THE UNLIKELY LAVENDER QUEEN

Hey Y'all (just trying to set the mood),

Here is the link to a book review I just did for Story Circle Network. The book is by Jeannie Ralston, who was responsible for turning Blanco into the lavender capitol of Texas. What most people don't realize is that she was a successful writer in New York when she met her National Geographic photographer husband, and that he had to drag her kicking and screaming to Texas. The book should be available in stores by the end of this month. Check it out.

GETTIN' BY WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM THEIR FRIENDS

You may recall that when I wrote about what drew us to Wimberley in the first place, I once said that "it was easy to imagine that many of the hippies who sold jewelry and crafts down on The Drag in Austin during the 70's, were still alive and doing well in Wimberley." Well, I just found out that my good friend Cheryl was one of them! She and her husband Rick are both full-time artists, and if you have ever been to the Texas Renaissance Festival, you have probably shopped at their booth (the one with a big dragon that you walk through). Right now they are in the process of building their new house in Wimberley, doing most of the work themselves, gettin' by with a little help from their friends.

NUTTY BROWN CAFE

We came home from Natural Gardener via 290 the other day, and decided to stop in at Nutty Brown for lunch. There are a couple of things you need to know about Nutty Brown: don't come here for the food, don't come here to eat inside. Now, I'm not saying the food is bad. It's perfectly OK, but the menu is heavy on artery cloggers. And I'm not saying the inside of the restaurant is bad either. It's just sort of dreary when compared to what's out back: amphitheater, multiple bars and stages, exotic birds, shady live oaks, a playground for the kids, great live music, starry skies and twinkle lights. The property was originally home to Nutty Brown Mills, makers of the famous Nutty Brown pralines. You can still get pralines here, and I believe they are made from the original recipe, but I have a confession to make. Although I have a notorious sweet tooth, I couldn't manage more than a bite or two off of John's praline. The sweetness just about curled my toes. I surely do love that spinning neon cowboy out front though.

THE HERB GURU

I attended the local herb society's annual plant sale a few weeks back, and met the most interesting lady there, named Sarah Holland. To say that she knows a lot about herbs would be selling her short. Even the words teacher and authority leave something to be desired. No, the only one that really fits is guru.

The sale was being held at her place, and what an amazing place it was (especially when you consider that most all of the labor was her own, and she's a single woman of retirement age). Instead of entering from the street in front of her home, a side entrance off of Jacob's Well Road was opened just for this occasion. In addition to plenty of parking space, there was a covered cashier area, a cute little building called the herb shed, and a nice winding path that takes you through the trees, first to the clearing that is set up as her teaching area, and then on to the amazing gardens behind her home.

Not only did she know a lot about herbs, she also knew a lot about most everyone in town. It turns out she lived in Houston before coming here, and her favorite place to shop for plants was the nursery where I worked for six years! I simply must get her recipe for lavender lemonade.

MAKING UP FOR LOST TIME

For the past 3 1/2 years I have been like a man without a country. Here I was, working at a wonderful garden center, getting a great discount, and yet I had no garden in which to plant anything! When we bought this place in Wimberley, we sold our house in Katy and rented a townhouse closer in. We couldn't start a new garden in Wimberley with no way to keep it watered, so I had to be content with a few containers on the porch and patio in Houston. In the summer it wasn't too bad. I kind of enjoyed being free to stay inside where it was cool for a change. But in spring, when the garden shops were full to overflowing with all sorts of amazing things, and I had no where to put them, I really suffered.

Now, I am making up for lost time. Watch out Natural Gardener in Austin, here I come!

PICTURE THIS....

Picture this - me on all fours, kissing the ground. I'm so happy to be back in Wimberley!

WHERE EVERYBODY KNOWS YOUR NAME

The weather was so fabulous in Wimberley the last couple of weekends that everyone in town seemed to be drawn to the lovely outdoor terrace at Inoz's, which overlooks Cypress Creek. We had lunch there both Sundays. The first Sunday, as we were walking back to our car afterwards, a guy on a Harley honked as he zoomed past. Just as I was thinking to myself "Well, I must be looking particularly hot today!" he glanced back over his shoulder and waved at us. Turns out it was just our new pal Bill, being friendly.

The second Sunday we dined inside, sitting up at the bar. Afterwards, we had crossed the terrace and were heading up the stairs when we heard someone calling out my name. We turned around and found my new friend Cheryl sitting at one of the outdoor tables with her son. We came back and chatted with them for a while, then headed for the car. As we strolled down the sidewalk, hand in hand, John turned to me with a happy smile and said "Isn't that cool? There are people in Wimberley now who call to us by name, and wave to us when they pass us on the street!"

Yes, I would have to agree. After living for years in Dallas and Houston, where you can eat at the same bagel shop every week for years, and no one ever knows your name? Well, this is pretty damn wonderful!