Cravings ...

Cravings! We all have them now and then. They can be for most anything, from a brownie, to hot fudge... a slice of pie or chocolate cake. Heck... us old folks have even been known to crave sex now and then. Surprised?

I got a craving tonite. It was going on midnight and I suddenly had a sweet tooth; the third one over from the middle... bottom.

Now... I found that odd. The tooth is an implant. A screw in my jaw holding what appear to be a genuine incisor. My dentist didn't tell me a make believe tooth could crave sweets. Probably I'm just imagining it. Either way, I had a need to sweeten up my palate.

Back home at the Briars, such a situation is easy to resolve... no matter the time, day or night. Even in our small town there are many places open 24/7 catering to the needs of we aging folk, from super markets to restaurants and donut shops.

But I'm not at home in the Briars. I'm in this Texas town called Magnolia. Thus far... the only thing I've seen open after 8pm is a convenience store, a burger drive through and the ever reliable Wally World. Even the cattle have bedded down for the night.

So, Wally World it is; off I go to gather some fixin's: bananas, strawberries, ice cream, chocolate syrup, cool whip... and a lemon merigue pie, just in case.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

... and so it goes.

What do you mean... Don't Mess With Texas?

I'm currently spending some time in Texas... Magnolia; a sort of suburb of Houston. More on that in a moment.

My first trip to the Lone Star State was many years ago... back when I was young, and sprite, and climbing the corporate ladder, working for a national restaurant concern. The rungs on that ladder took me to Del Rio, Port Arthur, Beaumont, Dallas, Mesquite, Plano, Arlington, and finally... Garland, where I eventually turned in my spurs and caught the stage to Oklahoma. While the move was a promotion, I would have "Sooner" stayed in Texas; although, in those days it was prudent to go where the money was.

It wasn't that I was all that impressed with Texas. Even back then I was convinced that Texas drivers should be relieved of their cars and issued horses. That remains true today. It would be safer for all concerned. But, cowboy country did offer some unique and delightful experiences not found anywhere else in this great country. I was then... and remain a sucker for a Texas gal with a homegrown Texas accent. They mesmerize me. And, not that there aren't friendly people most everywhere, more so than many parts of the country, I have always found Texans to be a FRIENDLY lot. That also remains true today. Of course... even though it's a popular sport in the big state, Texans still can't play football. But... hey, someone has to take it on the chin.

Back to Magnolia. I'm hangin' with my mom and sis. How "kool is that"? It's like...awesome. I'l l also visit with a couple of my brothers... and some friends, old and new.

Some 50 miles north of Houston, Magnolia is a dark and somewhat strange little hamlet. It's carved out of a forest of trees. Well... more precisely, Magnolia is sort of melded into the forest. That's kinda cool. The community has sort of made a pact with nature. It's certainly nicer than areas where the trees have been stripped away or the landscape is mostly desert brush and tumbleweeds; and certainly nicer than Houston, which I think is a blight on nature.

Magnolia does have its down side. Particularly the deed restricted neighborhoods that recycle septic tank water into the yards. There are times during the day when whole neighborhoods smell like a cesspool. Yuk! I don't care how many shock tablets are used to treat all that poo poo water. It can't be healthy and sure puts a damper on an otherwise nice community.

Texas also has it's own brand of politics. They march to a different beat than most places, but in the end.... since I really don't give a hoot about politics, they are free to drown in the mire their politics creates... along with the rest of the country. Politics seems to be a necessary evil that, at this stage of life, I can live without.

I got a ticket driving through Texas around nine years ago; up in Gonzales County I think, somewhere between El Paso and San Antonio. Circumstances at the time caused dealing with it to be put on the back burner. Here nine years later I still haven't cleared up the matter. Texas probably thinks I'm messin' with them and they continue to invest money trying to collect a fine, which I dispute. They have spent at least as much as the fine amount. Alas, one day I'll probably send them a check. Maybe I'll make a note in my will for my estate to pay the tab. It's not like the cowboy economy is hinged to my paying a traffic fine.

All in all... Texas is a nice place to visit. I bit backwards in some parts. Barren in others. Lots of wide open spaces and lots of spaced out cowboys and wanna be cowboys. I've been to worse places; and messed with all of them.

... and so it goes.

Good-bye Rosie... and Don't leave the Light on for Me Motel Six

It's been a fun filled and negative free roadtrip... That is, until I awoke this morning and found someone had smashed my window and made of with Rosie... my GPS.

What a damper that put on things. Especially because I have become so spoiled navigating around the country. Admittedly, I was angry about it... for a few moments; then decided not to let it ruin my day, my trip... or my upcoming 1st time meeting with my long time SFF and FB friend... Barb. So I notified the motel desk, filed a police report, called an auto glass company to do repairs... and got on with my day and my life. Later in the day I stopped and purchased a new Magellen GPS to guide me along to Tucson, New Mexico, Texas, and eventually... home.

After the bad experience was wrapped-up, I found my way to Arriba's, in Phoenix, and shared a wonderful breakfast and meet with Barb. My mind was back on track. What a bright, friendly, and wonderful gal.

Having missed a concert I hoped to attend in Tucson, I'm spending the night at the Saguaro National Forest.

It's a cool, cloudy evening, but it appears a brisk wind will blow away the clouds and leave a beatiful starry night to enjoy. Tomorrow I will saunter over to New Mexico and see what photos I can muster to bring memories to Barb.

... till next time.

Sunrise... moonset

I left Lompoc California at 7:30 pm on Sunday ( Oct 4 ). Destination,Grand Canyon and other points on the way home to Florida.

I drove (along with my new side-kick, Sadie) about 5 hours, reaching Desert Oasis (East of Barstow) before taking Sadie for her walk and turning in for the night.

We arose with the dawn and continued east, approaching the Colorado River and Arizona just in time for sunrise. Needless to say, it was breathtaking.

After watching the sunrise, we turned for one last look at where we'd been and caught a full moon sinking below the California hills at the same time the sun was brightening up the desert. How cool is that. Sadie gave a bark, looked at me with a charming eye as if to say... wow.

Then it was off to the Grand Canyon South Rim, where we toured for a few hours before heading to Desert View and the East Rim, where we are camping for the night.

More photos to come.

On The Road Again...

All my bags are packed and we're ready to go.

Sadie and I are having breakfast and then heading north... to Santa Barbara. We'll visit with my son and daughter-in-law and grandkids and then turn southeast toward Arizona. The scent of the Grand Canyon is calling. After a few nights of camping we will visit friends in Tucson and Phoenix before ambling over to New Mexico and then on down to Dallas and Houston.

My sister-in-law... Kathy keeps Sadie calm while she gets her shots. She (Sadie) was surprisingly calm about the whole affair.

She will miss George (my brother's dog), but it's time for new adventures on the way to her new home in Florida.

... and so it goes.