Home > Wendy Does Waco > Archives > 2008 > June
June 2008
Soundtrack to Waco
What does Waco sound like to you? I mean, if you had a playlist on your iPod called Waco, what songs would be on it?
I’ve been thinking about this because my trusty iPod has been walking all over downtown and North Waco with me and I still haven’t perfected the best mix for those wanderings.
It’s funny, I’ve been here for a year and a half, but not that much music has seared itself into my brain as being synonymous with Waco. Except Amy Winehouse. I hear even one note of Amy Winehouse and I can smell the apple cigarettes I smoked last spring and summer, mixed with the sweet, thick green smell of West Waco, near the lake, as I drive, windows down, late at night, back home from the gym. I’m well aware it’s bizarre to associate Amy Winehouse with Waco. What can I say?
But back to you. What would you put on a Waco playlist?
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Girls gone Waco
And I thought I was having all the fun Thursday night, sitting through a school board meeting. Apparently there folks around town having a much livelier time.
After I wrote my story, I stopped by the Shops at River Square Center to pick up some dinner and someone told me that there was Girls Gone Wild at Wild West. She didn’t specify whether this actually meant a film crew of that particular name brand or whether she just meant there were indeed females at the establishment who had gone completely undomesticated.
I was intrigued and the blogger in me was half tempted to wander down to that watering hole and see what the hubbub was about. Then, like a sign from God, a young woman passed in front of me on her way into Wild West wearing her best “my life’s goal is to be in a Toby Keith video” outfit. And I came to my senses and just headed home.
Driving down Austin Avenue, I noticed there seemed to be some very loud revival going on, north of 17th Street. Once again, I thought about stopping. I would probably have felt less awkward there than at Wild West. Alas, I was tired and kept driving.
On my way home it occurred to me, the people who say that there’s nothing to do in Waco are just plain wrong. Sure, the options might be a little odd, a little cheesy, but they’re there.
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Picture pages, picture pages …
Wow, guess I showed my age with that title.
Anyway, I’m going to start doing this little thing with my blog that I hope you’ll enjoy and take part in. If you don’t enjoy it, I’ll gladly listen to you tell me how bad it sucks and argue with each other about its suckage/merit while also picking on each other’s type-os. Sound like fun? Great.
Web guru Win and I have been taking photos around town and we want to see if it’s possible to stump you with them. Once we have a good stockpile of photos I’m going to try to post one a week.
I’m tired today and my head is swimming from the education stuff I’m working on and I didn’t get to work out this morning and I didn’t even get a darn free burrito. But I decided it would make me happy to get this little project going. So here goes. Peruse this photo and identify it while I go home, watch The Wire and pass out.
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Do NOT read this
But if you do read this, do NOT go to Chipotle today to get a free burrito.
But if you do go to Chipotle for a free burrito and you see me there, at least let me cut in line, ok?
Yes, God is shining down on Waco today in the form of free burritos and burrito bols (cq). I love Chipotle bols, so I think I’ll try to brave the crowd.
How do I love Chipotle? Let me count the ways … I love that I can create a semi-healthy Tex-Mex concoction by shying away from stuff like the sour cream and loading up on their fresh salsa.
Partake of the gloriousness of burritos … if you must. But remember to hold my place in line :)
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JB is contagious
OK, maybe JB isn’t contagious, but the little wish lists he gets going on his blog are. A grocery store downtown would be awesome, but in the meantime, could we just get a corner store, por favor?
I can’t tell you how many times I have needed some mundane item while at work, but have gone without because there’s no little store right around here. Some of you work downtown, do you feel my pain?
I can’t be the only one who eats chunky peanut butter out of the jar with a chopstick because she always forgets to buy spoons except when she’s at work, but there’s no store around, so I’m screwed. Can I? OK, admittedly, peanut butter with a chopstick is probably a weirdness unique to me. But what about needing a pack of gum or some Tylenol? A box of Kleenex or some batteries?
