Once Again, The Texas Wildflowers Are Blooming

Northern states are in the spotlight every fall, when the leaves on the trees turn bright and vivid colors. Springtime, however, is the time when the Texas Hill Country shines. For it is in this time of year when the famous hill country wildflowers bloom, and, once they are seen, they are never forgotten.

There are over 45 types of wildflowers found in the hill country. The species of flowers bloom at different times, but most bloom sometime between March and June. Of the most popular wildflowers, Bluebonnets and Texas Paintbrush are the early bloomers, as they usually show their best colors from March through April. Indian Blankets typically bloom a little later, with April and May being peak months. But, if you’re driving around the hill country anytime between March and June, or, perhaps a tad bit later, you’re going to see some type of wildflower, and plenty of them.

Last month, in February, there were a few early and sporadic sightings of Bluebonnets. A few weeks ago, the sightings began picking up significantly. Today, the fields of color are beginning to break out all over. Several days ago I drove down a road and didn’t see a single flower, but when I drove that same road today, I saw thousands of Bluebonnets, Indian Paintbrush, and other wildflowers.

The experts say that this is going to be a banner year for wildflowers in Texas, as it always is following a wet fall and winter. From early indications, they seem to be right. One thing is for sure, if you’ve always dreamed about seeing the colorful wildflowers in the hill country of Texas, this is a great year to make that dream come true.

Time To Celebrate: Lake Travis Is Full And The Current Drought Is Officially Over

Yesterday, the water level of Lake Travis rose above 681 feet above mean sea level (msl) for the first time since the fall of 2007, after dropping below 630 feet msl in late September of last year. The El Nino weather pattern is what normally brings Texas out of its recurring historical droughts, and the El Nino of the last 6 months was no exception, raising the level of Lake Travis over 51 feet since its lowest water level during the current drought.

The full pool of the lake, and the end of the drought, is great news and certainly cause for celebration in the Texas Hill Country. Last summer, the low lake level closed most, if not all, of the lake’s public boat ramps. This had a negative financial impact on businesses along the lake, including marinas, waterfront restaurants, music venues, hotels, and tourist rental properties. Equally bad, “sometimes islands” appeared on the lake, causing accidents and injuries, especially among boaters unfamiliar with the lake. And, residents across the hill country, dealt with the watering restrictions common in times of drought.

This year will be much different. Currently, the lake level is 10 feet above what the level would normally be during a typical March. Businesses along all of the Highland Lakes, including Lake Travis, will no doubt thrive this year, but, then again, this is Texas, the land of feast or famine. Texans in the hill country have learned how to adapt to fast changing weather and climate over the years. One year’s prosperity might bring something quite different the next year. We’ve seen it all before, and, many times.

But, given the current conditions, it is time to celebrate the “feast” of a full lake and the end of the current drought. I will enjoy it while I can, because Texas weather history tells me, it won’t last forever.

A Great Hamburger Is More Than Just The Sum Of Its Parts

In my opinion, you can’t judge a hamburger by any one of its many individual components. When determining whether a hamburger is worthy or not, you must consider it as one whole package. Praising the meat while damning the bun, or vice versa, makes no sense to me. A hamburger should be considered on how all of the components (meat, bun, toppings, and condiments) come together, because, unlike components of a traditional meal, the ingredients of a hamburger are eaten all at the same time.

Having said that, I do believe that the most important thing which determines whether a hamburger is the best it can be or not, is the bun. A great hamburger bun can make up for less than tasty meat more easily than a delicious meat patty can provide cover for a less than desirable bun. Over the years I’ve stopped eating burgers at more than one place because they decided to change their hamburger buns in some way. In some cases, they started serving less expensive buns, with predictable results. In other cases, they stopped toasting or grilling their buns. Despite how good the actual meat might have been, the bad bun tainted the entire experience. Like I said, with hamburgers, you must consider the entire package.

