Sunday Memo #4

Happy Father's Day, everyone! I hope you are all enjoying the day celebrating the dads and father figures in your lives. In this week's roundup, I'm excited to share some of my favorite spots in Wimberley, TX. The boys and I recently visited there for Memorial Day weekend and discovered some new places we enjoyed, including Cypress Falls Swimming Hole.

In addition to our trip, I've been experimenting with fresh versus dried peppers in my arrabbiata sauce, doing a lot of reading, and purchasing some fun summer statement necklaces from Gather Goods. I love sharing these memos with you and hope you enjoy them!

From Austin, there are a handful of towns that are great destinations for a day trip or weekend getaway and Wimberley is one of them. It's about an hour drive outside of Austin located in Texas Hill Country. As you leave the city, it doesn’t take long before you begin passing ranches, cattle, and horses along the roadside. Many people view Wimberley as a peaceful oasis, known for its relaxed and creative atmosphere. The town has an artistic vibe and gets a lot of recognization for its beer gardens, barbecue joints, and beautiful spring-fed swimming holes.

A server at a local wine bar jokingly described the residents as “hippies with credit cards” and I can see how that description would fit: it's a community that values creativity, nature, and a relaxed pace of life, with a touch of Hill Country polish.

The small village of Wimberley has an eclectic mix of local shops and places to grab a bite to eat or a drink. A couple of weeks ago, my boys and I took a weekend trip there for Memorial Day, and we discovered several new spots that we enjoyed. Here are our recommendations:

• Onera Wimberley - Onera is situated on a hillside and provides stunning panoramic views of the surrounding hill country. The property features a collection of unique, modern cabins that are nestled in the natural landscape and come with private hot tubs. There is also a communal infinity-edge swimming pool on-site. This location is ideal for a romantic getaway.

• The Cedar’s Ranch - This place is great for glamping accommodations. The gated property offers a variety of options, including modern cabins, spacious geo-domes, and yurts. Since there are no staff or services on-site, you'll need to bring your own water and snacks. The property also features a swimming pool with lounge chairs, as well as pickleball courts and bocce ball. This is an ideal spot for families or groups of friends traveling together.

• Coffee - Cypress Creek Coffee House - This is my favorite coffee shop in town. They offer a variety of delicious morning drinks, including lattes, matcha, and London Fogs. They also serve smoothies and waffles.

• Brunch - The Leaning Pear - Opens at 11 am so grab a coffee at the Cypress Creek Coffee House beforehand. Request to sit in the treehouse, which is a screened outdoor area on their back patio.

• Lunch - Creekhouse Kitchen & Bar - This is a great casual spot for lunch or dinner along the creek. They often have live music.

• Dinner - Longleaf Craft Kitchen and Bar - I love this spot! It’s a farm-to-table restaurant in a historic building that has a cozy indoor dining area and a charming garden courtyard.

• BBQ -

  • Kelly’s Hill Country BBQ

  • The Salt Lick BBQ (nearby in Driftwood)

• Drinks -

  • The Shady Llama - Go to enjoy a beer and hang with llamas.

  • The Let Go - A lively spot for outdoor cocktails in the center of town.

  • Ranch Brand Winery & Distillery Tasting Room - A wine tasting room in town that also has a cocktail and robust food menu. Try their Frozen Texas Coffee cocktail.

• Cypress Falls Swimming Hole - This swimming hole is located on Cypress Creek, and is fed by the natural spring waters of Jacob's Well. I like this location because you can rent paddle boards and floats. There is also a bar, a restaurant, and restrooms, which makes it easy to spend an entire afternoon there. Unlike many other swimming holes, you do not need to make a reservation. You just need to purchase a wristband before entering the swimming area.

• Blue Hole Swimming Area - Blue Hole is a popular swimming spot located on Cypress Creek. It is surrounded by cypress trees that offer plenty of shade, making it a beautiful and picturesque setting. The property has a lawn where visitors can spread out picnic blankets, and children enjoy swinging into the water from rope swings. Please note that swimming here requires reservations, and due to its popularity, this spot tends to get booked well in advance.

