Texas Fun

September 12, 2014 by ~The South Dakota Cowgirl~ Leave a Comment

Because I’m always a day late, and several dollars short, I’m way behind in getting all my Texas escapades shared! But I’m here now. So let’s get this party started!

At the Ag Chat Conference, Alltech provided beer. One of my all-time faves and I can’t get it in South Dakota. *insert sad face*

I also got to see Jason Eady – I LOVE HIM!

And tried Nutella Bread Pudding:

Of course we walked up and down South Congress which lead to good food, great shopping, and fun times.

Here’s the Texas Capitol Building:

And Heritage Boots. That place is cool, y’all!

There was also Sushi:

Fresh-made Guacamole from the hotel bar:

Saturday morning brunch at South Congress Cafe was to die for. They started us with a gorgeous Bloody Mary (one of my favorites!):

And then I dove into some short-rib hash. Yes. Short-ribs. In hash. Did I mention it was good? Do you know how much I love short-ribs? There was a fair amount of heat in this dish. It was lovely!

There were also ranch roads. Because Texas is awesome like that!

On our way to see my little brother and his family, we took a detour – to the Driftwood Estate Winery, in Driftwood, Tx. It’s absolutely gorgeous, people!

Pardon my extra fat in this photo. ~~Eventually~~ ~~Never~~ Maybe someday, I will have skinny arms again.

There was, of course, our customary trip to The Gristmill Restaurant in Gruene.

We only sit where we can see the Guadalupe River while we dine.

While we wait, there’s always something fun going on in their “yard”. This time, it was live Music.

I found this at the Gruene General Store:

After Supper, we had tickets to see Hayes Carll at Gruene Hall (Texas’ Oldest Dance Hall, and one of the coolest places you could EVER go – but there’s no AC. I warned you). And I got his autograph on two shirts after the concert. He is cool people. Very, very cool.

And let’s don’t forget the coolest one of all – my nephew Raleigh. He’s adorable, right? And he’s double trouble, just like my little brother was at his age. Heaven help him!

I think that about sums up my expedition through the Lone Star State.

What are some of your favorite places to visit?

Happy Trails!

About ~The South Dakota Cowgirl~

Jenn Zeller is the creative mind and boss lady behind The South Dakota Cowgirl. She is an aspiring horsewoman, photographer, brilliant social media strategist and lover of all things western.

After a brief career in the investment world to support her horse habit (and satisfy her mother, who told her she had to have a “real” job after graduating college), she finally took the leap and stepped away from a regular income; trading the business suit once and for all for cowgirl boots, a hat, and jeans. She has not looked back.

When Jenn first moved to The DX Ranch on the South Dakota plains, she never imagined she’d find herself behind a camera lens capturing an authentic perspective of ranching, and sharing it with others. Jenn has always been called to artistry, and uses music, writing, images, home improvement, and her first true love of horses to express her ranching passion.

Horses are the constant thread and much of her work centers around using her unique style of writing to share her horsemanship journey with others in publications such as CavvySavvy, the AQHA Ranching Blog, the West River Eagle, the family ranch website, and her own website.

Using photography to illustrate her stories has created other opportunities -- Jenn’s brand “The South Dakota Cowgirl” has grown to the level of social media “Influencer”. This notoriety has led to work with Duluth Trading Company, Budweiser, Wyoming Tourism, Vice, Circle Z Ranch and Art of the Cowgirl, to name a few. She also serves as a brand ambassador for Woodchuck USA, Arenus Equine Health, Triple Crown Feed and Just Strong fitness apparel. Her photography has been featured by Instagram, Apple, TIME Magazine, The Huffington Post, and Oprah Magazine. Jenn’s work has been published internationally, has been seen in several books and has graced the covers of several magazines.

Jenn became a social media influencer by accident when she started to explore Instagram as a way to share her life on the ranch with folks that don’t get to experience it. It’s grown into an incredible platform that she uses to empower women, create an environment for self improvement and share life on the ranch.

When she’s not working, she loves to drink coffee, play with her naughty border collie named Copper, start ranch colts, and run about the country chasing cans. Her mother still thinks she doesn’t have a “real” job.