When my husband and I arrived at
Joshua Springs Park and Preserve in Comfort early in the morning, the park was deserted.
But soon, Junior came trotting along and stayed with us for our entire visit,
hoping for a food hand out.
Junior is a young fawn who was
abandoned right after the preserve opened seven months ago. It's obvious
Junior's been around people as he showed no fear and seemed to prefer our
company to solitude in the brush.
On the other hand, I was looking for
some peace and quiet over spring break, and heading to the small town of
Comfort, right in the heart of the Texas Hill Country, was exactly what I
needed.
Our stay at Meyer Bed and Breakfast
on Cypress Creek was a blissful getaway experience. We stayed in the 1857 Ernestine
Meyer cabin, and we loved walking around the grounds, especially swinging in a
wooden swing on the creek bank, watching the sun go down.
Breakfast was served family style
with everything from pancakes to fresh fruit to home-made bread pudding. Later
in the day, we enjoyed window shopping in downtown Comfort and dinner at the
local mom-and-pop eateries.
One of the areas I wanted to visit
was the Joshua Springs park as I love taking nature photos. We hoped we'd not
only take pictures but also have the chance to spot migrating birds and emerging
wild flowers.
The park has well-groomed walking
trails that meander through gentle hills. Informational signs let visitors know
what types of grasses and flowers grow in the park and the types of frogs and
snakes hiding in the native grasses.
We spent a peaceful morning in the
preserve, and I happened to have a nice conversation with a man heading out to
the pier, fishing pole in hand. He recommended a nearby place for lunch, and we
took him up on his offer, heading out to Po Po's restaurant in Boerne.
Located at the crest of a hill, the
restaurant dates back over 40 years, and we did a double take when we walked in
the front door. Every surface of the inside of the building is adorned with decorative
plates in all shapes and sizes. According to our knowledgeable waiter, there
are over 2,500 plates inside the building, a collection started by the original
owners.
The food was great and we headed
out, tummies full, to visit a few nearby wineries. California's long been known
as the wine capital of the United States, but Texas wines are quickly gaining
on the West Coast and for good reason – the wines are fabulous.
At Singing Waters winery, we spent a
couple of hours sitting underneath some shady live oak trees, enjoying a nice
breeze. We stopped at a small grocery
store on the way back to our room and picked up cheese, summer sausage and crackers
to go with the wine we purchased.
We ended the day back on our
favorite swing, watching a Texas black squirrel explore the live oaks. My mind
kept circling back to Junior. Plans are for this little fawn to be released around a herd of white-tailed deer who should
take him in and teach him how to survive in a world where he belongs.
We can all learn a lesson from
Junior: although it might seem more
comfortable where everything's handed to us, sometimes making our own way in
the world, accompanied by friends, is the best way to go.
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