When I lived in Killeen, there were NO DRUGSTORES. Yes, you heard me right. I used to visit my folks in SA and make a trip to the Walgreen’s just to linger. Drugstores are amazing places. They have everything you need and even more things you don’t.
There’s got to be an empty storefront down here just perfect for a downtown drugstore. And soon! I hope so, because I’m running out of Pei-Wei chopsticks.
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A Taste of Waco
That was my theme for Em’s wedding gift. I’ve given it to her, so now I can tell you all about it.
I got her the Junior League of Waco cookbook, “Simply Serving: Recipes from the Heart of Texas”, which not only has great recipes but also has recipes from Siete Mares and the Northwood Inn and Ridgewood Country Club among other places. I included one of those little cookbooks with recipes from old, now defunct Waco eateries.
I also put in the basket a bag of Jesse’s tortilla chips and two Dublin Dr Peppers. And then there was the jar of Vitek’s barbecue sauce which will come in handy, because I included a card with the recipe for the Gut-pack.
Actually, I called around to several places, trying to get the recipes for some of Em and David’s favorite local dishes. I found that while Em knows a proper baguette and can pick a good brie, her taste is otherwise as pedestrian as the rest of us. Her favorite gumbo? Frozen. Her favorite pancakes? An add water mix.
I was able to get a couple other recipes and also bought a shaker of Em’s favorite Greek seasoning which she’ll put on anything that stands still long enough. That was my little taste of Waco for the lovebirds. Cute, huh?
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Veni, vidi, vici
Alright, maybe the conquered part is a bit much, but I did come and see and I lingered, marveling at the tattoos and quickly burning flesh around me.
Yep, Sunday I ventured out to Tonkawa Falls with Kate and Caitlyn (see the two lovely ladies in the corner of the photo). It was definitely a “Toto, we’re not at Baylor anymore” experience. We dipped our feet in the wonderfully cool water, but unfortunately couldn’t get all the way in because there was no place to change into our suits.
I definitely plan to go back. I’m soooo missing the cool Carolina mountain waters of Lake Lure and Lake Jocassee this time of year, so maybe the Tonkawa swimming hole can fill that void.
Even not swimming, it’s not a bad people watching spot. The kids scrambling up the rocks to dive, flip and plummet back in. I took my own personal fun in trying to make out what people’s tattoos were. I have to admit that I was a bit appalled that many people didn’t at least have sunscreen on their tats. I mean, all that beautiful ink that you paid good money for and you’re letting the sun muddy and have its way with it. My gorgeous star still looks like I took bright blue and green markers to my arm. Partly because I’m kin to Casper the ghost and partly because I always put sunscreen on it.
Moving on, we still were jonesing for a swim, so on the way back to town we hit the Lake Waco Speegleville beach. I’d love to hit that place semi-regular for an early morning swim, but I don’t relish paying $4 each time.
Are there any other swimming holes I need to visit?
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Adult movies on the square
OK, not “adult movies”, let me explain.
I made it out to the Third Thursday movie, though I was late, and I stayed for a short time. I still think the outdoor movie is a great idea, there was just one thing I hadn’t counted on — all the kids.
I mean, I knew kids would be there, but I mistakenly thought they’d actually be watching the movie. I was wrong. Heritage Square looked like some kind of rave for five year olds, with throngs of children beating the crud out of each other with glow necklaces. Except of course for the 2 year old who toddled up to the fountain where I was sitting, he instead decided to lash the water in the fountain, splashing me repeatedly in the process. Kids who weren’t thrashing about with radioactive looking jewelry were emasculating their deftly made balloon animals.
I had a moment of clarity while listening to the squeaks and squeals on the Square. How about a grown-up movie night? I don’t even mind sticking with the G-rated cinema, let’s just put an age limit on the crowd and add a couple of cash bars. Local restaurants could provide overpriced outdoor dinner fare.
I think I’m on to something. Who’s with me?