Because good meat, good hamburger buns, fresh toppings and quality condiments are so easily procured these days, it is no wonder that there are literally thousands of places around the country that serve great hamburgers. Despite all the variations of hamburgers there may be, the one common denominator of a great hamburger is that the preparer in each hamburger location clearly understands that a hamburger will rise or fall based upon just one of its individual components. In that regard, it’s like the old adage about a chain being “only as strong as its weakest link.”

When a hamburger place gets all of the components of a hamburger melding perfectly together, it is a wonderful thing indeed. It’s that first bite you take when you know whether you have a winner or not. It either works, or it doesn’t. It really is that simple.

Moonie’s Burger House in Cedar Park is one of those places which understand how important it is to blend good things together in order to make a great burger. There is no doubt, and certainly no secret around these parts, that the bun at Moonie’s is something special. But the meat is also very good, and the toppings are fresh. For two years straight, it has been voted as having the “best burgers and best fries” locally. I haven’t tried every place in the area, so I can’t offer my opinion on that, but what I will tell you is that the burgers here are excellent, and the first bite taken works every time. There is no weak component in a Moonie’s Burger.

Moonie’s offers a wide selection of hamburgers. Every one of the beef selections has a corresponding chicken offering, with all of the same toppings. Many of these selections are rather unique, including, but not limited to, “The Blue Moon,” which features bacon, tomato, red onions, and blue cheese, and the “Chili Cheese Burger With Frito’s On Top,” which has chili, cheese, Frito chips, lettuce, and onions. There is also a vegetarian offering available, called, appropriately enough, the “Veggie Burger” which consists of a veggie patty, lettuce, red onions, pickles and tomato.

My wife and I go to Moonie’s a heck of a lot more than once in a “Blue Moon” and we normally get the same thing every time we go there. I get the beef “Plain Jane with Cheese” and she gets the chicken “Plain Jane with Cheese.” The “Plain Jane” comes with mayonnaise, onions, lettuce, pickles, and tomato. Our preferred side is the sweet potato fries, which are always hot but not overly fried.

Moonie’s is one of those many hamburger places around the country which have figured out that a great hamburger is more than just the sum of its parts. And luckily, Moonie’s is located in the Texas Hill Country town of Cedar Park.

Tasty Hill Country Catfish

Along with all of the many eateries in the Texas Hill Country serving up beef brisket and chicken fried steak, there are also quite a few places which specialize in catfish. I don’t eat catfish all that often, maybe once every other month, but there are some days when I find myself craving this aquatic delicacy of the South.

In my mind, there are great catfish meals and bad catfish meals, and absolutely nothing in between. Since catfish is cut and fried, how it is cut and fried makes all the difference. Bad catfish meals, in my opinion, consist of filets which are cut too thick, too heavily coated with liquid batter, and dripping with grease. Additionally, if the catfish is cold, you’ve got a real disaster in your hands, literally.

The perfect catfish filets should be thin and lightly breaded (not battered in some heavy and wet concoction), hot, and with no trace of grease. While that seems simple enough, it’s remarkable how many places around the country can’t get it right. And, if you only eat catfish occasionally, as most people probably do, you don’t want to waste that occasional catfish hunger on something which disappoints.

There are several places in the hill country that know how to prepare catfish correctly. One of them sits across the street from the North Fork of the San Gabriel River in Georgetown, Texas. Bob’s Catfish-N-More, has been around for over 30 years. And, it seems to me, that Bob McMinn, the owner, has not wasted a single minute in all those years perfecting the perfect catfish filet.

The building which houses the restaurant, both inside and out, has that “fishing camp” charm which only adds to the dining experience. In fact, this is exactly the kind of place where you feel like you should be eating catfish, or, at least, some kind of fish.

Once entering the door of the small, brown, wood building, you are greeted with a warm and friendly room. The walls are decorated with all kinds of knick knacks, fishing nets, fishing rods, old license plates, unique clocks, flags, pans, hats, photographs, drawings, news articles, chalkboards, and an old hand crank telephone. While some of the chain restaurants around the country decorate their places in similar fashion, they don't look authentic. Here, it works, and it works very well.

