Views of the Neighborhood – Search for Color

~ John W. Howell

Today we are going to go out and search for color. Because of the deer population here in Lakeway, blooms are very near and dear to our hearts. Most do not survive the deer munchies. Finding color then is serious business. Lucky for us, we do have Crape Myrtles, which add substantially to the visual scene.

Today we are being catered by Provision in Austin. Our entertainment has had some trouble getting here so let’s hope for next week.

Brunch menu

Snacks
-Deviled Egg
house hot sauce, giardiniera
-Pimento Cheese & Cracker
whipped pimento cheese, butter crackers, house pickles
-Lollipop Wings
beer brined, twice-fried, buffalo sauce, bleu cheese dressing, carrot & celery slaw
-Chicken Fried Sliders
black pepper, white gravy & house pickles
-Spread & Co. Grazing Board
meats, cheese, & accompaniments thoughtfully curated
-Salmon Toast
seeded grain bread, cured salmon, caper, pickled Fresno pepper & parsley mint mojo
-Cinnamon Rolls
Ceylon cinnamon, toasted pecans & traditional icing
-Biscuit & Gravy
sage sausage gravy
Benedicts
-Steak Benedict
lemon garlic kale, toasted English muffin, poached egg, grilled petite tender & hollandaise
-Short Rib Benedict
braised short rib, toasted English muffin, poached egg, pickled Fresno pepper, chimichurri, hollandaise & crispy shallot
-Veggie Benedict
charred kale, shaved brussels sprout, toasted English muffin, hollandaise & pickled red onion
greens
-Provision Greens
pulled chicken, dates, 6-minute egg, charred corn, bacon lardon, goat cheese, avocado & balsamic mustard vinaigrette
-Shaved Kale
peppadew peppers, halumi, Aleppo pepper & pumpkin seed vinaigrette
sandwiches
-Provision Burger
house-ground brisket & dry-aged chuck, pink peppercorn aioli & provision steak sauce on an oat wheat bun
-Shrimp Roll
salt & vinegar chip crusted shrimp, kale slaw, marinated tomatoes & dijonnaise tartar on challah
-Breakfast Sandwich
sunny side up egg, sage breakfast sausage, Oaxaca cheese, bibb lettuce & pink peppercorn aioli on a brioche
-Fried Chicken
buttermilk brined confit chicken thigh, shredded lettuce, tomato, house pickle & hot sauce aioli on a brioche
Mains
-18oz Bone-In Rib-Eye
simply seasoned, chargrilled, burnished potato, chimichurri
-Mussel Pot
PEI mussels, wheat beer, shallot, herbs, cream, butter & baguette
-Shrimp & Grits
wild Mexican brown shrimp, grits, mascarpone, shrimp & crab butter sauce
-Farro Bowl
crispy brussels sprout, braised beet, 6-minute egg, charred, radicchio, kimchickpeas, yogurt, fennel pollen
-120z NY Strip Steak
simply seasoned, chargrilled, house-cut french fries & garlic herb butter
-Short Rib Hash
tender braised short rib, breakfast potato, blistered tomato, pickled Fresno peppers, poached eggs, béarnaise & hot sauce
-Pork Shakshuka
slow-roasted pork, lemon garlic kale, blistered tomato, poached egg, mojo & grilled baguette
-Banana Foster French Toast
challah bread, dark rum caramel, bananas, toasted marshmallow & gently whipped cream
-Veggie Migas
charred kale, brussels sprout, corn tortilla chips, charred salsa, Oaxaca cheese & soft scrambled egg
Dessert
No way you have room for dessert

We are serving Quivira sauvignon blanc for the white and La Spinetta Il Nero di Casanova sangiovese for the red. Of course, you can also order top shelf cocktails.

Picture of an old time school bus
Hop on the bus, and let’s get going. There will be a quiz at the end of the tour.
The first stop is a profusion of purple crepe myrtles. These are just getting started.
Flamingos, a ray of sun, and white crepe myrtle.
Red crepe myrtles.
More purple crepe myrtles.
Another red crepe myrtle.
Here is a red crepe myrtle just beginning to bloom.
A beautiful display of vincas. The owner told me these were grown from seed. The deer don’t like vincas.
A shot of red and pink crepe myrtles
A beautiful white crepe myrtle.
Some wildflowers at the side of the road.
Pride of Barbados in bloom.
That is the tour.
Now for the quiz. (The answer will be given next week)
The most prolific flowering tree in Lakeway is:
A. The plum
B. The oak
C. The crepe myrtle
D. None of the above
I hope you all have a super week.

103 thoughts on “Views of the Neighborhood – Search for Color”

  1. The answer is C and I’m glad the bus took me out so early! I’m still trying to decide which Benedict to have though, so I’ll have another tour. The myrtles look so bright and cheery, I’m surprised more communities don’t plant them.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. The answer to the quiz – C – is easy. Choosing what to have to eat, well, what to have after the deviled eggs and chicken fried sliders, is much harder. No need to be piggy, I’ll have the 12 Oz strip, and throw in some greens so I can tell my wife I ate healthy.

    Lovely tour, John. I hope you’re staying cool on that bus.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Dan The bus is loaded with a cooling system. Since it runs on propane the cooling system is powered by auxiliary batteries which I bought from Tesla. They give 300 hours of cooling should bus not run for a while. Same goes for heat.Glad you found something health to eat. The producer told me to cut down on the menu next time.