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To rock or not to rock
Is anybody going to the Austin City Limits music festival this year? (Sep.26-28)
A friend asked me to go, but I have mixed feelings about the lineup. Robert Plant and Alison Kraus are headlining, but I’d rather have both my ears gnawed off by tree sloths than listen or watch that duo.
On the other hand, Jenny Lewis (of Rilo Kiley fame), Gogol Bordello, Erykah Badu, N.E.R.D. and The Raconteurs sound pretty good. But do they sound $170 three-day pass good? Not sure about that.
I was hoping my big show of the summer would be a trek to see Dave Matthews Band (would be my 18th show) at the Gorge near Seattle in late August. I took the time off from work for it and don’t mind going by myself, but it pains me to pay that much just to go see a (albeit awesome) show.
To top all of this musical confusion off, my best friend recently got 2 tickets to see DMB July 4 in Charleston. I sooooo want to go. Alas, I work on the 4th, Emily’s wedding is the 5th and, once again, the cost of flying to the Charleston show makes me want to cry.
Is anybody going to see Dave in Dallas? I’m jealous.
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Madagascar by moonlight
So I’m not really a huge fan of kids’ movies. I’m more of an episodes of The Wire, action movie, angst 80’s youth (Breakfast Club) kind of girl.
But I’m a sucker for an outdoor movie, so Madagascar it is. I usually have school board meetings every third Thursday, but I don’t this month. Instead I’m going to loiter at Heritage Square for free and watch talking animals on a large inflatable screen. Sounds intriguing, doesn’t it?
Join me if you’re bored. Pre-movie antics start at 7:30 p. and I’d guess the show starts at dark.
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What am I missing?
Is there some bad history between East Waco and the Waco school district that I don’t know about?
There was a meeting at J.H. Hines Elementary Monday night to seek input for the location, look and naming of a new East Waco el. school to be built with bond money. I, naively, expected it to be at least a partially pleasant meeting — after all, it’s about putting up a brand new school in this sadly dilapidated part of town.
Unfortunately, the meeting took a very accusatory and unfriendly tone at times. There appears to be some serious mistrust between East Waco leaders and the school district. As a Waco outsider, I have the luxury of looking at this with fairly neutral eyes, having no allegiance to either WISD or a particular part of town. But, being new, I also lack any historical reference that could help me understand why there’s such a discord.
Maybe the saddest thing about the meeting was the almost complete absence of East Waco parents. Communty leaders are good at talking, but the parents of the kids who will attend this new school are who I really want to hear from.
Sorry if this is a bit off topic, but it’s been weighing on my mind.
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Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Moe …
So the big question is, which of you lovely folk who offered to introduce me to kayaking is least likely to break a rib laughing at me when I defy the laws of floatation and sink quickly to the silty bottom?
The truth is, I’m not scared of drowning. I’m actually a really strong swimmer. I’m scared of looking painfully stupid, the kind of stupid you can never recover from. The kind of stupid I felt when I recently discovered that I can’t ride a bike.
Or the kind of stupid like when I went scuba diving in Puerto Vallarta and completely freaked out under water (PTSD from the swimming lessons I took at age 3) then swam back to the boat only to find out there was no ladder or rope or nothin’ to help me get back in. I swam through a minefield of jellyfish to a shore in the distance while all the normal people finished their scuba trip. Then I swam back out to the boat, which still had no ladder or rope or nothin’.
My comrades had to haul me, hind-end over head, into the boat. And that, my friends, is the kind of stupid feeling that never goes away, that sometimes even wakes you up at night, blushing.
Do you feel me? Or have I just told you way too much about me? But I’m going to seriously consider the offers and may email some of you.
Just out of curiousity, why is it that when I ask y’all to invite me to do something I know I can pull off with a little class — go to Ridgewood Country Club, motorboat around the lake — I get no takers? But when it’s something that there’s a 75 percent chance could be a comedy of errors — like kayaking — your all here for me? Methinks you love my misery.
