From the Tar Heels to the Lone Star

We tried to be strong. We tried to fight it. We thought we could mow the lawn and that would be enough.

But the creeping tendrils across the driveway and the high grass border along the fence...

I tried to use lawn sheers. I really did. But they left my finger badly bruised after just trimming one side of the driveway.

So, we broke down and did it: we purchased a trimmer/edger.

No more laughing at the neighbors as they make perfect corners in their lawns.

We've joined the masses. We've become suburbanites.

We can only take pride in our edger/trimmer being electric and therefore better for the environment.

And we don't have an underground sprinkler system or a Hummer or maid service... yet.

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I'm still not used to the Texas "rest stops." They need a new name. They usually are just not that "restful."

Maybe it's because they are spread out so much that you are absolutely desperate by the time you finally arrive at one.

Maybe it's because there are so few trees, you are forced to stretch your legs in the blazing sun or back in forth in the shifting shadows of one of the three trees.

Maybe it's because the drink and snack machines are encased in thick metal bars as if they are imprisoned.

Maybe it's because there is so little parking, you don't feel welcome.

Maybe it's because the bathrooms don't have windows, but gaps in the wall, that give the impression that you aren't quite alone - as breezes and voices and birds drift in.

And all of the above describes one of the nicer rest areas. There's also something called a "picnic area" with no trees, no view, a table or two, trash cans, and a road lined with tractor trailers. (Not exactly what I think of when I imagine a nice picnic spot. We were just too spoiled in North Carolina.)

We saw some construction when we stopped at one of the "nicer" rest stops that looked like they were trying to create a bigger, better, perhaps actually restful, area. We saw a small playground and an attractive building that looked promising.

But I have to wonder why they chose to build this rest stop behind another, already established one, when there are so few rest areas between Dallas and Austin. Wouldn't it have made more sense to add another new, convenient location, so we travelers wouldn't have to arrive so desperate?

Still, I look forward to a rest stop that might actually inspire restfulness - in humans.

The birds I saw at one of the areas seemed completely content in the 100 degree sun...

...or the branch of one of the rare trees.

They don't require as much to rest. They aren't coming from air conditioned cars where they have been sitting with cramped legs for hours on end.

Their legs don't need stretching. Their snacks don't need restraining. They can park themselves anywhere. They aren't modest. And if they feel the need to go, well, they always have the windshields of our comfortable, restful, air conditioned cars, don't they?

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En route to Chick-fil-a, we saw a beautiful building in the distance.

We were impressed by the architecture and forgot all about compounds and realized Waco had a longer, richer history than a footnote about a standoff in 1993. (Learn more about the history of Waco, Texas.)

For example, did you know that the Dr. Pepper soft drink was invented there and originally called a "Waco"? Or that this town was known as the top producer of cotton?

Or that Waco is associated with "The Crash at Crush" and the "Waco Horror" and "the tenth deadliest tornado in U.S. history"? (And that brings us back to the Waco we know.)

Still, the old buildings are beautiful and bring to mind the possibility of another kind of Waco...

...one that is majestic and grand with southern hospitality.

And then we arrived at Chick-fil-a (a very professional, pleasant place in general), where all hopes of that notion were dashed.

Where Ronak was first ignored, then received rude service at the counter, topped off with barbecue sauces handed to him as if he were an untouchable.

Meanwhile, I was in line in the restroom, in desperate pain, shocked at the attitudes of the self-centered people waiting with me. They purposefully ignored me, encouraged several small girls to cut into line in front of me, insisted that the girls (and a boy) "try" whether they had to go or not, and acted as if they owned the facility.

I was in the restroom so long that Ronak called me on my cell phone to make sure I was all right. Besides being close to tears from pain, I was fine, but ready to leave Waco. I ate my fries rapidly and proclaimed that I was ready to go.

Back in the car, we both vowed not to return to Waco and remarked how it was so odd that even a usually well-managed fast food chain could be ruined by such a place.

Still, we enjoyed viewing the beautiful buildings again, on the way out of town. Maybe Waco is just a place that should always be viewed from inside the car... with the windows rolled up... and the doors locked.

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On our trip to Dallas last weekend, Ronak and I drove through Waco, Texas.

There's something eerie about traveling through a city which you've only seen on the news for a grim historical event: the Dravidian cult and the FBI involved in a standoff that ended in a deadly fire.

The last time we made the trip to Dallas, we just drove by Waco without stopping. This time, I was desperate for a bathroom, a snack, and a leg stretch, so we followed billboard directions to a Chick-fil-a within Waco, hoping to satisfy all of my needs.

The Waco, Texas seen along the highway was very different than the one we saw on the way to the restaurant.

On interstate 35, we saw this oddly shaped building...

...which upon closer examination, we discovered was a funeral home: Waco Memorial Funeral Home.

A friend of mine toured the remains of the cult's compound during her stay in Texas. She said it was interesting, worth seeing, and left her feeling tense.

This Burger King billboard takes on a whole new meaning when thinking about the standoff. It left me feeling tense and not interested in eating there. Probably not their intention.

Then we saw this advertisement for a different kind of church (and definitely not a cult). Not only can you Jazzercize there...

...you won't have to spend even 60 minutes in church each week (never mind live there). These guys can wrap up a whole service in half the time.

(Me, I'm waiting to see the drive-through place of worship. You order the type of bread or wafers, juice or wine you want at the order board. Tune your radio to the proper frequency to hear the sermon while you idle in line. Get your communion and give your tithes at the window. And you're all set until next Sunday. I wonder how popular that would be.)

After seeing these oddities on the main road, we expected nothing less on the smaller, local road to Chick-fil-a. In fact, we expected creepier, stranger, and more feelings of tension. But, instead, we saw a very different Waco that removed all thoughts of standoffs and burning compounds...

More on the "softer side of Waco" tomorrow.

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Overall, our trip to Dallas last weekend went pretty well, considering temperatures were in the high 90s and humid, we made the mistake of stopping in Waco on the way there, and the baby was over-stimulated by all his adventures and wouldn't sleep at night.

We met family, had home-cooked Gujarati food, watched Hum Tum (a Bollywood When Harry Met Sally), and were treated to a special tabla concert by Shrey.

A very special concert, because the tabla was actually a watermelon. I don't think concerts normally end with the drum being eaten. ;-)

Another highlight of our trip was "surprising" Dhruti with a family reunion event at Subway, where we ate freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, took bets for the baby's arrival date, and posed for some extremely serious group pictures.

If only these people could loosen up a bit, right? So serious.

I think it might have been better if I had stood in the back for these shots. I look like an ogre that just ate some villagers (or Jared in his "before" pictures).

But that didn't stop me from eating chocolate chip cookies all the way home. (They're low-fat right? Actually this is the time when the baby is putting on fat, so I'm sure it was just what he needed.)

And another highlight: we didn't have to call the doctor from Dallas or Waco or anywhere in between and tell her the baby was on the way and explain why it would take us 3-4 hours to get to the hospital. :-)

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