I woke up and realized that my phone had not figured out what time zone we were in, so it was almost time for breakfast to be over. And I didn't want to miss the opportunity to have a Texas shaped waffle!! Who can pass one of those up? Hmm? Unfortunately they didn't have cream cheese, so I had some peanut butter instead. Yay waffles! Especially Texas shaped. I am actually a little sad that every state doesn't have a state shaped waffle iron.
Next, I sold a copy of Bar Dreams! Yay! Daniel and Lyndee, who work at the motel, bought one. Enjoy! And thank you! Still, I decided, I think I already said, that this trip isn't going to be about selling books. So to have sold one anyway, well, yippee! (Never too late to buy copies!)
Car packed and off we headed, a longish drive day to Austin, TX. At least we had lost all the time we were going to lose for a while. For those who haven't experienced it, Texas is a pretty big state. When I first moved here, back in 1986, my then wife (Emma) and I drove from Geneva, to Austin, pretty much non-stop. It got ugly here and there - Emma didn't drive and I got really, really tired. Anyway, we hit Texarkana and Emma bent over. I said "What are you doing Emma?" She said, "Putting on my shoes, we must be almost there." "Nope, we still have seven hours to go to get to Austin!" Big state!
Our first stop was a rest stop, somewhere in Texas. Before Fort Stockton, if memory serves. They said they had internet service there, but I couldn't find it. Nice mural in the men's room, though.
Next stop was supposed to be at a diner that the GPS took us to. Closed! So I picked another one, a few miles down the road. Seemed like a lot of locals ate there, which I took for a good sign. Since I still had a long way to drive, I didn't eat much. Mom ate all of her fish, I had a few of the not so great french fries (way too soggy for my taste) and a few of her pickle chips. Texas Sized ice water, though, was great!
Easing on down the road, we made it to Austin without any delays. Yay! Sam's house was right where he said it would be. And the keys worked! Sam, by the way, is my nephew though only seven years younger than I am. Probably more like a cousin in some ways. He is off traveling with his son and graciously is letting me and mom crash here while we are in the neighborhood! There are a lot of teeny steps up to the second floor. And he has a lot of hangars. Well, I guess a lot of us have a lot of hangars...the better to place our hang ups...
After a rest and relaxation period, we headed out to dinner. Where else, but to the Austin Flying Saucer. My sixteenth plate is supposed to reside there - but I don't know if it ever went up. I know I never had the party for it. Maybe I will ask about it on Tuesday if I end up going there again. Anything is possible. Anyway, we found parking right nearby, which was really surprising. Parking kinda sucks around there - except for a parking garage - which would be a little too far for mom to walk easily and happily. We sat inside, in one of the three inside areas - not really the pub of love and not really the beer garden - a space that is sort of a combination of those two elements. A little loud, but not horrendously so. We had a newish server named Elle who did great! Mom and I shared a Pork Belly Sandwich - new to me - and I had my three beers. All Austin beers, since it was Sunday and Local Beers were only $3! All three were from 512 Brewery I think. Maybe not. One was a decent Pils. One was an IPA. One was a Double IPA. I thought all three were drinkable, the IPA probably being my favorite of them. Jason, one of the managers, gave me a tour of their third space - a fairly recent addition - again, sort of Pub of Love like - great space!
After our Austin Saucer experience, we stopped at HEB and then headed back for a night of rest! Yay sleep!
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| I ate a little before I took the picture... |
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| The mural at the rest stop |
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| Texas big glass of ice water |
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| Me and Mom Flying the Austin Saucer |
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