There is not a lot to say about Day 5, which began in Kyle and ended in Bastrop. But I’ve been feeling guilty this whole trip for not giving a cosmic shout-out to Jan Hooks, who died on October 9, with a clip of her tour of the Alamo in Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. We’ve been close to San Antonio for most of the trip, and Big Adventure is, after all, about the love of a bicycle. So here we are:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYfjq3ZYZbA
I also want to give a shout-out to Tim, who has been writing out directions for me every morning. They were especially handy on day 3 (Bandera to Blanco) and day 5.
I like to compare the Sullivan siblings’ handwriting. Tim’s is the most like his mom’s, I think, though I don’t have samples of Ted’s, Denise’s or Kevin’s. Their scripts all look like they come from the same family, whereas mine and Chris’s bear no similarities.
Sunrise in Kyle
Rerouting, rerouting
See no evil, hear no evil, and Brian
The ride was fairly short, and I figured the riders would want lunch when they were done, so when I got to Bastrop I stopped at a Schlotzsky’s Deli for turkey sandwiches.
The guy behind the Schlotzsky’s register was like a charm robot. He was tanned, muscled, and buzz-cutted, and he talked quickly, clearly priding himself on his ability to work efficiently and make people smile at the same time. Snippet: “What’s that name again? You can tell me your name six times and I’ll forget it but I never forget the face of anyone I’ve met. Now are you gonna share that with a friend, should we upgrade to medium for a dollar?” He was training another cashier as she looked up at him with a dreamy smile and stars in her eyes. “Anything over $24.99, they use a credit card, they have to sign. $24.99 and under, no need to sign.” Swoon. As I was walking out, he said, “Thanks again ma’am hope to see you again real soon,” and I thought, “You really won’t, you won’t see me ever again in your life.” And now my face is seared into your memory. Sorry!
Greasy, delicious sustenance
After I checked in to the Hampton Inn in Bastrop, I promptly locked myself out by leaving my key cards in my room for the third time this trip. I’m not sure whether that has to do with being more distracted or more relaxed. Whatever the cause, people were always nice about it.
The guys arrived a little after two and spent a long time in the hot tub ribbing each other and telling family stories. I’ve probably already said this, but family stories are one of the best things about these trips for me. This was the day that they were officially halfway done with the journey across the country. They had definitely earned their marathon hot tub session.
Everyone thought the pool would be outside
Tim, an important lawyer, takes a call in the hot tub
We drove into quaint downtown Bastrop (pronounced with a short “a”) and had a very nice dinner there. I wish there’d been more time to explore this place.
Historical marker!
Baxters Fine Dining, which began life as abattoir
Fancy feast: Blackened redfish with chile mashed yams, zucchini and tomatoes
Hotel Art of the Day
Sorry for the glare once again. I do my best, I really do.
Textured collage
Mixed media, 16″x16″
La Quinta Inn and Suites, Kyle, TX
Hotel Art Score
4/10. What you unfortunately can’t tell from the photo is that the off-white slips of paper appear to be stock market listings from a newspaper. Why? Why not, I guess. But seriously, why. We’ve got starbursts and circles and dots, all indicators of playfulness, and we’re going to overlay them on the stocks page. Maybe it’s to indicate that when in La Quinta, work is fun. The stock market? Just a game! Splash blop bloop. Wait, but it is a game, isn’t it? Everything is, when you get down to it. So I guess actually this is pretty existential.
It’s interesting to note, too, that all of the art in the rooms features open circles, which correspond to the bedspread design. So this piece was commissioned specifically for La Quinta. That’s more branding unification than I’m used to. Nice job, La Quinta?
Art Art Score
1/10.
STAY ORGANIZED.
I found myself and laughing and laughing at this post. Nice job. 🙂
1.) I’d forgotten (or more likely never realized) that Jan Hooks was in Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. Very nice tribute.
2.) I wish I had a picture of the charm robot. Also, don’t you ENJOY knowing that your image is now seared into a charm robot’s memory?
3.) I really enjoy that “Splash blop bloop” are your “game” noises. Do most of your games involve bodies of water?
Ha, those sounds are supposed to be the sounds made by starbursts, circles, and dots. (Obviously.)
1. I was going to write “STAY ORGANIZED” as well when I saw the first advanced copy of this post, but I didn’t want to comment on something that had to be taken down.
2. I almost posted that clip on Facebook the day I found out Jan Hooks died. But with you being in Texas, it makes more sense for you.
3. Since we already mentioned alternative versions of these songs, here’s my favorite version of “Everybody Knows This is Nowhere”: https://soundcloud.com/chrisbsullivan/everybody-knows-this-is-nowhere.
Special shout-out to Chris for refreshing the blog so often that he caught my accidental premature publishing.
Who’s playing that version of “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere?” Oh, now I see: The Bottom of the Hill. Very nice.
Nah, it’s Ida – The Bottom of the Hill is the (live) album it’s on.
Beth, I beg to differ with you regarding your post on the brothers’ handwriting.I really think you have Sullivan handwriting. I have no idea where Chris’ handwriting came from; it does not resemble Brian’s nor mine. I think you need to post some samples of your handwriting along with Brian’s, Tim’s, and Mark’s.
I meant to say that that generation of Sullivans all has similar handwriting whereas Chris’ and mine don’t look alike. But as I get older I think mine is starting to look more like yours, Mom.