Charleston and Savannah, a Thanksgiving destination! Postpone one more year for Sharon, one of our threesome for enjoyable trips, was to have some relatives on the scene in Bossier.

A trip around Austin, Texas, was inevitable since we love to explore, experience and learn. Niece Deb and friend Sharon arrived late Friday, so with friend Sarah we headed for Carl’s Catfish. Yes, it is still operating and food as delectable as the month it opened.

Saturday was a rain-filled day as we headed West, first to Lockhart, where my husband grew up and excelled in all the high school sports. Deb’s choice was Kreuz that evening for their smoked meats. As a German family settling there over 100 years ago, they knew how to produce fine cattle, then how to market them through their own cafe in town. The mammoth-size smoked grills crowded into the “preparation room” sent its aroma in a mantle over the retailer and service center. Everyone, daily or sometime, had to go to Kreuz Market for a ring of sausage and crackers served on butcher paper and eaten at barren tables which had a huge, sharp knife affixed to it. Frankly, my first visit there long ago was frightening! Oh, the sausage was 25 cents a ring.

After a split in the family, one descendant moved across the creek and built a huge facility in keeping with the theme of Lockhart as the assembly for the long trail ride to Kansas and the railroad. Trying to sample ALL of their smoked meats produced a pile of scrumptious food, on butcher paper with NO forks.

Early the next morning, Sunday, we headed for Austin and Austin Stone Church. Counting our blessings was the tom-tom sitting on the dash. Soon, we were following the Colorado River that bisects the Capitol to a large high school campus-Stephen F. Austin. A church meeting in a school for years? Questions loomed: Where were the children? Why were three, uniformed policemen on duty in the hall? Where were the greeters? This is one of our Southern Baptist Churches nix the usual colonial design and bell tower: get use to it for their mission is the same as thousands of other churches in the south.

The gymnasium transformed into a worship center through much preparation of erecting a backdrop” for the Power Point which stretched from wall to opposite wall and covering the floor and setting up hundreds of folding chairs. Ear plugs were provided. The warm-up band played at least half an hour, and all singing was done by it. A youthful pastor, in his old jeans and knit top, took his place on the rostrum and delivered a rousing message to the crowd, most of whom looked like college students or young professionals. The children were in their own worship area. Suddenly I noticed that the empty, high stool by the rostrum was occupied by one of the policemen. Not one person spoke to us after the service, suggesting that many may have also been visitors.

Restaurants always figure into our trips. So, after church we went to Threadgills, one of the two in the City. Family reunions in Austin always had the group eat at the original one, since it was a “Threadgill Reunion”. Highly recommended, service is fast and food is not by Julia Childs, but close to it. A band entertained, then went into church hymns.

Although one of the best ways to learn about Austin is through a City tour, we opted to go to Bob Bullock State Museum. “There’s only one place in Texas where conquestadors, cowboys, buffalo soldiers, oil barons, and suffragettes gather around a campfire to swap stories-the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. Interactive exhibits, special effects shows, dynamic films and innovative educational programs, and Austin’s only IMAX Theatre were there on the three floors, where one moved fluidly. An antique quilt exhibit captivated us: all done by hand and in unique patterns. The Texas Star did have competition.

We wanted to see the University of Texas campus but found buildings occupying almost every square inch of land, unlike most college campuses. Released somewhat, however, were the famous stadium of the Longhorns, basketball field house, and the communications building where “Austin City Limits” has droned on for decades. Yep! 6th Street is still the site for musicians.

In our pursuit of a different-kind-of restaurant, we drove out through Dripping Springs and Driftwood before the western sky lost the last ray of sun-to Salt Lick. Smoked meats are a specialty, so popular that two separate buildings near each other serve hundreds at a time. Begun years ago when the founder tired of working away from home, he and his wife established the humble beginnings, which grew astronomically under those scrub oaks.
Completing the circle on Monday was visiting cousin Sybil near Bastrop and eating at Nancy’s. This place with its special ambience and fork-tender steaks is an absolute necessity for diners! Sibyl’s son Harold was building a customized airplane last year when we visited. The saga continued, for when completed the plane was stolen and only by a stroke of luck was spotted in its clandestine location; the owner finally got it back to California.  Texans may be outnumbered, but they don’t give up!

Tuesday found us in Waco visiting with Sharon’s lifetime friends who re-located into a beautiful patio home. Quite a change from Springfield, MO, the youthful-minded couple are open to adventure and shared their new life in Waco. Touring Dr. Pepper Museum was enlightening. And the Baylor University campus was explored.

The “eating adventure” continued that night with cousins at Summer Palace, a buffet of countless Chinese dishes. This should be added to one’s “to do list”, if you like the palatable Oriental food.

Wednesday was a beautiful travel day through the colorful East Texas forests, arriving in Bossier for dinner at a wonderful Mexican Resturant with Sharon’s sister and husband from Springfield and nephew Gregor, recently stationed at Barksdale.

Although I go to Barksdale twice a year to events, we got a special tour by Gregor, including his housing. He shares a pod with three other guys, each have a private room and bath, a laundry, a kitchen to die for, and a small living room. I thought of those 500 WWII veterans I’ve interviewed and the barracks they lived in.

Shopping at the Libbey Glass Outlet Store, some to movies, me visiting my good friend Delores Allen, Thanksgiving dinner at Ralph and Cacoo’ s, and other events changed our usual week-long trip. But it was fun, and I hope your days were, also.

Some may recall the tragic airplane crash in a field near Lecompte some years ago. The pilot was from TN, and had his wallet returned to his son; it contained 20 one dollar bills. The son had them framed and gave them to First Baptist Church, Sevierville, TN, where they hang in the foyer.