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I never did tell you all about Friday.
The day before my first boyfriend from when I was in high school called. He moved to California in '88 or so, and we talk maybe once a year or so. Anyway, he's visiting family back in Texas and he offered to take me out to dinner Friday or lunch Saturday if I drove out to where his mom Kay lives in Johnson City about an hour west of here. After finding out that hub had no interest in meeting this guy (whose name is Rick, BTW) and didn't care if I went, I asked Rick if I could do Friday lunch, since hub would be at work. He said he'd already promised his brother Fred they'd all go to the Alamo, but if I didn't mind brother being there he'd be happy to drag me along.
So I set out around 10 on Friday. I wasn't sure what to expect; I am not exactly the svelte little thang I was when I was in high school and for that matter, when I last saw Fred he was a 12 or 13 year old little punk. Well, Kay looked pretty much exactly the same, though she apparently had had a heart attack or two and quadruple bypass surgery. You couldn't tell though. Rick had gotten a bit of a spare tire, cut all his lovely hair off and grown a goatee. He has a small mouth, which made the goatee look kinda droopy and it didn't really suit him, and I missed his long hair- but he's been working for Fed Ex and they want their drivers to look nice.
His brother got all adulty and tall, and had a wife/girlfriend and a 2 year old daughter. He also was a real redneck, with a whole wall devoted to Dale Earnhart memorabilia. We went to IHOP in Universal City (where Fred and family lived) and sat around and talked. I felt really out of place in a lot of ways- Fred and family plus Kay are, not to put too fine a point on it, not very smart people. Rick was never brain surgeon material, but he seemed to stand out somewhat. I'm not sure if country living did that to them and Rick had grown out of it by living in LA (god that sounds elitist, and I apologize) or if he just always was the bright one of the bunch. But it made me feel like if I ever had to leave Austin, I would feel very out of sorts anywhere else in Texas, because I think there are more of them than there are of me. GWB had gotten ersatz-elected by these people after all.
Anyway, the Alamo was cool; if I had been it was for a field trip when I was in elementary school and I don't remember it. We saw a little movie and read and heard endless descriptions of the brave Texans fighting for freedom and stuff. The grounds were actually very lovely and squirrel-populated (in fact, we saw a cat running off with one of the little beasts). There was a really gorgeous huge live oak that had been planted by one of the first tree-moving companies in Texas that I got a couple of pictures of.
It was a short walk to the famous San Antonio Riverwalk- I remember that from when I was a kid (I lived in San Antonio around 1976), and it was not much more exciting than a dank alley with a river running down the middle of it. They've really tarted it up since then. There were lots of healthy-looking cypress trees and a million and one ferns and other plants (including what looked like a datura plant, but I could be mistaken) in nice landscaping arrangements all over. There were also some cute little sidewalk cafes, and hotels right up against the water- they seemed very romantic.
After farting around there for an hour or two, people were getting hungry so we went to a place called Mama's, which was sort of a Chili's knock-off. Then Rick, Kay, and I drove back to Johnson City and I went home.
It was good seeing him. He is still funny and kind, and held doors open for me, which was nice. I'm glad we didn't stay together, I don't think I could handle being involved with his family though (I lucked out with hub, who also has other things to recommend him as well :). They're really nice people but I just have nothing in common with them at all. He says when his dad decides to retire he will probably inherit some land and a house in Marble Falls- he really wants to own a home, and it won't happen in California. So he will be back here eventually, and he says he dreads it. He loves the weather out there, and does not look forward to dealing with his family. I told him he could always visit us in Austin, which is probably a lot more California-y than anywhere else in this benighted state.
Weird moments: the little girl got all squirmy when we were watching the little movie (a 15 minute documentary on the Alamo), so I scooped her up and plopped her in my lap, where she stayed for most of the rest of the movie. She was an especially well-behaved non-whiney little kid, quite pleasant as kids go. It was no biggie for me, but when I told hub, he literally could not visualize me holding a child in my lap. It was only when I told him to imagine me holding Mini-Me that he could wrap his brain around it. *snork*
Fred is a grown-up. I still saw the punk he was when I last saw him. Then someone mentioned he was 28 years old, a year older than Eric. So when I was dating Rick, Eric was younger than that punk brother of his. Aaaaaaaaaah!
