Birthday Cake and Glass Blowing in Wimberley, Flooding in Palmetto State Park, Barrel Racing in Gonzales
March 31, 2007
A mockingbird sang songs of every bird it had ever heard. Kathy fell back to sleep listening to him. So when the horn beeped over and over it seemed in a dream, but she finally realized it was not a dream and woke Will. It was well after 8am. A white pick-up was beeping at us. Will grabbed his pants from the front and the man waved. Will dressed and went out and talked with him; he just wanted us to know we were on private property. Bikers come by and trash the place. He must know somebody because he said the department of transportation had extra blacktop and he asked them to put it here. He was a friendly Hill County fellow. We stayed a while. The mockingbird sat in the tree.
Will saved a turtle, a big oddly shaped turtle from being smashed as it crossed the road. It was the largest wild turtle we have ever seen.
We found a wifi hot spot in Dripping Springs, a pioneer village in Wimberley and a few streets to walk about in Wimberley too. Stopped in the Town Square Café for Will’s birthday lunch then walked down to the Blanco River flowing fast with the last few day rains. We continued along route 12 and stopped again at the
Wimberley Glass Works and watched them blow a glass vase. They first put a colored glass ball on the end of a blowing stick, heat it and work it. Then they collect molten glass on the end of the blowing tube over the colored ball from a special oven that keeps this liquid clear glass. Layer upon layer is added and worked blowing and rolling the piece until they have the shape they want. The ovens are over 2000 degrees and they are constantly putting the end of the tube with the glob of glass on it in and out of the hot ovens. 
To keep the blowing tube cool they put it into a fountain of cool running water. We were told that you have to put the cool part of the tube into the water and work toward the hot area otherwise the heat would move toward the cool area and- HOT hands! The finished piece is put into a cooling oven over night and ready to sell in the morning.
A little background on Wimberley Glass, Jen you will find this interesting: Tim deJong is the owner and head gaffer. He trained at Temple University and worked as co-owner of Carriage House Glass in Philadelphia. Then in 1991 moved out here to Texas and opened his shop.
The bluebonnets were out filling fields. We pulled in to Palmetto State Park. They were fixin to close the park due to flooding on the San Marcos River; the waters are rising a few feet every hour. The refectory and water tower were built by the CCC back in the 1930s. Wildflowers were blooming. We were watching the debris floating down the river when Todd Iboden stopped. He introduced himself as manager of the park; he is the park superintendent. 
He told us that the debris is in the middle when the water is rising; the debris goes to the sides as it slows down. We talked about the building flooding and he shared that the refectory has been completely underwater before.
Gonzales is the town claimed to have been after the Alamo and to have saved Texas. The historic part of town was very distinctive; the county courthouse very unique with towers and a clock. We parked just out of town along the Gudalope River and fixed dinner.
We watched the barrel races at the Arena till well after dark, drove to a historic marker stop and settled into bed.
A mockingbird sang songs of every bird it had ever heard. Kathy fell back to sleep listening to him. So when the horn beeped over and over it seemed in a dream, but she finally realized it was not a dream and woke Will. It was well after 8am. A white pick-up was beeping at us. Will grabbed his pants from the front and the man waved. Will dressed and went out and talked with him; he just wanted us to know we were on private property. Bikers come by and trash the place. He must know somebody because he said the department of transportation had extra blacktop and he asked them to put it here. He was a friendly Hill County fellow. We stayed a while. The mockingbird sat in the tree.Will saved a turtle, a big oddly shaped turtle from being smashed as it crossed the road. It was the largest wild turtle we have ever seen.
We found a wifi hot spot in Dripping Springs, a pioneer village in Wimberley and a few streets to walk about in Wimberley too. Stopped in the Town Square Café for Will’s birthday lunch then walked down to the Blanco River flowing fast with the last few day rains. We continued along route 12 and stopped again at the
Wimberley Glass Works and watched them blow a glass vase. They first put a colored glass ball on the end of a blowing stick, heat it and work it. Then they collect molten glass on the end of the blowing tube over the colored ball from a special oven that keeps this liquid clear glass. Layer upon layer is added and worked blowing and rolling the piece until they have the shape they want. The ovens are over 2000 degrees and they are constantly putting the end of the tube with the glob of glass on it in and out of the hot ovens. 
To keep the blowing tube cool they put it into a fountain of cool running water. We were told that you have to put the cool part of the tube into the water and work toward the hot area otherwise the heat would move toward the cool area and- HOT hands! The finished piece is put into a cooling oven over night and ready to sell in the morning.A little background on Wimberley Glass, Jen you will find this interesting: Tim deJong is the owner and head gaffer. He trained at Temple University and worked as co-owner of Carriage House Glass in Philadelphia. Then in 1991 moved out here to Texas and opened his shop.
The bluebonnets were out filling fields. We pulled in to Palmetto State Park. They were fixin to close the park due to flooding on the San Marcos River; the waters are rising a few feet every hour. The refectory and water tower were built by the CCC back in the 1930s. Wildflowers were blooming. We were watching the debris floating down the river when Todd Iboden stopped. He introduced himself as manager of the park; he is the park superintendent. 
He told us that the debris is in the middle when the water is rising; the debris goes to the sides as it slows down. We talked about the building flooding and he shared that the refectory has been completely underwater before.
Gonzales is the town claimed to have been after the Alamo and to have saved Texas. The historic part of town was very distinctive; the county courthouse very unique with towers and a clock. We parked just out of town along the Gudalope River and fixed dinner.
We watched the barrel races at the Arena till well after dark, drove to a historic marker stop and settled into bed.
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