3-in-1! I love Lucy! a Derby! and the Symphony!

Saturday we headed out west about an hour and half from Austin to a small, little German oriented-gone country town better known as Fredericksburg.  As you drive along hwy 290 the road begins greet you with peach stands and wineries galore just before you arrive in town….hence the reason for our trip: The annual grape stomp at Becker Vineyards.  The ½ barrels full of grapes were set up outside but there was one slightly discomforting feeling overcoming all 3 of us before we stepped foot in these barrels….no one washes off their feet before, only after! Totally disgusting!…and yes, we participated.  There were loads of people gathering inside for wine tastings and tours of the vineyard.  We, of course, scoped out the most promising seat in the house – someone who looked nice, might give a few extra pours to top off our glasses and would keep us entertained!  For $10 you got an etched Becker glass with 7 tastings. We definitely hit the jackpot on this one!  We took full advantage of this man’s nice-ness as he let us try practically every wine on the menu and then try some again!  These were some of our favs: Viognier, Malbec, Cab Franc and the Raven. 

Sunday we headed to the Fredericksburg Fair for their mini Kentucky Derby.  Our bets were placed on which horses we felt had the best legs or the best name – i.e Shake ‘em Lulu!  We obviously know a lot about horse races;) and were definitely big spenders since each bet was only $2!  By the end, I didn’t even break even (no surprise!), Annaliesa won something on every race and Julia won the most with a whopping $7!

Julia and I returned back to Austin that evening just in time for Symphony in the Park.  Every Sunday during the summer the Hartman Foundation hosts a division of the symphony to play a couple pieces they’re working on for the upcoming season.  The weather was awesome! People, children and their beloved dogs spread out across the hill leading up to the Long Center to listen, drink wine and veg out for their last performance of the summer.  It was similar to Blues on the Green except it was pot-free and a lot classier! 

On a side note, we tried a new wine called Silver which came in a super cute gray, ceramic bottle.  Usually when I buy a wine based on the bottle it never turns out good -- typically living up to the saying never judge a book by its cover, but not this time!  This one was actually good.

Blues on the Green....aka the Blue Haze!

Wednesday was one of the best treats of the summer! I am bummed this was the last show of the summer and was the first I'd seen but I’m looking forward to the shows next summer!  Blues on the Green occurs every Wednesday night during the summer in Zilker Park.  More or less, this is a miniature version of ACL Fest with only one stage and food concessions lining the sides.  There are tons of people of all ages including kids and of course, dogs. People stretch out on their blankets and fold out chairs while unloading their assortment of beverages and pot, yes you heard right, from their coolers.  By the way, I really think the name ‘Blues’ is referencing the blue, hazy cloud that was floating over the entire park like an early morning fog.  The bands played for the next several hours and although we couldn’t really see the stage it was okay because the people watching was amazing!! Sitting just 2 blankets over were some ‘maybe’ 18 year olds busting out their bongs and pipes, and directly behind us was a full blown hippie who was high as a kite hula hooping the whole time!  I’ve got to hand it to her she was good and may need to go for the Guinness Book of World Records! It was great and comical!  This was such a fun, relaxing evening with great friends.

Kayaking on Lake Austin

I could get used to this every Sunday morning!  My friend was so nice to invite me along to her parents house which is nestled in an awesome little cove leading into the main portion of Lake Austin.  We took their kayaks for a spin throughout the cover admiring all the amazing houses along the way and we even took on the challenge of the choppy waters of the main lake.  As we're paddling out from the smooth cove with a large family cruiser heading our direction I hear, "I wonder how easy these flip?!.....I guess we're about to find out."  Great news!  We didn't flip, got in a good workout and had a great time being lake rats.

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

Burnet road is one quite different from the rest of Austin.  It feels as though this street is literally freeze framed and all things are set back in the 70s.  Jinny's Little Longhorn Saloon host Chicken Shit Bingo every Sunday and of course, only accepts cash...how else would you gamble on shit?! A group of us decided to partake in this little gambling escapade and were greeted with local stare downs from the weathered old men and women.  As half of us realized we didn't have cash we walked to the bank just down the street only to find that there wasn't an ATM!...1970s, I swear!

Back at the saloon there wasn't a seat left in the house and a line began to form around the pool table.  Everyone made their way through the line with $2 in hand hoping to grab the lucky raffle ticket with the winning/shitting number! How often can you say you won $200 betting where poo would land?  Once all the tickets were purchased (only one per person), corn was drizzled over the BINGO board (a sheet of plywood with sharpie drawn numbered squares) which laid on top of the old pool table covered by a chicken wired cage. Shortly thereafter, Jinny strolled up with one of her many chickens tucked under her arm and started the famous 'Chicken Shit BINGO!' Jinny fed that chunker a whole hot dog bun and it still took him 40 minutes to shit!....metamucil for chickens? Although a little slow to produce, it was absolutely hilarious to watch as everyone became so involved in this chicken especially his backside!  Needless to say, none of us were winners but it was definitely worth the wait.