CertifiedFoodie is a food enthusiast in Houston. She's a fearless adventurer whose palate will bravely taste absolutely anything (!) once. A motto which have led to profuse tongue-scrubbings, cussing, and back-to-back food poisoning. When not eating and/or traveling, she's a loving wife and mom and a career woman involved in healthcare.
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A few miles down the hill from our house is the Fredericksburg Airport. It does not have commercial flights. It accommodates private planes only. I soon learned that private plane owners take delight in flying into tiny cities such as this, touch down, grab a bite then take off to wherever next city they fancy. Hence, these kind of airports have interesting bars/restaurants. In this case, there’s the aptly (and frankly, quite unimaginatively named), Airport Diner.
Entrance to the diner. Note private planes parked on the side.Typical American diner, complete with jazzy 60’s music.
The diner itself is interestingly decorated. Tiny model planes are hanging everywhere. I remember when Beans was 3 and he loved his model planes. But then he discovered dinosaurs….Decor is superb, lots of stainless, terrazzo floors, black granite counters and booth tops, all provide comfortable relaxing dining on old time diner favorites.
Beans had 2 huge pancakes called Flying FlapjacksI had the Preflight, which was their version of Philly cheese steakD had Flying Tiger, which is grilled chicken with sun-dried tomatoes, avocados, provolone cheese wrapped in tortillaThe photo looks really over exposed. We were trying so hard to focus both on the food and the planes outside the window. The poor waiter had to take it several times.
Overall, we ended up finding another gem of a restaurant that is so close to where we live. It was exciting to see the planes land and fly out as we ate. Of course, we had to wonder what it would be like to own one…haha! Well, we never thought we’d be owning a vacation home in a place like this either, yet here we are…Never say never!
I love road trips. But I totally hate driving. Quite a conundrum…Lucky for me, D doesn’t mind driving. We’ve taken long road trips and I am always the ideal driving companion. I navigate well and keep up a steady stream of patter and even do carpool karaoke. I’ve been doing that waaaaay before James Corden made it a thing.
Unfortunately, for this particular trip, I would have to go at it solo because D was going to drive his little toy sportscar. That leaves me to lug everything else, including Beans and the dogs on a 250+ mile road trip to the Hill Country. I say solo because Beans is my complete opposite. He sleeps as soon as he sits down. So much for conversations, let alone karaoke! Are all teenagers like this? I don’t remember sleeping this much when I was his age. Although I really felt like I was a case of unmedicated ADHD back then, so I guess it’s not a fair comparison.
Anyway, I prepared well. Mapped out my route, downloaded my favorite music and had it all arranged in one playlist, meticulously calculated my caffeine so as to keep me awake but not enable too many restroom stops. I needed to get this done and fast. And boy, I sure did! Got it done in a little less than 4 hours despite some traffic snags in Austin. The only thing that made this less of a success was that a small stone hit the G’s windshield and so it made a crack. The sound scared the crap out of me. After the fright came the rage on how much that little stone would cost to fix the wind shield. Fortunately, D told me we had the add-on wind shield and ding insurance. Let’s just he really knows about the quality of my driving so he totally prepared for it…
D joined me a few hours later and we decided to celebrate my little mile “stone”. We went to Lincoln Street Wine Market. They offer wine and food pairing. Unlike most wine bars, they actually do not have a bar. Instead, they have little private rooms and sitting areas, hence more elegant and intimate. They also have a patio, covered in grapevines, which feature live performances.
Soooo many wines to choose from, both local and imported. I got a Reisling from Germany and D had a Petite-Syrah from Napa called Writer’s Bloc.It was paired with cheese: Manchego and St. Andre Triple CreamHome-made Margherita Focaccia with some fruitsHere’s the singing cowboy under the thick grapevines.
What a satisfying way to end my solo road-trip! Back at home, I listened to music in the hammock and thought about my life. I thought about all of my life’s battles, big and small. I choose my battles wisely now because I really don’t have that much time and energy anymore. I am glad I finally slayed my weird driving peeve. I still don’t like it, but I now know that I can do it, if absolutely needed.
I looked up, and above me is this splendor.
The world is huge. Both beautiful and terrifying. I have the choice to make it either way.
