A Springtime Outing

Last weekend Lovey and I took a road trip down the highway towards Waco.  It was a lovely day and was perfect for mixing pleasure and business.

Our first stop was at Burgundy Pasture Beef Boucherie for a burger.  Sorry I didn't get any photos.  The minute we pulled into the parking lot I began salivating and foaming at the mouth and completely forgot everything except getting in there and gettting my burger.  It is family owned and they fire up their grill several days a week.  Seeing that it is a little over 50 miles south of where we live we don't get down here too often.

This is such a great place.  They raise their own 100% grass fed beef, pork and lamb.  The animals are raised holistically in pastures with no hormones, antibiotics, grain feeding or any other artificial circumstance.  They use no herbicides, pesticides or synthetic fertilizers on their pastures.  All the meats are cut and packaged at The Burgundy Boucherie - with the USDA stamp of approval.  Then they make us hamburgers (actually 3 - we half the 2nd one). 

Their cuts of meat having been appearing on menus of Fort Worth and Dallas restaurants.

Tummies full, we roll back in the car and head for Homestead Heritage Crafts Village north of Waco on a 510-acre homesteading community.  They have blacksmithing, woodworking, pottery, a gristmill, fiber crafts, a great gift barn and a café and bakery.  The coolest thing there is The Ploughshare, which is an institute for sustainable culture where they teach you all sorts of agricultrual skills like raising bees, cattle or chicken to mention a few.   They'll also teach you how to build furniture and spin cotton, flax and wool then weave your yarn into all sorts of things.  That's just touching the surface.

Lovey had some business at the forge and the woodworking building so I walked around the property and enjoyed the beautiful weather. 

The wildflowers were in bloom.

Indian Paint Brushes

Bluebonnets

Love the Texas Bluebonnets.  They're my favorite.


Evening Primrose


California Poppies

I spent a little time and money at the Grist Mill.

  

You can watch them grind the red wheat.  Even though these people are hard at work they are so willing to share their knowledge with you.  On a past visit they were nice enough to walk us through the whole process.

You can buy the whole grains or purchase the meals and flours ready to use.  I usually buy their pecan waffle mix which is tasty, tasty, tasty.

 

I sauntered over to the Forge to see how Lovey was coming along.  It's really warm in there.

Partly because of this.

The bellows

Tools of the trade

One of the anvils in the shop

Our last bit of business was at the woodworking shop

We watched this demonstration on making dovetail joints

You can take several woodworking classes and make your own rocker, like this.

When I come here I dream of living like this; I'd work in the grist mill and raise bees.  But my life is back up the highway; with Lovey and an office in a high-rise.