Memphis, Tennessee to Dallas, Texas – December 18th, 2008

It’s really foggy. I drove the length of Arkansas, and I have no idea what it looks like. I think there’s farms.
Roadfood: In Texarkana I stop at a BBQ place, Dave’s Barbecue I think. It’s decent, but real greasy. I get to Couplingchaos’s sister’s place, she and her husband are newly wedded but glow with the easy comfortable ecstasy that comes from knowing each other for the better part of decade and finally tying the knot. It’s adorable and inspiring. They take me out to some great Mexican food, there’s a tequila I’ve never had before, Dos Lunas, the anejo is superb, really smooth, with a distinctive sweet nutty overtone, it’s really fabulous. Hope I can find a bottle to take home.

Dallas, Texas to Austin,Texas – December 19th, 2008

On my way to Austin, I stop at the Texas Ranger Museum, which it totally rad. The Rangers started as surveyors and armed protection for the settlers when Texas was part of Mexico. Today they’re a detective force, there are 135 of them for the whole state of Texas. They all wear white cowboy hats and cowboy boots. Damn, they’re awesome. I wish I had time to check out the Dr. Pepper museum, but I wanna get down to Austin.

Austin, Texas – December 20th, 2008

OMG I totally love Austin, it’s so cool and funky. Everybody’s a musician, there are lots of great bars, lots of live music. We go to the Whole Foods corporate headquarters, which is also the biggest honkin mothership of a Whole Foods store I’ve ever seen. We grab some prepared foods and go up to the second floor patio to eat in the 70 degree late afternoon, of which I gloatfully text people back in Boston. In the evening we crawl through half a dozen bars, sharing cigarettes with strangers in outside lounges while music comes in from live bands next door. The, what do you call it...”vibe” of this city is magical and alive. The next day we’re getting coffee and I see pictures of two people we met last night on a band poster. Of course. We also go to the museum of Texas history, the Texas capitol building, and hunt me down a pair of cowboy boots.