After Two Years, It's a Tradition

This is our second year to make a pilgrimage right after Christmas to one of the barbecue destinations in Central Texas, so it must be a tradition, right?

Our merry band consisted of family and friends and extended family from Austin and distant parts,  the same as last year.  Then it was Snow's in Lexington, Texas, and this year it was Smitty's, in Lockhart--the self-styled BBQ center of the state.

There is a reason that barbecue venues are called "joints"  in Texas.  As you can see from the picture, the term "restaurant"  would never do; cafe would be inappropriate (I am sure there is no coffee served here).  Delicatessen? No way?  Bistro?  Not in a thousand years.  Smitty's is a sure-enough barbecue joint.

The first scene to greet the hungry customer is the pit (as in pit barbecue).  Never have I entered a BBQ joint by way of the fire pit--and this is a well-engineered fire pit.  As I snapped the picture I could see the draft sucking the aromatic fumes from the flaming wood into the chambers where there were hundreds of pounds of meat slowly smoking.

The next scene was a carver with one of the sharpest knives I have ever seen in action.  And indeed he did know how to use it.

Once inside, Smitty's was just about what one might expect in terms of decor --a counter to pick up beer (and cokes for the kids), and old faded posters and newspaper clippings on the wall.

The meat was good, though I definitely think it does not compare with Snow's last year.  The folks in Lockhart believe their BBQ is so good that it does not need any sauce.  I think they need a reality check on that one.  The beef brisket we had was smokey, to be sure, but a little dry.  It could have used some sauce.

Of course on exiting Smitty's, you have a feast for the eyes on this bright December day--a head-on view of the county courthouse, right on the town square--as distinctive a 19th-century courthouse as you will find in these parts.  All in all, a good day's adventure.

All is Calm...

Sammy asleep under the Christmas tree just about sums it up.  After two days of multiple church services, lots of family activities, huge festive dinners, presents galore and lots of laughing, Sammy was exhausted.  We all were.  Andrew said it best:  "no one does Christmas like our family!"

Solstice--a new year

We still have a week officially in 2009, but it has always seemed to me that the year really "ends"  on the day that darkness overwhelms the light--the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice.  That short day has come and gone, and now, slowly at first, the days will become longer.  Each day from now until June the sun will rise a little earlier, and then set a little later.

It is fitting to think about light and dark as we approach Christmas, when Jesus, the light of the world, came to share our earthly existence.  Even on that shortest day of the year, the winter solstice, it is important to recall those words in John:
         The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it.
 Thanks be to God!

New Braunfels Train Museum

Today was one of those great serendipitous days that just happen without any planning. Andrew and Mason came over for the day--an absolutely gorgeous day--so we went out without any plan just to enjoy being outside. We parked the car in downtown New Braunfels and started walking, looking at Christmas decorations, and enjoying seeing all the wonders through the eyes of a 2 1/2 year old. And then we happened onto the New Braunfels Train Museum, which was set to open in 20 minutes! So we looked all through the train station and then got into the track where an enormous steam locomotive and caboose are permanently settled. And they are open to anyone who wants to "climb aboard"! The chance encounter turned into an hour's fun, ending with the huge HO model train layout in the station itself. This is a day we will all remember!

Winter in New England

We may be out of the path of nor'easters, but we still follow the weather in New England with great interest. It appears that there is one doozie of a storm moving up the east coast--and my commiserations go out to everyone who 1) planned to shop today, or 2) planned to travel today. No gloating here--I have had too many plans ruined (or threatened) by dangerous winter storms.

Here is a seasonal photo from my stockpile to remind me of how beautiful the world can be covered by a new blanket of snow. When there is nothing to do but enjoy it, enjoy it!

By the way, did you know that you can enlarge the picture by clicking on it? I just recently learned that myself.

Garden Update

We have now had a couple of hard freezes, and the results are evident throughout the yard and garden. "Hard freeze" is a term not used much in the northern climes where we have been living. After all, when winter sets in in New England, the only question is how far down is the ground frozen? In this climate, horticultural zone 8b, whether there is a freeze, how long it lasts, and how low the thermometer goes all have a significant bearing on whether tender plants survive or die. Gardeners in these parts plant many vegetables, shrubs, and flowers that will tolerate little to no frost. It's a gamble: last year there was no killing frost; this year we have had several. We will have to wait until spring to see the effects on some of the plants that went into the ground over the past year.

I did not plant anything in the vegetable garden until the fence was erected, as there was no sense putting out a buffet for our ravenous deer population. So tomato and pepper plants went into the ground in mid October, and beet, spinach, and lettuce seeds at the same time. The hard freeze took the tomatoes and peppers (no surprise) and when I went out to transfer the dead plants to the compost pile, I was surprised to see how many peppers and tomatoes were maturing on the plants. Oh well, I knew it was a gamble.

