Romantic Getaway - Texas Style

This weekend, John and I went to Athens, TX for our anniversary.  This trip was one of the best anniversaries we've ever had in terms of destination and enjoyment. (Which is saying a lot since we've had 23 of them.)

We arrived in Athens around lunch time and went into the San Luis Restaurant.  A homestyle Mexican restaurant, the food was affordable and delicious.  One of my favorite things was the pico-de-gallo which was prepared closer to cevice than what I make at home and was particularly tasty.  Plus, they had avocado enchiladas--which for vegetarian me was great.

Around the corner was the Pea Picker bookstore.  The dominant type of book in the place was romance and they had Harlequin novels going back to the 1940's.  We each picked out a book and had a conversation with the owner.  (As much as I love Half Price Books in Dallas, my favorites are still the ones staffed by a single person who opened it as their dream.)

We then drove to New York, Texas (no--I didn't know it existed either) to go to NY Zip Line Adventures.  That was a blast.  The last run, you literally fly across the treetops.  I also loved the story of the place.  A man named Chuck was inspired by the Rolofts of  Little People, Big World to add  zip lines to his property.   The guide explained, "We all thought he was crazy at first when he started building platforms, but if it didn't work out as a business, we were going to have an incredible swingset in the backyard.

The drive both to and from the NYTX Zipline was gorgeous.  As we passed back through Athens we stopped at the Flying Gatto Coffee Co. where I had some of the best espresso I've ever had.  A cute little place where we could have hung out and played Scrabble if we'd had the time, we were encouraged to try the 'cake balls' which were pretty awesome.

Then it was off to the Tara Winery where we were planning to spend the night.  I could not possibly have picked a more beautiful place.  The old house is a romantic's old-world dream, but updated with every luxury.  A storm came through in the late afternoon which John and I watched from the balcony.  Alone in the house, it felt like a show, just for us.

The sunrise over the vineyard was beautiful, and I absolutely loved the wines.  (Wound up purchasing several bottles to bring home.)

Peaceful, laid-back, the Tara Winery has beauty and charm.  A perfect backdrop for such a romantic occasion as an anniversary.