Tomorrow Saturday Feb 28 2015 – I’m moving on from Bay St Louis Mississippi this location put me right in between Mobile Alabama and New Orleans LA where I thoroughly enjoyed all the Mardi Gras festivities that both towns had to offer. I’ll be providing future posts on those and this location. I find myself moving on to Texas tomorrow. I always have a bit of anxiety when I go to Texas. I lived in the Austin Texas for just about a year in 1983-1984. It was a really bad time to be a New Englander (I’m from Connecticut) in Texas. I never really discovered why, but the Texans treated me very poorly while I lived there and everyday I was told to go back home by a Texan. Not just go back home, but Go home you yankee bitch or Go home you F-ing yankee bitch. I’d come home crying all the time, wondering why these people were so mean to me, they didn’t even know me! The town was sooo conservative and repressed back then. I’m sure you are saying “Wait a minute, Austin is not like that anymore.” I know I know, everyone says that Austin has the weirdest town designation and is sooo cool now, even if they do say so themselves. It’s supposed to be bohemic, progressive and artsy now. I just have trouble envisioning it, due to that awful year there. When people ask me my opinion on Texas I’d usually say “it’s hot, dry, flat and boring and we should give it back to the Mexicans with our sincerest apologies while waving goodbye and singing the Na Na Na Na, Na Na Na Na Hey Hey Hey Good bye song! I met a person in KCMO that’s Kansas City Missouri or Misery as I like to say it (yes there is a story as to why I say it that way – it’ll be in the book) and she gave me this great quote that she heard from someone else. Austin is like that cool older cousin that you idolized as a kid, but then you grow up and realized he was just a jerk. I was all to happy to buy into that quote. Truth be told though, I recently heard about the Bat Bridge in Austin and being a critter gal, I could not resist, besides I should give the town another try and see if things have really changed much as research for the book. Wish me luck!!!!
3 Responses
I have many family from my moms side there. They are simply amazing. Texas is like anywhere. You will find good people and not so good people. As much as things change in many ways they stay the same. Because you are a warm, loving person you will always draw both kind of people. Those who want to rejoice in your gifts and those who want to drain. Love them both but i know how much you will enjoy the positive people.
I look forward to reading about your travels.