Fredericksburg, Tx. (Pop. 11,889)

Today felt different! We got up around 7:00 and casually made coffee. We sat together, enjoyed our beverage, and thought about what we would do for the day. As I mentioned, we’ll be heading to Carlsbad Caverns in the next day or so, and Fredericksburg was just a hop and a skip from Boerne. We wanted to visit Fredericksburg because we’d heard it’s a lovely town with German roots. The town was settled in the early 1800s through a treaty with the local Native Americans, which, like many treaties of the era, I suspect was broken shortly after. Sadly, as history has shown time and again, Native Americans were likely displaced so white settlers could take over. While I don’t know this to be a definitive fact, chances are, it’s true.
Fredericksburg has a charming downtown area geared toward tourists and those ready to spend some money. We found a nice coffee house, enjoyed a second coffee, and I worked on the morning blog.

After finishing the blog, we headed to visit the LBJ Ranch. A scenic road wove through the ranch, and we had the chance to see registered Hereford cattle roaming freely across the property. There wasn’t anything particularly remarkable to see, except for the fact that at one time this space hosted world leaders who met here, forged agreements, and likely indulged in some serious drinking. Both LBJ and Lady Bird are buried in the family cemetery—a stark reminder that, no matter one’s importance to the world, the day will come when someone buries you. Life goes on. Not to sound like a Debbie Downer, but maybe more of a realistic Ralph.

Next, we visited Wild Seed Farms. Essentially, it’s a nursery with a bustling shop selling plants, food, and peach-vanilla swirl soft ice cream—a definite highlight. Dana explored their plants and flowers while I indulged in a nap.

Later, we returned to Fredericksburg, found a laundromat, and washed our dirty clothes. While we were seated there, we noticed a young girl playing on a blanket. Dana went to the PLUM and got a "be kind" sticker to give her. She smiled and thanked Dana. A short while later, the girl approached Dana and asked if she’d buy one of her paintings. Dana asked to see the artwork and purchased a drawing on a paper bag for $1.00. Valerie, a sweet 5-year-old, reminded us of some of our grandkids. :-) The dollar was well worth the smile and sweetness.

By the time we left, it was after 5:00, and we’d heard there would be live music downtown. We made our way there, grabbed some food at the park pavilion, and scoped out the area for music. We found a restaurant with a live band, took a table, ordered some drinks and buffalo wings, and settled in. The music was a mix of country and country rock, and the singer was surprisingly good—pulling off some excellent cover songs.

At the end of the day, I decided to sit in the cooling air back at the park pavilion and recap the day. Several times, I found myself thinking the weather was perfect for riding and wondering why I wasn’t on the spinning wheels. However, it was a thoroughly enjoyable day.

Tomorrow, we head toward Carlsbad, passing through the Odessa/Midland area. That will give us a shorter day on Sunday to reach the Caverns area, and on Monday, we’ll explore what we can see there.

It seems the following quote has an even deeper resonance in today’s world.

"It is a society where no child will go unfed and no youngster will go unschooled...where no citizen will be barred from any door because of his birthplace or his color...where peace and security is common among neighbors and possible among nations." Lyndon Baines Johnson, Ohio University, May 1964Leggi altro