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Sink or float?
So, “No one” brings up something I’ve been meaning to ask you about. Does anyone out there kayak or canoe?
My editor is really pushing me to do the kayak thing and I’m beginning to think she just wants me to so she can laugh at the inevitable humorous, yet near-death experience I am bound to have.
I have never kayaked, but I have this image in my head of getting in one and immediately sinking to the bottom of the Brazos. Or Bosque, whatever. Or, if I actually float, a tiny ripple in the water will flip me and I will drown upside down in my little kayak cocoon.
As for canoes — did I mention my traumatizing experience in college that involved a canoe, seven people, and a very cold South Carolina lake on a late winter night? Once again, the key word here is ‘traumatized’.
I feel safer in boats with motors and coolers and cup-holders and little ladders to help you climb out of the water. My offer still stands — me, y’all, refreshments, the lake …
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Just a dam tease
The Waco Lake Hike and Bike Trail is very officially not my favorite place to go. It’s just a dam tease.
I went out there Sunday, thinking it would be a nice change of venue for my aimless rambling. But I completely forgot — there’s not a lick of shade out there. You’re up there, perched on a cement path that’s burning through the soles of your shoes. There’s no escape from the sun and you soon feel your slathering of SPF turning tail and running from the sun’s rays.
Yet stretched out in front of you is this vast expanse of glistening water. In the distance, you can see people submerged in the green shallows at the beach. In deeper waters, spray is flying from a lone water skier. And on top of the dam, I’m thinking of jumping. I spent five hours treading water in a swimming pool the day before (shout out to you guys at The Woods pool), but I still feel ravenous for the lake. The tease of all that water is just too much.
Yeah, I won’t be taking many more walks up there. Hopefully I’ll have something better to do. Whish brings me to a really important question — who has a boat? I’ll bring snacks and drinks — you drive.
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Friday the 13th (Where da gold at?)
I hope something weird happens to you today, in the spirit of the date. My whole week’s been a little odd.
And for my sake, I hope weird things happen all summer — as long as they’re newsworthy. My beat gets REAL slow when school is out, so the more newsy, quirky stories I can find, the better. I’m jealous of Mobile, Alabama for getting this story.
If you people love me, you’ll go find me a leprechaun. For further entertainment, watch this video after the one posted here.
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Puppy love
I dog-sat this adorable pup last weekend, which both made me want to get a dog really bad and reminded me why I don’t have a pet, or a child, or a plant.
I was thinking recently about volunteering at the Humane Society (though I’m having trouble finding time to work at the food pantry, so I don’t know when I think I’ll be able to get to the animal shelter). My editor said she thinks I should just dive in and get a dog.
True, I’m a dog person and over the years have enjoyed much love from Rollie, Dempsey, Jake, Satch and Spike. But these dogs were never MY dogs, they were family dogs. So when something went wrong, I could freak out, but ultimately let my parents take care of the situation. But when the thing is yours, YOU are responsible for keeping it alive, and that scares the whatever out of me.
On a good day, I get out of my apartment with my teeth brushed and all my clothes on. I hate to quote The Sound of Music, but I’m a bit of a flibberty-jibbet.
I have dog sat twice in my life, counting last weekend. The first time was for my Mom’s shih-tzu Spike. Spike spent a week in Killeen with me, during which I nearly had a nervous breakdown. Spike had just been groomed and he kept skittering across my ceramic tile floor, dragging his rear. He seemed thoroughly unhappy, like something was trying to attack him from his hindquarters. By the second day of this, I called my Mom in tears.
“His butt itches and I can’t do anything about it! Should I take him to the vet?” I don’t know who laughed harder, my mom on the other line or my friends watching this pathetic sight unfold. He got over his hindquarter issues, but by the end of the week, I had decided he was depressed and maybe needed doggy Prozac. I think it was much more likely that I needed human Xanax.
