BOOT SIGHTING: TURN THE BOOT AROUND

Cue the music...

The "Bootiful Wimberley" program added quite a few new boots around town, so I'm still discovering some I've never seen before. Check this one out, spotted on the steps in front of Gallery On The Square.

So, how many of you noticed what was spinning around inside the boot, there at the top? Nope, you're not imagining things. That is indeed a disco ball!

Only in Wimberley, right?

STUCK IN A RUT

When we first moved here, my greatest delight was exploring all the many little Hill Country towns, each one unique in its own special way. Over time, however, we more or less fell into a routine. Now our path is confined mostly to trips between Wimberley, San Marcos, Kyle and Austin. We keep talking about going somewhere different for a change, but never seem to get around to it. Needless to say, I was tickled to death when two of the Muses suggested an outing to Dripping Springs yesterday. It's been over a year since I was there, and then it was just for a doctor's appointment.

First stop was at Crêpe Crazy, and the weather was just perfect for dining out on their lovely covered patio. 

We each ordered a different kind of crêpe, then split each one three ways, so we could taste them all.

One Florentine, One Chicken & Mushroom

The hands down favorite was a dessert crêpe with sweet cream cheese and strawberries!

Did you know that Crêpe Crazy now has a second location? This one's in Austin, on S. Lamar I believe. Try it, you'll like it!

Once we were stuffed to the brim, Fiber Woman suggested we walk across the side street to the quilt store. I didn't even know Dripping Springs had a quilt store. Expecting some tiny rinky-dink place, I was in for quite a shock. For starters, the place is huge, taking up the entire space where Timpone's Market and Deli used to be. Welcome to Valli & Kim -- so much more than a mere quilt store!

Need a coloring book perhaps?

I tell you what, it kinda made me want to take up sewing again -- especially when I saw those matching sundress patterns for little girls and their dollies. Too bad I gave my sewing machine to my daughter.

The biggest surprise came when I asked one of the salespeople how long the store had been open, and she told me "about five years." Whoa! I really need to get out more!

SUDAN CHRONICLES: POETRY ON DEMAND

 
A couple of days after we went in for our travel immunizations, my hubby and a couple of the kiddos went to the Craft Beer Fest in Austin. There was a guy there, set up with an old-fashioned typewriter, who could write you a poem for a wee bit of cash. All you had to do was give him a word to get him started. Well, Hubby's arms were probably pretty sore by then, so the first word that popped into his head was "vaccinations", and this was the result.

At first I had it hanging on the refrigerator door, but then it occurred to may that perhaps it was time to pull that Sudanese travel journal back out -- the one I started months ago, when we thought the trip was going to take place in August.

When things got pushed back to late December, the journal sort of got shoved aside to make room for other projects. But now, it's back!

SIMPLY SCRUMPTIOUS: PESTO SEASON

Everyone I know who has an herb garden is scrambling to harvest the last of their basil, before the first serious cold front hits. What do you do with a tub full of basil? Why, you make pesto, of course! And, what's the very best thing to do with a freezer full of pesto? Well, you might start with that yummalicious Tomato Pesto Tart that I'm always yakkin' about. But what if you don't do carbs?

Recently there was a recipe popping up on Facebook that contained pretty much all the same ingredients as my tomato tart. The only difference was that, instead of piling said ingredients up on a tasty pastry crust, you mound them on boneless chicken breasts. Perfect for all my carb-phobic friends, right? So I decided to give it a try.

Preheat your oven to 400 F. You'll need one small boneless, skinless breast per person. I pounded the thick end down a bit, so it would cook more evenly. Place the breasts in a baking pan and spread with a layer of pesto. Top with some grated Mozzarella cheese and finish with some Roma tomato slices. Season with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper.

Bake 40 minutes at 400 F. (more or less, depending on their thickness) et voila!

