is often 10-20 MPH higher than in Indiana (70MPH +), and on the highway, it can be as high as 85 MPH. The little Audi was a champ and got surprisingly good gas mileage as we traveled between locations at speeds that sometimes felt too fast!

2023 Audi Q3

Our B&B (Hotel Giles) was an old hotel built in the late 1800s and was very nice, with covered porches and a gazebo in the back. Our host was very gracious and had a wonderful breakfast ready for us at 9 am sharp every morning. The town also had an amazing little wood-fired pizza shop in an old gas station down the street with delicious pizza and homemade gelato that was some of the best we had ever had.

Fredericksburg, TX, is often referred to as the Napa Valley of the South because of the number of wineries in the area (over 100), and it was our destination of choice for several days of the trip. Their Main Street was full of specialty shops, restaurants, breweries, and several wineries.

While this was the first time I’ve gotten out of San Antonio and visited TX Hill Country, it will NOT be the last. So many things to do, and in typical Texas fashion, the people are as nice as can be and openly welcome visitors to their great state.

SlapFish opened a new location in the Fishers District a few months ago, and we finally made our way over there for dinner. We ordered a Shrimp Roll and Fish and Chips. Both meals were very fresh and fairly priced (under $20 each) for the portion size. We don’t have any dedicated seafood restaurants in Fishers, so SlapFish is a welcome addition to which we will be returning soon!

Shrimp Roll with Slaw
Fish and Chips with Slaw

And finally… I’m a pretty observant person, and I see a lot of crazy stuff on my daily travels to and from work in Indianapolis. Expired license plates are seen daily, and their sheer number makes me wonder how people are getting away with it. A quick search turned up a 2019 report from local TV station WRTV titled “Parking a car with expired tags or no license plate is illegal in Indianapolis.” It’s not a local issue, as a TV station out of Oregon reported something similar last May:

And Colorado less than a year ago:

Homeless as Wi-Fi Transmitters at SXSW

Definitely a marketing stunt gone wrong during the SXSW Conference…

AUSTIN, Tex. — Which product at this year’s South by Southwest technology conference received more attention than perhaps any other?

A marketing agency touched off a wave of criticism and debate when it hired members of the local homeless population to walk around carrying mobile Wi-Fi devices, offering conferencegoers Internet access in exchange for donations… [MORE]