      Liked by 1 person

  8. Our crepe myrtles have just exploded with blooms in the past week or so, and I can’t remember ever seeing them so full of color. Whatever harm the freeze did, it certainly didn’t affect those trees!

    Liked by 1 person

  10. The crape myrtles are so lovely. I guess the trick is to plants things the deer don’t like or something that is too high for them to reach. My daughter has a deer problem on her island and has trouble growing a garden. They love her vege plants.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I can relate to your daughter’s deer problem. We can’t have veggies where they can get to them. Also certain plants are verboten. They do not like vincas though. Thanks, Darlene.

      Liked by 1 person

  11. Wow that list of food made me feel hungry. I will just have to settle for my green smoothie that I made with salad ingredients that needed to be used before they got past the use by date.
    Its got to be ‘C’

    Liked by 1 person

  13. C, C senor!

    And as for these wonderful colors you offer up . . . one question. How in the blessed frijole are we supposed to get past that amazing menu? Have you ever been involved in the restaurant business? Because WOW! And nope, no room for desert for me, thanks. 😉

    PS- I love the purple crepe myrtles best if asked to choose . . .

    Liked by 1 person

  14. I’ll have and order of lollipop wings, or whatever. Deer went thru our front and nipped off as many hydrangea buds as they could. Irish Spring soap on a stove helps to discourage them but then it looks like a soap garden.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. OK. Sorry, was a little misunderstanding. But at least a great offer. Here in the village – Should we really furthermore call it this way? 😉 – only one inn has opened, and only with traditional meals like Slaughter bowl and, sausages. Note: All over the year the same. 😉 The village has 2700 citizens. xx Michael

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  18. I’m going with C for the answer. And I love crepe myrtle. We can’t get them to bloom this far north, but I have relatives in the southern states and always love seeing all those different color trees in bloom.
    And my deer have been munching my potted flowers this year. We have two that come around like clockwork, late afternoon and early morning.

    Liked by 1 person

  19. Great color in the neighborhood! All of the crepe myrtles around here are blooming better than ever. The freeze did not seem to bother them or roses. Orange and grapefruit trees did not survive. I would have thought deer would love vincas – impressive display in that yard.

    Liked by 1 person

  21. So many beautiful flowering myrtles, thank you for capturing them. It must be lovely to wander through the neighborhood. Hope your day is perfect, John. 😊

    Liked by 1 person

  23. After yesterday’s supper (post was going to be written about it but Mom has called me to pick her up halfway – hour plus drive there and back and then some. Sigh.)

    Love the purple myrtle! And the pink and the white. And thank goodness for myrtles out of the deers’ reach! I guess when you live in an area that is ruled by bambi’s families, you have to learn to plant what they don’t like.

    Oh, and, of course, the crepe myrtle is the correct answer 😉

    Liked by 1 person

    1. D’oh… I forgot to finish my sentence… after yesterday’s supper, that menu you provide has me feeling like a sausage bursting out of its casing!

      Liked by 1 person

  24. Another great tour 🙂 great menu, those cinnamon rolls were amazing! Love all the color the C myrtles provided. We have to keep deer fencing. around my roses.

    Liked by 1 person

  25. Everything on the menu looks so yummy!!! I think, though, I will settle for just some biscuits and gravy … one of my most favourite foods in the world! Loved all the flora, and unless I miss my guess, the answer to the quiz is ‘C’, the Crepe Myrtle. Thanks for the {burp} yummy and beautiful tour to start this Sunday out right!

    Liked by 1 person

  28. When I lived in Texas, we had the watermelon red crepe myrtles, and they’re probably still my favorite color (though the purple ones come pretty close!). I didn’t realize deer don’t like Vinca, but I can see where your neighbor would fill the yard with them to keep the herd away. Beautiful shots of color, John.

    Liked by 1 person

  29. John, the answer is C, the myrtles in a variety of beautiful colors. Thanks for the colorful bus ride. Much needed. I’ll pass on the menus. Gluten free choices are hard to pick out. What an awesome list of food. 📚🎶 Christine

    Liked by 1 person

  31. Ooooh, glad I stopped by, even late! Crepe myrtles are one of my favorite trees. And happily, in Texas you apparently don’t commit Crepe murder, which is a crime that began in Florida some decades ago, causing people to think if you cut the top of the tree back to NUBS every year, you’ll get more flowers. (I hope the originator of this theory is languishing in gardener prison somewhere, as now all you see in most yards and medians is something that looks rather like giant technicolored broccoli–all heavy stem with tiny little top of pink or lavender flowers!) 😲😖

    Now YOUR trees are what crepes really should be! Small to medium shade trees with a stunning display of flowers each year!

    Thank you so much for sharing, John. Made my morning! 😀

    Liked by 1 person

  36. I’m sure we must have myrtles around here but who knows where – these pictures are so pretty! That’s impressive that your neighbor grew those vincas from seed – I remember deer don’t like them – a good option in your area!

    Liked by 1 person

  37. What a wonderful stroll, dear John! All the plants are magnificent. Regarding the quiz: I suppose C. In fact, the myrtle seems to be a rather popular plant for your area. 🍷🥤🍨🍰

    Liked by 1 person

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