A pound of flour, a pound of sugar, a pound of lemons and a half-pound of butter along with one lonely egg. Personally, I call it the Meyer Lemon Diabetes Promoter, but it sure is good.
Back in the 80s and early 90s, dual line, quad line, and controllable fighter kites were on fire. One of the best designer/builders in the world, Joel, and his magic-fingered seamstress and partner, Bonnie, had their loft down in Rainey off Red River.
I was, and am, a kite enthusiast, and was able to meet, know and spend a lot of time with them.
After work, I would stop by the loft, and if the wind was right and the temp was bearable, we would load up whatever prototypes he had been working on and head down to Zilker. You know, before they planted all those trees on the kite field.
Anyway, we would set up and fly and if it got dark we would tie tiny cylumes to the kites and keep flying.
The skyline was a tad different then, but with the sun setting gold on it, still a spectacular one. Smoke a little calm, drink a little happy and watch the bats chase the kites.
tldr:
Fall days in Austin. Can’t wait.
I had some days off and decided to visit my daughter in Detroit and mess around a little in the central part of the heartland. I did 3,548.8 miles in 9 days. I had longer, but after a week I was ready to be home. I still took 2 days to drive an easy one day though to hit a few places closer to Texas but out of my normal zone.
The mileage shown is not accurate. I started with a full tank, ended with a full tank and logged every fill up (avg price worked out to $3.69). Actual mileage for the trip was 26.3mpg. Two things I did different than normal:
I put street tires (265/70r17 with a rain tread instead of the normal 285/75r17 AT) on and I drove in Eco mode the whole time.
Of the 3500 miles only about 825 were freeway, running 75-80, the rest were urban/secondary/tertiary roads at speeds from 30 to 70mph.
It ran great, I hit 8 states and a lot of towns I wanted to see, and all I had to when I got home was hose it out and off and it is ready to go again.
Some of the towns I enjoyed:
Defiance, OH- just cool lil water tower town with an active cross the county football rivalry.
Detroit, MI- Very different than I expected, and much more vibrant and growing. I feel better about my daughter finishing her degree there now. I would probably have spent a week there but the weather was crappy.
Toledo, OH- I would move there in a heartbeat. Reminds me of Austin in the early 2000’s before it spun out of control.
Lexington, KY- Everywhere in Kentucky I went was spectacular. Remember, I run back roads so I see how the less lucky live. Rich or poor, in Kentucky it is neat and well maintained(relatively).
Vicksburg, MS - the town is, hmm, “cute”, but the real attraction is the battlefield. I spent more time there than I did in the entire state of Louisiana on my way home.
My only disappointments were Nashville and Memphis. Sister cities to modern day Austin, with all the same issues, and a past that is already written, not one waiting to happen.
Pics:
Satarita, MS
Belle Isle conservatory, Detroit, MI
Loui’s Pizza, Detroit, MI
Not worth driving across town, much less 1500 miles, Detroit , MI
Graffiti, somewhere, MI
Grand central station from my daughter’s window, Detroit, MI
Carleton, MI (missed it by that much, lil bullrings everywhere!
Van Wert courthouse, Van Wert, OH
One of the Vicksburg cenotaphs- Vicksburg, MS
Crossing the Sabine into the great state of Texas. Only 8 more hours of driving to get home!
It is unusual to have the herd together, one at least is usually on the road.
These are steel, so I can powder oat them. The top, flares and grill will also be painted white. I can’t do anything about a pickup cab yet, but I will.
I plan on putting highway tires on the BB rims for a couple of long trips I am strategerizing.
These are steel, so I can powder oat them. The top, flares and grill will also be painted white. I can’t do anything about a pickup cab yet, but I will.
I plan on putting highway tires on the BB rims for a couple of long trips I am strategerizing.
It sure does feel good to see the sun after a week of heavy rain and floods in the area. My Bimini top came in while it was raining so that goes on next.
Surprisingly, that is the Katzkins color that matches Hot Pepper Red almost exactly. Makes me feel like I am sitting in my old 74' with the orange plastic seats. The fit and finish are excellent. I opted for MGV over leather, because dyed leather.
Such nice light, so rare, so hard to catch the rays between the clouds, and worth it when you can. My second favorite atmosphere, right behind foggy with a breaking sunrise.
Red or Orange? Most say Red until I open a door or they move and the light changes, then it is unanimously Orange.