Anyway, last weekend, as I played with the handful of puppy named Wookie, I noticed her tummy was making really loud noises and she constantly had gas. I worried she had eaten something weird, or just hadn’t eaten enough. Em set my mind at ease Sunday when she said the dog was always like that. My neuroses got the better of me again.
But I miss the little dance Wookie does when she’s saying “hold me!” And I regularly miss my family dog, Spike. Do you think I can ever get over myself enough to have my own living thing without going completely nuts? Or should I just resign myself to fake plants and maybe buy a stuffed animal?
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Nice day for a - Waco wedding
No, not me sillyheads — not yet.
But my girl Em’s day is sneaking up fast. Luckily, last weekend I came up with the perfect gift. No, let me restate that, the PERFECT gift.
Wedding gifts are so hard because I can never afford to get something huge that she’ll use for years and always associate with me. And I know registries are there for a reason, but I hate to get lost in the shuffle by giving pillowcases or something.
For my brother’s wedding this year, I combined registry with quirk. I got several random gadgets on their list and then wrote a card explaining how I’m actually giving them the most important gift they’ll get because studies have shown that 99 percent of marriages break up based on the lack of a pineapple slicer.
Alas, you’ll have to wait to know what Em’s gift is because she and David read my blog. But I’d love to entertain your suggestions for the fun of it. What would you get a sweet girl like Emily for her Waco wedding?
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MONKEYS!!! at Cameron Park Zoo
At first I didn’t even notice the little boy standing next to me at the window that looked into the spider monkey habitat. I’d say he was about three and a half, with crew-cut blond hair, an orange T-shirt and a twin brother nearby.
I was zooming my camera in to get a picture of a bright red bird, the color of my sunburnt legs, when I heard:
“MONKEY!! MONKEY!! MONKEY!! MONKEY!!” It wasn’t a yell or even a holler. It was more like a huskey scream, the kind that sends you past annoyance and straight to, “Dear God, what’s wrong with this child? Someone help him, please!”
I removed the camera from my face and stared, slackjawed, at this boy. I’ve never seen anyone get so excited about a monkey, I thought. The adult with him tried to get him to calm down, but I said let him go, he’s the most entertaining thing I’ve seen all day. I actually felt a little sad, watching his excitement. I don’t remember ever being that excited about anything. Ever. Especially not a monkey.
I tried to glom on to this group, to see this child’s reaction to every animal in the Cameron Park Zoo, but children seem to dawdle a lot and I’m impatient, so I had to continue my adult trek through the zoo, which was way less fun.
So Cameron Park Zoo gets a thumbs up from me, though I do have a suggestion. Put a booth in at the front where someone like myself can rent a small child to wander the zoo with.
One other suggestion? Include the names of animals or fish or whatever, not just the people who made donations for the exhibit. See this cool pink thing I’m standing in front of? I wanted to know what it was, but the plaque said David and Nancy Lacy. I assume that means the Lacy’s are this thing’s benefactors — not that the thing is a Lacy. I’ve seen David Lacy and there’s no resemblance.
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Cra-W-ford
God Bless Crawford, Texas.
I saw the documentary “Crawford” last night out on the Crawford High School football field and I have to say — it was excellent. I don’t know when this flick will be available for mass consumption, but you must see it. It doesn’t matter what side of the W you’re on, it’s all about the little city of Crawford.
I love how the movie nailed the national broadcast media for trying its hardest to stereotype Crawford, like how they all did their stand-ups using the back drop of a shed and bale of hay next to one of the schools.
And then there was the Sheehan circus, which may have begun with pure enough intentions but turned into a big, messy hair clog of protest stuck smack in the tiny pipe of Crawford.
I went to Crawford in the middle of the Sheehan occupation with a fellow Killeen reporter who was doing a story on the goings on. Even though I’m one of the media, I was put off by the mess out there.
