Ein Prosit!

Ein Prosit!  A toast!  Beer, bratwurst, lederhosen, and oompah music under a big tent.  It’s not in Germany, it’s Germans in Texas.  That is, descendants of the German immigrants who settled this part of Texas in 1845.  This part of the Texas Hill Country still has a sizeable German/Texan community.  Wurstfest is a ten-day long annual celebration of German heritage and is reminiscent of Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. Although proud of their German heritage (many still speak the German language), they are first and foremost Americans.

Carol Ann and I, along with Scot and Melissa and Ralph and Cheryl spent a little time in the huge German-style beer hall tonight drinking beer, eating soft pretzels, listening to the oompah band, and watching the locals, dressed in their traditional German apparel, dance and have fun.

Many of the celebrants were wearing Viking hats (with big horns).  I wasn’t sure what the Vikings had to do with the Germans, other than the blond hair.  But then a lot of them were also wearing chicken hats and doing the “Chicken Dance.”  It was crazy but fun.

Outside of the beer tent was a carnival midway with rides.  I found the colored lights on the various rides to be a great photo opportunity.  I played around a little with my camera and came up with a few nice long-exposure shots.  If they are a bit out of focus it is because I was without my tripod and the camera had to be hand-held.  It has nothing to do with the beer I consumed prior to taking the photos!

Here are a few of them.