"Everything's bigger in Texas"

Wednesday, October 12, 2022 (through Friday) - in Texas

We fly to Texas Wednesday morning. It's mid-afternoon when we arrive; we've brought snacks but there's no meal on the 4-hour flight. When we arrive in Austin, we stop for African-Texas barbecue. We love the sour-smokey flavor, indulging as we sit in the warm shade.

Our daughter is a foodie and has planned a gourmet circuit of the city she loves.

We stock up for DIY projects at Home Depot. They have a whole parking lot of barbecues for sale.

Inside, Christmas ornaments are going up.

I spend a few minutes in the hardware and paint aisles. Something about the lumber aisle aways makes me happy. It smells of wood and possibilities. I miss these DIY superstores - they used to be fun "dates" with W when we lived in the USA.

W scopes out Kirsten's yard and then the week's work begins. K has purchased small trees to plant to block neighbors' views of her backyard. W digs holes, I plant and mulch, and within a day or two, the little trees are set.

The front yard is the first chore. After I toss the neighbor kids' scooter back onto their lot, we define the property line with prickly bushes and concrete tiles. By Saturday, W has run irrigation hoses under the tiles and dug the long lines of hoses under the backyard grass to the new trees. After K buys irrigation timers, the yard is all set.

Between work, we eat some of the best food Austin food trucks have to offer. We start with a late lunch at a Mexican taco truck.

Besides the Mexican sauces, there's a beef broth for dipping. Oh yum.

We shop at a supermarket for food. There's one aisle of refrigerators with all kinds of sausages.

There's an aisle of frozen vegetables: raw, cooked, or ready-made meals.

And there's another aisle of prepared dinners - slip them into the oven or microwave and you have a meal. It's quicker than a personal chef and you can choose many options, any time you shop for groceries.

I'm boggled by the heaps of pumpkins at the exit. The largest are 2.5' (75 cm) in diameter and $40. The rest are cheaper; most are 1' (30 cm) or larger. Some have bumps, lumps, interesting skin colors, and other variations.

Gas is cheaper than in Seattle, where state, county, and city taxes steal an extra $2-$3 per gallon at the pump.

As night falls, the sky lights up the forests on the hillsides of Austin. The sunsets are glorious.

Saturday

We start at Arturo's basement cafe for brunch. The portions are huge.

The server takes our picture. He is observant and attentive to what we need. In the USA, the customer is king.

The clientele and servers are typically Austin: young and diverse.

We spot a few city "birds" - cranes erecting skyscrapers downtown and along the highways.

Another trip to the grocer shocks us with a refrigerator case filled top to bottom with cheese and sausage options.

Kirsten holds up some funky squashes.

Back home in the evening, we lay out a gallery wall from K's collection of street art. It covers 3'X4.5' (1X1.5 meters.)

We start with a blank wall in the primary bedroom - and then it's done.

Sunday

We drive 30 miles to a gathering at Believer's Church in Leander, where people are friendly and welcoming.

Lunch at Ron and Jody Dugone's house is delicious. Their community group meets at their place on Sundays. They include us in their feast. We eat a lip-smacking Tex-Mex repast of guacamole, salsa, chips, refried beans, a cheesy chicken casserole, salad, and spicy rice with corn. The banana pudding dessert is awesome.

The ranch driveway is long, winding through meadows and trees. This is a small section.

We make several stops on the way home to Austin. One of them is to an Indian food truck - the parking lot full of food trucks is typical of Austin. There are Caribbean, Venezuelan, Indian, American, and Hawaiian, and ice cream options in this lot.

W orders a 1/2 lb (1/4 kg) burger and pronounces it delicious. My stomach is still full from lunch.

We're home at 5:00, tired but happy. the mango lassi tastes good. As does the microwave popcorn ...

Read more:

*You must not distort justice; you must not show partiality; and you must not accept bribes, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of those who are in the right. Deuteronomy 16:19

*I will look to the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. Micah 7:7

*How can you believe when you accept glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the one who alone is God? John 5:44

*Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Colossians 3:2

*Proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. 2 Timothy 4:2

*See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. 1 John 3:1-3

Moravian Prayer: Almighty God, it is on you that we depend. Forgive us when our conceit leads us to think that we rule our own destiny. In humility, we look to see your footsteps, that we may walk in your ways. 

God of creation, teach us that we cannot glorify you when we are contributors to injustice, oppression, and the destruction of your creation. Search our hearts and lead us to truth, that we, and our world, may be healed. Amen.