In approximately 7 hours I will be on a plane headed back to Seattle. I've haven't seen my hometown skyline in a year, and over the past few weeks I have been dreaming of homemade pesto, leisurely Sundays at the farmer's market, the back patio of King's with a $3 bloody mary, the faces of my favorite people, the happy old family dog.
When I get back I will be heading to the Methow Valley for two days, to spend time with our dear family friends in their Earthship home, checking out the stars and the beans growing in the garden, squash plants and the little swimming hole under the Carlton bridge, walking through the Cascade Mountains, watching the river snake its way through the late summer valley.
As I mentioned before, my esteemed Pops is retiring after 30+ year of working for the Dept. of Transportation, and we are throwing the party to end all parties. I hear there is a pinata with an elaborate pulley system, a pony keg, and a newly built fire pit. It's going to be epic. Some of my buds will be there, many of whom have known (and loved/been loved by) my folks for 15 years!
The last 2 weeks have been a blur of unemployment. I ended my job about a week after returning home from New Mexico, which we will talk about in a moment. Steven took me canoeing for the first time- 8 miles in an aluminum canoe down the San Marcos river, spring fed, cool, and oh so blue. We logged many turtle sightings, flipped over once, and I pledged to come back for more.
I had a big city night downtown, we saw The Tallest Man on Earth, very skinny, VERY talented Swedish musician, and enjoyed peach cobbler with blackberry ice cream at the famous Driskill Hotel before the show.
Swam in Barton Springs, took Guthrie running, headed to Schulenberg, TX for a church fundraiser that included a giant meal of fried chicken and a live polka band (and a copious amount of old czech people and babies.)
We had a cold front move through Austin yesterday, and temp dropped from about 104 degrees to 91. Morning actually had a cool breeze blowin' through, and I took it as a reminder of the newness that can accompany change; a sign of good things to come.
The last thing I wanted to share with y'all was my trip to New Mexico. I had promised vivid descriptions of winding dirt roads, giant forks, and rainbow connections. I gotta pack and print my boarding pass, so instead here is a list of the most memorable moments.
- Balmorhea, TX. Scene of the crime where we were not allowed into the beautiful natural spring a few months ago because an uppity parent had called the Austin office to complain about their kid getting a case of "the itchies." There were fish, and we had a snorkel. It was worth the wait.
-Did you know that the big yellow "Welcome to New Mexico" sign on the border of West Texas is riddled with bullet holes? So were many of the other road signs we saw throughout the back roads of New Mexico. Some outlaw shit.
-White Sands National Monument. Mountains of white gypsum, glowing white in the hot sun. We saw an alien, then had to go to Walmart to get snacks, in the small city of Alamogordo. Also, did you know that the Applebee's in Alamogordo has Karoake every Thursday night, and cheap glasses of Blue Moon beer?
-Photos. I took photos of sage, sunsets, long roads, a lizard, St. Francis of Assisi, and a pizza. In college I used to take a lot of photos of my feet- I resisted the urge.
-Santa Fe. We pulled into Roadrunner Campground around 12:30 am and I grumpily insisted we sleep in the tent instead of the back seat of the car. The tent and I had a showdown- there was cussing, and wrestling, but I won.
-Trader Joe's. Everyone in the Trader Joe's in Santa Fe had on funny sandals and turquoise jewelry, and they were all over 65.
-Taos. Be still my beating heart- I love this mountain town. We saw the Rio Grande gorge, hiked to Wheeler Lake, had coffee and ice cream in Arroyo Seco, watched afternoon thunderstorms roll through the foothills.
-Adobe and Pines Inn. The highlight of the the trip for me was visiting my friend from Austin, who now owns this gorgeous Bed and Breakfast in Taos with her husband. There were long nights of conversation about hot air balloons and marathons, dinners of baked leeks with lemon and garlic and scallops, wine, learning about Alice Waters, playing with Molly the dog, and feeling content and open to a sense of possibility that is hard to find. Go to Adobe and Pines Inn if you can. Hard to find spots in this world where good people and a connection to something deeper are so intertwined- it is a special place, indeed.
-Amarillo: the one night we spent in a hotel was in sleepy downtown Amarillo- we had planned to sleep at Palo Duro canyon, but a late evening storm flooded all the low water crossings. Instead we ate bean dip and chips for dinner and watched "What Not to Wear." Awesome.
-Lubbock: yes, Buddy Holly grew up there. The museum had so much of his life in it, his guitar, even his glasses, which were recovered from the plane wreckage and donated by the family, though they sat in an evidence locker for decades before they were found again.
All in all, it was an enchanting place, though with more drunk driving memorials and poor towns then they like to admit. I loved being there, hope to go back again soon.
But now, it's time to go back home. I'll take a plane instead of a tornado, and leave my dog to chew his toys and sleep on the bed as much as he likes. I'll miss the warmth of Texas and my life here, but hometown Seattle has been calling for months now. It's where this all began. There's no place like it.
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