Skidmarks in Hill Country: An itinerary with little commentary

I went to the Hill Country — Austin, Fredericksburg, Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, Luckenbach and Wimberley — with my old pal Mandy this weekend. We stayed with her sister Rachel and her husband and 3-year-old. Rachel drove us to Enchanted Rock, where Mandy and I watched her sister and toddler son literally run up to the top while we languished halfway. Well, while Mandy languished halfway ... heh heh! Hey, she'd stay back and languish with me if the script was flipped. For a late lunch, we ate at Hondo's in Fredericksburg, a favorite of me and Brian's. Then we stopped off in Luckenbach, of Waylon Jennings fame. I'd never been, but boy does it look like the movie set of an old Western. We made like total tourists and bought t-shirts before heading to Wimberley. I'd barely heard of this hamlet, much less had been there. Oh my ... it's one of the most darling Texas towns I've visited yet. Our purpose was to catch Ratatouille at the Corrall Theater at "dark-thirty," which in this case, was around 9:30 p.m. It, literally, is a rectangle of pasture with a big white surface in front of some rusted folding chairs, some Wal-Mart plastic chairs and some second-hand wooden bleachers. Popcorn was 50 cents. Talk about darling; that was the most unique movie experience I've ever had. After the movie, we drove back to Austin, tired and dirty. After a round of showers, we were DONE.

It's the second time I've visited the area in as many months. It never, ever gets old.