Yesterday was the shopping expedition. For the first time, some of us went and some stayed home. Karen drove, Jennie smoked shotgun and Lucy, Dolores and I sat in the back seat, taking turns sitting in the middle. Nancy was kind of tuckered out from all of yesterday's activity, so uncharacteristically let pass a shopping opportunity. Carol stayed home so as not to spend money.
We went to a town called Gruene (pronounced "green") that is located somewhere between here and San Antonio. We saw cows and shopping centers en route--including an outlet center we resolved to hit on the way home.
Gruene proved worth the trip for it's several old buildings dating from the 1800s. Karen is particularly fond of Gruene Hall--still a dance hall and saloon. Jennie found some must-have chatchkas--a couple of cobalt blue glass items and a couple of horses (plastic, not live) for her collection. Karen found some gifts for friends and Susie bought a pair of silly/glamorous sunglasses. We went to a wine tasting where Jennie bought some wine in a cobalt blue bottle--little concerned with the taste of the beverage because the bottle when empty will become part of her collection of cobalt blue.
We ate lunch at the Gristmill which occupies the 1870s cotton gin on the river. It is a picturesque maze of indoor, outdoor dining areas. Comfortably installed at an outdoor table, we had just begun to munch on the delicious onion rings and sip on the first round of margaritas, when rain drops began to fall. We tried huddling under the umbrella, but as the rained gained in intensity, and after our umbrella was overturned by a sudden gust, we reluctantly decided to head indoors, but not before the rain had reached the level of a full scale flash flood type of downpour. We made a dash for shelter--a moment of high adventure during an otherwise uneventful meal--and resumed dining at a dry table--not dry in the non-alcoholic sense--it just wasn't raining inside.
After lunch we hit a few more shops and on the way home did stop at an outlet mall.
Meanwhile back at the ranch, Carol and Nancy enjoyed a hearty not so healthy lunch of burgers and fries. They watched game shows and napped.
Dinner was El Camino Real Tex mex food. Good but a little spicy.
Early to bed, exhaustion set in.
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