Sunshine on my shoulder and Austin on my mind

Okay... it is February 12th and it is going to be 65 degrees today.  I know that this hackneyed explorer has said this type of thing before, but I still cannot quite grasp it.  It is going to be 65 degrees in the middle of February!  It is 17 degrees today where I grew up...

Lord how I love this place!

Anyhoo, I am also getting very excited because next weekend I will be making my first trek into the city of Austin.  My very special friend is flying in to Houston as a belated birthday present and we will discover the state capitol (supposedly there is music there...).  I have been scoping out the places to visit on Sixth Street and also on South Congress street.  I have no idea what we will find, but I know that we will have a ball.  The two of us have been in a blues mood lately so that will be the focus.

What we have a tendency to do is to map out and plan to visit a few places which gives us a battle plan.  Then, once we get there we have the total freedom to throw everything to the wind and wander.  I believe that the mapping give us something to fall back on if our wandering needs help.  It really is a great way to explore.

Now... I want to go walk around outside.  This weather is gorgeous!

New Orleans...

Preservation Hall before the show

Okay, I got to take a little trip last weekend and had the time of my life...

Remember when I told ya'll about one of the biggest benefits of living here in Houston is that there are lots of places to visit within a short drive.  Well, I discovered New Orleans... and boy, did I ever discover it.  It was my first visit and I walked through Bourbon Street for drinks and oysters, Frenchman's Street for some great jazz, Magazine Street for the shops and dining...

Dining in New Orleans is an event onto itself.  I went there with oysters and gumbo on my mind and it did not disappoint.  I could go on and on describing the eats.

More importantly (to me) is the fact that NOLA is a music city.  Much like Nashville (which attracts anyone who wants to be a country/western star), NOLA attracts blues and jazz musicians.  I have to admit that it was a thrill to hear the music coming from everywhere.

Gonna go back...

Walking photos...

Had a very pleasant weekend.  Well...actually, I had a very pleasant Sunday.  Saturday was spent cleaning the apartment.

But on Sunday I drove out to Spring, Texas (actually, they call it Old Town Spring) for something called a photo walk.  Now I have always been a sucker for kitsch and touristy places, and this place was a good example of what I like.  Everything from a shop that sells bathtub rubber duckies, to artisan shops, to very patriotic wares.

The shops were all very colorfully painted and inviting.  Next to the Loose Caboose (a railway car turned into a restaurant) there was a wonderful band playing 70s and 80s music.  A guitar and a bass player was all that was needed.  Sitting and listening for a couple of hours...  Life is good.

Looking for a twang...

Now I know that I have not been here in the Bayou City for very long.  I will admit that I have not put a concentrated effort into this, but I have not seen the music scene.  Please, please... I understand that I need to put a little effort into it... but the few times I have actually wandered around or walked from a restaurant to my car, there has been a surprising lack of tunes floating in the air.

You can walk around downtown Chicago or LA and hear the bands (both for good or for ill) playing in the bars to the appreciative patrons.  I have not discovered it here yet.  Now I cannot believe that it does not exist.  The fourth largest city in the country has to have a stable of musicians.  Especially in a southern city where the weather is absolutely ideal from September through June.

I know that we have a very good symphony.  I know that we have a very active musical theatre scene.  I was just hoping to see that smoky jazz or blues club that serves a shot and a beer for a couple of bucks.  Or perhaps that piano bar that is over-crowded and everyone is tipsy and singing at the top of their lungs.  Even the honky-tonk with dirty beer steins and everyone wearing cowboy boots and an ugly plaid shirt...   I know that they are here... they just have to be.