Bandera

 

I have mentioned Bandera several times, so I must get down what we liked about it.

It is a small town that seemed to have tried to maintain some of the Old West feel. It was the collecting point for longhorns in the cattle drives to the rail road in Dodge City, Kansas and beyond.  Anyway it still has a feeling of the Old West. Visiting in September would be good, I think, because they have a re-enactment of a cattle drive. Not exactly sure how that would work, but I did find this picture.

Celebrate Bandera 2010

And wouldn't you know, he is riding a longhorn. I wouldn't get within a 100 feet and two fences of those horns.

OUR VISIT

After stopping at the small city square to see the little play, we decided to wander around the central part of town. I found a fabric shop, and Larry high-tailed it off the other direction. (I love shopping with cell phones. We are never together and never apart. Makes for a happy marriage, I think.) Anyway, I couldn't afford their fabric even at 25% off so I headed back out on the street. I spotted Larry headed in a virtual trot in the other direction. He had located the 11th Street Bar, complete with live music and a boatload (bad metaphor?) of Harley riders. Apparently this group of bikers had been on a poker run and this was the end of the run. The bar was open air with tables and a dance floor. It was really cool.

 

Did you know that Harley drivers always hug when they greet each other? I'm way liberal but seeing bearded men in leather jackets hugging, A LOT, was a little off-putting.

 

      That was Bandera. We talked several times about going back to the Friday night dance or the Wednesday night steak night. You bring your own steak or chicken and throw it on their grill. They provide the fixin's. I may try that at home or own the road if we ever get among people again. Sorry to say we didn't make it.

  

      Before we left Medina we visited Kerrville. We went to the museum that concentrates on cowboy art. Another neat experience.

 

            Again these small towns are much better in our opinion than the big towns of Houston and San Antonio. I have to say I would probably prefer to live near the big towns because finding a grocery store out in the country is a 30-mile drive if you are lucky. But for visiting purposes, these small towns have kept their Texas identity. I think that is a good thing.