German Delight

DSC_7846, originally uploaded by treylawyer.

One of my weaknesses in life happens to be food. I am a huge fan of German food, but unfortunately I don't often get the chance to have a good German dinner.

Recently, my wife and I were staying in New Braunfels and had the opportunity to eat at the famous German Restaurant, Oma's Haus! This was my first visit and I was so impressed with the food that I can't wait for our next trip south.

In my opinion, the best way to go is the combination dinners.  If you go this way the meal is more reasonable, plus you get a chance to taste a few different items on the menu. We started out with the Bratwurst and Knockwurst.  If you love sausage products this is a must have appetizer.  Normally bratwurst is a little strong for me, but Oma's bratwurst is very smooth.   The knockwurst was great as well and had a wonderful taste. The Potato Pancakes were also very good.  Our friends ordered the pancakes and offered us a few bites and I had to try it because I love potatoes.

The main entree was outstanding.  I had the Weiner Schnitzel and my wife had the Niersteiner Schnitzel, both were remarkable.  We also had mashed potatoes and sauerkraut for our side dishes.  This was the best German meal I have had in a long while. There was not one bad dish and I would recommend this restaurant to everyone.

The atmosphere was enjoyable, the wait staff was friendly and the food was outstanding.  Oma's Haus is a great restaurant for the entire family and I personally can't wait to get back to New Braunfels. 

Clear Springs Restaurant

DSC_7838, originally uploaded by treylawyer.

Restaurants are often a hit or miss. Some are average, some are good and then there are the great ones! I am not a huge fan of the "Chain Restaurants" and would rather dine in a hole in the wall any day of the week. That is just me! To each their own!  Reputation is another very important factor in the restaurant business and can make or break the success of an establishment.

Clear Springs Restaurant is located in New Braunfels, Texas on Highway 46 a few miles East of I-35.  While Clear Springs has a few different locations, I do not consider it a "Chain Restaurant" because there are only five total locations.



We were down south to watch the Texas State Volleyball tournament and my wife recommended we go to Clear Springs.  She had visited the restaurant earlier in the year while she was at coaching school in Austin.  I knew it had to be great, because most people will not make a 45 mile drive just to eat.  We lucked out this trip, because our hotel was less than three miles away from the restaurant.

We started out with the Texas Size World Famous Onion Rings.  These were by far the best onion rings I have ever eaten and there was enough for a party of 8 1/2 and we did not eat them all.  Mostly everyone at the table had the catfish, including myself and again, this was the best catfish I have ever eaten.  It was not too fishy, I used some lemon, but not near as much as I usually do.  One person at the table had the Chicken Fried Chicken and spoke highly of the taste.

The service was decent, but could improve.  No major problems, but the young staff got a little confused when we all needed to split the tickets.  The character, food quality and environment did enough to make up for the the less than perfect service.



















If you are within 50 miles of Clear Springs Restaurant, I would recommend taking the drive and having an outstanding meal.

My Rating!

Food -5 Stars
Environment - 5 Stars
Service - 4 Stars

TCU Crushes Utah

DSC_7543, originally uploaded by treylawyer.

Date: November 14

Fort Worth – Texas Christian University is on a roll with 10 wins this year and no losses and hopes to shake up the BCS rankings. Currently the Horned Frogs are ranked 4th in the nation behind Florida (1), Alabama (2), and Texas (3). There is a slim chance that TCU will get a bid to the National Championship, but if Texas can manage to lose a game and the Frogs win out, they might have a chance.

TCU faced 15th ranked Utah last night in front of a record crowd of 50,307. The game sold out early last week and TCU started selling standing room only tickets. It was a perfect night for football and the Frogs dominated Utah from the beginning and never looked back.



Utah tried everything, including the Wildcat and playing dirty, but had no luck catching the Frogs. By the end of the first half, TCU was up 38-14. It could have easily been a 45-14 game at the half if TCU would have not missed an opportunity on an early Utah turnover. TCU was unable to score on the drive and missed a short field goal to turn the ball back over.



