Best ice cream in Texas (and the country?)

Yesterday was a non sight seeing day, and another day to just enjoy Lake Somerville State Park. The weather was outstanding; sunny and warm. Oh yes, it was also Super Bowl Sunday, which was very important to Stanley. Pam and I are not so interested in football so we appreciated the fine weather and used the time to walk the dogs on several more trails. Then we had steaks for dinner before the game began, of course. As Emma and I sat outside watching the sunset, many deer were moving around just outside of Emma's reach. Her nose was working overtime!

This morning, we headed out in the car for Brenham. Brenham is the home of Blue Bell Ice Cream and we planned to tour the ice cream plant. First on the agenda was to find a place to eat breakfast, and we stopped at the Bread Basket Cafe in the historic downtown area. When we arrived, we were the only diners, which gave me a moments pause, but soon others arrived. I can never seem to make an over easy egg the way a diner can, so that's what I ordered. Pam and Stan both had omelets. The food was tasty and the service was fast, so we were able to make the 10:00 tour at Blue Bell.

I had forgotten to bring my camera with me this morning, but pictures weren't allowed on the tour so I didn't feel too bad. I enjoy tours that show me how things are made, and this tour did not disappoint me. The cost was $2.00 for seniors and lasted about an hour. It began with a humorous video on the history of the company, and ended with a large serving of one of 24 varieties of the different kinds of ice cream that are produced at the plant. If I remember correctly, Blue Bell presently makes 51 different products. The only disappointment of the morning was that they don't sell any ice cream at the plant. I would have liked to buy a pint of chocolate covered strawberry. If you love ice cream, this is the place to work. Any employee can eat as much ice cream as they like any day that they work. That little fact made me think of the "I Love Lucy" episode where she worked in a candy factory. Our tour guide was a sweet young thing, about as big around as a toothpick, that said she ate ice cream every day at work. It's a good thing she's young.

When we drove back to the campground, I noticed a sign at the entrance that said the park was now under a fire ban. We had planned to have one last campfire this evening before we all leave tomorrow, but that didn't happen. I spent the afternoon doing some preliminary packing for my departure and cooking country style pork ribs on the charcoal grill that is provided at each site. I also made some Cole slaw. I like my own recipe for Cole slaw and this was a great opportunity to have some. Making Cole slaw for one, just isn't an option.

I look forward to tomorrow. It's always exciting to arrive at a new assignment and get an idea of what new experiences will be on my horizon.

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy