Art Cars on show

We hear the saying "only in the US" all the time right?  And of course "everything is bigger in Texas". Well, on Saturday, I attended my first Houston Art Car Parade.  This is an annual event here.  Its the first and largest Art Car festival in the world and features all types of art on wheels.  Everything from bicycles to roller skates to golf carts and trucks.  If it has wheels - make a piece of art out of it.

The parade first started in 1986 when there were only 11 cars on show.  This year saw 300 cars displayed, and several of those were from countries including Wales and Brazil.  The mind boggles at the artist talent of some people or even at what inspires art.  The cars were brilliant, some macabre, some bejewelled, and some downright over the top.

Accompanying the cars of course, were the people and not to be outdone, not only were the drivers decked out but so too were many of the spectators.

This is a great day out and I have to say, a truly unique festival.  Perhaps next year.......

Highland Fling

Logic should have told me that somewhere in the world, Daffodils grow wild.  But lets face it, how many of us really sit and ponder these sorts of questions??

Anywho...it was quite a delight to land in Scotland last week and be greeted by Daffodils everywhere.  In fact, there were Jonquils and some wonderful little Blue Bonnet style flowers in bloom alongside the Daffodils.  Just gorgeous, and to have them growing along the rivers and country lanes just made for a truly simple pleasure.

Although I have been to Scotland a number of times, this trip I decided to take the opportunity and explore further afield.  And to be honest, I did get lost on the myriad of country roads but luckily its only 3 hours from one side of the country to the other, so worst case scenario, I just hit water and turn around, right.  But I managed to find my way back to the hotel each night without too many hassles.

Dunnottar Castle

My journeying on this trip took me down the coastline from Aberdeen to Stonehaven and the Dunnottar Castle; west along the River Dee to Ballator; north to Oldmeldrumm and more castles; then northwest to Inverness, Loch Ness and Fort Augustus.  It is truly a beautiful country and the Highlands don't disappoint.  There was still snow on the peaks and I got the full effect of the blustery Highland winds and some rain, just to make it all even more spectacular.  It was dammed cold but even that is okay when you are exploring the wilds of the heathers.

One of the things I always enjoy about travelling to places like Scotland or Ireland or even various spots in Europe, is sitting down for a coffee or wine in little town cafes and pubs and having a great conversation with a local....even if you struggle to understand a word they say.  Despite sharing a language, some Scots are next to impossible to comprehend!  But I always enjoy the experience and the opportunity to exchange cultures.  I also love the look of surprise and wonder on many faces when you say you are from Australia.  It seems that the land downunder continues to hold some mystical awe for many people and the questions are always entertaining.  On this trip, one chap who is heading to Brisbane to visit family and making his first trip to Australia, was obsessed with spiders and snakes and had himself worked up into a lather worrying about how he would protect himself.  It didn't help that we got onto the subject of jellyfish, crocodiles and sharks.  I think I did calm him though with warming stories of pet wallabies, cockatoos and growing up on a farm in Australia.  I did have to sensor that though as I am sure the truth of country life wouldn't have contributed to his fears!

But I always experience a little pang of sadness when leaving behind a journey and heading home. Not because I don't enjoy my own home and space, but no matter what, I am in love with seeing the world and meeting people.

The truth though is, I get home and inevitably a new experience outside my door awaits.  It might be a new neighbour or a new expat or, as has happened this week.....the magnolias outside my window have bloomed and that, my friends, is something beautiful!

River Ness, Inverness

Glenfiddich Whiskey!

Caribbean Time

Montego Bay, Jamaica

Cruising the amazing turquoise waters of the Caribbean is really quite something.  If anything, my recent toe-dipping encounter only served to tease the senses!  Each of the island countries you wash ashore on, is completely different.  All have pretty chilled locals but the cultures and atmosphere are all different.

Good Hope, Jamaica

Jamaica was the largest island nation I visited, with some 2.8 million people and all the usual social problems that go with that number.  It has a pretty tumultuous history, having changed from Spanish to British rule in the 1600s and for much of its early history, it was home to a significant slave population. On the back of that slavery, Jamaica was for some 200 years, the world's leading exporter of sugar and rum.   While visiting, I took the opportunity to explore an old sugar plantation, Good Hope.  One of the oldest still functioning properties in Jamaica, it was established in 1774 by an Englishman, John Thorpe, who was at that time the largest land and slave owner in Jamaica.  It is said that he was renowned for his good treatment of the slaves on his properties and that he built hospitals for the slaves and introduced farming techniques aimed at improving the working conditions on his land.  Good Hope occupies some 2000 acres of absolutely beautiful land.  The views are amazing and I was surprised by the lush, tropical and mountainous country I travelled through.  Its easy to see how Jamaica reclaims the soil when left abandoned!  Jamaicans are wonderfully welcoming and very proud of their island home.

Pirates of the Caribbean

Grand Cayman Island

From the beautiful beaches and mountains of Jamaica to the magnificent waters of Grand Cayman.  This place is spellbinding.  I can't begin to describe the colour of the water here and the beaches are divine.  Grand Cayman is a flat island about 35kms long and 13kms wide.  Originally founded by the British in 1700s, it is today famous for its off-shore banking and investment industry.  Between that and tourism, it is a thriving and economically strong country which is reflected in the standards of living for the locals.  Very relaxed and welcoming!  I snorkeled some of their amazing reefs as well as the Kittiwake, a sunken WW2 vessel that's now an artificial reef.  Definitely need to return to this little locale.

Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

Final stop on this trip was Cozumel, Mexico and Playa Del Carmen.  Both spots are situated on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, home to the Maya people.  Both are rich in culture and history and are a sight to be seen.  What I liked most about this area was the people.  The Mexican people of the Peninsula, or the Mexican Riviera as it is known, are proud, friendly people.  Those I encountered were extremely generous of their time in answering my questions about their home and its history. A short stop only, but enjoyed with a Margarita in hand, and a desire to return and explore further.

 

Blue Suede Shoes

Mississippi River

Memphis.  What can I say about Memphis?  Well the first thing that strikes you as you come into the city centre is the magnificent expanse of the Mississippi River.  It truly is one of the great rivers of the world.  Its not hard to see why the Chickasaw Indian people chose this spot as their home.  In fact, the cliffs or bluffs along the river were Chickasaw lands for thousands of years before the Spanish and French came along.

You can also see that Memphis was once a magnificent and very wealthy city, which like so many I have visited here in the South, fell into hard times and is now dragging itself back to grandeur through new business opportunities, industry and tourism.   The telltale signs of the past are there in the amazingly beautiful and elegant old buildings dotted throughout the city, but which sadly are in various stages of decay and repair.

Memphis has such an interesting history which perhaps lends an explanation for this layered decay.  In the late 1700s, the land on which Memphis sits, officially became Spanish territory and it remained so until the end of that century when the Spanish abandoned it entirely and Memphis became a ruin and ghost town.  It wasn't until 1819 that Memphis was developed as a river transportation centre.  Cotton become an economic boon for the area and so consequently, and sadly, Memphis became a significant slave market delivering the labour to the antebellum South.  Then of course the Civil War changed the face of Memphis yet again.  This period saw Tennessee secede from the Union and become Confederate territory briefly.  With the end of the war came a series of yellow fever epidemics which almost destroyed Memphis reducing its population by over 70%.  With increasing and suffocating city debt, Memphis again fell into despair and decay.

Lorraine Motel, Memphis

The Mississippi, cotton, lumber and livestock fortunately saved her and dragged her into the 20th century only for the city to be the centre of the civil rights battles of the 1960s.  It was at the Lorraine Motel in downtown Memphis that Dr Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated the day after giving his "I've been to the Mountaintop" speech.  April 1968 I think changed the world for us; certainly the world in which I grew up and now live in was changed by the events of 1968.  The National Civil Rights Museum and the Lorraine Motel memorial site were a very inspiring experience, if not emotional.  There is also a great new exhibition on the Freedom Sisters, which I thoroughly enjoyed.  It tells of the numerous women in the US who have fought for civil rights throughout the last 200 years.

But throughout all this tumultuous and tragic history, music has been the one constant in Memphis' makeup.  Music is in the blood of the local people; you can see it in the way they move and walk!  Memphis is the hometown of so many greats that I grew up listening to.  Jerry Lee Lewis, Muddy Waters, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, BB King, Isaac Hayes, Booker T Jones, Al Green and yes.....Elvis Presley.  Oh, its also the birthplace of Justin Timberlake.

So a trip to Memphis would not be complete without cultural immersion including a good dose of music.  With my mad Elvis-loving mother in toe, I spent a day at Graceland absorbing all things Elvis and I was pleasantly surprised with what I learnt about Elvis.  We grew up somewhat amused by my Mum's nutty passion for this fella and other than for his songs, movies and dance moves, I really didn't know much about him.  Consequently, I was impressed to hear about his social welfare, charity and civil rights work.  I was also blown away by his collection of books which, by all accounts, he actually read.  He lived a very simple life at home at Graceland.  Not the big rock star flamboyance that I had expected.

