deep in the heart

last week we made the 28-hour drive to Austin, Texas, where we are currently staying. One of Yvonne’s brothers and his wife lives here, and her older sister and her family lives in San Antonio, so we have been largely hanging out with them. Austin seems to be a very nice town so far – nice weather, lots to do, and the like.

the drive southwest from Ontario went well, and took 3 days – Callum as very well behaved during the drive which helped considerably. Ohio was, well, Ohio. The first night we stayed in Findlay, Ohio, which is the self-proclaimed Flag City, USA, but I don’t recall actually seeing any flags while we were there. Kentucky in the springtime was almost magical – very beautiful, with the highway flanked by rocky cliffs dotted with purple trees, and fresh spring buds wherever you looked. Tennessee was pretty, too, for similar reasons (minus the purple trees) – the second night we stayed in Jackson, Tennessee at a place called the Old English Inn. Arkansas, on the other hand, was about as boring a drive as you could find – pretty much nothing wherever you looked, though there were Walmarts at almost every exit – no kidding (we even went to one). When we got to northeastern Texas (just past Texarkana), I experienced an amazing vista where you could see for miles around you on either side – that moment in time was pretty much as I might have imagined Texas to appear, a huge vast expanse of “range”. It is hard for me to describe adequately, but it was incredible to see.

Callum and Yvonne are currently staying with Yvonne’s sister and her two children in San Antonio – she has one son almost two years older than Callum, and one son half a year younger, so the three boys have been having a great time playing together. Callum is currently at the stage where he speaks several new words every day – for the past several months the words he has been taught have been lingering in his head, and he’s recently started to put them to good use – it is incredible to hear it. I myself am currently recovering from a procedure that I had on my back this past Monday which I very much hope will solve a lot of the problems that I have been having (I won’t go into too much detail about it, but it’s been a difficult year and a half). While recuperating I have been doing a lot of resting, reading and watching the first and second seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (which my brother-in-law has on DVD), so things could be a lot worse! This evening I even got to see a TV special about the American Mullet. What could be cooler than that?

7 thoughts on “deep in the heart

  • April 28, 2005 at 3:49 am
    Permalink

    First things first, feel better!!

    Secondly, I must differ on your opinion of most boring. By far, the most boring drive in the world is driving across Nebraska.

    Reply
  • April 28, 2005 at 3:55 am
    Permalink

    Awww, I wish I’d known you were driving this way. While we’ve never actually met, if you drive through the Dallas area on your way back, and want a rest stop, or coffee break, shoot an email my way.

    And I have to agree with – Nebraska is much more boring than Arkansas, but the Mojave Desert is even more boring than Nebraska.

    Reply
  • April 28, 2005 at 1:27 pm
    Permalink

    Man, this back thing has to stop. Hope this surgery helps.
    Does Callum still retain any of the Chinese that he was learning?

    Reply
  • April 28, 2005 at 5:52 pm
    Permalink

    Things sound like they’re getting a little better with your back. Maybe you’ll have time to finish off Buffy and graduate onto Angel!

    Reply
  • April 28, 2005 at 7:40 pm
    Permalink

    Thanks for the update Bri! Good to hear all is well. Can you please email me your current mobile number?

    -n

    Reply
  • April 29, 2005 at 3:21 am
    Permalink

    Austin

    Hey you guys! Check out Mt. Bonnell and west Austin/Lakes area as well as downtown, Zilker park, etc. How long are you down for? –Christina/Katarina

    Reply

Leave a Reply to nogbogfrog Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *