TEXAS

Back in the day there was a penchant among travelers to plaster stickers on the luggage that went with them to places exotic and otherwise. But then they made nylon luggage and maybe those stickers didn’t like it. Or perhaps it was the zippers that replaced those cool snappy lock things that kept your luggage closed. Who knows? Stickers can be real snooty. Anyway, if I could I would place a Texas sticker on my black jumbo suitcase. And it would be BIG because it would say TEXAS.

My brother lives there, in McKinney just north of Dallas, in a home that would fit in beautifully right down the road from me. Seriously. Look at this porch.

Tim and his wife Elizabeth have done a super job on restoring the old place. That porch is where we spent our happy hour – ‘bout 4 o’clock every day. It’s where the girls trounced the boys when we played Password. Remember that old game? Even hubby, Mr. I-only-play- pinochle, played and liked it. Texas is the place where miracles happen. Heh, heh.

Texas is downright presidential. Dealy Plaza, where President Kennedy was shot, is a sober reminder of how things can go horribly wrong when you leave the top down on the convertible.  The George Bush Library and Museum that remembers 9-11 sobers us again when we see the twisted metal from one of the Twin Towers.

Food in Texas is beyond yummy and I was introduced to the art of “massaging” kale. Kale loves it when you do that. You’ve just gotta refrain from telling it how much you’re going to enjoy chomping it down with the goat cheese and dressing later on. Kale doesn’t like to be reminded that it’s a super food. It prefers to be known as the Queen of the Produce Aisle. The salmon Elizabeth prepared for our last supper was spectacular. Alive the thing would have filled the average bathtub, but it filled our tummies instead. The lemon drop martinis were a new experience for me, but so delightful. 

It was so nice to be in the snuggly warm nest of family alongside the brother and sisters I grew up with. Memories flowed, faith was shared, funny stories had us spewing our wine. I’ll bet  you can relate.   

Back home I have small tokens of our trip and a promise from everyone that we’ll do this again – and soon! I hope you have some real honest-to-goodness family time this week. Let me know how it goes.

Elizabeth's handmade dryer ball and homemade soap

 Image: Free Digital Photos