Impression of Texas

Having been back from Texas for almost a week, I still haven't got a chance to write about the trip. Actually these days it's quite often that I start journaling something interesting and then get distracted by something else. There are many unfinished pieces on my computer, which makes me think of those famous musicians who left immortal works named something "unfinished (未完成)”. Hee hee, one has to be shameless to draw such comparison. :-)

Anyway, today's goal is to leave office early and go to the gym. There's only enough time for bullit points, so let the pictures speak for themselves. (Click for larger images.)

My favorite thing was their warm weather in winter time. Coming back to a routine life in Maryland, I really miss the feeling of early spring, the beautiful (and somehow seemingly higher) sky, the awakening of trees and blossom of flowers in Austin. Texas is famous for its wild flowers, though they are hardly seen in winter.






The most pleasant place was River Walk in San Antonio. It reminds me of the small “water villages” in China – places I’ve never been to but only seem so romantic in my imagination. It was my first time seeing a mom duck leading her babies. Aren't they cute? I wonder how old they are... As I told my friend that I might enjoy living in this little town, she reminded me we were actually in the winter -- "Make a trip here in August before making your decision!"






Isn't this wall beautiful? In the morning we ran into a shop that sells glass decoration. I chatted with the shop assistant, who mentioned there was a workshop nearby where we could watch their "live production". I definitely felt the heat as they were making the pieces. A combination of creativity, intelligence, hard work and bravery to face failure... I used to think such art works unreasonably expensive, but that trip totally changed my perspective.



What I felt disappointed most was the lack of mountains or trees. Although my friend warned me of that part, I had still been too optimistic. We tried to do some hiking and this is where we went... The pictures may not look too bad, but let me tell you -- all the "peaks" could be reached within 5-10 minutes of stroll. :(





We did have an enjoyable walk along their Town Lake, which actually looked like a river. Besides the elegant swans, I also saw many cute or weird-looking dogs. The Congress Avenue Bridge is famous for the urban bat colony (http://www.batcon.org/home/index.asp?idPage=122). My friend said unfortunately I didn't come at the right season. I actually secretly felt lucky -- I'm not sure if it would be lovely to see millions of bats flying together. :-)




The most fun place was Salt Lick, their most famous local chain restaurant for Texas BBQ. We actually went to the original place, I mean the restaurant where they had first opened their business. Wow! Their parking lot was almost of farm-size! So you could imagine how popular the place is. There were fun slogans hanging on the wall. Two of the waiters were wearing T-shirts saying "I didn't climb to the top of the food chain to become a vegetarian." Both the diners and the workers there looked happier than people in other places, and their good mood seemed contagious. I got a T-shirt saying "Where in tarnation is Salt Lick?" for 5 bucks, which I'll wear this summer. After I finished the meal, I wiped my mouth and turned to my friend, "You know what? In my whole life, this is probably the first time I've had SO much meat in one single meal, and I liked it!"






If you asked me what I cherished most during the whole trip, I'd say it's the friendship. Evelyn and I got to know each other during the time I faced big transitional changes in my life. We've become good friends over the next few years, especially after I lost Huiping. She's one of the few Christians I know that I actually enjoy hanging out with. I went to church with her on Sunday. I was crying like nuts through the Sunday school, worship and preach (and I know why); I'm afraid people would think Evelyn brought a friend who's mentally ill...

I know Evelyn would love to see me turning to "God". At the same time, I'm very honest with her about where I am in terms of faith. We two may always hold different understandings about the Universe and the world, but I appreciate being able to have candid conversations with her -- the mutual respect and caring we have for each other. It may be the age difference that makes me comfortable to share with her some deepest feelings and thoughts that most people of my age don't relate to. I used to refer to her jokingly as "the friend who makes me cry", and this trip again proved the rightness of this title. :-) But indeed I've had some relaxing and fun time with her. Isn't it great to have friends you can both cry and laugh together with? For this, I thank you, Evelyn, for being such a special person as you are. Oh, I also have to thank you for the pictures. I'm not sure if you'd check my blog, but if you did, please don't accuse me of either plagiarism or putting your picture in public. Luckily you don't charge 6 million dollars or half of the amount as J. Lo does. :)



Below is a picture of me sitting in Evelyn's LazyBoy -- lazy and cozy, uh? She really made me feel like home. The super soft "doggy" was bought in San Antonio -- a gift to myself and I name him Austin. :) In the gift shop I also saw a very cute kid-size elephant bag, so I got it for Yang's daughter.

In my surroundings, there are people who, before they even realize, have become bitter about what other people, or even what their friends have -- caring spouse, better financial situations, lovely kids, supportive family... I've made up my mind to not get onto the path of bitterness, but how? How does one face a difficult situation and avoid comparing to others or feeling angry? The answer may be -- to learn to care for those people in "better" situations, so they become part of my life rather than just "other people". Sometimes through loving Yang's daughter, I feel I'm sharing her joy of being a mom. Through giving small wonders to my friends or even strangers, I realize there's still warmth in my heart and I feel good about that. Indeed every time I do something sweet for others, it's like giving myself a favor. I remember reading something quite a while ago, though the exact wording has become vague now -- If one truly cares about himself, he has to care about the world around him, because we human beings are all connected.



BTW, I had my first message in Texas -- a sweet treat from Evelyn. Too "bad" that she got a male therapist but I was assigned to a woman, so I didn't get a chance to experience some long-missed sensual touch. *_^ 苦闷啊... LOL.

Oops, too late for gym now! It just seems so hard to live a healthy, full and balanced life... I always run short of time...