My favorite Care Client and I spent Friday outside and roaming around the Texas Hill Country. My “job” is to be her companion, help with simple tasks and keep her safe. She gets lost in her mind and can easily get lost in the world. Mostly we have fun together. She is a person of means with a wonderful, cheerful outlook on life, in spite of the fact that she’s widowed and well aware of her apparently inevitable cognitive decline. She’s a blessing to me. A gift from spirit.

One thing I’ve learned about my anonymous friend is that she loves to go outside and experience new things. She’s very much like my late mother that way. Being out and about invigorates her. Her cognitive ability always rises to the occassion. Today was no different. I presented two choices this morning. DS Pumpkin Festival or a drive to the Old Town in New Braunfels for lunch at Huisache Grill.

We both really preferred an outing to New Braunfels but family requests for errands in the area while we were out overrode our preliminary plans. So, that said, The Dripping Springs Pumpkin Festival was our first stop. It was sweet and I, for one, was expecting a bigger presentation based on the social media but there wasn’t much going on there so, rather deflated, we went to find a good spot for lunch.

After exiting the Founders Park grounds which houses Dr. Pound’s Homestead, we landed at a favorite local eatery, Thyme & Dough. This is a popular mom and pop run by a French-trained pastry chef and set in a crumbling old house on overgrown grounds right off Hwy 290. With all the restaurants available in the area one can’t help wondering why people stop to eat here when the parking is terrible, the service is spotty and they are reliably slow. What Is the draw?

The place was mobbed at 12:45 pm. It was counter service only and a 30 minute wait for food once seated. We found a cozy corner table by a window with drinks in hand. They were obviously overwhelmed and understaffed so it took a long while to get our food. Everyone around us, including us, were happily chatting away like a tribe of strangers all collectively accepting the conditions in exchange for an authentic experience. Eventually our food arrived. It was delicious.

Texas seems to have an abundance of these types of places. There’s just something charming about making the most of what you’ve got. And it seems that everybody recognizes this quality and supports it with their time and money. Slow, “home style” cooking, conversation and a gorgeous sunny fall afternoon. What more could you ask for?