xtcian: no hats hanging in tennessee

October 28, 2007

no hats hanging in tennessee

10/28/07

We took our yearly trip to Texas last week to hang with Tessa's mom and take care of urgent family business, so I thought I'd post a few pictures of the experience. I have to say this trip was probably the best we've had: her family was great, the weather was insanely wonderful, and Lucy had the time of her life (even as we had about ten meetings to attend). First off, we went to the San Antonio Botanical Garden to see Diego from the Dora books, but the view eventually captivated our daughter:

LucySATXSkyline(bl).jpg

At the hotel, two images stuck with me. First was the laminated, specially-lit portrait of an oil rig blowing off fire, placed in the foyer for all to admire:

OilRigFireHotelTX(bl).jpg

But there were also those "Support the Troops" magnets that always give me the grippe. HOWEVER... now they came with optional inserts that said "Bring 'Em Home Safe". If that kind of lefty propaganda has infiltrated the George Herbert Walker Bush Intercontinental Airport Marriot Hotel, then maybe things have changed:

SupportHomeMagnetTX(bl).jpg

She's always been terrified of the ponies at the Farmer's Market in Santa Monica, but when she got to Tessa's Aunt Brenda's farm near Cut'n'Shoot, TX, my brave little girl met "Miss Puff" and asked to get on bareback. We also put a saddle on Puff, and she rode by herself (with help) - oh my god, I was so proud of her:

LucyRidesPuffSoloTX(bl).jpg

A motel in San Antonio - I love the utterly rusted "Kitchenettes" sign hanging off the bottom:

RanchMotelSATX(bl).jpg

The Kodak Film Dispenser at an ancient amusement park for toddlers in San Antonio. Note plug sadly dangling from back:

KodakFilmDispenserSATX(bl).jpg

If you saw "Five Wives," you saw Tessa's friend Louis, the boy she grew up with. He has three daughters now, and our kids got along... well, like this:

GirlsPumpkinsHTX4(bl).jpg
Lucy's pumpkin at far left

Finally, at the mall in San Antonio, there was this ad for today's new hair fashions - which looks oddly like something we might have made fun of in 1983:

VisibleChangesHair(bl).jpg

Posted by Ian Williams at October 28, 2007 10:41 PM

Comments

Posted by: tregen at October 29, 2007 12:29 AM

Being a native Texan myself I'm always happy to visit home (but I'm always ready to get back to Laguna after a week). Like you, I've noticed a clear change in the overall support of Bush in the state, so I suppose there is hope, slight, but it is there.

Posted by: Neva at October 29, 2007 03:28 AM

Wow. Looks like a great trip. I've never been to Texas, can you believe it? Must go.
I know it is hard to be prepared for every possibility and riding a horse probably wasn't expected, but let me please encourage you to put a helmet on little Lucy next time.
I know the horse wasn't going too fast and you were right there, but I still think it's worth mentioning to everyone here to please protect your kids when skating, scootering, biking, horseback riding etc even for "just a few seconds" - something bad only takes one second. I cringe when I see kids out on bikes without helmets nowadays.
Our next door neighbor just suffered a terrible skull fracture and head injury just 3 weeks ago so the risk is still so obvious to me.

Posted by: salem's little sister at October 29, 2007 03:59 AM

As a horseback riding instructor and mother of a horse loving 3 year old boy, I second Neva. Several equestrian helmet companies do make helmets small enough for toddlers and a bike helmet won't cut it for horseback riding. Sorry to be on the buzz kill bandwagon, but I'm thrilled Lucy wanted to ride. When you guys come through Durham/Chapel Hill again, I'll take you to my barn and Lucy and Ben can ride together.

Posted by: Cap'n Obvious at October 29, 2007 04:44 AM

Dude -- you forgot the Alamo. Isn't that a crime in Texas?

(Otherwise, looks like an amazing trip).

Posted by: Anne at October 29, 2007 05:30 AM

Dude, that last pic looks like Texas Hair (tm) for sure!

Those four sweethearts couldn't be lovelier. Thank heaven for leetle guhls.

Posted by: The other Lee at October 29, 2007 05:46 AM

I'm glad you enjoyed Texas, as someone living in Dallas right now (native North Carolinian) I've noticed even up here the support for BushCo has started to erode. It just took a while longer here than in the rest of the country.

If you or anyone else makes it up Dallas way I'm always happy to meet for a beer, or a UNC basketball game.

Posted by: Ian at October 29, 2007 07:06 AM

Cap'n - the illustrious Jon Vaden and I already did the Alamo back in '98 and learned, to our horror, there was no basement.

Posted by: Cap'n Obvious at October 29, 2007 09:31 AM

Drat.

I've also learned that there's no crying in baseball. Can you imagine?

Posted by: Sean M at October 29, 2007 12:31 PM

I'm currently enjoying a brief stint in Colorado and can tell you that, after the World Series, there is indeed crying in baseball.

Posted by: Lyle at October 29, 2007 06:35 PM

When I last visited my sister at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, nearly every car on and around campus seemed to be an SUV with one of those inane "W" stickers on the rear window. That was summer 2006. I wonder how many of those have been peeled off by now by the cars' disconsolate or disillusioned owners? My guess is, unfortunately few. But I'm just a curmudgeon who grew up in a lefty urban East Coast milieu (part of Ian's Coastopia) and then compounded how out of touch I am with Am-urr-ica (as Dubya says it) by now living overseas, so what do I know? Maybe those same drivers have traded in their SUVs for hybrids and are deliberating over which Democratic or Independent candidate to support in 2008...