How to clog your arteries...

A little after nine, Diana and I headed out to take the refuge van to Liberty Hill, TX, for an oil change. Volunteers here have to take their vehicles into town for the oil changes. At other refuges that I've been at, the maintenance staff takes care of these routine services. There is only one maintenance staff here, so we handle those chores for our assigned vehicles.

On the way to Liberty Hill, we stopped at the Shin Oak Observation Deck. This is in the area where the endangered Black-capped Vireo nests. They have not arrived from Mexico yet, but I wanted to see the type of habitat that they favor. It is vastly different from the Golden-cheeked Warbler habitat. The vireos favor brushy dense oak areas where they build their nests at eye level or lower. The Golden-cheeks, on the other hand, prefer old, tall Ash-juniper forests in the canyons.

We were able to get right in for the oil change and afterwards decided to look for a place for lunch. Hobo's restaurant had been recommended, so we stopped there. We both ordered the lunch special which was chicken-fried steak. I had the sides of French fries and fried okra. For those of you in the North, the chicken-fried steak is a lightly breaded cube steak that is smothered in white gravy. The okra is breaded and deep fried, and you know what French fries are. This was served with buttered toast...so this lunch was a once in a while indulgence with artery clogging goodness!

We tried a different route home, and kind of got lost in the hills. We came upon a man on a horse, and as Diana pulled the van over, I told him we were lost. He was very helpful in directing us to a road we recognized, but proceeded to give us his life history. I would guess he was about forty years old, and had recently told the CEO of the company he worked for in Dallas, to take his job and shove it. It was an interesting encounter.

I enjoyed the scenery while wandering around the countryside. The hills are similar to upstate New York, but the cactus and lack of hardwood forests make it much different. It has its own beauty. It's obvious that water really plays an important role in this area.

After we returned home, I started investigating Fredricksberg and decided I'd do best to drive the motorhome there for a few days to fully enjoy the area. More on that later.

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