The day before my first boyfriend from when I was in high school called. He moved to California in '88 or so, and we talk maybe once a year or so. Anyway, he's visiting family back in Texas and he offered to take me out to dinner Friday or lunch Saturday if I drove out to where his mom Kay lives in Johnson City about an hour west of here. After finding out that hub had no interest in meeting this guy (whose name is Rick, BTW) and didn't care if I went, I asked Rick if I could do Friday lunch, since hub would be at work. He said he'd already promised his brother Fred they'd all go to the Alamo, but if I didn't mind brother being there he'd be happy to drag me along.
So I set out around 10 on Friday. I wasn't sure what to expect; I am not exactly the svelte little thang I was when I was in high school and for that matter, when I last saw Fred he was a 12 or 13 year old little punk. Well, Kay looked pretty much exactly the same, though she apparently had had a heart attack or two and quadruple bypass surgery. You couldn't tell though. Rick had gotten a bit of a spare tire, cut all his lovely hair off and grown a goatee. He has a small mouth, which made the goatee look kinda droopy and it didn't really suit him, and I missed his long hair- but he's been working for Fed Ex and they want their drivers to look nice.
His brother got all adulty and tall, and had a wife/girlfriend and a 2 year old daughter. He also was a real redneck, with a whole wall devoted to Dale Earnhart memorabilia. We went to IHOP in Universal City (where Fred and family lived) and sat around and talked. I felt really out of place in a lot of ways- Fred and family plus Kay are, not to put too fine a point on it, not very smart people. Rick was never brain surgeon material, but he seemed to stand out somewhat. I'm not sure if country living did that to them and Rick had grown out of it by living in LA (god that sounds elitist, and I apologize) or if he just always was the bright one of the bunch. But it made me feel like if I ever had to leave Austin, I would feel very out of sorts anywhere else in Texas, because I think there are more of them than there are of me. GWB had gotten ersatz-elected by these people after all.
Anyway, the Alamo was cool; if I had been it was for a field trip when I was in elementary school and I don't remember it. We saw a little movie and read and heard endless descriptions of the brave Texans fighting for freedom and stuff. The grounds were actually very lovely and squirrel-populated (in fact, we saw a cat running off with one of the little beasts). There was a really gorgeous huge live oak that had been planted by one of the first tree-moving companies in Texas that I got a couple of pictures of.
It was a short walk to the famous San Antonio Riverwalk- I remember that from when I was a kid (I lived in San Antonio around 1976), and it was not much more exciting than a dank alley with a river running down the middle of it. They've really tarted it up since then. There were lots of healthy-looking cypress trees and a million and one ferns and other plants (including what looked like a datura plant, but I could be mistaken) in nice landscaping arrangements all over. There were also some cute little sidewalk cafes, and hotels right up against the water- they seemed very romantic.
After farting around there for an hour or two, people were getting hungry so we went to a place called Mama's, which was sort of a Chili's knock-off. Then Rick, Kay, and I drove back to Johnson City and I went home.
It was good seeing him. He is still funny and kind, and held doors open for me, which was nice. I'm glad we didn't stay together, I don't think I could handle being involved with his family though (I lucked out with hub, who also has other things to recommend him as well :). They're really nice people but I just have nothing in common with them at all. He says when his dad decides to retire he will probably inherit some land and a house in Marble Falls- he really wants to own a home, and it won't happen in California. So he will be back here eventually, and he says he dreads it. He loves the weather out there, and does not look forward to dealing with his family. I told him he could always visit us in Austin, which is probably a lot more California-y than anywhere else in this benighted state.
Weird moments: the little girl got all squirmy when we were watching the little movie (a 15 minute documentary on the Alamo), so I scooped her up and plopped her in my lap, where she stayed for most of the rest of the movie. She was an especially well-behaved non-whiney little kid, quite pleasant as kids go. It was no biggie for me, but when I told hub, he literally could not visualize me holding a child in my lap. It was only when I told him to imagine me holding Mini-Me that he could wrap his brain around it. *snork*
Fred is a grown-up. I still saw the punk he was when I last saw him. Then someone mentioned he was 28 years old, a year older than Eric. So when I was dating Rick, Eric was younger than that punk brother of his. Aaaaaaaaaah!
