So we’ve made it to the lone star state.(we’ve actually been here since Friday, but haven’t set aside any time to update) I never thought I’d say this, but I’m an official fan of Texas. I know, I know, but it’s true…wait, let me go back a bit…
Ok, so after our brief and rather unmemorable stopover in Roswell, Keels and I drove down to Carlsbad Caverns in southern New Mexico. If you’ve never been, it’s absolutely beautiful! There’s something so prehistoric and creepy about caves…and if you ask Keeley, upon entering…very stinky! Admittedly, the bat guano and bird poo was a bit overwhelming. She had to cover her face with a jacket as we descended down 4 bazillion feet. Eventually, the smell went away along with the 90+ degree weather. Underneath the hot New Mexican desert, it was a pleasant 56 degrees, and it felt like a completely different world…with all the drooping stalactites and dripping water. It was amazing. So, Carlsbad Caverns is hidden underneath the Guadalupe mountains and Guadalupe Mountain National Park is just a ½ hr drive away in Texas. So, after our jaunt through the marvelous caves of New Mexico, we ventured into solid red country. I swear, after we crossed that state line, things really did seem to change. I mean, I don’t know what it was, but it was odd and the trucks were obviously bigger. Maybe the road is getting to me, but it seriously felt different. Guadalupe NP was just gorgeous though…these sharp craggily mountains dramatically jut out of these green gentle Texas hills. It was breathtaking. (see pic above) We camped underneath the stars with a perfect view of the crags, and I had a wonderfully nutritious meal of Mac and Cheese. As you can tell, after my Sante Fe disaster, I’ve quickly returned to my obsession with cheese and everything grand. Jeremy is once again feeling strong! So, after our first successful night in Texas, Keeley and I headed over to the one blue section of Texas…Austin. Now, I’ve heard Austin is fun, but I had no clue it’d be as wild as it was. We got a cheap hotel and quickly hit the town, heading over to 6th street. You can definitely tell Austin is the one liberal part of Texas. In fact, I think the surrounding conservatism has made Austin go a bit overboard. It was a Saturday night in the summer, but it felt like college was in full swing. It was pretty crazy...or maybe I’m just getting old. Either way, it was great fun. They blocked off the streets and people were walking through the middle, music was playing everywhere, it was wild. I found my favorite bourbon and a good local beer, and Keeley had some cocktails and we just walked around soaking everything in. The next day, we were off again and headed over to Dallas to see some friends and watch Keeley perform. I must thank our Dallas friends Shelly and Keith for being such wonderful hosts. You two are awesome! They were very gracious and we enjoyed some fabulous Tex-Mex and some frickin awesome burgers at the Twisted Root. Keeley’s show was Monday night, but she and Sara J laid out by the pool all day while Keith, Zach and I laid inside, watching ESPN and a Ken Burns baseball documentary. You just cant go wrong with this day, right?! Eventually, six-thirty finally came around and we headed over to the Opening Bell Café. This day just keeps getting better and better, I know! The show at the Opening Bell was a singer/songwriter round and Keeley ba-rought it!! She sang six songs…some oldies…some newbie’s. It was great to see all the friends who came out. It was a fantastic audience and a really cool little café. Our time in Dallas came to an end on Tuesday and we eagerly made our way down highway 35 to Boerne (it’s about 45 minutes north of San Antonio), where Keeley’s grandparents live. Now…Keeley had been looking forward to this part of the trip forever and I’ve been waiting to meet them for about a year now. So, finally, after about 5 hours on the 35, we arrived at Noni and Papa’s beautiful home in the rolling hills of Texas. If you can picture the cutest, nicest grandparents in the world, then you’ve got Keeley’s Noni and Papa. They are so so sweet and had a wonderful salmon dinner ready for us when we arrived. (They are notorious for feeding their guests and feeding them well.) The next day I met more of the family. Her sweet aunt MaryAnne picked us up and brought us over to Bandera where Keeley was to perform. In Bandera, I met her uncle Mike and we checked out their beautiful home, ate some more Tex-Mex and drove through the quant little city. (Bandera is apparently known as the cowboy capital of the world) (see pic below) That night Keeley performed at this cute little coffeehouse on main street. The show was awesome...MaryAnne made sure the local paper had a nice write up about Keeley announcing the details of the show and it brought some lovely people out who were very kind. It was a wonderful show. She entertained the crowd for two hours and we all loved it. So…hopefully now after this long winded posting, you can understand how this California boy has somehow fallen in love with Texas. And yes, I do understand that the Texas Rangers lead the Angels by six games…and no…I’m not happy about it…but our time here has been just amazing…I’m grateful for every minute of it. The last four days here in Boerne have just been unbelievable. I’ve enjoyed some great home cookin…met Keeley’s grandparents, wonderful aunt MaryAnne, and kind uncle Mike…I’ve been blessed to watch Keeley sing her heart out…we’ve played Uno, taken in some Texas sun, and just relaxed in this wonderfully refreshing place. Keeley has mentioned to me many times how rejuvenating it is here, and now I completely understand. So…until next time…hopefully it’ll be much sooner.
