Apple pie in the desert

So Big Bend was, in short, awesome!

We hiked, we cooked, we slept in the tent. We laughed. A lot. We posed for funny pictures. We marveled at the variety of dangerously sharp and unfriendly vegetation.

We were up close with the friendly campsite skunk who did not, thank goodness, spray us. We saw Javalinas. We listened to coyote howl - at night. We saw the rainbow of intricate colors that make up the desert. We collected rocks big and small.

We wondered, often, how the landscape ended up as precariously balanced as it is. We spend a couple hours in the car getting from one side of the park to the other. We had a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner - soup, cheese & crackers, stuffing from a a box, cranberry sauce, apple pie and wine.

We hiked 12 plus miles. Some of us wore funny hats. Some of welled with tears when standing in the sheer beauty of this barren, desolate, unforgiving desert. One of us climbed a slightly dangerous, very cool rock peak and was grinning like a school boy when he came back. We got a little sunburned. We really enjoyed beef jerky as a snack. We also loved clementines. We drove on exciting dirt narrow dirt roads.

We forgot only one thing needed for cooking. We learned that coffee percolators double as good places to cook pasta. We jammed an incredible amount of stuff into Sean's car.

We slept in hats one night. We played cards. We enjoyed the comfortable silence of being with friends.

We enjoyed the adventure for the adventure it was. I had a great Thanksgiving trip.

Click here for pictures!

Click here for Sean's pictures!

Birthday Gift

On my birthday, I need to be at the airport at 7 am. And I will spend ALL of my birthday on the airplane.

But not to complain. I am heading back to Shanghai, this time with a side trip to Hong Kong and fun travel companions.

Have I mentioned recently that I love my job?!

Stuffing in a Box

Last night at the local H.E.B, Sean, Kate and I discussed the merits of "just add water" pancake mix and the pros and cons of packaged meat chili meals (The pro was Sean could eat it and the con was that it made Kate want to throw up).

While Sean pushed our cart around, I crossed items off our disorganized shopping list, and Kate found things on a shelf. We were like a perfect little family. We got almost everything we needed minus a TVP meatball solution that Sean promised to conjure up, and Clementines cause H.E.B.'s produce section sucks.

And at 5 am Wednesday morning, we convene in the darkness at Sean's house to puzzle piece our camping gear and food into Sean's car.

And then we hit the long, boring road across Texas to Big Bend for Thanksgiving! We're camping for 2 nights in the desert campground and 2 nights in the mountains. We have more hiking routes picked out then we can reasonably do in 3 days. We have canned cranberry and Stovetop "just add water" stuffing to get a little bit of Thanksgiving over our mini-propane stove.

I've been looking forward to this trip forever. Kate and I have been talking about doing it almost as long as I've know her. We booked the campsites in August.

Just for a little bit of scale, I'll let you know Big Bend National Park is the size of Rhode Island. It is one of the most desolate parts of the country with very unforgiving climates. Weather for our trip should be great though. 60s during the day. 30s at night.

I am looking forward to bright skies, canyons, mountains, quiet and friends. I am looking forward to the challenge of camping for 4 nights. I am looking forward to getting away.

I've been really busy lately. I haven't had much time to just be. And lately, just being has been sad and difficult. So bring on the mountains and the Stovetop!

Can't escape where I live

Austin is a liberal, green oasis in the middle of conservative, brown Texas. And usually that is enough for me for accept the politics of this state.

But not today. Texans passed a constitutional amendment to define marriage between one man and one woman by 76%. For the most part, Travis county wasn't part of that majority.

But I am sad I live in a state that so overwhelmingly promotes intolerance and inequity. And today I'm not sure there is enough Austin charm to overcome that feeling.