We are camped at an Airstream-only campground (NTAC – North Texas Airstream Community) in Hillsboro, TX as a home base for a few days.  I think it is common knowledge that we Airstreamers are like lemmings.  “Lemmings have periodic population booms and then disperse in all directions, seeking the food and shelter their natural habitats cannot provide. (Wikipedia)”  Case closed.

NTAC, situated about 30 miles north of Waco and maybe 60 miles south of Dallas, aside from being a great home for many Airstreamers, is a great camping location: in a pretty good location with reasonable cell phone coverage, great facilities, close to the interstate (you already know how much I love interstates), shopping (did I mention how much I love shopping?), and not far from Waco.  Great campground, very friendly people.  In January – good.  In the warmer months, I’d guess it gets a little toasty here.

Meeting up with friends here, we ventured to Waco.  Since it was Sunday, we drove through town just checking it out.  Because Magnolia Market was closed, we took one for the team and went to Balcone’s Distillery.  Are we good or what?  Team players.

Very nice whiskey sampling – they make some tasty whiskies!  Of course, it is Sunday in Texas so you can’t buy a bottle.  Total tease.  Like going into a bakery and saying I’ll have three of those chocolate croissants.   “Sorry, friend, you can look and taste, but the state doesn’t allow us to sell anything with sugar today.”  In Texas on Sunday you can ride a mechanical bucking bronco until you are raw, and drink until you pass into a coma, but you can’t take a bottle of whiskey home.  Makes total sense.

Magnolia Market, in case you just came out of a deep slumber, is the city block in Waco remodeled to house Chip and Joanna Gaines’ (from HGTV’s Fixer Upper show) retail compound.  If Disneyworld did home décor, this would be what it might look like.  You can find more pictures of Magnolia Market from a visit and post we did three years ago here.

We dropped off the ladies and we fine gentlemen (ahem) went in search of a brewery.  Here is the dilemma… it is now Monday, and breweries (and Balcones – just to add insult to injury) are closed!  What is this, Russia?

Not to be denied, we found a bar less than a block from Magnolia Market where we could belly up to the bar and have us a beer.  My wingman Greg asked the barkeep if she saw much business from husbands while their wives went to Magnolia.  “Oh, most of my clientele on Mondays is just that!”  Something for everyone.

We didn’t have time to visit some of the cool parks in the city, Waco Lake, the Doctor Pepper Museum, Baylor University, or probably a host of other cool stuff in this town… we’ll have to save those for the next time through.  Not to focus on alcohol, but if you come through Waco and you have breweries or distilleries as part of your agenda, just avoid visiting Sunday through Tuesday.

Keep it between the ditches.  Carry on.