Images from an Unusual Past - Bristol, TX

I spent 8 years in Bristol, TX from age 3 till almost age 12. In that short period of time I saw events, experienced living, and felt painful emotions that would shape my personality and affect my soul the rest of my life.

Bristol at times was a lawless vestige of the American west replete with requisite dark characters whose sole purpose seemed to be the torment of me or someone in my family. At other times Bristol was the church and the study for my grandfather, the embodiment of Christ on earth as far as I was concerned and the steadfast calm in a tumultuous life.

This duality existed in microcosm in a town of 500 inhabitants and distances large for a 7 year-old on a bike were in reality minuscule to the distances I have gone since to distance myself from someplace I could never fully embrace.

I returned to Bristol yesterday to find memories more vivid than I could have imagined, life more vibrant than I remembered, and death all too real for some that I knew. When I drove through Sugar Ridge and caught the hilly views all the way to Dallas I knew that the imagery of my youth was stronger than ever in my mind and that the stories from "home" were no longer a choice, but a necessity to share.

Today, I bring you images of my past and some related commentary. If you look closely you may be able to imagine that 7 year-old on his bike with a Sears tape player hanging from the handlebars tooting a little Supertramp in low-fi.

During my time in this house the Car-Port (now enclosed) was set ablaze by a wannabe hero. The front yard was set ablaze by errant pyrotechnics, and a posse of trouble-seekers was shooed away at rifle-point by my father.

My father and Grandfather owned this ARCO Station when I was a kid. The school bus would let me off at this corner and I would always go into the shop and get a Tom's Snack (usually a Brownie or Pecan Pie) and a soda from sliding doors of the soda cooler. I was fond of Grape, Root Beer, and Coca-Cola.

Note the empty shell of the ARCO sign above still standing as it has for over 35 years. The white sign was from the last failed tenant of the spot.

Juliet and I walked the cemetery yesterday and I felt the same beautiful isolation I felt as a child. This place is a monument to catharsis.

Nice shoulders buddy, but absolutely NO ass

I was so moved by my day in Bristol that when we saw a plot of land for sale on Sugar Ridge, I almost called the number to inquire the price. I cannot imagine the reaction of my family if we eventually returned to settle in Bristol. Never say never.

IMO Thursday - The Best Food Writer in Rome

Katie Parla is Rome's best English language food writer. Katie is a longtime Rome resident and driven food savvy adventurer. Ms Parla writes for the New York Times, has a world-class blog Parla Food and has just released a comprehensive app to Rome's best dining and drinking spots called Rome for Foodies. The app is available for iPhone and Droid and it is an excellent choice for anyone making a trek to Rome.

Follow the link here to see a list of all the features on the app and get a sample of what makes Katie tick.

Katie is a prolific blogger, excellent photographer, and enormously curious person. I love the layout of her blog and the way in which she shares her conviction with humor, honesty, and compelling detail. Here is a short example of one of my favorite Katie Parla Posts:

I’ve always been a pretty dedicated gelato eater, but this year I took things to a whole new level. Throughout the spring and summer, I systematically researched the city’s finest and most famous gelaterias and even made a few handy guides for visitors.

You can read the rest of the post here. It is precisely Katie's interest in uncovering every detail for a post and for her own curiosity that makes her writing compelling. I live and travel like this and I am enamored with people who seemingly stop at nothing to simply "know" and ultimately "share". The sharing is what makes blogging rewarding.

I wanted to share this new app with the world because I was so happy to see it come to fruition and at a time when Rome is going through such a renaissance of dining options.

I have followed Katie's career closely over the past few years since our auspicious introduction and meeting in 2009. Katie has wonderful insight into Rome's off the beaten path sights, restaurants, and ways to improve life in the city that knows how to live more than all others.

I am writing this today because Katie is an example of dedication to a craft and channeling great passion that I admire greatly. Katie is also an expert on Naples, and Turkey and her knowledge will be at my side as we venture to both this spring. It is my great hope to foster a continued friendship and to continue learning from someone I know is truly living The Blissful Adventure.

I urge all of you to get the Rome for Foodies App

Cheers KP and Congratulations!

