We headed out early for our flight to Austin, by way of Atlanta. Arrived in Austin in early afternoon, found our luggage, and picked up rental car – which was a strange little critter decked out in the colors of the University of Texas. It’s for sure that we won’t lose this one in a parking lot. After a half-dozen wrong turns, we finally arrived at Marbridge and got settled in.
Marbridge (http://www.marbridge.org/) is a special place that provides residential care, education and training for adults with cognitive challenges. Founded in 1953 by Ed and Marge Bridges, Marbridge began as a small working ranch for young men with cognitive disorders. Marbridge offers training structured around the idea that adults with cognitive disorders can learn skills that help them build self-esteem and be contributing members of the community.
An old Wheeler family friend, Bob Fullbright, is President /CEO of Marbridge, which is also the home of his younger sister, Mary Lynn. The first order of business was to head over to the nursing home to say hello to Mary Lynn. She was happy to see us!
We all piled into Bob's car and headed to the nearby town of Driftwood, home of Salt Lick Barbecue (http://www.saltlickbbq.com/). Salt Lick has been around since 1967, opened as a restaurant on the ranch where the owenr was born and raised. We checked out the pit and tried it all - beef brisket, sausage, and pork ribs. It was really good, but (little did we know) the best was yet to come.
Saturday, May 3
This morning, Bob gave us the grand tour of Marbridge – from the nursing home to the Ranch (assisted living) to the Village (independent living). The highlight of tour was the new construction – the “new” village is going to be beautiful.
And then … we were off to the Hill Country, the middle of Texas, home to rolling hills and fields of wildflowers. Our major ambition for today was to check out a barbecue place that Bob claims is better than Salt Lick. This outing took us northwest of Austin to the little town of Llano, home of Cooper’s Barbecue (http://www.coopersbbq.com/).
What a spot! We were surrounded by folks from a nearby gathering of bikers – a little local color while we waited in line for our turn to taste the stuff billed as the best barbecue in the Texas Hill Country.
At last, it was our turn at the pit, where we picked out the main course – pork ribs, beef ribs, beef brisket, chicken, sirloin steak, smoked sausage, and the famous “big chop,” a 2-inch thick juicy pork chop. From there, we headed inside to have the meat weighed, to pick up some side dishes and find a table. The food was delicious – Bob was right – it’s even better than Salt Lick.
After lunch, we took the long way home. We stopped to get a closer look at some of the famous Texas wildflowers, including some late blooming bluebonnets.
We also stopped by the Enchanted Rock State Natural Area. The Rock is a huge, pink granite exfoliation dome, which rises 425 feet above ground and covers 640 acres. It has special meaning in the history of local Indian tribes – it is said to have been the site of human sacrifices. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/enchanted_rock/
From there we headed to Fredericksburg, a picturesque town first settled by German farmers in 1846. Many older buildings retain traditional German styles. There’s been lots of restoration and preservation in Fredericksburg – it’s a very pretty little town.
Heading back to Marbridge, we drove through Stonewall, home of the LBJ Ranch and the LBJ National Historic Park (http://www.nps.gov/lyjo/). The 600-acre ranch rests along the banks of the Pedernales River – the Johnson birthplace has been restored and is open for tours. The road home also took us through Johnson City, location of LBJ’s boyhood home (http://www.nps.gov/lyjo/planyourvisit/boyhoodhome.htm).Sunday, May 4
Today we headed over to the little town of Buda, where we finally got a good look at some longhorn cows.
We went to check out Cabela’s (http://www.cabelas.com/retail-2/retailStores_buda--buda_h.shtml). This is one huge store – about 185,000 square feet. Of course, there’s plenty of merchandise, but the animal exhibits and aquarium make it worth the trip.When we got back to Marbridge, we went to see Mary Lynn and took her for a walk – to see the horses that are used in equine therapy. They’re pretty good therapy even for a non-rider.
Late in the afternoon, we drove into Austin for a look at the world-famous bats living under the Congress Avenue Bridge. Austin is home to one of the largest urban bat populations in North America. More than 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats have taken up residence under the Congress Avenue Bridge over Town Lake. Each evening, they emerge to eat up to 15 tons of insects. It’s a spectacle – we were joined by quite a crowd under, around and on top of the bridge.
Monday, May 5
Today we left Bob to get a little work done – we jumped into our little orange car and headed south to San Antonio. This city’s old-Spanish flavor, multicultural heritage and parks and plazas make it a very picturesque place to visit. We were lucky to get an early check-in at the Drury Hotel, so we parked the car and set out to explore.
We walked over to the Alamo, wandered around and soaked up the history. We heard all about the 189 valiant defenders who died at the hands of 4,000 Mexican troops under Santa Ana. Everyone knows about Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie, but seven of those who died, including William Travis, were from South Carolina.
The Alamo was originally a mission, a much larger complex than the few buildings left standing in the middle of downtown San Antonio. Today, the Daughters of the Republic of Texas are responsible for the care, maintenance and preservation of the Alamo.
We went to the RiverCenter to the IMAX theatre to watch “The Alamo – The Price of Freedom.” It’s a dramatic story to start with, but it’s overwhelming on the giant screen.
From there, we hopped on a boat for a “guided tour” of the Riverwalk. The “Paseo del Rio” is a 3-mile long city park that borders both sides of the San Antonio River through the heart of the city. It’s bordered by shops and hotels and restaurants, with beautiful foliage plants and flowers everywhere. Our guide pointed out the highlights.And then we walked and walked – u
p, down and around
the Riverwalk.
We went into La Villita (http://www.lavillita.com/) – the original heart of San Antonio. It’s now one square block of galleries, shops and restaurants, though not much was happening on this Monday afternoon.
Finally, Fran’s favorite spot – Boudro’s Texas Bistro (http://www.boudros.com/boudros/), home of the pink prickly pear margarita. As recommended by Southern Living, we ordered a couple of margaritas and the house special guacamole salad. The salad was made to order right at our table – and we cleaned up every bite of it.
Tuesday, May 6
Heading back to Marbridge, we took a roundabout route, via the town of Blanco to pick up the Devil’s Backbone Scenic Drive. We arrived in San Marcos in time for lunch and then walked around the biggest outlet shopping center we’ve ever seen. Back at the ranch, Bob took us to a new Tex-Mex restaurant where the food was hot, hot, hot!Wednesday, May 7
This morning, we joined one of the Marbridge staff (Jana) giving a presentation and tour to several representatives of the state Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services. It was clear that they were impressed by what they heard and saw. As we walked around the campus, lots of residents came up to speak – they all wanted to wish Jana happy birthday. After the grand tour, we joined Bob for lunch in the “diner” at the Mabee Village – good food!
After lunch, it was worktime – we did a three-hour grants workshop for some of the Marbridge staff. Hopefully this will help them bring in some of the money needed to finish the planned construction and fund more programs and services for the residents.
Dale Simmons (VP for Development) joined us for dinner – a nice outing to the Oasis restaurant on Lake Travis. We had dinner on the deck facing west – in hopes of a spectacular sunset over the lake. The clouds took care of the sunset, but the dinner was excellent.Thursday, May 8
This morning we sat in on Mary Lynn’s quarterly assessment – nursing, dietary, social work and recreation therapy staff all agreed that she was doing well. Good news for our last visit with Mary Lynn – and we’re off to the airport.
