New from Texas

I just returned from Austin, Texas. I went to Austin for Quiltcon, the inaugural convention for modern quilters and their quilt guilds. I learned a few things while in Texas.

• Texas is NOT part of the South or the Southwest….it’s Texas.
• Austin likes being WEIRD or WIRED depending if you are dyslexic or punny.
• The original, inception, flagship Whole Foods store is in Austin and this winter they had a full on ice rink on their roof top.
• It is likely and probable that the entire state of Texas smells like hickory smoked BBQ
• Austinites like their tequila, their live music and are a clannish bunch of foodies. Where else can you have a restaurant called Elizabeth’s that serves Banh Mi and is also a boulangerie?
• Lakes in Austin are slivers of water easily mistaken for rivers.
• Austin is a TECHIE place with as many Saabs and Prius cars as panzer sized pick up trucks.
• I could have used my Quiltcon ticket to get 1/2 priced admission to the Texas RV Expo at the convention center. Imagine a mobile quilt mobile…..I’m just saying.
• My dear friend Ann has made a sweet home for herself and continually amazing me at her adaptability and panache for setting up shop and finding her tribe.