Monday Meandering - 5.28.2012

Made a trip to Lubbock this past weekend to see some Grands - and their Mom and Dad, of course. Of course. As is normal with us, our first break along the way was at the DQ in Goldthwaite. And, as always, I wished aloud that we had kept count of the number of times we had stopped at that particular DQ in our travels.

After we got back on the road, Barb began to do a little calculating, and quickly established that the DQ was on our route when we were dating and going back and forth from several of the places she lived. That means we have been stopping there for more than 50 years! During that period of time we moved to Austin, so we began making trips back to see my folks, or to the Lake Cabin. Then we went through a long stretch of time with kids in school in Abilene and later, living there for a period.

After the kids left Abilene, Barb and I made the trip a dozen or so times just to go to church there. Now we've got kids in Lubbock, so we are still traveling that road and stopping at the Goldthwaite DQ. So, how many stops is that? We still don't know, but it would not be unreasonable to think we made that trip an average of 4 or 5 times a year. Over a 50 year period, with a stop both going and returning, that's 400 to 500 DQ visits. I think we should get a plaque or something up on the wall!

Sitting on the patio the other morning, and I heard a "snap" and looked up in time to see a squirrel falling from the upper reaches of a tree. It landed without harm in a bush, and scampered off. If the squirrel was embarrassed because I witnessed his fall, he got his revenge by taking another choice tomato later in the day, in broad daylight!

Only in Austin. You are no doubt aware of the "flash mobs" that show up unexpectedly in various places and dance, or sing, or whatever. The City of Austin decided we needed a flash mob to show up at City Hall, so they hired a choreographer, commissioned songwriters to come up with a catchy song, paid professionals to record it, advertised for dancers, and announced when this all was to occur so no one would miss it! So much for spontaneity. And for some reason Homeland Security is paying for it all! No, I don't know either.