Gladly, there are no high definition wide screen television sets hanging off the wood paneled walls showing replays of the same sporting event you’ve already seen tens of times. There is also no depressing news being shown or music blaring from large speakers. What you hear, instead, is the pleasant conversation of local workers on their lunch break, families having dinner, and senior citizens from Sun City enjoying a meal. This used to be common in restaurants, and now it’s not, and that is unfortunate. The service, by the way, is excellent.

This is not the place to come if you are looking to peruse page after page of menu items. The menu is pretty much catfish, oysters, shrimp, crab, and clams, with accompanying sides, of course. Like most places, there are variations of portion size and platter selections. Being Texas, Bob does serve up the obligatory chicken fried steak. There are also chicken strips for the kids and whoever else likes that sort of thing. But the “Big Fish” at Bob’s, to my way of thinking, is the catfish.

I ordered the Catfish Dinner. It was the featured special, so I got 5 pieces of catfish, beans, cole slaw, jalapeno hush puppies, fries, and an ice tea for a bargain price. What a great deal. Not just because of the great price, but because the food was really very good.

To my liking, the catfish filets were thin, temperature hot and gently breaded with cornmeal. There was no grease present and so no need for extra napkins (I eat catfish filets by hand), and the dry breading flicked off as I was eating it. The filets of catfish were close to perfect, if not perfect.

The beans were nicely prepared, seasoned with the appropriate amount of black pepper, as is common in so many places in the hill country. The slaw, served with the meal, was not chopped up into little miniature pieces and formed into a tasteless, watery, wilted, and ice-cream cone shaped mound so common these days, but had large, firm, and crunchy chunks of cabbage. The jalapeno hush puppies were outstanding. They were not spicy hot at all, but had a very mild and delicious flavor.

In addition to the wonderful food, appropriate atmosphere, and attentive service, there is one more thing I really like about Catfish-N-More; the servers drop off your check when they deliver your food. This way, when you are ready to leave, you pick up the check and pay the cashier. There are few things more annoying to me, than spending time trying to flag down a server to get the check after you’ve eaten. And, with resect to paying the food bill, Bob only accepts cash and local checks. No plastic money cards of any kind are accepted.

If all that isn’t enough, you might be interested to know that Catfish-N-More shares its small building with the Harvest Baptist Church, which has its own entrance around the side. What a unique and wonderful place to eat a catfish meal.

The Importance Of Austin In The Life Of O. Henry

William Sydney Porter, who was later to become very famous writing short stories under the pen name, O. Henry, was neither born in Austin, Texas, nor became well known for his writing while living in the city, but there is no doubt that his years living in Austin shaped his life in an extraordinary way.

William Porter was born in North Carolina in 1862, and while he was still a teenager, became a licensed pharmacist. In a time period when the disease tuberculosis (then called consumption) took many lives, many people from the eastern part of the United States who were afflicted, or thought they were, travelled west thinking that the drier air would help their condition. Such was the case with Porter, who moved to Texas in 1882 after developing a cough.

For the first few years in the state, he worked on a ranch a considerable distance south of Austin. While on the ranch, he performed a host of odd jobs, but also spent considerable time reading. As with many good writers, Porter was first and foremost a reader.

In the mid-1880’s, he made his way to Austin. In the ensuing 16 years he lived in Austin, he held many jobs, including as a draftsman at the Government Land Office meticulously drawing maps, and as the publisher of a newspaper he started called The Rolling Stone. The shaping of his destiny, however, came from neither one of these jobs, but, from other events, which subsequently occurred in Austin.

Among the happiest events in Porter’s life were his marriage to Athol Estes, and then, the subsequent birth of his daughter, Margaret. The later events, and the most unpleasant, were the circumstances around him being charged and convicted of embezzlement from an Austin bank (many think the charges were without merit), where he worked as a teller, and, the death of his wife from tuberculosis.

Upon his embezzlement conviction, he was sentenced to several years in prison, and was transported to a penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio, to serve those years. Given his pharmacy license, and his knowledge of pharmaceuticals, he was assigned to the hospital ward of the dismal prison, where he had plenty of time to write. Ashamed of his conviction, Porter began writing in prison under the pen name, O. Henry.

