Unusual cold and wet on the West Coast and unpredictable winter fluctuations on the East 
send me to the Texas Hill Country, where it's been an unexpectedly hot winter. Not only is the Texas Hill County west of Austin and north of San Antonio home to some of the world's best barbecue and Country Western music, a striking amount of its local culture is built around immigrant German influences of the 19th century and a warm "willkommen." Eating bratwurst in Fredericksburg for lunch, two-stepping in tooled boots in Boerne at night and visiting the "Cowboy Capital" of Bandera the next day packs in quite a visit. You should do it.
When I think of "warm and welcoming," I start with the names of the towns in the area. "Comfort" and "Welfare" among them. German intellectuals known as "Free Thinkers" immigrated to Texas from the 1840s to the 1870s and settled in the area. Christmas in these one-time German communities is a truly "warm and willkommening" experience, where you can follow the luminaries that blend the Hispanic influence -- so file it away for next year. And don't forget Oktoberfest. Another surprising point of fact -- the Texas Hill Country is the second-largest American wine region geographically, stretching from San Antonio to Fort Worth (though it ranks fifth in the US in wine production). In Fredericksburg, the Wine Spectator recommends August E's for nouveau Texas cuisine, while Womantraveler heads directly to Der Lindenbaum for an occasional foray into heavier authentic German cuisine. The flavors remind me of my childhood back in Ohio and the cooking of my German-roots grandmother. Hill Country music features the autoharps, dulcimers, mandolins and other stringed instruments brought by the Germans and finding their way into bluegrass and American country music.
The visuals are orchards, live oaks (called "scrub oaks" locally), limestone quarries and arid rolling hills. It's hardscrabble scenery nourished by the Guadeloupe River and linked by quaint towns, great food and a womanshopper's paradise of intriguing and unusual shops. Easily 100 antique stores and old-fashioned general stores populate the area, with Fredericksburg, Boerne and Kerrville the main draws. Sadly Leon Springs Dance Hall was recently up for sale. Cavender's Boot City and Sheplers Western Wear are packed with the boots and belts we need. Among the highlights of any trip to the area is Po-Po Family Restaurant in Boerne, where a former dance hall became a family-run business now decorated with nearly 2,000 plates from the original owners' travels. You can't get much more kitschy -- or homey -- than Po-Po's, and I go for the broiled catfish and hush puppies every time.
