We loaded the car up, kissed the kids goodbye and started on our way. We stopped by Walmart to pick up a few things and headed out of town. We had our first surprise before we had even made it out of Tomball. As we drove down a small country road taking in the scenery the ac blew a wisp of something against my face. At first I thought it was a piece of my hair having escaped the clip and being blown about by the ac. I soon realized that it wasn't coming from me at all, but from Kevin's shoulder. A moment later I realized that it wasn't a piece of my hair, but a loose end of a spider web. No sooner had I proclaimed my find did I see a white albino spider come crawling up over Kevin's shoulder. After a hilarious few minutes where I am frankly quite surprised that we stayed both moving and on the road Kevin managed to squish the spider in a whole wad of napkins where it stayed in his hand tightly clenched until we got to a gas station where its remains were dropped unceremoniously in the trash.
After filling up with gas we got back out on the road for a much less eventful trip out 290 towards Brenham. We had gotten a later start than we anticipated, which fortuitously put us near Brenham around lunchtime. A few years ago on a work trip I had discovered a hidden gem in Brenham - an Italian restaurant called Volare.
The restaurant, once located in the downtown Brenham area, now occupies the first floor of a salt box house a few blocks from downtown. We sat at a cozy table beside a window in what was probably once a front parlor. We watched a lizard dart along a gravel path outside the window while enjoying some light and crispy calamari. Just as we had finished the calamari and the lizard had ventured out of sight our main dishes arrived. I had Penne con Salsiccia - a delightful dish of mushrooms and sausage with a zesty marinara over penne. My mouth is still watering thinking about just how good it was. Kevin enjoyed some stuffed manacotti that he thoroughly enjoyed as well.
Despite being stuffed from lunch the second we had decided to stop in Brenham I had planned to make a stop by the Bluebell Creameries for a little treat before we left. Surprisingly enough I couldn't find Bluebell in the GPS so we had to pop back into the restaurant and ask for directions. It turned out to be just a short drive away.
The creamery was busy with people planning to take a tour. We luckily had come at just the right time and had the ice cream counter practically to ourselves. I sampled a Blackberry cobbler ice cream before passing over my favorite Pralines and cream to settle on a scoop of the brightly colored Kookie Kookie Dough. Kevin decided on a scoop of Cookies and Cream. We savored the fresh ice cream as we wandered through the gift shop before heading back on our way.
We were eagerly looking forward to arriving at our destination - a Hyatt resort property called Lost Pines.
After driving for what seemed like forever through the rolling hills of the scenic entry past overlooks, and equestrian crossings we finally made our way into the horseshoe drive of the front lobby. It looked like a large, stone ranch house.
Our first views inside were of the two story lobby, anchored at each end by large stone fireplaces. Overhead hung a large tree with candelabra like lamps of a chandelier.
Despite the crowd and hustle and bustle of people coming and going with luggage all around we were checked into our room in record time.
Our room was on the 4th, and top floor. It was a beautiful room overlooking a quiet courtyard.
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