Road Trippin'

Hey, y'all!
I've put over 8,000 miles on my truck in the past two months on an epic mom-kids-and-dog road trip from the Pacific NW to the Texas gulf coast.  Before I embarked on such an epic journey I had many moments of doubt and concern. After all, it was a BIG trip and the furthest I've ever traveled the blacktops without my hubby.  However, my doubts were overshadowed by my greater desire to head out on a mega-adventure, knowing it would be one of the last road trips with my teenage kids -- especially since one is already looking ahead to college next year. I planned our route, said many prayers, loaded up, and we headed south. Along the way, I stopped for antique malls, great road food, and good times with family and friends.

We caught up with my parents in Santa Fe, NM and discovered Harry's Roadhouse (96 Old Las Vegas Hwy, Santa Fe) and the charming community of El Dorado outside of Santa Fe. There is a fabulous Friday evening Farmer's Market in El Dorado featuring organic produce, baked items, incredible artists, and Blue Ribbon honey. Also, a fun consignment shop called 4 Sisters is located there. It is full of primitives, antique crosses and religious relics, and other collectibles at reasonable prices.

No matter the distance or amount of time away, McKinney, TX always pulls us back. Since we lived there for 15 years, we easily give into the gravitational force pulling us toward it. On this trip we enjoyed visiting many old friends and making new ones.

My dear friend and fellow-junker, Tracey Collins, had a wonderful karmalicious vision for the old Greyhound Bus depot on Tennessee Street. After many hours of hard work her labour of love, Diggin' It, (507 North Tennessee, McKinney, TX) http://www.thedigginitshop.blogspot.com/ officially opened last month. It is a groovy mix of garden antiques and art along with some incredible funky finds only Tracey could come up with. In addition, Diggin' It has a great selection of plants, herbs, and shrubs. Be sure to check out her inventory which she's always adding to. I'm sure Diggin' It!!

I also spent some fun times at Antique Company Mall located at 213 East Virginia in McKinney, TX. It was so nice to see Bill and Diane Haight and friends who are dealers at the mall. My antique business, The Garden Cat, began at ACM when my daughter (who started ninth grade this week) was three months old. She basically grew up at ACM "helping" me set up my booth for so many years. Bill and Diane and so many of the great dealers there are like family to me. I'm happy to say, that despite all the changes on the McKinney Square, ACM just gets better and better. 

McKinney, TX is constantly changing and growing. There are many great new shops and eateries on the downtown square. One of my long-time favorites is Cafe' Ma'laga http://www.cafemalaga.com/, a fantastic Mediterranean Tapas Bar located at 107 South Church Street. The new location offers more seating inside as well as beautiful garden and patio seating outside. An evening in the Cafe' Ma'laga garden area with an ice cold Sangria, live guitar music, and incredible food is hard to beat.

My hubby caught up with us in Dallas and we proceeded to spend a week on Galveston Island. We ate at our favorite Galveston restaurants including Shrimp & Stuff and Sunflower Bakery (they make the BEST chocolate cream pie ever!) We also managed to consume an impressive amount of Blue Bell Banana Pudding ice cream. On the way back we spent a few days in Austin where we ate at one of our favorite places, Matt's Ranchero (2613 South Lamar, Austin, TX) and toured the Bob Bullock Museum and Elisabet Ney Studio/Home. I also sweet-talked my family into a quick jaunt to Uncommon Objects http://www.uncommonobjects.com/  located at 1512 South Congress Avenue. It was nearly a religious experience for me. A true junk-to-art mecca. Their motto is "raw materials for creative living." Awesome! We also visited the Baylor University's Armstrong Browning Library in Waco (a favorite place of mine and also--not so coincidentally-- where Jimmie Rae Murphy works in my unpublished manuscript FIRST MONDAY MURDER.) We also made it to

the Dublin Dr. Pepper plant in Dublin, TX (where Dr. Pepper is still bottled the old fashioned way with Imperial pure cane sugar.) http://www.dublindrpepper.com/. Before we headed north again, we were able to go to a Texas Rangers baseball game with my daddy. (GO RANGERS!!)

In between we enjoyed a lot of family and friend time and of course, a whole lot of Texas sunshine, music, food, beer, and culture.

Peace, love, and happy road trippin' y'all!