His many stories, published while he was in prison, became quite popular. By the time he was released from prison in 1902, he was quite a successful author. He continued that success when he moved to New York City, where he published many more short stories, known for their plot twists and ironic endings. The most notable of these stories, are the “The Gift of the Magi,” and “The Ransom of Red Chief.”

His heavy drinking, which first became apparent during the Austin days, became even more pronounced after his release from prison. Despite his literary success, he died broke in 1910, when he was just 47 years old. His death came as the direct result of his heavy alcohol consumption.

His daughter, Margaret, also became a writer and a promoter of her father’s memory after his death. Unfortunately, she too, like her mother, died relatively early in life of tuberculosis, and was buried next to her father in O. Henry’s birth state of North Carolina.

O. Henry’s home in Austin is a well preserved museum, with many of the original furnishings still present. Managed by the City of Austin, it is located downtown on East Fifth Street, although its original location was a little over a block away on Fourth Street. Today, the land which was the site of the home on Fourth Street is taken up by a hotel. There is no charge to get into the museum, and the museum employee who took me through the house was unbelievably knowledgeable about O.Henry’s entire life (not just the Austin events), his family, the house, and his writings. She was very thorough in her answers to my questions, and I was extremely impressed. While you should expect this from any docent at a historical site, such is not always the case.

Thus, while Austin was the home to O. Henry for only a third of his life, the experiences which took place in the city were exceptionally important to him. These events, both good and bad, although transpiring over a relatively short period of time in his life, shaped who he became, and served as the catalyst for him being one of the great short story writers of all time. That’s an irony that O. Henry would have appreciated.

There Is A Story Behind Everything, Even If It Remains Nameless

I’ve driven past the intersection of FM 1431 and Nameless Road in the Texas Hill Country too many times to count. I used to chuckle when I drove past, figuring it was just one of those roads that never got an official name for one reason or another, and by default, the local officials just called it “Nameless.” I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Curiosity finally got the better of me; I did some research and then took a drive up the road. What I discovered, is that Nameless Road runs by a now-deserted little settlement. The interesting story behind this settlement, and the road that runs by it (or through it), is, of course, how it got its unusual name.

The area was settled along the banks of Big Sandy Creek just after the conclusion of the American Civil War. The small, but thriving community, eventually petitioned the United States Post Office Department for a post office in 1880. The settlement, then known as Fairview, had its original name rejected. Five other attempts to get a post office using other names were also rejected. It seems that government bureaucracy was alive and well in the 1880’s.

Eventually, the exasperated citizens of the settlement sent the officials in Washington, D.C., an extremely strong message. In their response to the latest rejection of a recommended name, the notice sent was very clear, “Let the post office be nameless and be damned.” How typical of Texas was the response. There are a great many people in Texas today, I would guess, who would send the federal government the same response.

Well, apparently, that was all it took. Our country’s 19th century postal service then agreed that the settlement’s post office should be called, “Nameless,” but dutifully left off the “damned” part.

Whatever the name, the settlement never became the success of Austin, Dallas, El Paso, or Houston. After the ruckus over the name of the post office, the post office itself lasted not more than ten years before it was closed. The town slowly dwindled away, and with the closing of “Fairview School,” in the 1940’s, there wasn’t much left.

Today, all that remains of Nameless is the former Fairview School (renamed Nameless School), the cemetery, and the historical marker erected by the State of Texas. To access the school, its grounds, and the cemetery just off Nameless Road, I had to cross a creek, unchain a large gate and walk up a dirt road. The only other alternative, and an easier way to get in it seemed, was to walk up what appeared to be someone’s private driveway. Not in Texas am I going to do that.

Angelina Eberly

There is a statue of a woman firing a cannon on downtown Austin’s main street, Congress Avenue, which probably confuses the thousands of visitors coming to Austin for conventions, to party, and in the local parlance, to help keep “Austin Weird.”

Austin is the capital of the state of Texas, and was once the capital of the Republic of Texas. But, it almost lost that distinction in 1842, had it not been for the courage of a lady who ran a boarding house in Austin.