Tour of Texas Continues - HOUSTON 1/12/2011

Followers of Bliss - Juliet and I will be at 13 Celsius in Houston tomorrow night from 10PM-Closing to visit with Houston friends and celebrate at our favorite wine bar in Texas! If you happen to be in town come by and raise a glass to a new year of exciting Blissful Adventures.

All the Best,

M&J

Franklin BBQ - Finally

The Ribs Exceeded Our Lofty Expectations

At long last I made it to the famous Franklin Barbecue today. My very good friend @theleftoverchef had told me that the line was ridiculous and that the food was equal to the painful task of waiting. For those of you who don't know the good Dr. he is without question the most discerning eater I have ever known and his recommendation for a food joint is not something to take lightly.

Myself being an enormous fan of Texas Hill Country BBQ (especially brisket) cooked over a hot oak fire I had been excited about Franklin since they opened the trailer 2+ years ago. Why had I not already eaten there, you may ask. Because, I don't do lines. Simple as that, I just do not wait in line for anything. I will drive 15+ extra minutes through city streets to avoid lines of cars on the highway. I will go for sushi at 5pm sharp to be the first in the door at the bar, and you can bet your sweet ass I never go to any film on premier night. Nightclubs, not a chance, ice cream on a warm spring day, I get it from the grocer.

All of this being said, Franklin had been touted as freakin' Mecca for cue heads and while I am not some bowling shirt-clad Guy Fieri douche boy getting my primal man versus food fix, I am quite the fan of salty meat and fat interplay with a heaping helping of carcinogen crust. I knew after 6 months away from Texas I needed to bite the bullet and endure the line on this cloudless 72 degree day in Austin.

Juliet and I met another of our meat-loving friends and we chatted up the full 1 hour and 35 minutes before we got to the counter to order. $83 worth of brisket, ribs, sausage, sides, and pies were shortly on some pre-greased butcher paper and staring us in the face. $83 damn dollars for cue stung like a full jigger of Sex Panther stings the nostrils, but just like everyone else in the joint we were smiling as we paid and damn near high by the time we left. This is serious stuff and while the sides were actually pretty weak compared to some other local producers, the meat was exceptional across the board.

Of course, eating this kind of weight in salty meat makes one dry up and bloated like a lifetime member of Weight Watchers and Franklin would really do themselves and their clients a favor if they added a toilet  or two with a high flush capacity. People are not going numero uno here friends.

At the end of the day the line was actually kind of fun and filled with chatty expectations for a meat feast like nothing else in the city. I for one still prefer the overall charm of Lockhart, TX and the drive to get the cue there is a Texas right of passage. For the city of Austin though, Franklin now gives Austin the clear crown of best large BBQ city in Texas and makes the Hill Country hands down the top BBQ region in America for Brisket.

I will leave this with photos of what we loved and while I still miss a $6.99 3 meat plate at Bubba's in Ennis, TX.  I can see where the allure lies in paying heavy shekels for this kind of rare experience.

My strong advice is to skip breakfast, take a Zegerid, and get in line about 10:45 AM on a cool morning. I think a party of 4 is about the right size to sample everything and to walk away completely gorged like a Brazillian competitive eater at a Churrascaria.

I will likely be back someday here in the Big A, but I will not be ending my drives to Lockhart as the confident owner of Franklin's suggested I would do after trying his cue.

IMO Thursday - Follow Your Bliss

I went through a very trying day yesterday considering some possibilities for new projects and in that I realized as clearly as ever that what I am doing now is indeed the path. Doors are opening that I could not predict and the method to my success seems to be the methods that I currently employ and continue to develop.

So, for IMO Thursday today I will share the opinions of my self-appointed mentor Joseph Campbell whose wisdom guides my steps into the great abyss.

Find a place inside where there's joy, and the joy will burn out the pain.

I don't believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive.

I think the person who takes a job in order to live - that is to say, for the money - has turned himself into a slave.

Life is without meaning. You bring the meaning to it. The meaning of life is whatever you ascribe it to be. Being alive is the meaning.

One way or another, we all have to find what best fosters the flowering of our humanity in this contemporary life, and dedicate ourselves to that.

We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us

 The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are"