Austin.

Oh, Tex-Mex. Oh, that stuffed fried avocado at Trudy's.

The fabulous Barack posters the guy at the coffee shop made, and he gave me one when I asked. Having grown up in Minneapolis and lived in Portland and Seattle and "towns" even smaller, I was not so shocked at his generosity, and his joy in my appreciation of his poster, but Ms. Adri NYC still is, I think. (Image is the poster up in my apartment--it says "SI SE PUEDE" and "TEXANS FOR BARACK 08".) Best souvenir I could've hoped for.

Mexican food and perfect tortillas and $1.50 breakfast tacos and telenovelas playing in the background.

Bees! There are still bees in Austin. (Seems like such a line out of a Bradbury story.)

BBQ. The Salt Lick. On Sunday-after-church (we didn't go to church, just admired the post-church crowd, babies, all of it). I didn't go with the all-you-can-eat, I just worked on my ribs (and that lovely slightly Asian coleslaw) and watched Jason and Adri go go go.

The river behind their surreal enormous apartment complex, and their two outdoor pools, especially the one shaped like Texas!

Lake Travis, a huge lake made from damming said river (we're studying China with the sixth graders--dams, dams, dams), and we drove way up the hill, and wandered somewhat. It was open and smelled good and I flipped over a funny looking rock. Lots of funny looking rocks. (I was sick, so my take on it here is appropriately mono-syllabic and vague.)

Dogs everywhere.

Cacti. Little ones. Randomly.

Thrifting and poking in random stores. I bought too many books, as usual, though as you would hope I was more selective than I would have been in NYC. One was big though. Really big. Hill's Manual of Social and Business Forms [1879: Issued by subscription only, and not for sale in the bookstores. Residents of any State desiring a copy should address the Publishers, and an Agent will call upon them.] It was only fifteen dollars, the most I spent on anything I bought in Texas. Of course, it weighs about eight thousand tons. But worth it. Worth hauling.) You can download a PDF of Berkeley's copy here, or just peruse it. But you know for $15 I had to have my own hard copy, complete with engraved cover and all the plates and illustrations... This may be one of the most useful books I own. Useful information includes the following: Specific directions and a twelve-lesson system for teaching penmanship in case I ever want to open a writing school ("The usual charge for a course of instruction of 12 lessons is from $2 to $5 per pupil"). Somewhat radical suggestions on Marriage ("Do not be afraid of being an 'old maid.' The disgrace attached to that term has long sense passed away. Unmarried ladies of mature years are proverbially among the most intelligent, accomplished, and independent to be found in society. The sphere of woman's action and work is so widening that she can to-day, if she desires, handsomely and independently support herself. She need not, therefore, marry for a home") including how to begin a love correspondence! Writing for the Press including subjects for local news (Accidents, Amusements, Births, Burglary... on through Sickness, Telegraphs, and Violation of Law), results of bad penmanship ("Especial pains should be taken, when writing for the press, to write legibly" since otherwise you may "seriously trespass upon the time and patience of printers and correspondents upon whom [you] inflict [your] penmanship"). Selections from the Poets, including William Cullen Bryant, Florence Percy, and Petroleum V. Nasby, as well as Marian Douglas' "The Motherless Turkeys": "The white turkey was dead! The white turkey was dead!/ How the news through the barn-yard went flying!/ Of a mother bereft, four small turkeys were left,/ And their case for assistance was crying" etc. Altogether a remarkable volume. Additional excerpts mostly likely to follow.

And last but not least: Miramar! Who really is a Texan, now. Pretty surreal.