As you can see, the seeds are doing quite well, as all of these varieties enjoy cooler weather. I am guessing that I will be able to grow these cool weather crops until about March, and then I will switch to those varieties that can handle the Texas heat.

Cranberry bog, Carver, MA

Cranberry bog, Carver, MA, originally uploaded by ch in nb.

The grocery stores are full of cranberries now, and seeing those bags full of identical rubies always reminds me of the cranberry harvest in southeastern Massachusetts. Cranberries in a bog--unlike the jewels in the grocery store--are a riot of color. Every shade of red you can imagine, from rose pink to rose purple, floats to the top of the bog as the fields are flooded. Perhaps all the garnet/rose/scarlet berries that never make it into the bags of cranberries in the stores eventually end up in bottles of juice.

Saint Lucia's Day (one day early)

We have celebrated St. Lucia’s Day (13 December) for as long as I can remember as a kind of reminder of the Swedish heritage on my side of the family. I have never really understood how the commemoration of this Italian saint (Santa Lucia) ever migrated to Sweden, a Protestant land that does not have the calendar of saints of the countries of the south, but nevertheless St. Lucy’s Day is an important part of the pre-Christmas festivities in Sweden and has been in our family for many years.

Since the feast day comes on a date close to the shortest day of the year, it is inevitably associated with light, and involves the oldest daughter of the family bringing a plate of warm buns to her family members while wearing a wreath with candles in her hair. These buns, called Lussakattor, are one of our favorite taste sensations of Christmas. If you look up Lussakattor, you will inevitably find them characterized as flavored with saffron. The recipe N has used for years, however, features cardamom. As we have lived in various places—Kansas City, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Connecticut—she has shared these delicious treats with many friends who first learned about this delightful celebration from us. We hope that there are families across the country who remember St. Lucia (and the delicious taste of her buns) from hearing about the feast day from us.

There have been many years that there were no “eldest daughter” to do the honors on the morning of 13 December in our household, but again this year we had our three eldest Austin grandchildren with us for the weekend. Hooray! That means I was awakened from a sound sleep by a beautiful little blond girl carrying candle and a warm Lussakattor. It doesn't get any better!

Winter Pastoral

Winter Pastoral, originally uploaded by ch in nb.

One of my fondest memories of New England is Cherry Brook Farm, located in North Canton. Since New England has just received its first major winter storm of the season, I return to this picture to remind me of how beautiful the winter can be. And I can also honestly say that I was glad to sell my snow shovels and snow blower last fall before we moved!

Williamstown llama

Williamstown llama, originally uploaded by Clark Hendley.

Going through my old pictures, I could not resist bringing this fellow to light once again. I made his acquaintance one late fall morning in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Truly, this is a face that only a mother could love.

Enchanted Rock

Over the Thanksgiving holiday we took our visiting children and grandchildren to Enchanted Rock, just outside Fredericksburg in the Texas Hill Country. We got started late in the day, so I feared that we would be too late for any pictures, but in fact the long golden rays of the setting sun provided perfect light for the reddish, ochre granite--and I took advantage of the beautiful photographic conditions.

Enchanted Rock is one of the oldest rock formations in Texas, and it has had human visitors for the last 11,000 years. The rock is described as a pink granite exfoliation dome, and it rises to an elevation of 425 feet and covers 640 acres. Enchanted Rock is one of the largest batholiths (an underground rock formation uncovered by erosion ) in the United States.

The name seems to derive from the weird creaking and groaning the Tonkawa Indians heard at night. Geologists today explain that what the Tonkawas heard was a result of the rock's heating by day and contracting in the cool night. A conquistador captured by the Tonkawa described how he escaped by losing himself among the boulders on the rock, giving birth to the Indian legend of "a pale man swallowed by a rock and reborn as one of their own."

The first well-documented explorations of the area date from 1723, when the Spanish intensified their efforts to colonize Texas.

Definitely worth a visit!

Weather Update

Contrary to what we might have thought last year when we moved to the Hill Country, this region does have an autumn. In fact, we have been experiencing autumn for the past few weeks--warm days, cool nights, and insects very busy as if they could sense the coming of winter. And even autumn color! We do not see the abundance of red that we loved so much in New England, but in fact deciduous trees have been changing colors, just like they are supposed to. All of these signs in nature are a reminder that last year with its oppressive drought was an anomaly.

Now, with two plus weeks to go of the season of autumn on the calendar, the weather has turned cold, and we are already experiencing more chill than all of last winter after moving from Connecticut. The most recent storm actually dumped snow on Houston--and that is a rarity! Much to the disappointment of school children in our area, there was no snow here, but the unusual precipitation did make garner a story on the NBC nightly news tonight.

Right now I am so glad that I did not throw out all my winter woolens when I moved south!