I had gone along just to get an order of fried jalapenos from the Coffee Station. I made it there right as they were closing, but they were so sweet to me, they said they’d make me up a plate to go real quick. I remember being impressed with how kind the locals were, even though their town had been taken over by crazy people (me and my colleagues included).
The documentary depicts the whole thing, from the hilarious to the tragic, and in the end, just makes you say,
God Bless Crawford.
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Happy Birthday WDW!
That’s right, it’s been a whole year of doing Waco. My first blog post was on June 7 last year. So I celebrated with vain confections — ‘W’ cupcakes of course!
I also hit a record with page views in the month of May and came in under our always #1 Breaking News Blog. Thanks and air-kisses to y’all who like me and y’all who dont — I don’t know which of you has better taste. I know I have a dark sense of humor, it’s a bit of an occupational hazard. If us reporters didn’t harden ourselves, the stuff we write about every day would eat us alive. Thanks for sticking around even when I make you cringe.
I promise to continue to spout inanities hopefully sprinkled with humor if y’all promise not to plow me down with your cars when you see me out walking.
And thanks for all the stylist advice. I went to Erin at University Style and am very happy with the result. She was totally affordable and she really consulted with me about how she would cut it. And most importantly, it’s a cut that works straight but looks even better curly! (Yep, I’m a curly girl. My blog photo was taken after an hour of flat iron) I still don’t look like Jennifer Love Hewitt, but I guess that’s where all the walking and the not eating the cupcakes I made comes in.
Y’all have a fabulous weekend and lift a margarita on the rocks or 7&7 in blog celebration!
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Who’s trippin’ down the streets of the city?
Or maybe the better question is, “Who’s the idiot walking down the street with a bright pink, inside out umbrella?” Yep — everyone knows it’s Wendy.
I set out on foot yesterday morning, feeling dowdy in my khaki dress slacks and running shoes, yet knowing that walking to work is a good thing — something I’d like to get used to. What I didn’t count on was having to walk home in the late afternoon sun.
Em was going to give me a ride home, but that fell through by about 6:30 p.m. (note to self — don’t ask the cops reporter to be your ride, inevitably someone will drown himself or set his house on fire just to thwart your plans). So I started walking, at first only mildly annoyed that my new hair (yes, new hair! I’ll blog about it soon) was going to get all sweaty and blown to bits by the wind.
But as I hit gaps in the shade on Austin Avenue, I realized I was going to have to go full-on dork and pull out my pink umbrella to shade myself. Did anyone notice how windy it was yesterday? Can you guess where this story is going? I turned west on 27th Street and got a little ways before the wind turned my umbrella inside out. I emitted the whine heard round the world and then started trying to fix the darn thing, which I could not do.
And the sun was still trying to sear a hole in my face, so I held the mangled thing up like a shield in front of me and kept going. (If using a sun umbrella makes me a dork, what does using a mangled umbrella to shade myself make me?) At this point I was giddy with exhaustion and frustration. Maybe it was heat stroke, maybe it was a psychotic break from the bad week I’m having, but I started singing Windy by The Association and making up new lyrics to amuse myself.
“Who’s trippin down the streets of the city/ Smilin at everybody she sees/ Except the guy stretched out on the cement bench/ Don’t make eye contact, he’s really cree—py.”
Alright, alright, so I don’t have a career in songwriting ahead of me, geesh, everyone’s a critic. A couple blocks from home I got a tearful call on my cellphone from my BFF Amy, so of course I had to pause my trek and talk. While my neighborhood is safe to walk in, I don’t advise lingering on a corner, talking on your cellphone, holding a mangled pink umbrella.
Finally, I made it home and swore I would never walk again. In fact, I’m being carried around today on the backs of several pygmies, or are they polygamists? Those words always confuse me.
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Hey cupcake!
When and how exactly did cupcakes get so trendy? Because they are. I feel like everytime I turn around I’m seeing a picture of a cupcake somewhere.
Even Waco has cashed in on the trend. Leah at the Olive Branch has a talent for the delectable treats, piling them high with buttercream icing.
