We were surprised with a visit over New Years from our friends, Bill & Becky, from Pennsylvania. On New Years day we took them to the little German town north of us called Fredericksburg. A lot of the shops were closed but we were able to see the Christmas Pyramid in the park in the center of town. This is a traditional German decoration with its roots in the Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains) of Germany and is believed by many to be the predecessor of the Christmas Tree. This pyramid was hand crafted in Germany and dedicated in Fredericksburg in November, 2009.
Leaving Fredericksburg, we drove over to the town of Luckenbach, made famous by Willie Nelson and Waylan Jennings in the song that says "Let's go to Luckenbach, Texas, with Waylan and Willie and the boys..."
Luckenbach is an out of the way hill country hamlet preserving a rich piece of Texas history representing the periods of the 1880's, 1920's, and 40's - providing entertainment while promoting music, history, folklore and humor. This building was the U.S. Post Office from 1850 to 1971.
Luckenbach was established as a Trading Post in 1849 and now consists of a Dance Hall, Beer Joint and General Store on 10 acres surrounded by huge oak trees and two creeks.
Luckenbuck became a favorite of Texas entertainers after the late folk humorist, Hondo Crouch bought the place in 1970. In 1971 Luckenbach hosted the 1st (and 35 thereafter) HELL-HATH-NO-FURY LADIES STATE CHILI CHAMPIONSHIP.
The summer of 1973 Luckenbach held its 1st Great World's Fair. But it was Willie Nelson and Waylan Jennings who brought Luckenbach to its ultimate worldwide fame with their hit song "Luckenbach, Texas", # 1 on the Country Charts for 6 weeks!
On Saturday we went to San Antonio. This is a night picture of the Alamo. The beautiful blue tree is in the Alamo Square.
Of course we took a walk along the River Walk and enjoyed the thousands of beautiful lights. We didn't realize the the Alamodome had a bowl game that night until we got here. It was packed with football fans and there was a 45 minute wait at the restaurants so we opted to get a bite to eat on the way back to Kerrville. There were horses and carriages lining the streets, all decorated with Christmas lights. San Antonio goes all out for Christmas. What a beautiful city.
Finally it was time for Bill and Becky to head west to Mesa, AZ where they will be spending the winter with their son. Bill was hauling their motorcycle in the trailer and they are hoping for lots of good weather this winter to enjoy their bike. Happy trails and safe travels.