• Old Baldy Park Hike - Many people love this hike because it delivers a scenic reward in a short amount of time. That said, it is not really a hiking trail and instead a 218 stone step climb to the top. Once you reach the top, you'll be greeted with stunning 360-degree views of the Wimberley Valley, the Blanco River basin, and the surrounding rolling hills.

• Shop in town and visit the Ceremony Botanical Studio

• Find all 50 of the painted cowboy boots which are placed throughout the town as part of the Bootiful Wimberley art project.

• Wimberley Glassworks - A major draw to Wimberley Glassworks is the opportunity to witness the mesmerizing process of glassblowing firsthand. They offer live glassblowing demonstrations several days a week.

• Whitewater Amphitheater (nearby in New Braunfels) - We visited this amphitheater for the first time during our recent trip to see Ryan Bingham perform. It’s only about a 25-minute drive from Wimberley, and it’s an excellent venue. The parking was easy, the amphitheater was clean and well-organized, and the staff were friendly and welcoming. They also have a variety of food trucks, so you can grab a bite before the show or during intermission. I look forward to going back!

  

In 2005, I lived in Rome for a year, and one of my favorite meals there was Penne all'Arrabbiata, which means "angry pasta" in Italian. I love all things spicy, and this Roman dish gets its kick from chili peppers, garlic, and ripe tomatoes, creating a simple yet intensely flavorful sauce. One of my favorite things about Italian food is its simplicity, but that simplicity also presents a challenge: every ingredient must work hard, or the dish falls apart.

Chili peppers are a key ingredient in arrabbiata sauce, leading to a debate about whether to use fresh or dried peppers. Many traditional recipes call for dried red chili flakes, which are convenient and provide a consistent heat. They infuse the olive oil beautifully, creating a delicious foundation for the sauce. However, I've also encountered recipes that call for fresh peppers, like finely chopped red cayennes or Calabrian chiles. Since I had never tried using fresh chiles, I recently began experimenting with both.

The fresh chiles do result in a brighter flavor, but I found that controlling the spice level can be tricky. While the sauce tasted very fresh, it also seemed a bit flat and reminded me of salsa. Ultimately, I prefer the earthier flavor produced with dried chiles. I find that the sauce made with dried peppers strikes the right balance of spice, flavor, and depth. After this experiment, I've concluded that I’m definitely in the dried chili camp.

I really enjoy this arrabbiata sauce recipe by Alexa Weibel (NYT gift link).

Make sure to use high-quality whole canned tomatoes, and break them up with your fingers or a wooden spoon when adding them to the pot. They create a nice texture.

Natalja's Stories, by Danish author Inger Christensen, is a collection of seven trippy short stories that unfold like a series of riddles. The narratives do not follow a traditional plot and are not presented in a linear format. However, each story features the same names, locations, and objects, creating a disorienting effect. As I read this book, I found myself striving to connect the dots, but they were elusive, much like a dream.

Christensen gained recognition for her unique writing style and her ability to explore complex themes such as reality, time, and identity. This book is certainly not for everyone, but if you enjoy literature that pushes boundaries and provokes deep thinking, you will appreciate this bite-sized collection of stories. It's a book I plan to reread, and it lingers in your mind long after the final page.

One of my favorite lines from the book:

"And if it had been a true beginning I would not have noticed it, would not have mistrusted it, I would not have ceased its development, and so on." (p. 57)

Gather Goods is a handcrafted jewelry company founded and designed by Megan Clifton, in Fort Worth, TX. I discovered Megan's work through a local stylist named Natalie, who I met at the Round Top antique fair in Round Top, TX. Gather Goods is known for their bold and colorful beaded statement necklaces, as well as their unique bolos, which are modern takes on the traditional bolo tie. These contemporary bolos feature sterling silver and turquoise pendants on vibrant nylon cords instead of leather. The cords come in a variety of eye-catching colors, including neon yellow, turquoise, orange, pink, green and khaki, adding a fresh and modern twist. You can find Gather Goods at gathergoods.com and on social media @gathergoods. Megan also sells her necklaces at the Round Top antique fair. Drake purchased this necklace from her there this past Spring. I have the Turquoise Tube and Turquoise Drop necklaces, along with one of Megan's bolos on a khaki cord, in my collection.

Wishing you a beautiful week!