VC's Lucky Charm: Mark to Mystery

[thriftyandboringinohio]

Re: VC's Lucky Charm: Mark to Mystery

"driven the back roads, so i wouldnt git weighed..."

I love that song ( "Willin'"by Little Feat).
Did you ever notice that the small western towns mentioned are all near highly classified military activity, including area 51?

"I've Been From Tuscon to Tucumcari
Tehachapi to Tonapah"

Apropos of nothing, but the song came up in discussion....

[don]

Re: VC's Lucky Charm: Mark to Mystery

Leaving Tucson on 10 - Huachuca, exit to Bisbee . . . Tombstone . . . sandstone, cactus, the desert in bloom. Dragoon Mountains rest stop, close to where Cochise was run to ground. No blowing sand - a real hazard in these climes. Into New Mexico. Both states cut you no slack on speeding. Saw few drivers pushing the limit and plenty of highway patrol pullovers. Passed 2 burned out vehicles . . .

Masses of yellow flowers at the flat tail of the Continental Divide. Adobe shelters at the rest stops. Stopped in Deming, toured the local museum. They had a print of a buffalo soldier sketch but were sold out - long ago.

Las Cruces: Another clean and pet friendly La Quinta. Recommended a popular Italian joint down the road. The town looked like it was holding its own. Reminded me of a desert version of Concord or San Rafael in Cali. We had decided to pull up short of our big city destinations and stay in a smaller town from now on. That left El Paso just over the Texas line.

Mexico hard along our right. Cattle and industry - ore processing by the look of it. Morning commute in El Paso. Speed limit bumped up to 80. Near Sierra Blanca a border checkpoint. "Are you American citizens?" "Thank you" Two Anglos in a Lexus no problemo. Thought they might check the dog for shots. Didn't happen.

Texas fulfills a big chunk of the American fantasy. Emails, jokes and anecdotes on how a politically correct situation is or would be handled in Texas. It's an important flight of fancy getaway. Nobody that I know who clings to these stories has ever thought of moving to the Lone Star state.

A Texas True Story: A woman's 20-something son was cut off in traffic and gave the driver the one-finger salute. The guy followed him home to his mother's house. A much bigger man that her son, they were exchanging pleasantries when Mom decided to intervene, shotgun in hand. From her front porch she suggest the stranger leave, which he did. Twenty minutes later he was back with Texas's finest. They were charging the son. "No" she said, "I'm the one with the shotgun". "Mame, what you did is not why we're here. The charges being pressed concern your son using an obscenity with this gentleman."

Rawhide . . . .

[lektrode]

Re: VC's Lucky Charm: Mark to Mystery

..... she suggest the stranger leave, which he did. Twenty minutes later he was back with Texas's finest. They were charging the son. "No" she said, "I'm the one with the shotgun". "Mame, what you did is not why we're here. The charges being pressed concern your son using an obscenity with this gentleman."

Rawhide . . . .

ayuh... one thing ya always want to be down that way, and that is POLITE, esp in traffic.
funny thing about the residents of states that allow concealed carry (never mind shotgun totin mamas....)

they tend to be real polite.

[lektrode]

Re: VC's Lucky Charm: Mark to Mystery

I love that song ( "Willin'"by Little Feat).
Did you ever notice that the small western towns mentioned are all near highly classified military activity, including area 51?

"I've Been From Tuscon to Tucumcari
Tehachapi to Tonapah"

Apropos of nothing, but the song came up in discussion....

and then there's.... saint looey
Joplin, missouri,
And oklahoma city is mighty pretty.
You see amarillo,
Gallup, new mexico,
Flagstaff, arizona.
Don't forget winona,
Kingman, barstow, san bernandino.

but we've just made it into texas (and even tho i dont have any)

[stetts]

Re: VC's Lucky Charm: Mark to Mystery

Lektrode,
As a transplanted Yankee, one of those polite things I really like here in south TX is the concept of a driver pulling over to the shoulder to allow the guy behind to pass. Many of the shoulders are full 8' so it's a little dicey but generally works well. Naturally, the guy passing is more or less obligated to acknowledge such courtesy, so a hand wave or couple of blinks with the flashers does the trick. It's ok to wait for a nice open stretch before pulling to the side, but it helps to make it a definite maneuver so the guy behind knows it was intentional. (This is different from wandering over onto the shoulder due to securing your beer can or adjusting your cell phone.)
Naturally, it's illegal to drive on the shoulder, but I've done it to allow the State Troopers to pass and they didn't mind. It all works out.
This courtesy doesn't seem to be common in NE Texas but I've never quite figured out the boundary line. Somewhere north of Dallas, I guess. We don't do it at all in WI, my prior home state.
Thanks for the commentary. Take care. Stetts