And now the new, What About Cupakes?, on 25th Street is all cupcakes, all the time. They’ve got a long list of flavors they’ll whip up for you from classic white to german chocolate with coconut pecan frosting. You can even just stop in the store and pick up one little ol’ cake to satisfy your cupcake jones. For $5, you can have them put a cupcake in a tiny little box with a card, to give to someone. Your secretary having a bad day? Pick her up a chocolate cupcake with sprinkles while you’re at lunch and leave it on her desk.
Me, I have issues with the cupcake. I’m an icing girl, so I’d be happy to just lick the tops of them off and leave the cake for anyone who would be willing to eat it after I licked it. However, offering someone a freshly licked cupcake is kind of awkward, so I tend to pass them up altogether. I DO love to look at them though. To me, they’re like ribbons or the little girl jewelry boxes with the spinning ballerina — they’re lovely and frivolous and youthful.
So, treat yourself, cupcake :)
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A room with a view
When you’re sitting, shivering on an examination table, or you’re toiling away in the waiting room because your doctor had an emergency C-section that morning and is running behind — it’s at least nice to have a great view to look at.
Many of you girls out there will know what I’m talking about. The view from the 10th floor of the Hillcrest Tower (maybe while you’re waiting for your appointment with the adorable Dr. Wang) has got to be the best view in the city. From the large windows, stretches an expanse of greens of every shade, like the United Colors of Broccoli. You can pick out the Heart of Texas fairground in the distance, and some of the examination rooms look out on the lake.
I’m telling you, this view makes the long wait, the freezing room, even the humiliating hospital gown, worth it. I love the idea that women come to this office to hear the heartbeat of their fetus for the first time, while looking at that view. Or learn that it’s a girl, or twins … while seeing that view. This time of year, you see the life of Waco undulating beneath you and it seems so promising and full hope, just as a view from an OB/GYN’s office should be.
The saddest thing is that this time next year, the office will have moved and left that view behind. “I guess you’ll be looking out over I-35,” the nurse said to me. Yep, the Hillcrest Tower, view and all, will be turned over to Waco Police Department. I have no doubt cops appreciate a good view as much as anyone, but somehow it seems like it will be just a little less poetic.
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Mudbug Monday
I spent Monday morning in the summer sun staked out in front of the Methodist Home watching for polygamist’s children to get picked up by their many parents (that’s all I’ll say about that, I know how you folk love your FLDS). As I watched the neapolitan pink and brown of burn and freckles pop out on my arms, I got to thinking about everything summer, including … crawfish.
I got back to the office and darned if I didn’t get an invitation to a crawfish boil this weekend. Then JB and I started tossing around the idea of having a boil of our own.
(Sidenote: I wish you could hear my conversations with JB. They almost always start with me asking inane questions and JB answering calmly and with interest like I hadn’t just said the most random thing ever. Yesterday’s highlights included , “JB? Do you have to buy crawfish alive?” and “JB? How do you make buttercream icing pink?”)
So I called the sweetest lady ever at Waco Custom Meats on Lake Air Drive (20 lbs. fof crawfish for $50)and she explained the entire art of crawfish boils to me. “Do they have to be alive? Is it supergross?” I asked. “It’s not supergross, but it’s a little gross” she answered.
But I decided I couldn’t wait for a boil, so I called up Buzzard Billy’s, where you can get 1 pound for $5.99. So I did. And when I went to pick it up at the new BB location, the view of the setting sun bouncing off the Bosque nearly took my breath away. WOW! Have y’all been to the new place? I can’t wait to go back.
So, ummm, I’m not sure if I had a point here. Maybe it’s, hurry and get your crawfish from Waco Custom Meats before the season is over. Or, go check out the new Buzzard Billy’s on the river. No, no, I remember now, it’s don’t forget to wear sunscreen the next time you’re staking out polygamist children. Yeah, that’s it :)
