Camping, Princess Style

[kayb]

Liquor law reflections...Tennessee lowered its drinking age to 18 the year I turned 18 (1973), in light of the fact it didn't seem right that  you could not buy a beer although you were old enough to go to Vietnam and get shot at. It stayed that way for several years, and the was raised back to 21. In all practicality, it did not matter, as anyone with access to a vehicle could drive around back at the Oasis juke joint, where beer was sold out the back door on the premise that if you were old enough to drive, you could buy beer, the Oasis being owned by the sheriff's brother.

 

I was intrigued when I visited Japan to find beer for sale in vending machines at hotels and on streetcorners. We wondered if there was a minimum drinking age. There was, our hosts assured us: it was 20. Then how, we wondered, did they keep teens from buying beer? Shocked looks ensued. "It's against the law." Oh. OK. Well, all righty, then.

 

Re: drive-through liquor store: We have drive-up windows, as well as "beer barns," where you drive through and pop your trunk if you're buying in case quantities. However, Louisiana has us beat, with drive-up daquiri stands.

[Smithy]

We had dinner from Cooper's again last night.

 

 

This time, although there still wasn't the line I'd expected, the serving pit had an excellent selection of its meats.

 

 

The pit gents were happy to let me photograph them, too. One of them is holding the brisket I'd just selected on a tray, ready to be weighed and paid for.

 

 

Inside, they have a lot of sides: macaroni and cheese, for instance, and desserts.

 

 

I settled for the brisket, and larger containers of the cole slaw and potato salad. And beans and bbq sauce, of course.

 

 

I'm sure the leftovers will go into sandwiches, just as some of the ribs from the night before did for yesterday's lunch.

 

 

 

Edited November 7, 2019 by Smithy
Rotated a photo (log)

[Smithy]

3 minutes ago, kayb said:

Then how, we wondered, did they keep teens from buying beer? Shocked looks ensued. "It's against the law." Oh. OK. Well, all righty, then.

 

 Naiveté, or is their culture that different than ours? Thanks for that story!

[kayb]

It's that different. Astounding regard for the law and convention. 

 

I would note that regard lapses somewhat when they relocate here, if the number of speeding tickets I had to get fixed for a Japanese plant manager who bought a Porsche was any indication.

 

[rotuts]

how are you charged ?

 

meat by weight ?

 

he rest by volume ?

 

looks like a fine place 

 

do you leave the RV some ware and getr there on a smaller

 

vehicle ?

[rotuts]

PS went to their website :

 

http://www.coopersbbq.com

 

http://coopersbbqfortworth.com/menu/

 

I don't recommend this if you are hungry.....

 

this might mike your  ( i.e. my ) OK dinner 

 

look really really bad.

 

 

Edited November 7, 2019 by rotuts (log)

[Smithy]

1 minute ago, rotuts said:

how are you charged ?

 

meat by weight ?

 

he rest by volume ?

 

looks like a fine place 

 

do you leave the RV some ware and getr there on a smaller

 

vehicle ?

 

Yes, exactly. Meat is by weight, the sides that I haven't ordered I'm not sure about (weight or volume) but the potato salad and slaw are by volume. $2.89 for a small container (probably a half-pint) and $9.00 for a quart.

 

The place is 4 blocks away: easy walking distance for me, not so much so for my darling, who is suffering gout attacks. We have a side-by-side 4-wheeler (Polaris Rzr 800, for anyone who wants to look it up) that we use for the trip. Here are the boys, waiting for me to come back with the food.

 

 

This Rzr is the thing that occupies much of the "garage" in the Princessmobile when we're traveling, although we also carry a bike for me and a recumbent trike for him. And coolers full of dry goods. And a bunch of stuff that isn't related to food....

[Smithy]

I haven't been terribly interested in beer lately, for some strange reason, but felt obligated to buy a 6-pack of Lone Star Beer since we're in Texas. It's a light lager, with (in my current mood) not a heck of a lot of character, but it does have those fun rebus bottle caps. Here's the first one I opened, and I thought it pretty easy. What do you get? 

