March 12 Tina and Al. Fredericksburg/LBJ/Picnic

Wed Mar/12  Tina and Al. Fredericksburg/LBJ/Picnic
So our friends Al and Tina arrived quite late, tired but still with enough energy (or maybe the frustrations of the trip) left for a drink. It was a late night but so great to have them here safe and sound... looking forward to a week of fun, sun and sightseeing.

First stop on the tour

In the morning, after breakfast, we figured we could make it to Fredericksburg, LBJ ranch and have a picnic lunch at the Becker Vineyards winery. Quick gathering of lunchy type food and off we went. We stopped at the LBJ ranch first for a drive through, stopping briefly at the info-centre and at each 'point of interest', listening  to the driving guide CD narration as we proceeded through the ranch. The audio narration included anecdotes from the Johnson family (including LBJ himself, his daughter). It added a great deal to the experience and allowed the imagination to wander back to when the Johnsons lived here.  We also checked out the burial grounds of the Johnson family, including the gravestones of LBJ and Ladybird. We were once again very taken with the ranch. To have lived on this ranch, must have been a truly authentic and awesome experience. The land is wide open, with herds of Bison, Longhorn cattle and Herefords in beautifully healthy condition. Also a plethora of wild animals and birds.. especially deer and antelope. 

Ladybird and LBJ grave-site and other family.

Cheers guys... Picnic lunch 'par-excellence'

After leaving LBJ ranch we headed, hungry, to the Becker Winery, which was mobbed with people in the tasting room, so we skipped the tasting and opted to buy a nice bottle of Merlot and sit outside in the grounds of the Winery for our picnic in the sun, even though it was a bit chilly it was such a lovely experience. Sausage, cheese, bagels, tomatoes, a glass of good wine and the company of good friends... it doesn't get any better than this. We have been to this winery before, and love the location, but Derek and I may take a day out to visit more of the many wineries in the area. Texas has some great local wine... who knew???!!!! After our lovely lunch we headed in to Fredericksburg for a walk through town. Again very busy (March Break), but fun to browse the interesting stores and tasting some hot Texas sauces. We bought some raspberry mustard sauce for dipping. Having had a light lunch we were hungry and headed to Randall's for some steak, mushrooms and onions. 
Unfortunately our BBQ just wouldn't heat up enough, but thankfully we had an expert 'closer' with us and Al  rose to the challenge.  The result was DELICIOUS. The meat was AAA Angus beef and the taste was heavenly. Between three of us we managed to eat only 11/2  of the three large steaks we bought (he sliced them) ...leftovers tomorrow!! A perfect end to a perfect day.