The only trick is keeping all the toppings on the meat! Of course, I think those crispy cheese bits left in the pan are the very best part, so I had no problem with that.  I have no problem with the occasional carb either, so I'll be keeping both this recipe and the one with the pastry crust, for both are simply scrumptious!
 

GUANTANAMERA

If you were alive back in the early 70s, I bet you've already got this song stuck in your head, just from reading the title. I've been humming it non-stop ever since last weekend, when we met up with our kiddos at this place in S. Austin -- Guantanamera Cuban Cuisine, on West Gate at Wm. Cannon.

Par for the course, once we got to yakkin' and eatin', a certain someone forgot all about taking pictures! So you'll just have to take my word for it -- their El Cubano sandwich is muy, muy bueno!

And, according to the youngsters, who have been here before, their Mojitos are the best they've ever had, plus they have specialty coffees and cocktails. Lex is quite fond of one called The Hemmingway.

So if you're ever over in that neck of the woods, try it -- I think you'll like it!

Yo soy un hombre sincero...
 

HEADACHE PLANTS

We have two clumps of Texas Sage, one at each end of the property. As I mentioned recently, some people believe they can predict rain when they bloom, but that isn't exactly true. For one thing, our two clumps almost never bloom at the same time! Several weeks ago, when I wrote about the firepit clump coming into bloom, I did in fact wake up the next day to much cooler temps and a headache (I tend to get those whenever the weather does a yo-yo bounce), but no rain. At the time, I jokingly told my hubby that those sages seem to be better at predicting headaches than rain. Little did I know!

Only 63F. out this morning, which is fuzzy blanket weather, as far as Hubby is concerned.

Temps popped back up into the 90s shortly thereafter, but a couple of days ago, the firepit sages burst into bloom yet again.

And, sure enough, yesterday morning I woke up to cooler temps and one dooooozy of a headache. One which my usual cure-all of 2 Advil Liquigels plus a jolt of caffeine didn't even seem to faze. I tried going to my Tuesday morning meet-up with the Muses, but five minutes later had to pop up and run back home when the queasiness set in. Spent the rest of the day in a dark room with a wet cloth over my eyes, missing not only the time with the Muses but also the first fall vineyard meet-up with our wine-loving friends. Waaahh!

So, I'm guessing this is what it's like to have a migraine, huh? It finally went away later that evening, and I feel fine this morning, but I'm really, really, really hoping this isn't a sign of things to come. Cuz, if there's one thing Texas is known for (other than bonker politicians) it's weather that likes to yo-yo back and forth from one extreme to the other!

Dang sage plants...

BUILDING UP A COLOR-MAD STASH

I played with acrylic craft paints back in the 80s when tole painting and country decor were all the rage. Then I became a Prismacolor marker hoarder when I got into landscape design. However, ever since I took my first online class with Junelle Jacobsen, and discovered Neocolor II water soluble crayons, it's pretty much been all watercolor, all the time around here! Which is why I've been having soooo much fun with Danielle Donaldson's new Creative Girl workbook lately.

This week I've been enjoying her lesson about building up a watercolor stash -- the perfect project for those days when you feel like playing, but don't feel like having to think too much, or come up with ideas.

Basically, you just take your little scraps of watercolor paper and splash on a couple of analogous paint colors, like orange and yellow, or blue and green, then play around with different techniques, like wet on wet, or wet on dry, or sprinkling with salt, or leaving crumpled saran wrap on the paint as it dries.
 

I've also experimented with all different kinds of watercolor paints, from my basic Prang student set up top and these intensely pigmented Peerless watercolors that come on heavy paper strips...

to those Dr. Ph liquid watercolors Hubby gave me recently, and my little Koi travel set.

On the back of each piece I made note of which paints and techniques I used, for future reference. And, taadaa!  Now I have my very own "stash" of papers that can be the inspiration for future backgrounds, or cut up and used in other projects.

Plus, I had just a heckuva great time creating it! In fact, I think it just might be the perfect way to ease your brain into creative mode, whenever you're having trouble getting started. Try it!