[thechat] SW Art! & rafting

[Jay Turley]

> From: Marlene Bruce [mailto:marlene at digitizethis.com]
> 
> >I agree. I've been to a number of good mexican restaurants 
> in Texas - in
> >Austin, Dallas, and San Angelo. The most interesting 
> restaurant I've seen
> >in TX though was in a small town half way to Austin from El 
> Paso - it was a
> >little German village, and the food was totally authentic 
> German food. What
> >a surprise to come across it in the middle of cow country...
> 
> That's Fredericksburg. I was there with the friends I was staying 
> with after the Austin weekend. I actually didn't go for it much, it 
> was, as Maggie said, "Twee" (a British-ism meaning cute in a kitschy 
> sort of way). But you're right, the food was quite authentic German.

Fredericksburg... I do believe that was it - it was a LONG time ago... I 
was at the Robotics Conference in Austin where I got my copy of Ed Krol's 
The Whole Internet Handbook... "Twee", huh? That's veddy interestink...

> 
> Speaking of the SW, one of my favorite authors is Edward Abbey (his 
> best book is "Desert Solitaire") ... you can read some of his quotes 
> at http://www.abbeyweb.net/quotes.htx

Oh yeah, Edward Abbey rocks! Desert Solitaire is a great book. Of course, I 
started of with The Monkeywrench Gang, seeing as how I was all into 
envirnmentalism and direct action at the time (though not quite an Earth 
Firster). I also like John Nichol's The Milagro Beanfield War, although 
none of his other books have really sparked my interest. My dad just got me 
a book called The Book of Cowboys by Holling C. Holling, which is about two 
New Jersey kids who go spend their summer with their uncle on a ranch in 
New Mexico and have all sorts of western adventures. So I'm reading it to 
my kids...

> 
> New Mexico was my favorite state until I went to San Francisco and 
> other parts of the Bay area, which kinda blew everything else out of 
> the water. Grand Canyon is another really noteworthy place, but if 
> you can ever get there, try to go through on a rafting trip (never 
> done the "rim" thing, can't imagine it compares to the Colorado River 
> route).

Actually, I still love New Mexico, although I must admit that both coasts 
are really really cool. I love the Bay Area, and I just visited Boston for 
the first time and was VERY impressed with the culture and the vibrancy of 
the city. Ooooooh, and the Grand Canyon! When I was a Boy Sprout, our troop 
hiked Rim-to-rim in one day, and then spent the next week hiking down the 
canyon itself. Beautiful! Magical! Wow!

I love rafting too. I've done the Taos Box and when I was in Virginia (way 
back at the start of this thread), we did the New River in Ohio(?). It's a 
class 5 river and it ROCKED! The first time we did it, we were with a new 
guide, so she was extra special careful to take us through the safest 
spots. But the 2nd time... HooBoy! The guide took us through the roughest 
meanest spots; people were flying out of the raft like popcorn; the raft 
was submerged several times! It was crazy and fun!

> 
> Cheers,
> Marlene
> 

Laters

- Jay Turley ---------------------------------------------------------
  http://www.weberrific.org
 "Any sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology"