Our oldest daughter, Jona-Lynn, has lived in Austin, Texas for the past year, as she has served with AmeriCorps, working with the Austin youth council. Her term wraps up this week, but she will be staying another year. My wife , Sue, and I decided, then, that it was time we visited her on her home turf. So, with our youngest daughter, Rose, we flew out of Boston's Logan airport last Wednesday for a five day trip to the capital of Texas.
The idea of a trip to Austin came about last June when Jo called to tell me that folk singer Noah Gunderson would be doing a concert there in October. Immediately we discussed the idea of the two of us somehow attending the show together. Sue made it clear that I would not go to see our girl and leave her in Maine. Rose would go, too, we decided.
After arriving in Austin on Wednesday afternoon, and a quick stop at Jo's apartment, her boyfriend, Sam, joined us and took us out for Tex-Mex at a local outdoor restaurant. We had talked to Sam briefly on Skype, but this was our first meeting. He's a very nice guy who treats Jo like a princess and loves the Lord; what else can we ask for? He's a locksmith who grew up in Houston, attends the same church as Jo, and now lives with a group of guys in Austin.
On our first full day in Austin, Jo took us to the botanical gardens. Due to weather and time constraints, we didn't get to see everything, but what we saw was beautiful. Having just finished reading "Bridge to Terabithia" on the plane, I commented that parts of the gardens made me feel like we were exploring Terabithia ourselves, expecting to encounter the various fantasy creatures created in Josh and Leslie's imagination.
One of the highlights of the trip was that afternoon, when Jo and Sam brought us to "Mobile Loaves and Fishes". This ministry is one of the most unique I've ever seen. While it started as a food truck for the chronically homeless in the city, their vision changed 10 years ago. They have created a neighborhood for the homeless. It is so much more than I can describe, but basically they have built a community of one room homes that they rent to the homeless(40% of whom are veterans). The residents pay rent for their homes, and they earn the rent money - and additional spending money- from cottage industries located in the same neighborhood. These include everything from organic farming and blacksmithing to running a bed and breakfast. The houses do not have kitchens, as the neighbors are encouraged to use one of three or four communal kitchens / dining areas in a desire to build a sense of community, something often lacking for the chronically homeless. There is a flock of goats for milk, as well as for something the residents can care for beyond themselves; there is an outdoor movie screen for neighborhood movies, and there is also a chapel. Absolutely amazing! Check them out here, and see how you can get involved: http://mlf.org/
Thursday night was the Noah Gunderson concert. Not being a fan, Sue stayed back at the apartment with Rose and Jo's roommates, which gave me rare time alone with our oldest. While billed as a folk singer (He headlined Newport Folk Festival in 2014) he played several rather hard alternative electric guitar driven songs. He was at his best when he played acoustic guitar accompanied by his sister on violin. (Hear him here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbtfnHg3Lwo )The opening act was a husband / wife dou from Canada called White Horse. They were also a lot of fun as they mixed country, folk and pop music and joked around between songs. It was a great father-daughter date and we enjoyed every minute. But as good as the music was, the time waiting in line, then in the club, talking face to face with my daughter was the best part of the evening.
Friday we went to the LBJ presidential library. While the library itself is several floors of documents from his presidency, three other floors were more of a museum of LBJ's presidency and what was happening in pop culture during those years. The first floor was a tribute to the Beatles. We saw Ringo's jacket from the Abbey Road album cover, a set list written in Paul's hand from a gig that he and John played before the Beatles were formed (only one song was an original, entitled One After 909), a single of the Beatles version of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas", a wide variety of video clips, and much, much more. In a section entitled "Before the Beatles" one of Elvis's guitars was on display, along side one of James Brown's jackets, among other items.
The other displays included tributes to the wide range of legislation LBJ signed into law: PBS, NPR, mandatory seatbelts in all new cars, civil rights, environmental, and gun control laws, etc. - Lady Bird's role as first lady, memorabilia from the White House and pop culture from 1963 - 1968, taped speeches and phone conversations, news clips, and more.
Saturday Austin was hit by a lot of rain, as hurricane Patricia was pummeling the west coast of Mexico. We stayed in and Sam came over...with stilts! These aren't the little kid stilts that you hold onto with your hands; these strap to your legs, and they have built in springs! They are made for jumping. I'd never seen anything like them, and he let me try them out. I wasn't jumping on them, in fact I never actually let go of the walls, ceiling and Sam, but it did make me wish I was younger! In return, I taught Sam some basic juggling. I really do like this guy.
We returned home Sunday, arriving in Boston at 8:30, just in time to catch an earlier bus than we had expected. The bus had us in Portland, Maine by 11:00, and we were home shortly after midnight. We all agree that Austin is a cool city, and we were happy to see the life Jo is creating for herself as a young adult.