From Graceland to the Rock & Soul Museum, Star Records, and of course, Beale Street.  We topped off our trip with a great night at BB Kings Club where we listened to some amazing jazz and blues.  A performer by the name of Memphis Jones blew us away.  Every part of your body just wants to move when listening to blues I think.  But you can hear this kind of music on the street corners of Beale Street.  It truly is the birthplace of blues and I am grateful for my time in Memphis.  As a music lover, the South is like being in a chocolate factory!!

Music, music, music

"The music capital of the world" is the slogan by which Austin, Texas, likes to be known.  The other is "Keep Austin weird". Either one really would apply.  Austin is so incredibly different to other Texan cities.  It doesn't have that cowboy feel or 'big Texas' feel about it.  Instead, its a little funky, a little cosmopolitan, and a little 'West Coasty' in that its a pretty liberal lifestyle when compared to the rest of Texas.

Austin has its origins in the 1830s when pioneers began settling along the banks of the beautiful Colorado River which runs through the heart of the city.  It then quickly became the capital of the Republic of Texas and was named after Stephen F Austin; that's the 'father of Texas', and not the bionic man.

Today, Austin is the capital of the State of Texas and is home to many Fortune 500 companies, universities, and of course, musicians and artists.  Its an eclectic city that promotes and protects small and unique businesses, many of which you can potter through along South Congress, or SoCo as the locals call it.  You don't see many 'chain' stores here.  Its also a passionate 'green' community, promoting high environmental standards and health standards.

What I loved most though, was the brilliant live music that you can enjoy on street corners, bars and restaurants.  You don't have to wander far at all to hear practically all forms of music.  I happened upon a venue called Latitude 30 on San Jacinto Boulevard.  Brilliant blues!!

Make Austin a stop if coming to Texas!

A little bit of country

Being tourist guide is always fun, particularly when you too, are seeing things for the first time.  So with my Mum visiting, I have been busy playing guide, historian, shopping consultant, chauffeur and porter.  

Eva's Haus, Fredericksburg

The first of our trips took us west into the heartland of Texas to cowboy country, wine country and the hill country.  Fredericksburg is considered the cultural heart of this area.  Its an old and very quaint town that was founded in 1846 and apparently named after Prince Frederick of Prussia.  Its a German town and is notable as the home of Texas German, a dialect spoken by the first generations of German settlers who supposedly refused to learn English.  Its also, interestingly, the birthplace of Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz. 

Becker Vineyard

More importantly, it is the centre of Texas' wine country with numerous great little vineyards dotting the country side.  So between pottering around some wonderful antique and arts/crafts shops, we also availed ourselves of the wine tasting opportunities.  However, its fair to say my Mum wasn't up to the challenge, being a 'cheap drunk'.  Only a couple of tastings in and she was giggling and looking for a tree to lie down under!

Mum at the pub

Following our tastings, we wandered into Luckenbach which is today essentially a ghost town except for its pub. The pub however is famous for its live music and dances, and is great weekend pit stop for touring bikers and car rallies.

Luckenbach Pub/Post Office

Mum trying to find where she parked her Harley

Silver Linings

Twenty five years ago, I was luxuriating in a bubble bath contemplating my life and the next big step I was about to take.  You see, 25 years ago today at about 1030am, I married my soul mate, my 'split apart'.

Those 25 years have disappeared in a heart beat and in their wake I find a myriad of memories, good and bad, some bumps and bruises, and some scars.  But not one of those would I give back, as every single mark on our souls and bodies comes together like a fabulous recipe to create who we are today.  And there is no better decadent chocolate cake on the planet than that!

The journey I have been on with C has been completely unexpected.  Every turn has surprised me, many have challenged me.  The stars willing, I look with anticipation towards the next 25 now for what this new box of chocolates might have in store.

I wish for everyone the kind of relationship I have found in C.  I feel incredibly blessed to have someone in my life who allows me the freedom to fly and nose-dive from time to time.  A person who can pick me up when needed, listen to my woes without judging, put up with my idiosyncrasies (of which I have many) and make me laugh so my sides split.  He supports me, challenges me to see the alternatives, gives me confidence, and reminds me to be true to myself.

And of course, he loves all my bits...even the cranky and scarred bits.  He is truly my best friend.