More Than Just A Road Trip
I was out on a road trip at theHill Country with my family this weekend. It was a fun and happy event not because of the places we went too but more because it was a rare moment for me to be around my wife’s family. It’s always beautiful to be around family you only see once a year. It relieves all sorts of homesickness that me and my wife feel being so away from a home that we used to know.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Wrong
We went to the San Marcos Outlet and my was it hot! 103 degrees fahrenheit hot. I felt like running from one store to the other just so I can escape the wrath of the Sun. I could hear my son whining next to me, “We’re going to another store…again!” Every now and then, I would carry him when he looked so tired. Yes, it is “wrong” to walk around while the Sun is scorching hot.
After about 4 hours of “walk-store-walk-store” cycle, I told my wife, ” I need coffee STAT.” She replied, “Me too.” I asked my son, “Would you like to stay with grandma inside the store where it’s cold or walk with us to the coffee shop?” His eyes lit up and answered quickly, “I want to walk with you. I want juice and a cookie!”
We saw the sign “Starbucks” and hurriedly headed towards it. My energy level dropped to 50% and I needed a “caffeine” booster.
In excess, delicious food and beverages can be so “wrong” for our health. Ouch!
It felt good to be in an air-conditioned room. More refreshing was the cold green tea running down my throat. My son got a “yummy” lemon pound cake and an Odwalla orange juice. The little girl at the next table kept talking to my son but he was too shy to answer. Then she started talking to me, “Do you speak Chinese? Do you speak Spanish?” I replied, “No, I don’t speak Chinese nor Spanish but I speak Filipino.” She gave me a “What’s that?” look. Her grandmother looked at me and smiled.
While the women were at Bath And Body Works and my father-in-law at the Columbia sportswear store, my son saw a sign that says, “Kid’s Park.” This is his close-up photo as he turned around and around like his toy Ninjago spinner top. I asked him, “Don’t you feel dizzy?” He laughed and said, “Nope!” I asked myself silently, “Do you feel dizzy?” My answer was an obvious, “Yes!”
We wrapped up around 04:00 P.M. so we can catched a late lunch at Kreuz, a BBQ heaven in Lockhart, Texas. We went there last year and I tell you, the BBQ brisket and ribs were divine to the last piece of meat. Yes, it is “wrong” to be craving for something that if you eat too much will clogged your arteries with cholesterol. Oh well, it happens only once a year.
On our way there we saw a sign that says, “Tube Rental This Way.” I told everyone, “Oh, I feel bad, we missed the river tubing this year.” My wife looked at me and felt my sadness. She said, “Open the window, so you can take good pictures.” Like an excited little child I said, “Oh, okay.” In a way, the pictures made me feel like I was there close to the river.
Hours later, while browsing through the images, my son saw the river photos. Sounding disappointed he said, “You went to the river without me?” We all laughed in the car. I told him, “No, we didn’t go to the river. We just saw it as we passed by the road. Your were sleeping soundly and we didn’t want to wake you up.” He simply said, “Oh.”
Finally, we were in Lockhart. I can almost smell the mouth-watering BBQ as we headed toward the parking lot. It felt like I saw a glimpse of the old Texan cowboy days.
Close-up of the first brick used in the making of the building.
As much I enjoyed eating the BBQ brisket, I felt that it is “wrong” for people to work inside a hot, uncomfortable environment day after day. My father-in-law whispered, “I felt bad for those guys. It’s like being inside an oven.” As I took this photo, I felt the intense heat on my skin.
Anything in excess is wrong!
When Usual Circumstances Feels Wrong
I cleaned our table all ready for the BBQ feast. As I watched the people around me, I felt a certain sadness. Just yesterday, I saw on the T.V. via ABS-CBS news the devastation brought about by a merciless flood in Pampanga, Philippines and its surrounding areas. What was once a flourishing town turned overnight into a raging river of tears and helplessness. People had to line up for food, had to vacate their homes and had to live in cramped school buildings without enough water and personal necessities. Children cry at night scared of being in an unfamiliar place while their parents cry silently not knowing what future awaits their families, of where to get their next meal when the sun rises. I felt that it was so “wrong” to live comfortably when another brother and sister out there could barely eat to survive the day. Are these events a part of the “signs of the times?” Are these events a test for all of us whether we still have compassion in us to help others in need? As I swallow the last slice of brisket, I almost choked at the end of my reflection.
