Along the Geronimo Creek: Hoodlum Camp-out and more

Alan and Carol Edwards invited us to the Oxford Ranch near Llano to camp with the Hoodlums. We had no idea what the Hoodlums were all about but trusted that Alan and Carol would not lead us astray. We didn't want to miss an opportunity to visit with the Edwards whom we haven't seen in ten years or so. We had gone to church together at John Wesley in Victoria and Alan and I had backpacked to the South Rim of Big Bend in 2000.

It was a beautiful weekend for camping. It turns out that the Hoodlums are a diverse group of people that camp together a couple of times a year to share outdoor survival skills. The group's name is not what it might seem... it is actually named for the founder of the organization(Ron Hood). We spent most of our time visiting with Alan and Carol(there was a lot of catching up to do), but we did join in as guests for the potluck supper which was quite interesting.... most of the food was cooked by natural heat...some buried in the ground, some on campfire and the method that intrigued me the most... cooking with hot rocks. I tried almost everything and it was all good. Alan and I also got an impromptu class in foraging for food with Merriwether(that is his Hoodlum name). Merriwether has his own website(foragingtexas.com). Did you know that the tubers from the beautiful wildflower, Wine-cup, are edible and actually tastes pretty good just pulled right out of the ground and scraped like a carrot?

The night brought coyotes howling(or was it some of hoodlums practicing their wildlife calls) and a heaven laden with stars. Bellissimo!

When we left Sunday morning, we drove up to Pontatoc(thirty minutes away) to see Steve, Carey and August at their organic farm. Nice visit.... I enjoyed looking at the construction of the rock house that they are building for their workers. I am always intrigued by how Steve builds using almost all salvaged materials. Sally had never been to the farm and she was amazed at the quantity and quality of the produce... Eggplants and Bell Peppers are still being harvested. Steve and I go back to when he was a student in my classes at Smithson Valley and we were spelunking around Comal County and taking camping trips around Texas to catch snakes.

After leaving Pontatoc, we headed south toward Austin and stopped at Spicewood to visit John and Kara Barber at the ranch and pick up some fresh venison. John has been thinning the doe population on the ranch and saved one for us... This is a great way to get your venison... already cleaned, quartered and on ice. My plan is to bone out the meat this afternoon and take it tomorrow to Granzin's Meat Market in New Braunfels to be made into dried sausage.