A Great Weekend of Dallas Comes to Austin

 

We really did have the best weekend. And, managed to cram a lot in actually. We played Uno (those folks from Dallas are ruthless and have the meanest rules. I loved it!)

And, we drank coffee and hung out at Spider House. Well, until the birds became a bit much. Poor Steve shrieked like Tippy Hedron and nearly ran all the way back to Dallas from Austin. But, to be fair - the birds were a bit much!! When they began dropping bombs, we had to call it an afternoon.

We walked through SoCo and even found some new outfits for the folks for the upcoming 80s dance. And, we found the classic candy store! That was fun. But, no takers on the chocolate covered bacon. Can you blame them? Ewww.

Cassy and Kevin got some shots of the Capitol. And, we did the standards of Threadgills, Magnolia Cafe, and of course, Kerbey Lane. 

All in all - it was very relaxing and we made some great new friends. I hope they all come back soon. Maybe in June? But, we plan to make it to Dallas in May and now I feel so much better about the journey, knowing there'll be some familiar faces on the other end of the trip.

Hope you're doing well. Let us know!

Finally! - I Figured Out What it Was

I Finally figured out what it was!

I wasn't sure. It ran out in front of the truck a few weeks ago when I was driving from San Antonio to Austin. I had to pull over to the side of the road, because it scared me so bad I had to clutch myself.

Now - things have run in front of my vehicle before - Jack Rabbits, possums, skunks, racoons, snakes (althought not technically "running") squirrels, rats, dogs, cats, small children, even an armadillo. (oh and a stray gator in Louisiana).

But because I didn't know what this thing was - I was a little shaken.

Then, I was having lunch with another California transplant who was telling a horrendous story about how his dog killed one of these things. He didn't know what it was either. It kinda looked like a wild boar. Turns out it's not even a swine relative at all. A neighbor told him.. "yep. that's a hav-ah-leen-ah" (you know. in that slowish texas drawl).

Well, he didn't know what to do with it either. In Sacramento - I don't know I've ever had a dead Javalina in the front yard - stinkin up the place. (Apparently - they smell way before they're dead).

So my California-transplant friend called around to find out what one does when one has a dead Peccary fertilizing the lawn. It appears from our fine folks at animal control - or the Texas equivalent of - that what ya need isn't an animal control professional. What ya need - is a buzzard.

Now, I've seen these. When driving down a back road through hill country with the top down, you occassionally see them circling. You can even see them take flight from the road - which is a warning that there's one of them there Peccarys or armadillo's that didn't dodge a pickup truck fast enough. They are big birds! And ugly.

Sure enough my California-transplant friend waited and after a few days, like a prophecy spelled out ona ouja board, the buzzards came! In just a days time, no carcass left! So - there ya go. For all of my friends in California who wouldn't know what to do if a Javalina was in your yard or what was even is - consider yourself educated.