Vacation! Finally!

My birthday has come and gone and I was determined to do something different this year. I booked a flight to Dallas to see my girlfriend Rhonda. She and I have known each other about 25 years. Shocking how the years pass, but also very cool! We met in Los Angeles and then Rhonda moved back to her hometown of Dallas, and eventually I left to move to Charlotte. We don't speak very often but we have always stayed in touch.

So, now it was time to visit and get caught up and do something special. Rhonda and her son, Austin, picked me up at the airport and we went to lunch at a Red Lobster. The waiters serenaded me with the happy birthday song and then we headed down to Denison, Texas to drop Austin off at Rhonda's aunt's home. Did you know that Denison is the birthplace of Eisenhower? On the way to Denison we pulled off the interstate to get something to drink (it sure was hot in Dallas!) and that drink turned into Dairy Queen Blasts. Oh my God! I NEVER eat sugar, but in continuing the birthday weekend celebration, I allowed myself to indulge. I'm hoping I didn't set a dangerous precedent. It was so good.

The next day Rhonda and I headed out to Austin, TX. I had brought my trusty GPS, which turned out to not be so trusty. Must be the Texas geography. We kept losing satellite connection. We fought our way around aggressive drivers in pick up truck, after pick up truck, and finally reached Austin. The drive took us through flat, flat land, but as we approached Austin we hit a more pretty, hilly area. The weather continued to sizzle at around 102 degrees, but we were on an adventure and not to be deterred!

That night we hit 6th Street which was a short walk from the hotel. Toward 11:00 pm the street shut down to cars and the freaks began to come out! Goodness. I never thought Texas would be home to something like that. A young woman walked down the street wearing panties and pasties while a very deranged older man stood on a corner sporting a furry, stuffed animal where his pants should have been! I knew that Austin was famous for its music but we kept coming across references to "Keep Austin Weird" so I guess it's just one more thing for Texans to be proud of. Austin weirdness and the George Bush family.

The next day we went to see some caves in San Marcos, TX, expecting something spectacular. Well....not exactly, but we still had a fun time. That evening we were smart enough to ask the concierge for some pointers on where to go and we ended up at a very, dark and cool jazz club, deep in a basement, far from the eyes of tourists. Much better. Wish we had found it Saturday.

So, back to Dallas on Monday. Lots of catching up with Rhonda. All in all, a very good weekend and a fine way to celebrate getting older!

To all my readers (Mom, Emily, Donald and Michael Owens!), please spread the message of love and peace in your every day conduct. I will try and do the same.

Sara Abrams

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