We have returned from Jefferson. The weather was perfect and it was a nice day. We got there around 12:30 and went to Auntie Skinner's for lunch. It's in a neat old building with lots of exposed brick and a tin ceiling. I had a bacon cheeseburger and Steve had something called a Poor Man's Steak which was ground sirloin with jalepenos, cheese and lots of gravy with "Texas Toothpicks" on top. We also had fried mushrooms and a Texas brewed beer called ZiegenBock. It's an Anheuser-Busch Beer brewed in Houston and supposedly you can only get it in Texas. Beer experts that we are, we decided it's an
okay dark beer although a little watery for our taste.After lunch we poked in antique shops and meandered around the historic district. My goal for the day was to find an American Flag pin. We went in the Blackburn's Outlet Store and Steve bought pancake syrup and I got some fig preserves for my mom. There was a nice lady working there - don't know if she was an owner or not - and somehow the presidential election came up. She asked us if we drive with our lights on or off. We looked confused and she said McCain voters drive with their lights on during the day and Obama voters drive with them off at night. Then she pointed to the lights outside her shop and said, "Ours are on!" Anyway, we had a little political visit with her and then moved on. People in Jefferson are so nice and friendly; everyone wants to talk to you!
We went in several antique shops and looked at all kinds of things. Saw rotary phones for $25. Just goes to show you, don't throw anything away. Ever. Another shop had a bunch of warped 45s (records). I don't know what they were asking for those. We saw rusty gates and wrought iron, lots of Fostoria crystal, books - old and new, screen doors, furniture, estate jewelry, antique kitchen appliances like meat grinders, mixers, cheese cutters. Stained glass. Lamps. You name it, it was in some shop. We went in the fudge shop and bought fudge and mayhaw jelly and chow chow, which is a hot sort of relish. It goes great with greens and cornbread!
Still on the search for the American Flag pin, we went in another shop that had McCain-Palin t-shirts hanging in the window. They also had "Drill Baby, Drill" t-shirts. The shopkeeper was a friendly lady who had her dog at work with her. She told us that the t-shirts were for the Republican Party and she wasn't making any profit on them. You know I bought one. We visited with her (again, about politics) and pet her dog for a while. It was a nice, older dog. Then we left there a
nd went and sat on the porch of the Excelsior Hotel for a bit. It was relaxing just watching people go by and the horses from the carriage rides. The horses are huge, gentle giants. The one I liked best was a black Clydesdale. Since we had taken a carriage ride on our last visit we decided not to this time.We walked around a bit more and took some pictures of a couple of neat, old buildings. We passed an alley where one of the shop cats had come outside to scope out a HUGE pigeon on top of the building next door. The cat was mesmerized and licking her lips just waiting. The pigeon was so big I think it could have carried the cat off, but she was undaunted.
We decided to hit another couple of shops for a flag pin. We finally found one in the secon
d to last shop on our list in the estate jewelry. It's gold with rhinestones (no, it's NOT tacky!) and I love it.The thing we like about Jefferson is that is just seems like time stops there. You'll think the afternoon is gone and when you check your watch it's only 2:30. Lots of those shops all have the same sort of thing but we like poking around in them anyway. The last time we went, we went to the historical museum and it was fascinating. They had some fabulous paintings in there and some cool antiques. They wouldn't let me take pictures though. Anway, today we reluctantly left around five and made our way back home. It was a great day and we are just laying around now watching the LSU game. It was a nice getaway!
6 comments:
That sounds like such a neat place! I have to ask though - what are Texas toothpicks?
Glad you had a good time!
Skinny french fries!
I put a picture of them on my Flickr site (link is lower right).
What I like about Jefferson is that its only an hour's drive away (on the other side of the piney woods and across a big lake), yet it seem like it is far, far away.
It's got a mid-western flair, yet you know you're in Texas. They are proud of being Texans in Jefferson.
Note to Sarah, years ago, I went to a place called Helen, Georgia. I loved it because I was stationed in Germany for two years.
There is so much I love about this little town, but if I ever lived there, it would lose its charm. It wouldn't be a place where I can escape the hustle and bustle.
What is so funny, every time I ever went to Jefferson (I been going there for several years, and I started taking Pat there three years ago), I run into at least 2 or three people from Shreveport and Bossier City. Yesterday was no exception.
I love petting the horses. I love the cat in the antique shop. Last year the cat was sleeping in a bed the guy had next to the window. I went in and played with the cat. This year, as you can, it was too busy bird hunting.
There used to be an antique shop that had a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig running around. Pat and I went to see the pig, but the building where the store was was closed. I'm going to miss that pig.
Yesterday, I drove about two blocks too far west and ended up on U.S. 59. McDonalds, Napa Auto Parts, Hustle and Bustle, Yuck, my heart started racing, I had to make a quick 180 degree turn back to the part of Jefferson I love.
The part of Jefferson that is slow paced and where time slowed down to a crawl is what I like.
I worked the night before, and got a couple of hours sleep before Pat and I went to Jefferson. I was already tired, but I was still wound up like a tight spring in a watch. As the time passed, I started to unwind. Then we sat in front of the
Excelsior House Hotel (continuous operating since the 1850's, is says so on the sign). I was relaxed and getting sleepy. Automobile traffic was light and almost non-existent, then a horse drawn carriage came by. Horseshoe clad feet gently striking the bricks, Clip, Clop, Clip, Clop...
It was so rhythmic, like a grandfather clock, it almost put me to sleep. If I were in a recliner, I would have been.
One day I am going to go to Jefferson, take a lawn chair, sit in the park under a shade tree, and sit. Spend the night at one of the B&B's, eat breakfast, go to the park and sit some more.
Steve - I haven't been in years but I love Helen, GA!
When we were at Helen Chatahoocee River was low, so we dragged our tubes along the bottom more than floated down the river.
When I was in Helen, and that was years ago, I experienced a major case flash back. I was driving, and we were on the east side of the town, leaving the tubing place. I looked up and saw the German architecture the mountains behind the town, and it hit me. It was like a village I saw when I was in the Black Forest in Germany.
What I love about Jefferson is it is like an escape to the past. It is very rich in (Texas and American)history, especially the Civil War.
When we were eating Pat said something about wishing she could have seen the steamboats that came to Jefferson. I told her not only that, I wish I could hear the sounds and smell the smells of the steamboats. I've been around steam locomotives and love the smell of the coal or wood heating the boilers. I can imagine the smell of the steamboats aren't that much different.
But then again, there was probably a lot of other sights and especially smells that weren't to pleasant back then either.
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