austin in our hearts.

after driving for six days, we are at home.

sort of at home.  in austin, where we have been adopted by clay's parents and made to feel part of the family.  the kids have their own bedroom.  we have our own bedroom.  there are places to go to hide from each other.

it is a wondrous thing.

these are good people here.  good, good people.  we are so fortunate.

yesterday we met jinger, clay's grandmother.  it was her 89th birthday.  she told us about her life and made jokes and wore a flower in her hair.  she was beauty personified.

at her party, all of her great-grandchildren and faux great-grandchildren played together as if they had known each other all along.  there were sounds of laughing and shouting and running around; sounds that permeate and connect strangers to each other.  we all shook our heads downstairs, laughing quietly about their antics.

good, good people.

and the wonder of meeting your best friend's best friend from years back, and seeing him say things in just the same way your best friend does.  glimpses of clay from everyone around me.  it was surreal.

we're taking it so easy, it's criminal.  lazing around, reading in the middle of the day; hell, napping in the middle of the day.  we've been driving around beautiful austin and it has truly hit me hard that i could see myself living here, if circumstances were different.  

this is my kind of town.

yesterday we went to the flagship whole foods, the mother ship whole foods, the one that started it all. i know that whole foods is still corporate america and that the ceo has some questionable beliefs and all that, but it is still a good company.  and holy shit, this one is the mecca.  it was huge.  it was beautiful. they had a walk-in cold beer tunnel, and a bike repair set-up outside the store, and a "beans and greens" station in the immense food court.  

my heart swelled.

we also went to a public spring-fed pool--68 degrees year-round--and with the 102 degrees on my skin the water was beautiful.  the good people of austin were all there: hipsters, older couples in speedos, new moms and old moms, lots of tattooed people, gay couples.  we all rejoiced in the water.

we have plans to see the bats and to go to book people and to hit a couple more vegan food joints. we might rent paddleboards on the lake, or go to deep eddy for another cold-spring swim. 

tonight alex and clay will go to the alamo draft house to see a movie, and tomorrow night clay will take me out to see austin at night.  then tuesday morning we'll all head out to caravan to los angeles together.

we're almost there.

in the meantime, austin is our replacement home.  long live the hazelwoods, let austin stay weird forever.  gratitude abounds.