Journeying to Fredericksburg

On Friday, we drove a leisurely Texas Hill Country backroads ramble through Wimberley to Blanco to Fredericksburg. We sidetracked to so that Michael could see Luckenbach. The town, really just a dancehall, post office and a creek, was made famous by the song Luckenbach, Texas, sung by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson.

Fredericksburg is a town built by German immigrants in the mid-1800s. The town is laid out with precision: Main Street will accommodate a U-turn by a wagon pulled by a team of 16 horses; from the center of town toward the west, the first letter of each street spells out COME BACK; to the east from downtown, the first letter of each street spells WELCOME.

The center of Fredericksburg is the MarketPlatz, and the heart of MarketPlatz is the Vereins Kirche (community church). The Vereins Kirche is now a museum with exhibits focusing on the history of the area and rotating photographic exhibits.

On Saturday morning, we attended the Seventh Annual Renewable Energy Roundup, held at MarketPlatz. It was raining and then the weather turned hot and humid. We walked through the fair, viewing exhibits, asking questions about rainwater harvesting and solar power, and visiting friends.

Across from the MarketPlatz there is an Oak tree that evidently had been damaged by wind or lightening. Rather than cut the tree down, an artisan with a chain saw shaped the damaged tree into a striking sculpture. The base is an eagle and the top two branches are eagles. To the left is a closeup of the bottom of the tree.

When we left the fair, we drove around the historic part of Fredericksburg, but did not take a walking tour as we had planned. It was just too hot!

Above is the Admiral Nimitz Museum, probably the most recognizable landmark in Fredericksburg. There are many historic buildings in the downtown area. Surrounding neighborhoods sport log cabins and homes with gingerbread trim, shake shingles and huge trees. Fredericksburg is a very clean and beautiful town.