 

 

The second one took me a bit longer and, to be honest, this magnified picture to make out what I was seeing.

 

 

[rotuts]

i got the second one right a way i think

 

will digesting the first.

 

pls dont spoon it for others

 

Ive PM's @Smithy

 

w # 2

[ElsieD]

Having had gout a few times, please tell your husband I really do feel his pain.

[blue_dolphin]

I also got the 2nd rebus easily.  Can't quite figure what the first one is though.

[Smithy]

Just now, blue_dolphin said:

I also got the 2nd rebus easily.  Can't quite figure what the first one is though.

 

The image is slightly rotated. I didn't take it that was on purpose, but when I saw it I thought it might make the rebus slightly more difficult.

[Porthos]

13 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

If only I had a vehicle.

 

And a lot of  money for gas.

[blue_dolphin]

18 minutes ago, Smithy said:

 

The image is slightly rotated. I didn't take it that was on purpose, but when I saw it I thought it might make the rebus slightly more difficult.

 

Looks like a bean pod with chunks of charcoal inside

[rotuts]

Id like to day this

 

briefly

 

I was going a tiny bit Nuts

 

nothing new here 

 

so I gave up

 

and looked it up

 

please don't to this your self(s)

 

unless you are 

 

 

"" Tossing and Turning All Night  "

 

itrs right here :

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=ghFBvBmXv4E

 

and just to review and putt this in

 

Perspective :

 

MR  didn't help me !

 

Edited November 7, 2019 by rotuts (log)

[rotuts]

based on the solution I looked up

 

Id like to file a Protest 

 

to the Entire State Od Texas

 

not to any BBQ establishment 

 

No No No

 

there are other things ,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

so I am now on record.

 

Best of Luck to Me !

Edited November 7, 2019 by rotuts (log)

[Shelby]

Got the first puzzle, stuck on the second.  

[hongda]

5 hours ago, kayb said:

I was intrigued when I visited Japan to find beer for sale in vending machines at hotels and on streetcorners. We wondered if there was a minimum drinking age. There was, our hosts assured us: it was 20. Then how, we wondered, did they keep teens from buying beer? Shocked looks ensued. "It's against the law." Oh. OK. Well, all righty, then.

 

Re: drive-through liquor store: We have drive-up windows, as well as "beer barns," where you drive through and pop your trunk if you're buying in case quantities. However, Louisiana has us beat, with drive-up daquiri stands.

 

 

Reminds me of the podcast regarding how Ruth Bader Ginsburg used a case regarding frat boys trying to buy beer to fight gender discrimination.

 

https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolabmoreperfect/episodes/sex-appeal

 

 

 

[Margaret Pilgrim]

We lived in Texas for 3 years due to a command performance.    It was a shock, but enriching.    Temps from -8 to +108.    Mexico a half hour away.    Civic pride.    Wonderful associations with similar aged similar command performance people.    As my mother said at the time, without this, we would have stayed in the same place surrounded by the same people with the same ideas and minds.   She was right.   I would never trade.

[Smithy]

4 minutes ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

We lived in Texas for 3 years due to a command performance.    It was a shock, but enriching.    Temps from -8 to +108.    Mexico a half hour away.    Civic pride.    Wonderful associations with similar aged similar command performance people.    As my mother said at the time, without this, we would have stayed in the same place surrounded by the same people with the same ideas and minds.   She was right.   I would never trade.

 

Yes. It's an interesting state with interesting contrasts and lovely people. I have learned a lot about not prejudging people and places by what I read in the newspapers!

[Smithy]

There really are other places to eat in Llano besides Cooper's, and several of them are within the same radius from our glamping spot. There's a wood-fired pizza joint (only open on weekends) just down the road. There's a burger joint that advertises fried catfish on Friday nights. And there's Badu 1891, a guest house and restaurant in a beautiful old stone building, about the same distance as Cooper's. Here's their menu. It's a bit more upscale than my darling prefers, but I had him talked into their Thursday night burger-and-beer special. I was looking forward to trying some of their starters or small bites. In particular, one plate includes burrata. I read an article a month or two ago about making your own burrata, bought the supplies, ran out of time and made all that milk into yogurt just before our trip. The fact is, I've never seen or tasted burrata! This would have been my chance to try it.