As the story goes, there was a lot of contention about where the capital should be located. Sam Houston, the first president, felt it should be located in, you guessed it, Houston. Others thought it should be in a more central location in Texas. This was the view of the second president, Mirabeau B. Lamar, who had the capital established in Austin.

When Sam Houston was again elected president, he attempted to relocate the capital to Houston by ordering over 20 men to covertly remove the archives from Austin. They nearly pulled it off, but they had not figured on one woman added into the mix, Angelina Eberly.

Hearing the noises of men loading the archives into wagons, she ran out and fired the town cannon. The cannon ball slammed into the land office building across the street. The town awoke, and those attempting to flee with the documents were quickly apprehended.

Today, Austin is a city of over a quarter of a million people. In addition to being the state capital, it is also the “Live Music Capital of the World,” and home to the University of Texas.

When Mrs. Eberly fired the town cannon, Austin’s population was less than 700 people. I often wonder, had that vigilant woman on that December night in 1842 not fired that weapon, how Austin would have fared. My guess is that Austin would not have a population of 750,000 people today and not have all that music downtown on Sixth Street.

Anyone care to disagree?

I thought not, otherwise, you’ll have to take it up with Mrs. Eberly. Good luck with that.

Texas Road Courtesy

Two lane rural roads in Texas are very fast. Surprisingly, the speed limit of 70 miles per hour on two lane rural roads in Texas is common. This is faster than the Interstate speed limit in many states.

Drivers coming from other parts of the country, where rural two lane road speed limits are 50 or 55 miles per hour, may find it a bit shocking and uncomfortable when an unrecognizable distant image in the rear-view mirror suddenly becomes the grille of a truck or car just behind you.

Now, if this happens, in most cases, if you look to your right, you will notice an unusually large paved shoulder. I’m not sure of the legality of it all, and I’m not necessarily recommending it, but traditional Texas road courtesy would suggest that you pull over on to the wide shoulder and let the faster vehicle by without it having to cross the center line.

But, that’s not the end of it. Texas road courtesy is just a tad bit more complex than just pulling over and letting the other vehicle pass by.

Things being as they are, it would be rude and discourteous for the passing driver not to wave to acknowledge the driver pulling onto the shoulder, but, also equally rude and discourteous for the driver pulling onto the shoulder to not wave back acknowledging the passing driver.

It’s a Texas thing I guess. What can I say? If you participate in this Texas road "courtesy," including the passing, pulling over, and waving, it is at your own risk and liability. Texans would expect nothing less.

Oktoberfest And Football

This is the season of the Oktoberfest celebrations around the world, including quite a few here in the Texas Hill Country.

St. Mary Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Lago Vista held its annual Oktoberfest today on the parish grounds during a beautiful cool fall day with temperatures in the mid-70's. For well over twenty years, St. Mary’s has hosted the event, with all proceeds, as you would expect, going to local charities.

The “Kid’s Carnival” provided a host of fun rides and games for the younger ones, including a climbing wall and the Wiggle Worm Train. But there were plenty of things for adults as well. A garage sale, country store, silent auction, and raffle were all available for the older folks.

A food court provided hot dogs, hamburgers, and wraps during the day. Soft drinks, snow cones, and beer (for the adults) were also available. Around dinner time, a traditional German dinner was served.

In addition to being the season of Oktoberfest celebrations, it is also football season. And, the organizers of this Oktoberfest knew what they were doing. To make sure that local football fans were present during the day’s Oktoberfest festivities, a large screen TV was available so the faithful could watch Texas beat Oklahoma, 16-13.

Now, pass the beer and Hook ‘em Horns!

Taking My Parents To The Blue Bonnet Cafe

No visit to the Texas Hill Country would be complete without a stop in Marble Falls. And, no stop in Marble Falls would be complete without enjoying a meal at the Blue Bonnet Cafe. Since 1929, the Blue Bonnet Cafe has been serving both locals and tourists with great food and service.

Since my parents are visiting this week, we decided to drive them over to Marble Falls and treat them to a Blue Bonnet lunch. As it turned out, we did drive them over today, but they ended up treating us to the lunch.

