When my husband and I arrived at Joshua Springs Park and Preserve in Comfort early in the morning, the park was deserted. But soon, Junior came trotting along and stayed with us for our entire visit, hoping for a food hand out.
Junior is a young fawn who was abandoned right after the preserve opened seven months ago. It’s obvious Junior’s been around people as he showed no fear and seemed to prefer our company to solitude in the brush.
On the other hand, I was looking for some peace and quiet over spring break, and heading to the small town of Comfort, right in the heart of the Texas Hill Country, was exactly what I needed.
Our stay at Meyer Bed and Breakfast on Cypress Creek was a blissful getaway experience. We stayed in the 1857 Ernestine Meyer cabin, and we loved walking around the grounds, especially swinging in a wooden swing on the creek bank, watching the sun go down.
Breakfast was served family style with everything from pancakes to fresh fruit to home-made bread pudding. Later in the day, we enjoyed window shopping in downtown Comfort and dinner at the local mom-and-pop eateries.
One of the areas I wanted to visit was the Joshua Springs park as I love taking nature photos. We hoped we’d not only take pictures but also have the chance to spot migrating birds and emerging wild flowers.
The park has well-groomed walking trails that meander through gentle hills. Informational signs let visitors know what types of grasses and flowers grow in the park and the types of frogs and snakes hiding in the native grasses.
We spent a peaceful morning in the preserve, and I happened to have a nice conversation with a man heading out to the pier, fishing pole in hand. He recommended a nearby place for lunch, and we took him up on his offer, heading out to Po Po’s restaurant in Boerne.
Located at the crest of a hill, the restaurant dates back over 40 years, and we did a double take when we walked in the front door. Every surface of the inside of the building is adorned with decorative plates in all shapes and sizes. According to our knowledgeable waiter, there are over 2,500 plates inside the building, a collection started by the original owners.
The food was great and we headed out, tummies full, to visit a few nearby wineries. California’s long been known as the wine capital of the United States, but Texas wines are quickly gaining on the West Coast and for good reason – the wines are fabulous.
At Singing Waters winery, we spent a couple of hours sitting underneath some shady live oak trees, enjoying a nice breeze. We stopped at a small grocery store on the way back to our room and picked up cheese, summer sausage and crackers to go with the wine we purchased.
We ended the day back on our favorite swing, watching a Texas black squirrel explore the live oaks. My mind kept circling back to Junior. Plans are for this little fawn to be released around a herd of white-tailed deer who should take him in and teach him how to survive in a world where he belongs.
We can all learn a lesson from Junior: although it might seem more comfortable where everything’s handed to us, sometimes making our own way in the world, accompanied by friends, is the best way to go.
This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.