Today, I get to share with you once again a merging of my four favorite photo challenges which are the,Daily Post’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Wrong, Ailsa’s Travel Theme: Signs , Jake’s Sunday Post: Close-up and my recent Weekly Image Of Life: Beautiful. Photo challenges are more that just a source of inspiration. They are a venue for us to create something “new” and amazing. Something that we will relive and celebrate again and again.
Thank you for sharing your day with me. I hope you enjoyed the road trip of my memories and reflections. Wishing you and your family a beautiful journey full of blessings.
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beautiful pictures and a great diary in pictures. nice share.
Thanks Cobbie. It was fun road trip.
Nice journal of your vacation day. I can’t write anything when I am on vacation. I get too distracted absorbing new things in a different world.
I learned to balance my sense. One hand clicking the iPhone camera is rapid bursts while my other hand holding my son as he swims and my eyes, feasting on the joys of the moment. For me, capturing them on camera and in words is a way to preserve the memory forever, Thanks my friend.
Of course, having kids is a different story. It is very important to capture every moment of their life. I take lot of pictures and notes of details when I am on vacation and I generally write about the trip when I return.
with love and Blessings
Thanks Patrecia. Have a blessed day.
I would have run to that river instead of shopping! Nice post.
Well, the river was my first choice but sometimes I have to compromise. It was a day for the ladies. I know that soon, I will have some outdoor fun too. Thanks.
Wonderful account of your day with a poignant message!
Thanks Madhu. It was a day of discovery and laughter…and shopping…and a eating too.
This was a wonderful Wrong piece of the journey. Thanks for sharing
Thanks my friend. The best part of the journey were the bond created within the family. Totally priceless!
I appreciate you stepping back and looking at your day like that. Reminds us of how things we usually take for granted or don’t notice in our day are “wrong.”
Thanks. Yes, a lot of times we forget that there are people out there who are not materially blessed. People who have to beg for food, people who have to work day and night to survive, people who have no homes to go home too. I would tell my son, “Do you know that one box of your big Lego is one month salary for somebody in the Philippines?” Just because we can afford it doesn’t mean its right to buy all the time.
That’s really great that you tell your son those things, because if you don’t, no one else will. It’s just the norm now in our society for kids to have those things, and to have a lot of them. Keep it up!
A fabulous mix of challenges. I don’t know how you do it!
I made a wish! Seriously though, somehow the entire weekend experience made it easier. Fate? Wrong…signs…close-up…road trip. Magical moment! Thanks and have a blessed day.
love your blog
Thank you. I’m happy to know that.
You really have a special knack for sharing your days with us. Lovely post. Thanks to your wife from me for suggesting you open the window so you could photograph the water. Looks lovely.
I too feel bad for people working in hot places on hot days.
Yes, she was very supportive. I did feel at one instant to just jump into the water for a few minutes but then I didn’t have extra clothes. Thanks.
Oh, how my son would wail the same thing…Not another store. When he was young, our limit was 4 stores, then it was time for a nap. Come to think of it…he’s in college and 4 stores is about the limit still. Enjoy them…always.
Thanks Barb. I think by nature , most boys and men are not into shopping but it’s also a compromise cause not all girls and women like the hot and rugged outdoors but they join in because they love their family.
And you have created something new and amazing!
Thank you Gilly.
On a hot day like that I would wallow by the water and definitely not shop!!!
I did the water thing too. The shop part I did for love!
I can see why a little boy would find shopping for several hours wrong. It does not really concern him. Good to see he was able to take some breaks.
Great post. It impressed me.
Good account of your trip! Love that Texas BBQ!
I love your story…. You told it well, with some humor tossed in. It must have been hot at the mall, there were no people outside in your photos.
What a happy time you had. The photos are so lovely.
As you were describing the BBQ my mouth was watering
Great photos and reflections!
Great post, Mr B – and I confess I have uttered the words ‘I need coffee STAT’ on many an occasion! xxx Ailsa
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What a clever way to merge all your challenges into one. Thank you for sharing a wonderful post. It is thought-provoking, as usual, and always in the best way.
All I have to say today, is, WOW…another great one from Island T.!
The most tasty things ar mostly uhealthy. It’s unjustify
IT, you did way better than I could ever do on the shopping front when I could happily let the hours dribble away inside a cool Starbucks! The river shots look like the place to be!
Also, I was so sorry to hear of the flooding in the Philippines, trusting that all is well with your family.
What an incredible journey and a lovely way to share them all in challenges.
I must get down to Lockhart!! Plus? I never understood outdoor malls in Texas. What a beating!!