Just Wait Till Alaska Melts

My roommate, Lizzy, is about to take a vacation in Texas. This time last year, I lived in Austin as a travel nurse. Giving her suggestions about places to visit has made me miss it. Nothing like sunny and 75 in the winter. Here's a postcard I found in Smithville, TX and a few songs that make me think of the great state.



That's Right (You're Not from Texas) - Lyle Lovett
Under the Texas Sky - Ferraby Lionheart
Texas - PlayRadioPlay!
Songbird - Willie Nelson and Ryan Adams

A Texas-Sized Post

There was so much I missed writing about in TX so here it is:

I went to San Antonio. The river walk was beautiful, like Disney World for adults.

Also went to Fredericksburg, a cute German town with a shopping area that is great for humans...
But not safe for animals...


Well, I guess these animals are safe.

SXSW - I woke up with a pulled neck muscle and couldn't turn my head at all to the left. Luckily Kaylyn was willing to drive and still let me pick the bands. I was the only person not dancing, and when I tried I looked like Joan Cusack's character in Sixteen Candles with the neck brace. We saw Blitzen Trapper, J. Mascis, Thurston Moore, Okkervil River, Kimya Dawson, and She and Him. Did you know that not only is Zooey Deschanel in She and Him but that's Maggie Gyllenhall on bass and Philip Seymour Hoffman on guitar - not really but it sure does look like them, huh?
Then I got in my car, drove through TX, got lunch in Truth or Consequences, NM - The truth, Sonic makes a great cherry limeade, the consequences, I had to pee about 30 minutes later ruining my miles/hour.
I also stopped at the Four Corners. I've always wanted to go here and although there's not much to it, I'm glad I made the detour.
Tomorrow I arrive in Portland!

Everything's Bigger In Texas - Part II

I have so much to catch-up on. Sorry to those who hate sentences ending in prepositions. I couldn't quite fix that one, even if I said - I have so much on which I need to catch-up, that's still a preposition.

The soap dispenser at the movies. How often do you think they have to refill it?
And this toilet paper dispenser at the Salt Lick. That's 7 rolls, y'all, and plenty of room for a few more.
Why are all the photos in bathrooms. I really have seen other things here.

The Salt Lick is about 40 minutes away but the best BBQ I have ever had! I had the chicken, I don't eat beef or pork but friends said it was good too. And I had leftovers for 2 days. If you ever get to Austin, you have to go there.

And there was one other thing that's bigger in TX - SXSW - More on that later...

Everything's Bigger In Texas

And not just bigger but also...

80's kitsch-ier (at an antique shop in Smithville, TX, the town where Hope Floats was filmed)

Prettier and glass-ier (more antique shops in Smithville and Austin)


Glassier and Strangely Religious-ier (yep, that's the Last Supper on a butter dish)

Bargain-ier (I think this was a fireworks stand but I'm buying pretty much whatever they're selling if it's 9 for the price of 1)

Get-it-all-in-one-stop-ier (How many RVs do you think are outfitted with high-end antiques and art?)

NPR-ier (Story Corps was in San Antonio this weekend and so was I)

Lucky Timing-ier (The annual Alamo reenactment we stumbled upon)

Creepier (At least 3 antiques shops in Smithville and Austin had random body parts in piles, buckets, and jars Why?)

So I'm In Austin

Did you know all these people/things call (or have called) Austin home?

Wes Anderson
Lance Armstrong
Sandra Bullock
Shawn Colvin
Walter Cronkite
Nanci Griffith
Ethan Hawke
Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson
Dazed and Confused
Janis Joplin
Mike Judge
Willie Nelson
O Henry
Parker Posey
Whole Foods
Dennis Quaid
Dan Rather
Stevie Ray Vaughn
Andy Roddick
Renee Zellweger
Owen and Luke Wilson
Office Space

Stop Worrying, I'm Alive!

OK I'm in Austin but before I write about it, I thought I should clear out the 6-7 post drafts that have been sitting around since Christmas.

I finished up in Virginia in mid-December, packed my car, and drove to my dad's in SC. A few days later, I flew to SLC to see my mom. Mostly we just did stuff in SLC but one day we went snowshoeing in Park City. It's always nice to drive up the canyon, get out of the inversion smog and see the clear blue skies and white snow. Along the trail, we found a tire swing. It's much harder to get on one with snowshoes on, or maybe it's just part of getting older.
We had Christmas dinner at my dad's house. My Aunt Pat gave my Aunt Mary Ann lingerie and they both laughed a lot. I love the fun of Christmas gatherings and wish I got to see my East Coast family more often.
A few days later, my dad and I went to Charleston to see my grandmother. She is amazingly spry considering she is 90. She walks up stairs, hops in and out of the car, and swings her legs over the arm of a chair with the greatest of ease. She's a super hero. Dad and I also walked around Charleston. I haven't lived there since I was 18, I don't want to do the math to figure out how long that's been. I like to go visit so I can remember more of my hometown. It's a very historic place with winding cobblestone streets and horse-drawn carriage tours. As much fun as it was to wander and be a tourist, my favorite part is always watching true tourists either loving it and/or getting completely lost. Overheard on this trip: "Maybe we should just take a damn carriage ride to try to find our car."

A few days later I repacked my car and drove to Austin. More on that later. Or sooner I promise!