Utah was penalized a number of times for their dirty play and un-sportsman like conduct. The team was glowing with frustration and there was nothing they could do to stop the Horned Frogs toped ranked defense.



TCU dominated the second half, only allowing 14 points and putting 17 more points on the board to make the final 55-28. TCU needs to take care of Wyoming and New Mexico and let the computers and voters do the rest. They do control their own destiny to some point and if everything goes their way, the chances get better for that National Championship bid.

Lady Hounds are State Bound!

20091114-0121-PVBRegChamp, originally uploaded by treylawyer.

Date: November 14

Abilene – The Region 1 2A Championship between Peaster and Denver City turned out to be a David vs. Goliath type match. Denver City was larger and from the start of the match seemed to be the favorite. Peaster had three major errors to start the game and appeared to be the weak team. They were nervous and it showed. The Denver City Fillies took advantage of the Lady Hounds while they were down and crushed the Lady Hounds in game one 25-12.

Once again, Peaster had to regain their composure and get back on track as they have had to do in each of the previous playoff games. Game two started with Peaster taking a demanding lead and the Fillies taking a time out to get their girls calmed down. The game turned and Peaster took advantage of Denver City’s weaknesses in game two. Peaster pounded Denver City in game two 25-13 by playing smarter, blocking and digging every ball that came to them.



The next couple of games went back and forth. Both teams were delivering impressive kills and digs and there were a number of long rallies that kept the audience on their toes. The Fillies took game three 25-19, while the Lady Hounds took game four 25-18.

The start of game five was up for grabs for the team that wanted it more. During timeouts, the Lady Hounds would chant “WE WANT IT MORE!” and they made their case to the Fillies. The score went back a forth at the beginning and then the Lady Hounds stepped up again and took a five point lead, winning the match 15-10.



With the win, Peaster is heading to the State tournament for the first time since 1993.

Peaster Vs. Alpine Regional Semifinals

DSC_7135, originally uploaded by treylawyer.

Date: November 13th

Abilene - After a heart stopping regional quarterfinals against Henrietta, the Peaster Lady Hounds faced Alpine in the regional semifinals Friday night. The matchup looked pretty even between the two teams, but the Alpine Lady Bucks took the first game 25-18. The Lady Hounds appeared to be off their game and intimidated by the Lady Bucks.

During game two, the Lady Hounds looked like a different team. They were more relaxed and started playing the type of ball that got them this far in the playoffs. They had a number of key kills and won game two 25-17.



With the match tied at one game apiece, Peaster seemed to have the momentum, but Alpine was not ready to give up. They regained their intimidating style and started killing and digging ever ball that came their way. The Lady Bucks were determined it was their time and played an outstanding game, winning 25-17.



Going into game four it looked as if Alpine would be going to the regional finals, but the Lady Hounds stepped up their game like they have done all season. Peaster started off with a seven point rally and the Lady Bucks never got back on track. At the end of game four, the momentum shifted again in favor of Peaster as they won the game 25-11.



Peaster continued their domination in game five, winning by three points, 15-12.

The Great Comeback

Regional Quarterfinals Peaster Vs. Henrietta, originally uploaded by treylawyer.

Date: November 7, 2009

JACKSBORO - The Region 1 2A Quarterfinals started with Henrietta taking a demanding two game lead over Peaster. The Lady Bearcats looked sharp, were making good decisions and were on top of their game. The Lady Greyhounds started off shaky and didn't regain their composure until game three.

With their backs against the wall and one game away from going home for the year, the Lady Greyhounds stepped up their play and took games three 25-17 and game four 25-19. Peaster looked like a different team after the second game and their momentum continued until the last point. Senior, Courtney Haney finished with 21 kills and 23 assist. Skye Daugherty and Mary Hill both had double digit kills, while Randi Barnett contributed 26 assists.

Henrietta continued to play well and never gave up. With everything thing on the line in, game five played out to be a nail-biter for both teams.



Game five went back and worth with no demanding lead ever taken by either team. In the end, the Lady Hounds wanted it more and and won the final game 18-16.



With the win, Peaster is off to Abilene to meet Alpine at the Regional Semifinals on Friday 13.