The Stars at Night are Big and Bright

They say that every thing is bigger in Texas, and when I saw the state flag hanging over a building, I agreed. I have never noticed before, but the banner for the ole' Lone Star state is simply an enlargement of Old Glory. It is a section of the US flag, enlarged 900 times and then re-cut back down to traditional flag size. My bet is that Stephen F. Austin, James Polk, or whoever was in on those meetings said something along the lines of: "Uhhh yeah. Sooo...about our flag. Can we just take Betsy [Ross]'s idea, and make it.... I don't know.... Bigger?"

Our Tex-trek was in full swing, when we crossed the state line. C.W. McCall's "Convoy" was on the radio (special thanks to the CD Chris Kohler gave us before our departure), and this seemed appropriate. The drive to the state capital (I can't remember the spelling rule on this) was far more interesting than I remember. Perhaps a few years away from the landscape of the Mid/South rejuvenates a sense of awe. There really is no stretch of land that looks quite like the land from Houston up to Tulsa.

We arrived in Austin mid-afternoon, and our lovely hosts Tom and Heather Niemeyer greeted us at the front door, smelling of delicious barbecue smoke. We was informed of a new smoker they had purchased, and our eyes lit up. Soon after, many old faces arrived for the feast. All of them being ex-Tulsans that transplanted down to do their part to "Keep Austin Weird", as the phrase goes. We had a ball catching up. I should note here also, that Tom made stuffed jalapeno peppers that were some of the most amazing things I have ever eaten.

After dinner and some visiting, It was on into the studio. Tom, Tommy Branch and Mark Harvey gave us a sneak preview of the new live songs for their band "Nobody Dance"... a name that is pure comedy gold. I sat in on some percussion, and did my best to not completely destroy the song (although there were times that I am quite sure I failed).

The next day, it was on to eat some real Mexican food on the river. Since the day was pushing up into triple-digits, the Tommys took us to a magical place called Barton Springs. A natural spring that maintains a temperature between 68 and 71 degrees despite the temperature outside. Long ago, the Tonkowa Native American tribe considered the springs sacred, and Ash and I joined them in their belief. We cooled off, relaxed, napped in the shade... It was really fantastic. I highlighted the Tommys and Ashleigh (in the water) with this nifty color box that looks like Guns and Roses "Use Your Illusion" album covers.

That evening, we picked up Heather from work and drank avocado margaritas. Yes; you read that right. And yes, they are fantastic. After that, we hit up a speak easy style bar that made cocktails. As we sipped on our classic drinks (mine was called a Corn and Oil, which was a rum drink), somehow the conversation moved to hilarious porn titles. Tom used his handy iPhone to wikipedia the best of the best that were based on movie titles. I think the general favorite was "Indiana Bones and the Temple of Poon". 

As we laughed, I think one of the waitresses nearby walked away looking offended. But really lady, get a life. There was no one else in there, and we just doing our best to keep Austin weird. Apparently she wasn't pulling her weight in that department, so it was up to us to pull up the slack. It COULD be that she just had a pickle up her ass about something else. C'est la vie. We had a wonderful dinner downtown just after the cocktails. Two rounds of Texas barbecue: Check.

And here is a picture of T-Bone wearing his underwear as a shirt. This will be all the rage in the fashion world next year, so keep in mind you saw it here first, folks.