More Gruene, Because I Can.

Hi

The Gruene River Inn is just down the road from the Red Brick Inn and they are under the same ownership. In fact, if you book a room at the Red Brick Inn you check in and out at the Gruene River Inn and breakfast is served there throughout the week. The Gruene River Inn does not have a great front porch for people watching, but each room has a balcony overlooking the river. It's also a newer hotel so if that appeals to you, you might want to stay there.

My favorite things about the hotel were the little reading nooks.

There were a bunch of these on every floor! A book lover's dream, I tell you!

Or, you could use them to snuggle with your honey:





We went down to the river for a morning walk. It was glorious!



This is when Dale was about to choke me for taking a selfie:

Ok, not really.

Oh, water:


Let's get trippy:



I'm going to say it again, if you are going to Gruene, bring your boots.

Unless it is 100 degrees outside. 

This is the part where I pretend to model for some catalog catering to the 30somethings:



This is Dale thinking of the best way to make my death look like an "accident."


Us.


: )

Red Brick I

Us in front of the Red Brick Inn. Dale needs some sun glasses. 



The Red Brick Inn houses 6 guest rooms, a main lobby, and a fantastic porch complete with rocking chairs for the best people watching.

In the lobby, you will find this little snack tray filled with sweet and salty snacks (free to all guests). I made fun of the snack tray when I first saw it, but was singing it's praises later that evening. Who knew a little debbie white snack cake was the best post concert snack?


Main lobby couch

This is me sitting on the front porch underneath the Vacancy sign. My reflection looks haunted, right? Creeeeeeepy.


The hotel is filled with religious pictures, bibles, and what not.


Which is probably good since Dale needs to brush up on his Bible study. Also, the place is clearly haunted so the pictures of Jesus can't hurt...right?

The Inn has two stories, our room was on the first floor. We went ahead and explored the second floor. I pretended like I was a madame at a whore house in small town, Texas. Yes I was a fan of the movie "The Best Little Whore House in Texas."  It was a childhood favorite. That Dom DeLuise was one funny guy.



We had a claw footed bathtub in our room. Problem is, I'm not trying to take a bath in a hotel tub. I don't know who used  that thing before me. There was a "handheld" shower wand but that was awkward to use as well. This was me taking an imaginary bath:


I leave you with Dale and I making funny faces:






Oh, we will both agree that we would love to stay at this little hotel again. It would be fun to bring a few friends and rent the joint out!

Gruene

I saw my first show at Gruene Hall, y'all!
Gruene Hall was established in 1878 and is Texas' oldest dance hall. I've been to Gruene, Tx and have stood outside of Gruene Hall but I didn't experience a show there until this recent weekend. Dale and I are celebrating our TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY MONTH so when I found out that Patty Griffin (one of our favorite singer songwritters) was playing Gruene Hall, I knew the stars were aligned and it was time to boogie.

I booked us a room at the Red Brick Inn, which is two doors down from the venue. I think we might have been the only guests staying there that night. The hotel was once a home and is old, creepy, filled with antique furniture and strange vibes. It was perfect.
Here is the bathroom:



We didn't have much time to explore the hotel before the show. That was cool, though because I enjoyed the anticipation of unwrapping that package.

So, Gruene hall. What can I say? When they sent us our tickets in the mail, it came with a letter explaining that the hall was "standing room only." But when we entered the building, I was saddened to find that the floor was full of people sitting in metal folding chairs. Those left standing were doing so around the perimeter of the building. Dale and I found a spot that gave us a perfect view of stage right. The sound was not as good as if we were right in the middle of the floor (the sweet spot), but it was good enough.

I wore boots to Gurene hall and that was a wise choice. The wooden floor was made for boots. It was made for stomping and sliding around. We were right in front of a giant fan so we had a cool breeze behind us, Patty in front of us, and friendly people on each side.

Then came the "Delta Bravo's". Some call them "Dude Bros". Some just use the vulgar but accurate term "Douche Bag" to describe the fellas that invaded our space. I may or may not have instigated a bit of an argument that nearly resulted in fisticuffs between the friendly folks beside me and the Dude Bros in front of me. It was entertaining, to say the least. I'll tell you about it in person some time.

Anyway, here is the crowd:


And here is Patty:

She was AMAZING! A true master. All hail Patty Griffin!
There I was, holding a Miller Lite with one hand and my husband's hand with the other. The breeze was on my back and I was stompin' my boots and swaying with the music. Patty's voice filled the room and I was happy. I was present. I was there.


More on the hotel and Gruene, TX in the next post.

Re-Spect WALK (are you talking to me?)

No way punk!
Sorry...I had a bit of a Pantera moment there.

Ahhh, memories.

Now back to the photos:


Dry brush

A fence along my way.



Prints





Bug.

My head sweats like a fountain. The top of my head and my face just pour sweat when I am all worked up from exercise (or heat, or both). My pits stay bone dry. It's ridiculous. Therefore, I carry a lil' sweat rag to mop my brow (and my sweat mustache).




The end.
p.s., Today I have logged 17,217 steps (7.75 miles).
I plan on going on an after dinner walk and hope to log another mile or so. I'm feeling groovy like a damn Brady from the Bunch, yall!

I'm a Walkin', Yes Indeed!

Guess what? The other day I walked a total of 10 miles! Then I did it again the next day, and the next! I don't hit 10 miles every day, but I hit it a few times a week and it excites me. My feet have had a few blisters and my legs are sometime sore but it's all good. I really enjoy getting out there and exploring my neighborhood. I tool several pictures today that I would like to share with you. I'll have to split this up into a few posts. Let's get started, shall we?

I took two walks today. The first one was with the dogs and I only took a few shots. Here they are at the entrance to the trail. The LOVE the trail! 

The trail is full of critters and creatures. The dogs love sniffing around and exploring.

Later in the afternoon, I went out by myself. Here are some of the sights I found entertaining. I hope you like them as well. 

This is the big field by my house. This is where kids play frisbee and dogs run around off leash. 

A random orange on the ground.

I love these little guys

The neighborhood association has done a fabulous job of landscaping.

What kind of tree it this? Juniper? It smells really good, that's all I know for sure.

Where did the rest of this tree go?

zeroscaping done right.

lovely

Do you see the face in this tree?

Ok, that's it for now. More tomorrow.

(Today, I logged 16,034 steps. 7.21 miles.)