Case44's Vacation Journal: An Adventure Always Awaits

A little bit of leisure time always gives way to something. Traveling for a long length of time has a tendency to lend itself to happenings, and a few of them worthy of capture inside my memory.

And for this latest excursion in Lubbock, Texas, there are certainly no exceptions. This week has been fun, and this is a fine place to relax, unwind, and see a good sunset or two. Which, by the way, I've done so far. About thirty minutes before this writing got written, I saw a rainbow with a grey background in the eastern sky. And there wasn't supposed to even be any rain here today. There were pockets of showers amid the sunshine in the foreground. I was able to get a picture of said rainbow. That's why people go on vacation. You will have moments like this, where, if I did not have a camera, would have probably have been forgotten a week later.

Also, I've taken ample time to explore the city, with the number of playa lakes (little bitty ponds with fountains that complement a park or some other development) and visitor attractions, it all makes for good Texas-style fun. And the TV in my hotel had something strange happen. The satellite channel offering the NBC affiliate in Lubbock was on the blink for the first couple of days I was here. You don't see that on every vacation. Luckily, a technician came into the building and rectified that situation.

This vacation also included another passing of not one, but two celebrities. When you listen to the news, you are subject to this type of exposure. I don't know why I keep up with this sort of thing, and I don't wish to be morbid, but some very famous people have passed away while I was on vacation. This doesn't happen on every one of them, but it seems on most of them, that is the case. The list from years past goes like this: Jackie Onassis, Johnny Cash, Don Knotts, Milton Berle, Darren McGavin, and these are just off the top of my head. There are a few others, but those names have escaped me. And now, you can add two more names: Ed McMahon and Farrah Fawcett. All you need to know with McMahon is "Heeeeeere's Johnny!" He'll be remembered as America's number 1 sidekick, as well as host of Star Search when he launched the careers of some of today's biggest stars, but it's that phrase from The Tonight Show that we'll always remember. We'll miss you, Ed! Rest in peace. And as for Farrah, she wasn't just an icon, she was the icon in the 1970s. I mean, she was the sex symbol of her day. She's had a great career as an actress, model, and poster pinup queen. You couldn't ask for more from her. Farrah Fawcett will truly be missed by me and many others.

Other things about my latest vacation include the food. I've had great food so far and I plan to have even more before the week is done. Imagine a plate of ribeye steak and a baked potato, or Lubbock's best charbroiled burger with fries. How about catfish nuggets and hush puppies from a local restaurateur who once installed floors? Great food in the Hub City.

And how about new construction and pieces of history?? Your friendly roving commentator has seen them so far. The National Ranching Heritage Museum is a place you need to come and see. It's on the edge of the Texas Tech University campus, and admission is free. They have exhibits, both outdoors and indoors, depicting artifacts and genuine replicas of old ranch houses and barns that were part of Texas' history from the 1800s, plus replicas and hand-me-downs of old guns and spurs, kitchen utensils, and weaving wheels. You have to come see it to believe it. In addition, work on the Marsha Sharp Freeway is continuing to take shape, as I have already driven on some completed portions. Right now, it is a five-mile stretch from near Avenue Q westward toward Quaker, plus the freeway's completed exchange at Loop 289.

That's this installment for now. If anything blogworthy comes up between this writing and the time I leave, you'll see a new blog post. But for now, I think, it's time to get back to the hotel room, watch a little TV, and get a few Z's. Then I'll have a hot shower in the morning with a new day to start over with new excitement. I tell you, traveling is fun!