Keep on pickup truckin'

Papa John, Elliot and I went to check cows in Ballinger. If you can't find Elliot in this picture, look for that telltale cowlick.

Stairway to heaven (or art hell)

We went to the new Austin art gallery. It was cool, but I think I liked the building more than anything that was in it. I'm not big on contemporary art.

Bridge troll

Elliot and I took a hike through Powder Valley on a beautiful winter day. He snapped this picture of me relaxing on the bridge.

Caroling at the moon

We went Christmas caroling at the St. Louis Art Museum. The full moon seemed to beckon the horse and rider.

Night light

Elliot looks through the kitchen window as night falls in my backyard.

Running in a winter wonderland

I like nothing better than a good minimalist landscape, and snow helps reduce the complexity of a scene. Here, Elliot runs through the playground next to his kindergarden.

Bridge to somewhere

They say Austin, Texas, is the live music capital of the world. But most of the time, I find myself wandering around Town Lake, where this bridge is, or eating Mexican food and barbecue until I roll back to Missouri.

Ballinger, Texas

Well, these Gooey Butter Boots made it back to West Texas for a visit. There's not a whole lot going on in Ballinger these days; sometimes, that's a good thing -- especially if you're a cow.

Color my world

Yes, it's fall again in St. Louis. One of the benefits of living in the Midwest is the annual color splash before the inevitable white stuff starts falling. But one day at a time, folks. I took a walk in the Botanical Gardens yesterday. It's one of the most beautiful spots this time of year, especially the Japanese gardens.

Sunshine daydream

They say you should take time to stop and smell the roses, but what if you don't have any in your yard? Find something else to stop you I say. This morning, I pulled out of the driveway to go to work and saw this scene on my cul-de-sac. I don't stop and smell a lot of things, but you can bet I take pictures of them.

Are you ready for some football!

In case you missed it, there was a game at Williams Field this Sunday. Mizzou versus the Aggies, I mean Longhorns (I always get those mixed up). Uncle Doug got a front row seat to the Thrilla in Missoura.

The Longhorn defense was no match for the slightly younger Tiger offense, but it was fun to recreate the game we saw this weekend.

MK

My Canadian friend, Mary Kate, is now working in Afghanistan for World Vision. She recently wrote a long letter to several of her friends. Here is a short excerpt:

"I can't begin to explain this place to myself or others. I realized immediately the learning curve would be sharp... like straight up. I've never known anything like this. How to begin to explain the vast and complicated landscape that is Afghanistan... I'm working in four separate regions, with programs in three different sectors (food security, health, and education). Some areas are worse off than others. Jawand, in particular, is something startling... spectacular, in its beauty, in its people, and in the sheer space of history that has passed without any change. Issues of education, health and food security are severe. A year ago, following consecutive years of drought, there were instances of farmers selling their daughters in order to feed the rest of the family. In one area, a number of villages have been wiped out by tuberculosis. One out of four children dies before the age of five. Infant mortality is among the highest in the world, at the same level as subsaharan Africa. Babies are dying of diarrhea and cholera. Preventable disease. That's the painful part. None of this is necessary. Yet I wake in any small village and see families collecting water from a catchment used by animals. We will later drink the same water in our tea."

The naked truth

Went to see "Take Me Out," which is part of the Rep's new Off-Ramp series. The plays are meant to be more controversial and provocative than the average St. Louis affair. I'll say. Six totally naked men showering onstage might be the norm in Amsterdam but not in the Lou. The play primarily is about a gay baseball player but there are lots of other conflicts thrown in. I didn't like it as much as the Post-Dispatch reviewer, but theater is always unpredictable and subjective. Now go cover up before you catch a cold.

Use your words

I'm not bragging, but I shot a hot round of golf in Forest Park this week. Steve and Melissa came along to play and ended up getting schooled. Steve conveniently "forgot" to pickup a scorecard when we checked in. Right. And the captain of the Titanic "forgot" the binoculars.

On the second hole, I blasted one with a seven iron and it landed a few feet from the pin. It was the beginning of the end. On the fifth, my drive was straight and true, 250 yards. A pitching wedge later, the ball was nestled inches from the hole. Steve got all Dr. Phil on me. "I feel sad when you drop the ball a foot from the cup like that." Melissa was supportive. But she weilded a mighty sand wedge on the seventh hole that pretty much left Steve in the dust. I shouldn't say this, but by the eighth hole, I saw a tear running down his cheek. By the ninth, the guy was so shook up he (and I'm not joking about this) mistakenly used a six iron to tee off instead of a nine and ended up drivng the ball into the parking lot. Mulligan!

I have to say I felt bad for him, the way you do when dog has to eat dry chow without any gravy. I mean, it's hard to swallow something like that.

Camera obscura

We are in crisis mode at the house. My new Canon S70 doesn't work. Not sure what's going on. Sometimes, technology sucks. Looks like we will be sending it back to the factory. Pray for it.

Cat scratch fever

I saw 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' tonight. It was opening night of the season for the Repertory Theatre Company in St. Louis. They put on the best plays in St. Louis. It was a good show, not great. I especially liked the Big Daddy performance and all the Southern accents and references.

Gone fishin'

Yeah, they don't just fish in Fallon, NV. I caught this one all by myself at the St. Louis County Air Show. Can you just see the excitement on that little boy's face? Heck, I even won a prize.

So what's with the name

The name obviously reflects the highbrow nature of this blog and the deep connection between western footwear and Danish pastries. OK, maybe not. I was born in Texas but found my way to St. Louis, Missouri, which has many regional delicacies, including White Castle hamburgers, toasted ravioli, and of course, the ubiquitous gooey butter Danish.