Texas Surprise

K says that the true heart of Texas beats in Austin. Houston smacks too strongly of Louisiana and Dallas of Oklahoma. If that's true, I'll confidently confess to being a newfound Tex-o-phile. While in Austin, Moxie & I watched a million bats take flight from under the Congress Avenue bridge. I ran past scores of turtles along vibrant Town Lake and ate tacos and drank aqua fresca at omnipresent taco shops. Moxie got to know the locals at one of six dog parks. K hosted us graciously, treating Moxie to a fenced-in backyard with an open compost heap (a.k.a. 24-hour salad bar for dogs) and me to top-shelf espresso each morning.



Of course, one doesn't see only Austin when traveling to and from there by car. Coming west via Houston we drank a glass with mom's artist friend J, then tackled the swamp-thing layer of grime we'd acquired from camping for two nights in southern Louisiana, Moxie at a groomer and I at a spa. (If you happen to be in Houston, the pedicure with the mint leg masque at Beautique is worth experiencing.) And the Hill Country of west Texas didn't disappoint. Endless expanses of scrubby terrain set off the biggest sky I've ever seen.

In Austin I decided to take a quick detour back to Boise for some r&r&r. This meant passing through Tucson, where we spent two very fun nights with K & S and their tough kitty Henry, in addition to enjoying a meal with geographer friend J. We look forward to returning to Tucson after summer has passed to enjoy more of these fine people and their wild landscape. K & S live just adjacent to a wash where lots of dogs walk their people each day, and J tells us there are many great hikes to be had not far from town. Moxie may even take a rattlesnake awareness course when we return. It's something savvy desert dogs do, we're told.

Before my journeys began, a friend and Idaho native told me, "Utah is magic." The drive between Arizona and Idaho confirms it. Moxie & I camped a night on the bank of Lake Powell then spent a day driving through sculpted red rock formations and steep dark green hillsides. We'll return here, too, when the temperatures descend again.

But for now, being back in Boise is having the desired effect. I'm rejuvenating by catching up on sleep while Moxie plays in my parents' park-like backyard. We're renewing ties with friends, from the nextdoor neighbors with wine in the hot tub to the vet with the ear scope in her office. On Easter we performed our unique set of family rebirth rituals, beginning with rich baked goods and chocolate candy for breakfast, continuing with a cold and wet hike, pausing for a nap, then closing with a decadent dinner out. Rejuvenation. Renewal. Rebirth.