Looking in the rear view mirror

We just parted company with two wonderful house guests from Virginia who are family of family ... what my dad used to call out-laws. It was our first opportunity to really get to know each other and we found much in common.

It was also their first trip to the Texas Hill Country, so we took them on a glass bottom boat to see the springs that form the San Marcos River ...

Texas-style brisket was a must ...

and while we did the obligatory tour of the Alamo and the San Antonio Riverwalk, I most enjoy introducing folks to the Missions National Park with its excellent introductory film about the land and people of central Texas ...

And of course, you can't leave without hearing some live music, preferably at Gruene Hall ...

We also walked the land, naming the critters and trees and wildflowers that are now so familiar to us. The cochineal (scale insects) that live on our prickly pear cactus came up repeatedly, as did some of the other dyestuffs I've experimented with. 

You can scroll down to the index and click on any of the dye links to see more, but for now here's a peace patch hand-dyed with commercially sourced cochineal. The words are used with permission from Gill in the UK and the accompanying book about cochineal was a gift from Anne in California ...

As with all the others, this patch will ultimately be seen from the back ...

Because I like being a little different ...

Addendum

I almost forgot ... here's my take on Caesar salad that N and ML enjoyed while they were here. This is the amount I usually make to serve two of us.

1/2 lemon, squeezed

1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

1+ tsp. Dijon mustard

1/4 to 1/2 clove of garlic, microplaned

3 Tbs olive oil

1 Tbs mayo

pinch of salt

Whisk and adjust seasonings to taste. Serve on chopped Romaine with grated Parmesan Regianno and croutons.