Away for the Day in Serbin, TX

The weather forecast showed a big possibility for rain yesterday for the Wendish Festival due to a cold front trying to make its way through, but we decided to head out anyway.  Rather than going all the way to Bastrop on the way out, we took the lower route through Lockhart, up 20 to 535 and over to the western outskirts of Smithville where we caught 95 to 153, then north on 2104 to 2239 and on into Serbin.

There were already a lot of festival goers there by the time we arrived around 11:15.   And it looked like most of them were in the covered pavilion feasting on sausage, sauerkraut, noodles, green beans, sliced beets, pickles, peaches and bread.  Desserts were in addition to the $9 ticket plate price and we joined the line and began filling our plates. We found two seats at the end of a table and I asked the man across from me where he was from.  Turns out he was from Georgetown and came especially for the food.  He was finishing up his plate and eyeing his piece of chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.  I asked him if it met his expectations as he finished the last crumb.  "More than", he said with a grin as he prepared to amble off.  His place was taken by a couple from La Grange who were veteran church picnic travelers and she filled us in on the noodles that.,"Used to be larger, flatter and  yellower with egg."  That's how we got into talking about food; canning, making jam and putting up stuff from the garden.  I said we had made prickly pear jelly and she said she had to tell us her story about her neighbor and his cows.  She was at his place one day and he was using his torch to burn the thorns off a bunch of prickly pears.  His cows knew exactly what he was doing and they circled around waiting.  When finished, he invited them to have at the pears and pads which they seemed to relish.  After a bit, he told her to watch as he made a loud noise and they all looked up with big circles of red around their snouts like badly smeared lipstick.

     Next we checked out the vintage vehicles, antique tools and kitchen wares and stopped to watch the men working at the forge.  The women inside one of the buildings were demonstrating the various methods of egg decoration like scratching and batiking.  And this year there were some from Germany in colors in addition to the blue and white designs that I began collecting.  And I couldn't resist adding number 4 to the 3 I already have.  That guarantees a visit again next year as an odd number is always better for a display.

     We visited the museum and I was hoping to see the woman who does the bobbin lace and her husband who makes rope, but we were told that some of the demonstrators didn't make it because of the weather.  We never found the noodle makers either or Granny with her hand-churned ice cream.

     After a visit to the church, thankfully driven by golf cart and a few drops of rain, we decided to start wending our way back home.  We took 2239 back the way we had come but instead of taking 2106, we opted to take the back roads described above at the end of Away for the Day in Moulton.   Some of them were gravel and we were so glad the rain held off till we got to Bastrop where it poured. We stayed on the 150/ 21 Loop Rd to its western end and pulled into a space right outside Coffee Dog's door.  Inside two cups of Bastrop Pines Roaster's Bold was especially good with a shared cinnamon scone.

     Continuing southwest on 21 for San Marcos, we watched the weather as it produced an incredible-looking sky that looked like a perfect 'Blue Norther'; a dark blue-gray curtain with a lighter layer above.  As it swept toward us we were engulfed in a torrential downpour and temperatures lowered into the upper 70s.  We hadn't seen anything that dramatic in years so it was a complete surprise to look at the radar when we got home to see that all the storm activity was still churning up from the Gulf and the 'norther' was apparently still to come.

Away for the Day in Moulton, TX

This past Sunday found us heading south to Czech country and a church picnic in Moulton.  We had been to picnics in Halletsville, Flatonia, Shiner and Praha before but never to a Moulton picnic so we consulted The Roads of Texas and found 1680 off of I-10 a few miles past Waelder.  Looked for it after passing the exit for 97 and whizzed right over it.  No exit.  So we got off at 90 and took it into Flatonia where we turned south on 95.  Next time we’ll check the state map for interstate access.

We still made St. Joseph’s KC Hall in little over an hour and a half and were directed into a great parking spot in the well-mowed field.  On the way to the entrance, we noted the auction items, the plant walk (similar to a cake walk), bingo tent and outdoor bandstand.  Besides the food, there was a silent auction and another bandstand inside.  They had begun serving lunch at 10:30 and there was no line at 10:50 so we moved right down the table and helped ourselves to beef stew (stew meat and gravy), smashed potatoes, green beans, sauerkraut, pickles and white bread.  At the end of the table, two women added our choice of white or dark crispy fried chicken and urged us to have two. Just beyond was the dessert table which the ladies of the church had filled with a huge selection of sweets.  Some iced tea and we were set to break all records for eating the most calories in one meal.  I was trying to remember the last time I had fried chicken and realized it was at one of these picnics years ago.  It was as good as I remembered.

We found a seat and quizzed a local as to why there were towns in the area on the county map named Old Moulton and Old Flatonia.  As suspected it was because the old towns moved when the railroad came through and nothing is left of them now.  He left and a couple from High Hill (north of Schulenburg) took his place.  Their church is one of the Painted Churches and has recently undergone a restoration we were told and in the process some old German writing was uncovered.  They had their picnic not long ago and we had hoped to attend it because the church looked so lovely on the internet, but we weren’t able to make it after all.  Next year for sure.

As we left the hall, we passed the silent auction and the bandstand where the band was setting up for dancing which would start at 1:00.  Outside we investigated the huge selection of auction items including handmade quilts, afghans, preserves, donations from local merchants, décor items and even a large, older, very well preserved John Deere tractor.  A truck trailing two huge fans was pulled up by the seating creating a delicious breeze to cool the auction's participants later.  Meanwhile the Plant Walk was still pulling in customers, the caller was barking out letters and numbers and the outside band was playing and singing in Czech.  And a man was looking at his wife’s plant win and saying “Ve don need any more flo-wers,”  in his charming accented English.  An enjoyable day spent with the folks in the Moulton area.  

And next Sunday 9-25-16 will be the Texas Wendish Heritage Society’s Festival in Serbin (SW of Giddings on 2239).  Check out all the events at texaswendish.org.  This festival includes a dinner, all day music and demonstrations of all sorts artisan crafts like egg decorating, noodle, sausage, rope, lace and wine making as well as spinning, quilting, blacksmithing and more.  There is also a museum with fascinating facts about the Wendish people and tours of their painted church.  Also note all the children’s activities, and for vintage buffs a 1926 fire truck, farm equipment and classic autos.  Serbin is 68.3 miles from San Marcos and it takes approximately 1 hr. 35 mins. with no traffic to get there.

If you go and decide to take the back roads from Bastrop and a cuppa and scone sounds good, get off at Loop 150, go under 21 and see a strip shopping center on your right.  Coffee Dog is located there at 49 Loop 150 which will be easy to see.  When finished continue on 150 and go straight ahead to P1 when 21 turns north.  Turn left on P1 (park road) and continue while looking for Gottier Rd.  Turn left on it. It will be joined by Mink Rd. after about 8-10 miles which next will turn into Fredich Rd.  Mink Rd. will turn south, but stay on Fredich Rd., cross over 2104 and in 1.7 Mi. join 2239 at the county line which will take you into Serbin.