In my mind, there are several reasons why the Blue Bonnet has been around so long and why it has received all the well-deserved notoriety.

First, the wide variety of food means that there is always something for everyone, it’s all delicious, and the portions shall we say, are extremely generous. The Blue Bonnet has eggs, omelettes, plate size hot cakes, grits, hash browns, sausage, salads, hamburgers, sandwiches, steaks, chicken and chicken livers, catfish, Mexican food, pot roast, ribs, a whole bunch of excellent side dishes, and homemade hot rolls and cornbread. The cafe is also famous for its huge pies which you can purchase by the slice, the whole pie, or both. They even have a “Pie Happy Hour.” If you're a pie lover, you have to love a place like that.

Next, the owners and employees are extremely friendly, courteous, and provide quick service even when the place is crowded, and it nearly always is.

Finally, the atmosphere you find is what you would expect from a traditional cafe. It’s unpretentious, and the diners and employees alike are always enjoying themselves. Despite its success, it has not ruined the charm that made it what it is. It’s always fun to go there.

We arrived at the beginning of the noon hour, and despite the number of cars in the parking lot, we were immediately seated at a booth. Making a food choice with all the available selections is always a daunting task, even though I must admit, I only go through the motions of being interested in something other than my usual order; eight ounces of chicken fried steak. Each dinner comes with three sides, and I took pinto beans, green beans, and something new today, macaroni and cheese vegetable soup. My Dad also decided on the chicken fried steak, my Mom ordered a hamburger, and my wife got a sirloin steak.

Despite his usual comment that he ate too much, after we finished lunch, my Dad ordered a whole lemon meringue pie to go. My Mom had asked him if he wanted a slice of pie, and he said, “No, I want the whole pie.” Apparently, the pie cabinet near the entrance had not gone unnoticed by his keen eye as we walked in. I don’t know what he’ll be having for dinner tonight, but I am absolutely certain I know what his dessert will be.

Don’t Confuse The Colorado River With That “Other” Colorado River

My Mom and Dad are heading down to visit us in the hill country soon, and when I spoke with my Dad on the phone the other day about the pending trip, I mentioned the Colorado River. He said something to me which I’ve heard before, in one variation or another. “I can’t believe that the Colorado River runs through Texas.”

His questioning the location of the river is understandable. When many non-Texans hear “Colorado River,” they immediately think of houseboats on Lake Powell in Utah, rafting through the Grand Canyon, visiting the Hoover Dam and, boating on Lake Mead.

But, there is another Colorado River, and it’s right here in Texas, and like most other things in this state, it’s all Texas. There is nothing Colorado about it.

Beginning with its headwaters in western Texas, just south of the Texas Panhandle, the river runs southeast through the state before it empties into the Gulf of Mexico. Various dams have been built along the river in the hill country creating the Highland Lakes. The lakes the river creates provide water reservoirs, flood control, the generation of electricity, and recreation. Eventually, as it heads toward the Gulf of Mexico, the river brings water to the rice farms near the coast.

Unlike the “other” Colorado River, which actually has its headwaters in the State of Colorado, but then runs through several other states and into Mexico, our Colorado River begins in Texas and it ends in Texas. Like I said, it’s all Texas. Well, except for the name.

Getting To The North Shore Of Lake Travis Has Never Been Easier

The north shore of Lake Travis has always gotten a bad rap it seems. For years some people have complained about the time it takes to get to the north shore of the lake from Austin. This explains, in part, why there is more residential and commercial development on the south shore in places like Lakeway.

With the relatively recent opening of the 183A Toll Road, the straightening of RM 1431’s dangerous curves between Cedar Park and Jonestown, and the resurfacing of all four 1431 lanes through Lago Vista, some of the old complaints should begin to subside. Hopefully, this is good news to the communities on the north shore like Jonestown, Lago Vista, and Point Venture.

There is a lot to offer on the north shore in the way of lifestyle, recreation, and potential new development. Once the economy gets a little better, this is an area sure to experience a boom.

