Wednesday, November 11, 2009 – Veterans Day
Good-bye Bastrop. We unhooked and headed east on Hwy 71 – then south on Rt. 77. The terrain was lovely, rolling hills – tree lined fields – smooth highways – beautiful Texas!
Our destination of Schulenberg, Texas was only 51 miles away, and at 11am we arrived at the Schulenberg RV park – a private park with full hookups, cable TV and WiFi!! There’s no Wal-Mart – just private businesses. We went to the local market , Harlan’s for milk and then to a Germ-an Meat market that makes it’s own sausages. They are very garlicky. Yum!
The weather is sunny, light breeze and 83 in the shade – in other words, perfect. We’re here to see the PAINTED CHURCHES.
Thursday, November 12, 2009 – Schulenberg, TX - another perfect day
This morning we drove the car into the real countryside to see The Painted Churches. There’s a lot of small ranches that raise beef cattle. Each ranch has it’s own little lake and the grass is green. It’s very, very picturesque.
All the churches are active Catholic churches – dating from the late 1800’s and are beautifully maintained. 
| THE PAINTED CHURCHES OF TEXAS |
Cross the threshold of these particular Texas churches and you'll encounter not a simple wooden interior but an unexpected profusion of color. Nearly every surface is covered with bright painting: exuberant murals radiate from the apse, elaborate foliage trails the walls, wooden columns and baseboards shine like polished marble in shades of green and gray. These are the Painted Churches of Texas.
Built by 19th century immigrants to this rough but promising territory, these churches transport the visitor back to a different era, a different way of life. Inscriptions on the walls read not in English, but in the mother tongue of those who built them: German and Czech. The story of these buildings is the story of a people striving to succeed in a new country and still preserve the values and culture of their homelands.
In 1984, 15 of these churches, with their unique style of art, were listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Once taken for granted, the painted churches of Texas, and the people who built them, are now capturing the interest of designers, historians and ordinary tourists, both in Texas and out of state. (The above from the internet.)
Back in Schulenburg, we stopped at the local Bakery and bought 2 cinnamon buns and a loaf of bread. Everyone here sells “kolache” – a small bread roll with various kinds of fillings – very Czech. They even have Kolache festivals here in Texas.
Friday, November 13, 2009 – to Riviera, TX
We took Rt. 77 south – a very pleasant Texas highway. I had heard about this County Park years ago and always had it in the back of my mind to stop someday. I had also heard that there was a good restaurant – so that settled it. Sea Wind RV resort is part of the huge Kleberg County Park that is right on the bay. There’s a fishing pier, beach, huge playgrounds, at the park and the campground has over 160 electric sites. It took about 3 ½ hours and we arrived around noon. We have a nice pull-thru with water & electric and can see the water from our motorhome. Many folks from the north spend the whole winter here, but we’re heading even further south tomorrow. Alamo Palms is another 2 ½ hours away and we’ll arrive there tomorrow (Sat). Then I’ll start another journal.
But first, I must comment on our dinner at the King’s Inn – just 1 ¼ miles from our park. There are no menus – all orders are 1 pound – or with shrimp you can get ½ pound. The tartar sauce is homemade and unlike anything that we have ever had – and absolutely delicious. The salad dressing is another winner. Don had fried oysters and I had ½ pound of fried shrimp (which I couldn’t finish) – we had a salad, a plate of tomatoes and a pound of onion rings. A feast for $40.00. The place was packed – good thing that we got there early!
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