 

I put all this in the past tense because it turned cold and stormy yesterday, and my darling refused to budge from the warmth of the trailer once evening set in. Back to Cooper's I went, for more takeout. (Yes, we have leftovers. Yes, I could have cooked something else. Neither was my preference.) I looked in vain for beef ribs, but they were already out. I chose instead some pork ribs, a sample of very rare sirloin steak, and green beans.

 

 

 

I liked it all. The green beans had a nice toothsome texture: neither mushy nor crunchy. The seasonings smelled a little odd when I got the beans home, and I worried about what flavor went with it. I need not have worried. I think the garlic, and possibly the seasonings they use in their bacon, accounted for the unexpected aroma. Whatever the source, the final outcome was good.

 

My darling was less than impressed with everything, unfortunately. He has very specific ideas about how pork should be cooked, and these ribs didn't live up to his ideas. Some Jack Daniels #7 barbecue sauce might have helped, but it was in the refrigerator and would have taken more time to warm up than either of us cared to give. He refused to even try the sirloin. I think he must have simply been grumpy from the weather!

 

Tonight is our last night in Llano. If I opt for Cooper's one more time, I'll ask them to set aside some beef ribs for us. Maybe Badu 1891 does takeout.

 

Here's another Lone Star rebus. My intent, unless someone asks otherwise, is to give the answers after we've left the area and are done with this six-pack.

 

[Smithy]

Here are two more Lone Star rebuses from last night...we're down to a single bottle now. 

 

 

 

 

[Smithy]

We have to go to a grocery store later to restock on a few things, most critically the fruit he likes to make his cereal palatable. I decided to make brunch using some of our leftover pinto beans, along with eggs and some tortillas left over from, oh, I think the last time we were in Texas. (Why those things didn't rot, when they claimed to have no preservatives, is a mystery.) My vision was along the lines of shakshuka, using the pinto beans to heat and cook the eggs. The eggs came out slightly more done than we'd have liked, but overall it wasn't bad. He thought it needed salsa (present but not shown on the table) and I thought it needed sour cream (ditto). I've finally finished off those tortillas!

 

 

[Smithy]

In April, 2018 I wrote about the improvements being made to this park. A delightful "splash pad" was up and running for children, and the shrieks of laughter coming from the water fountains and the pavilion were a pleasure.

 

 

Looking in the other direction, we could see and enjoy the extensive Disk Golf course that had been set up for the older set of park-goers. The high school students who came down here had a great time trying to play the game, and we had fun watching them.

 

 

Then came the flood of Autumn 2018. The Llano River rose to within a couple of feet of the bridge that joins the two halves of the town, and wiped out the park. The campground and park were closed due to extensive damage. The two new attractions were scrubbed from the park. All that is left of the Disk Golf course is a few signs and a launch pad or two.

 

 

The pavilion is there, but the Splash Pad has to be completely rebuilt and the debris from electrical and plumbing wreckage is still there.

 

 

Nonetheless, they persist. I haven't found out the plans, much less the schedule, for rebuilding, but the park is being rebuilt...witness the rebuilt RV park, which was still a work in progress when we visited last spring.

 

One of Llano's regular events is a "Starry, Starry Night" festival that begins the day after Thanksgiving and goes through the holidays. We won't be here to see it, but I think it would be fun. The decorations are starting to go up: archways defining the path toward and along the water, and decorations showing things like "Santa's Workshop", a "Snowflake Express" train, a cowboy sitting by a campfire, Santa fishing. Everything is wound or made of the LED lighting that comes in multicolored strings.

 

 

This is a lovely town.

[DesertTinker]

On 11/6/2019 at 8:30 AM, Smithy said:

We have room! For a few days, we're opened out and staying in one spot!  

 

 

So, who plays what?  I see a violin(?) in the top right pic, and a guitar in the lower left pic. I might have missed it, but I don’t think I have seen mention of either of you playing an instrument.