New homes in the village of Point Venture, across the lake from Lakeway, are always under construction it seems. There are also new residential and condo developments underway as you travel up the peninsula on Lohman Ford Road toward Lago Vista’s city center. The north shore communities provide wonderful hill country and lake views, lake access, great golf, good local food and live music. The communities are also minutes away from Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge, Flat Creek Estate Vineyard and Winery, and Marble Falls. Vacation lodging is plentiful in Jonestown, Lago Vista, and Point Venture all year around, whether it be for summer weekend vacationers or "winter Texans" coming down to stay during the cold months up north.

Now that the road access to the north shore has improved greatly, there is no reason not to give the area a closer look.

Chocolate Covered Bacon And Internet Radio

It’s been raining on and off for three days now, and it has certainly cooled things off. The last several days the temperatures have been in the 60’s. With cool snaps like this, it is easy to identify the native Texans from transplants from the north. I’m a transplant. I was in shorts and a t-shirt today. The native Texans were bundled up in jackets and long pants. Back into the 90’s by the weekend though. Everyone will be back to dressing like me.

Given the wet cooler day, I decided to drive into Austin and run a few errands.

First stop, the Big Top Candy Shop on South Congress Avenue. I have a friend in Ohio; let’s just refer to him by his initials, CB, who for some reason is enamored with bacon. He is not alone. They are out there in force you know, at least based on the number of bacon-related websites. These sites demonstrate all the things you can do with bacon before eating it. Some things are creative, some things look pretty good, and other things are just plain disgusting.

Anyway, I learned that the Big Top Candy Shop sold chocolate covered bacon. I told CB about it, and promised that I would head down to the Big Top and try it out someday. Today was the day.

It’s a neat place, the kind of place you remember from your childhood if you have any years on you. Located in an old building, every kind of candy you can imagine is present, including things, which, at least I have not seen for years. When, for example, was the last time you saw (now, politically incorrect) bubble gum/candy cigarettes?

After standing behind a man who bought over $300.00 worth of individual pieces of candy (I’m not kidding), I plunked down 3 bucks and change for a single piece of chocolate covered bacon and left. It was actually better than I expected. The chocolate mixed well with the salty bacon. It’s not something I want to eat every day, but, it was worth the trip. It was darn good CB. Come to think of it, your initials just might stand for Chocolate Bacon.

Speaking of friends in Ohio, the old Oxford, Ohio radio station, WOXR, 97.7 FM, which later evolved into WOXY (97X), and eventually into the internet-only, WOXY.com, has just relocated to Austin. It is also located on South Congress Avenue, so after my stop at the Big Top Candy Shop, I checked out the new digs. Undeniably, the music scene here in the "Live Music Capital of the World” is better than that of southwestern Ohio. I wish the station well. As Dustin Hoffman said in the movie, Rain Man, “97X – Bam – The Future of Rock and Roll.”

A Distinction Without A Difference

The springs in Austin, Texas, known as Barton Springs, have been important to people for centuries. Long before the springs were dammed to create the recreational Barton Springs Pool, Native Americans and Spanish explorers alike made good use of the spring water.

In more recent times, Barton Springs has served as one of the top recreation spots in Austin, where people can swim in the pool built around the springs. It has long been asserted that the water temperature was a constant 68 degrees year round, and this had quite an appeal, especially during Austin’s extremely hot summers. But apparently, this assertion is not true.

The Austin American-Statesman recently reported that the 68 degree temperature was a “myth.” Based on the findings of a local hydrogeologist, the temperature is not 68 degrees, but 70.9. The hydrogeologist said he has been on a “personal crusade” to change the public’s perception about the water temperature.

With all the things to worry about in this world, it is remarkable that a man is on a “personal crusade” to change the “public’s mind” over a couple degrees. This is water temperature of one Texas spring we are talking about, not the warming of our planet. But, to each his own.

When all is said and done, anyone who has jumped into the pool on a hot August day or during a cooler day in January will say that the water is chilly to cold in either case. A couple of degrees one way or another makes absolutely no never mind to a swimmer who can’t tell the difference anyway. The distinction the hydrogeologist is making is clearly a distinction without a difference.