Joe Beaulaurier’s Blog

I was just reading a coworker’s entertaining blog post about a recent trip they’d made to Texas. Being that I just returned from the same trip, I feel the need to provide a counter-point.

We arrived into mid-80’s weather. Warm, but not too much so. After grouping with our fellow travelers we headed out for a dinner. Since Steve Irwin (known for colorful quips like, “crikey” and remembering to feed the croc with the chicken under his left arm and not his child under his right) met his demise just days before it was decided to memorialize him with dinner at an Outback Restaurant (stingray well-done was amazingly not on the menu). The waiter’s mandatory question, “How was everything?” was met with a note about a less than indigestible entree - not to earn a free meal or special favor - just giving the waiter info to pass along to future clientele. The waiter had been a class act up to that point which I think empowered this frank feedback. It was all good, we settled up and left.

Unfortunately, Superman 3D was showing in town and one of our group has been trying to get us to see it with him on trips before this one. But this time the planets were aligned and it worked out to fill an evening with the man of steel while wearing very odd looking glasses.

It was Labor Day, Monday night and the IMAX theatre inside the museum was about 1/2 full. Go figure.

Afterwards, back at the hotel our poor outspoken friend had to endure a replay of his unappetizing meal. Seems his stomach had the same opinion yet a less tackful way of dealing with it. Flying along with Superman - soaring and plummeting in fantastic 3-D realism - could not have been much help.
We stayed a couple more days and enjoyed a warm rain storm and mostly sun without stifling heat. The crickets are enormous and uninvitedly present in most buildings. Pickup trucks abound and the roads make sense (unlike the 5-way intersections in our area). Bubba isn’t a very aggressive driver and the cops are pretty invisible. As it was pointed out to me, cops are often only needed to clean-up and document when in an area where most everyone carries a gun.
The talk one evening went to the religious make up of the area we were in. There are mostly atheist and agnostics according to our host. This was to his liking since those few Christians in the area were able to appreciate their gatherings without the need to point out differences and pursue splinter groups. Rather, they were happy to be among fellow Christians in an area relatively void of same. An interesting social perspective.

That conversation took place while I was discovering a taste of heaven on earth called The Salt Lick. This restaurant is an all-you-can-eat joint decked out in rough wood planks. You sit at picnic tables set on a concrete floor and dish from heaping plates of smoked beef, pork and chicken (gawd I love smoked meats) along with slaw, beans, potatoes and such. I’m told no booze is served but the locals cheerfully bring their own bottles of Jack Daniels and beer. That will never happen in Washington State.

Texas could have me. It’s a nice place. Just stay away from certain corner stores.

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