To Texas and Back

Yesterday we returned home from traveling for eight days, driving to and from Austin, Texas, where we visited our son and grandsons. These grandsons are ages 9 and 13 now.

We've made the same trip enough times that it's almost routine with stops at Busy Bee in Florida, and several Buc-ee's in Alabama and Texas. If you aren't familiar with Buc-ee's you're missing a happy place to stop for gasoline, the cleanest bathrooms you'll ever find, and whatever snack your littl' ole heart might desire. People living in Central Florida are anticipating a new Buc-ee's to be located just north of Ocala on I-75. It will have "120 pumps, 720 parking spaces and an 80,000-square-foot store." Personally, I also like that Buc-ee's doesn't allow 18-wheelers.

While in Austin, we spent Saturday afternoon in a downtown park along Lady Bird Lake.

We also ate barbecue at Terry Black's, and tried an unusual handmade "rolled ice cream" at Frozen Rolls Creamery.

On Monday we visited the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center where we saw hundreds of varieties of flowers, bushes, and trees. Happily, I came home with some handmade lavender soap - my favorite!

Afterward, we ate at my all-time favorite Texas barbecue, Salt Lick - one of the few barbecue places that offers pulled pork. All I ate was a half-pound of pulled pork - no sides - and a slice of delicious pecan pie.

I always travel with handwork and this trip allowed me lots of time to EPP Prudence blocks. I pieced rows together first, then joined them.

I found it difficult to make the horizontal rows match. The joining angles are so awkward - forced - that several pieces of card stock popped out. Now I'm wondering if I chose the wrong way to join blocks. Might another arrangement been easier to join? I'm not looking forward to stitching together the other nine rows I've already pieced.

Since returning home I finished trimming these HSTs for my Unallocated quilt. They're ready to have strips added to complete a block. 

Book Recommendations

I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai is read by one of my favorite narrators, Julia Whelan. 

After 27 years, Bodie Kane has returned to Granby, a New Hampshire private boarding high school she attended. During her years there, three students lost their lives. The most controversial death was that of Bodie's former roommate, Thalia, who was murdered. Her killer is in prison, though all along he's claimed his innocence.

Bodie is now at Granby to teach a two week podcasting course to a small group of students, one of whom wants to research and talk about Thalia's death. The more the student reviews, the more she uncovers that makes Bodie think the wrong person was convicted of the crime. 

This is a very long book at around 14 hours of listening, and reads somewhat similarly to a podcast. I thought the author took too much time explaining the ins-and-outs of the crime and the possible who-done-its. The ending left me feeling a lack of resolution. 

Linda's score: 3.8/5.0

The Safe Man: A Ghost Story by Michael Connelly is only an hour and 33 minutes listen. 

Brian Halloway is self-employed as a locksmith and safe-opener, also known as "a box man." He's just opened a locked floor safe in an old home recently purchased by a famous author. However, after opening the safe, strange dreams begin to haunt Brian. When he's questioned about the disappearance of the author's daughter, he begins to regret opening the safe.

Linda's score: 4.0/5.0

On Saturday morning, while watching Austin news on TV, I learned a very interesting bit of news that will likely impact quilters. It seems that the Austin Convention Center, where QuiltCons have been held in 2015, 2017, and 2020, will started being renovated in 2025 over a four year period, at a cost of $1.6 billion dollars. Since the Austin Convention Center won't be available during renovation, it's likely QuiltCon won't be in Austin again until at least 2030. 

Linda