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We needed a slab of black walnut to make a table from a fantastic piece of walnut left over from our Arkansas log.  The mill in Cedar Park is one of the best places to buy wood of this type so off we went yesterday.  Its about a hours drive to there from our base. We always look for other things to see and do while on trips like this, so we decided to have lunch at Coffee Dog in Bastrop.  Found it after having not been there for some time and had a good lunch and good coffee.  I think we are the only people who drink hot coffee in Texas when the outside temperature is 100 degrees. While dining, we checked the internet for museums in Bastrop and chose the County museum in the old section of Bastrop.  It is not a large museum, but a good one covering the history of Bastrop County and its historical events of Texas. Here are photos of two of many displays; This one is a map of Texas showing the area of the state where there were many longhorn cattle running wil...

We have attended many of these church picnics in past years and don't seem to get weary of driving 90 miles for lunch.  Well, its more than lunch, its to get revitalized on the norms of rural America, many  of the norms which seem to have been lost in urban areas.  This day, in Shiner, was the picnic sponsored by the Sts. Cyril & Methodius Catholic Church. This is no small production.  It is held in the American Legion Hall in Shiner.  Its a great place to have Memorial Day Picnic as this hall is a good reminder of the contribution the military people have made to the security of our nation.  Last year the church served about 10 thousand picnic goers.  This year the price had risen from $8 to $10, but still a bargain for this great picnic. Here is a photo of the picnickers inside the hall. This is mainly Czech and German country with a dash of Polish.  They seem to enjoy their ethnic differences.  As we were in line, the ticket take...

The last weekend in April found us at the Wimberley Art Fest on the grounds of Rio Bonito.  Rio Bonito probably is the best layout for an art festival that we have ever experienced.  It has ample parking, well organized and the art stalls are located among a huge grove of pecan trees.  All on the bank of the Blanco River, We cruised through all the booths quite rapidly as many of the artists were hawking their stuff that we were not particularly interested in.  We came across the wood turners father and son by the name of Graham.  The younger Graham is the fellow we bought the American elm bowl from in Lockhart a year or so ago.  Someday we will have to visit the elder Grahams shop in San Marcos to see his setup and to deliver some blocks of wood for his use in turning some items for his sales. We nearly bought a giclee print from a lady, name of Wilkerson, from New Mexico, but decided not to because it would have only limited value in our displays ...