[don]

Re: VC's Lucky Charm: Mark to Mystery

Lektrode,
As a transplanted Yankee, one of those polite things I really like here in south TX is the concept of a driver pulling over to the shoulder to allow the guy behind to pass. Many of the shoulders are full 8' so it's a little dicey but generally works well. Naturally, the guy passing is more or less obligated to acknowledge such courtesy, so a hand wave or couple of blinks with the flashers does the trick. It's ok to wait for a nice open stretch before pulling to the side, but it helps to make it a definite maneuver so the guy behind knows it was intentional. (This is different from wandering over onto the shoulder due to securing your beer can or adjusting your cell phone.)
Naturally, it's illegal to drive on the shoulder, but I've done it to allow the State Troopers to pass and they didn't mind. It all works out.
This courtesy doesn't seem to be common in NE Texas but I've never quite figured out the boundary line. Somewhere north of Dallas, I guess. We don't do it at all in WI, my prior home state.
Thanks for the commentary. Take care. Stetts

I'm a courtesy drivin' man through and through. Raised on hitting the lights to let a semi in. Now I'm in SoFla with drivers from NY and NJ where daily horn blowing is SOP. If you're on foot, like in crossing a parking lot, look out. You are at risk.

[don]

Re: VC's Lucky Charm: Mark to Mystery

Exit to Pecos. Getting greener. Flowers went from yellow to red. Trees for cactus. Over halfway home, we stay in Kerrville. Ate at Mamacitas, a faux 'indoor' Mexican restaurant. Lots of folks, good waiter, good food - what's not to like.



Texas hill country is beautiful.

[don]

Re: VC's Lucky Charm: Mark to Mystery

Today is my wife's birthday. We been together more 24/7s since she quit her job and we started packing than ever in 34 years of marriage. Mentally I vow not to be a dick and fortune has dealt me a fat hand. A morning ride out of Texas hill country then we cross the line into Louisiana, one of our favorite states, of mind and otherwise. We seriously considered New Orleans just prior to Katrina - a bit of luck in that non-move.

We're both smiling at La.'s Lake Bienvenue visitor's stop.



Time to drop Tolstoy and grab some Cajun. Best radio of the trip. We stop early in Lake Charles - texting a daughter to dig up something special for dinner. She does. Pat's of Henderson. Been there about 50 years.


Check out the metal-work ceilings. The lighting was comfortably lower than in the pictures.

Margaritas, shrimp bienville, seafood gumbo, soft shell crab. A happy birthday girl. I dug into a shrimp and oyster poorboy, having once again done my part for our domestic bliss.

[don]

Re: VC's Lucky Charm: Mark to Mystery

On my way to pick up my wife today I was stopped at a light in a three lane thoroughfare. Traffic was 1 or 2 cars deep. As the light changed and all cars began immediately moving a car approaching from half a block behind was hitting his horn. In Cali that's a great way to get shot or maimed in a road rage fandango. Perhaps my fellow NE iTulipers can explain . . . .

[lektrode]

Re: VC's Lucky Charm: Mark to Mystery

On my way to pick up my wife today I was stopped at a light in a three lane thoroughfare. Traffic was 1 or 2 cars deep. As the light changed and all cars began immediately moving a car approaching from half a block behind was hitting his horn. In Cali that's a great way to get shot or maimed in a road rage fandango. Perhaps my fellow NE iTulipers can explain . . . .

y'all ready answered that one above:

I'm a courtesy drivin' man through and through. Raised on hitting the lights to let a semi in. Now I'm in SoFla with drivers from NY and NJ where daily horn blowing is SOP. If you're on foot, like in crossing a parking lot, look out. You are at risk.

out this way, NOBODY (cept fer tourists) honks the horn - not very often anyway - i'm often amazed at just how long some will patiently wait for the asleep-at-the-wheel operator in front of em to MAKE A PHREAKIN MOVE, already!
esp when the light turns green? - it seems that nobody wants to be the 'first mover' - in contrast to say BOS, where the pack is in-motion in anticipation of the light going from red to green (kinda like an indy500 race start)

it might have also been a sitch where the honker above, simply had NO BRAKES and was givin y'all fair warning...

and i'm having to pay way too close attention to that ghastly habit of the working class and attempting to earn a living, so not to worry - i will make more of an effort to interact on this one after i see if can gitter done 2morow (since my other half has no patience for me bloggin habit...)