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Tag Archives: holidays

Christmas Eve

Sat, 24 Dec 2011, 10:23 PM (-06:00)

We made quick work of that cornish hen in spite of the orgy of corn bread and butter that we had earlier in the day. There are presents beside the fireplace, wrapped and waiting for tomorrow morning. There are dogs snoozing in their foo-foo sweaters, exhausted from the day. Ben will be coming back from […]

A Long Day’s End

Sun, 2 Jan 2011, 10:54 AM (-06:00)

It’s 5:55 pm, New Year’s Day, just before closing time. Lane 1 Janie’s face periodically twitches as she scans the merchandise. She isn’t moving particularly fast, and then the phone next to her register rings. She picks up the receiver while she totals up the bill. “Yes ma’am. We close at 6:00,” she says and […]

Showers 1 & 2

Tue, 30 Nov 2010, 10:42 PM (-06:00)

1. First Shower On the morning of the second day, it was cold. Trudy and I looked at each other and both said, “I’m not taking a shower today.” But on the still-cold morning of the third day, we saw things in a different light. Trudy walked off and took her shower, coming back happy […]

Shell Station on the Hill

Mon, 29 Nov 2010, 07:05 PM (-06:00)

We pulled off state highway 46 at a Shell gas station on a hill overlooking Interstate 10 stretching west to El Paso and back east to San Antonio. I waited with the dog at a picnic table while Trudy walked in for a drink. When she came out, I went in. There was a young […]

Burn Ban (3)

Sun, 28 Nov 2010, 09:08 PM (-06:00)

So here’s the funny thing about the burn ban that they had going in the park when we were there for Thanksgiving. On our second day there, I saw a truck drive slowly by in the morning, and Trudy saw a sign on the side of their trailer that said: Firewood For Sale. In yellow letters […]

Burn Ban (2)

Sun, 28 Nov 2010, 08:47 PM (-06:00)

We didn’t have a camp fire on our first night at the park. The temperatures dropped into the 40s just after sunset, and a burn ban had just been issued. And so after our one-pot-Thanksgiving turkey and sweat potato and onion meal that couldn’t be beat, prepared by the Fair and Industrious Trudy in the […]

Burn Ban (1)

Sun, 28 Nov 2010, 08:34 PM (-06:00)

You see, we have this experience from a few years ago. A New Year’s Eve camping trip gone awry, where a Travis County burn ban forbade us from having a camp fire, even as the temperatures dropped precipitously. It was so cold that we were caught unawares. In the end, even the boys gave up […]

Cold Front on Thanksgiving

Sun, 28 Nov 2010, 07:53 PM (-06:00)

It had been a hot week: in the 80s and humid, notable for November even for Central Texas.  And of course, this was the cause of some excitement for us, as we had booked a camping spot at Garner State Park for the holiday weekend. A balmy Thanksgiving on the Frio. Our excitement was met […]