beautiful texas hill country
It was such a blessing to have Greg’s parents take us down to Wimberly, Texas for a week of family and relaxation. Wimberly is in Texas Hill Country — hill country is a region in central Texas that features tall rugged hills that consist of limestone or granite and is marked by wooded canyons cut by spring-fed rivers. Wimberly is a beautiful little town full of trees, gravel roads, great local artists + shops and lovely views.
We stayed in the River House, one of Uncle Phil’s beautiful vacation rentals. The River House had a little house next to it called a casita, which Greg, myself and the baby stayed in for a week, fully equipped with a washer and dryer in our bedroom — soooo helpful! The week was spent hanging out there, as well as at Uncle Phil’s other two houses, the Sunset House and the Rim Rock House. We spent most of those days on porches, rocking in rocking chairs and talking of days of old. We also went tubing down the river, celebrated Uncle’s Phil’s 50th birthday, visited San Antonio, and squeezed in a lovely date or two with just the two of us. (Mom, thanks sooo very much for watching the baby! I know it was a great time for you both as well!).
Aunt Teri was so awesome to bring kolaches (a Czech delight) with her when she arrived in Wimberly. My favorites were the blueberry + cheese kolaches, as well as the spicy sausage, jalapeno + cheese kolaches. So yum. When Greg and I lived in Baltimore we would make these all the time. One of our favorites to make were kolaches filled with poppy seed jam, along with a steaming pot of tea — really made our Settlers of Catan evenings!
Here are some highlights from our trip.
meeting great granny lanny for the very first time
It was also Dhara’s first time meeting Granny Lanny. The first meeting was sweet. They just looked into each other’s eyes — Granny Lanny’s smiley ones and Dhara’s big bright ones. Dhara is such a people person that she didn’t mind that she didn’t know this woman — this woman being her Czechoslovakian (or Bohemian, as Granny Lanny calls herself) great grandmother.
I actually spent alot of my time this trip hearing more stories of her childhood and married years. She spoke quite fondly of her parents Sigmund and Eunice who came from Central Europe by ship and landed in Galveston, Texas. She loved her dad — a very kind + good man. She was one of five girls, and when the weather was chilly, her father would scoop each one of his daughters up in a homemade quilt, and place her on a stool in front of a wood stove to stay warm in the evenings. As a child, she spoke Bohemian until she went to school and learned English. Cultural dancing was a big part of her community growing up — babies were put on a quilt and placed under a table to nap while everyone danced. She shared so many more neat stories.
dhara with great granny lanny, grandma smith + great aunt teri
eating aunt teri’s bracelet
sunset house pool overlooking the hills
hallway with a view, made with reclaimed wood
the uncle phil/dhara stare-down. uncle phil won.
aunt peggy and dhara
me knitting a cozy sweater for dhara
dhara with her uncle austin (greg’s cousin) and his sweet girlfriend, bonnie
granny lanny absolutely loved her new great granddaughter
uncle phil + his cardboard cutout at his 50th birthday bash, rim rock house
loved how aunt peggy decorated!
my little sweet sweet clapping her hands
dhara dancing and clapping her hands to the band playing “brown eyed girl”
granny lanny quietly enjoying the dancing from above
the end of a great 50th birthday bash
little toes in blanco river
she loved it
“remember the alamo!” san antonio, texas
on the riverwalk, san antonio, texas
with grandpa smith
with grandma smith
a family photo at the river house
lastly, this swing was a gift from greg’s parents to uncle phil for his 50th birthday — it swings from a great big tree at the river house and it’s officially been named, “the dhara swing”
from Dhara’s Summer Garden Party
Greg sitting in the background enjoying his handiwork before the party begins.
Setting up.
Place settings made up of a hodgepodge of whimsical cloth napkins, wooden utensils, vintage-styled paper straws, and potted plants with small handmade flags that had each girlie’s name written across the back.
Let the party begin…
Rachel and Dhara. Also, seventeen different flavors of 
Hannah, Aparna and Macy.
Sue and Zoey Madison.
Cucumber Mint Cilantro Tea Sandwiches (thanks to Rohini for the tasty recipe!) + Ham and Cheese Tea Sandwiches.
Aparna and Lakshmi.
Freshly squeezed lemonade made by my husband and freshly brewed sweet tea.
My sister, Rebecca, and Dhara.
My aunt, Rachel, and Dhara.
Sonia and Kristen.
Grandma playing with Dhara.
Carrie and Macy.
Diana and Shreya.
Dhara’s Aunt Beth and Grandma Sandy.
Darling little Shreya.
Kristen, the little pixie.
To end the afternoon, everyone gathered around the high chair as we gave Dhara a cupcake to do with what she pleased. We all watched as this little munchkin explored her cupcake, making a fun mess in the process. She dissected it layer by layer, all the while not knowing that she could eat it until the very end when most of the cupcake was on the ground and she finally stuck her finger in her mouth and tasted the creamy frosting.
susie mey 
