Hitting the Trails

It's beautiful, sunny and well, hot here this morning.  Seth and Ella are out taking the dogs for a walk on the trails in our backyard (literally).  I'm getting everything ready for the day ahead.  We have family in town and so of course, we need to show them around our favorite spots in the Hill Country.  We're thinking a little tour of Bell Springs winery followed by a nice evening sipping wine and enjoying the view.

A Sunday hike

Sunday was much cooler than Saturday.  Ella helped her Dad with the garden which culminated in a pre-dinner hike on the trails near our home.  Ella loves this backpack and practically jumped into it when Seth brought it out.  I am so amazed by this child's love for the outdoors and for adventure.  She has no fear which is a good and scary thing for me.  She is going to test the limits of the this helicopter momma.  She's almost outgrown this backpack and I wish it was a forward facing one instead of backward facing so that she can see what's ahead.  She doesn't seem to mind though. Just look at that face!

A hike with the littles

 One of Ella's good friends, Will, came over yesterday for a sleepover while his Dad was out enjoying SXSW.  We did a host of outdoor activities to include flying kites, playing horseshoes (or throwing horseshoes), light saber fights, and a finally a hike on the trails in our backyard.  Obviously, it was a short hike but a fun one as the kiddos loved spotting flowers along the trail which were few and far between.

Pedernales Fall State Park

Pedernales Falls State Park is a beautiful place! The three of us hiked down to the Falls and spent the morning exploring the pebble beaches and rocks.  Ella loved it  - the rushing water, the pebbles, the sand, and watching other kids running around.  After the falls, we hiked the Nature Trail down to Twin Falls which was a nice little peaceful spot especially since we had the trail to ourselves.  After hiking, we drove over to Johnson City for lunch at Pecan Street Brewery & Restaurant.  I had the Pecan Street Chicken, Seth had fish & chips, and we of course we couldn't resist a "sampler" of all their beers.  I highly recommend the Chicken and the Ten Penny Nail Ale.  A nice amber.  We'll definitely have to come  back to the park and to Pecan Street.

Sunshine in January

It was a beautiful Saturday here in the Hill Country.  We grabbed our "pack" and hit the trails in our backyard.  Afterwards, we went to Stanley's Farmhouse Pizza for a late lunch - Caprese Salad, Beatrice Pizza and Lil Heifer with Pepperoni pizza.  Of course, we had to hit Jester King for the beers on tap - Wychtmaker, Mad Meg, and Atrial Rubicite. We spent close to the 3 hours there and Ella had a great time running around with a lot of kids there.  It's such a great thing to have such a wonderful family friendly place a stone's throw from our house.