Cline's Tesoro Station

In Anchorage, after I picked up the rental car, the low tire light was on.  Not wanted to drive to Seward like that, I asked at the Westmark Hotel of a nearby tire shop.  They recommended the Tesoro station at the corner of 5th and Gambell.  "I had some work done there and it was very cheap!" said the front desk clerk.

Going to the station, it was like the old Windsor Texaco in Austin - a small store, two bays with men working inside, free air.  When I couldn't get the gauge right, one of the workers helped me out.  He advised to keep the pressure at 40 psi.   "The sweet spot" he said.   I then manually reset the light and all was well.

I went inside to buy at least a candy bar and soda.  I commented that I liked the old school vibe of the place.  Mr. Cline said "Yeah, it's still the 1970s around here"

Highly recommend this local spot!

Cline's Tesoro
Your Independent Tesoro Dealer
Richard and Wanda Cline
442 Gambell St.
Anchorage, AK 99501

Anchorage Part II

Some final thoughts as I am set to depart to Seward AK from Anchorage

1.  ANC is a 20th century town at heart - most everything looks like 1980 or so

2.  Whites, blacks and Pacific Islanders mix pretty easily here.

3.   Not hard to see that the native people probably have it harder than others.

4.  A fair share of American retail outlets here, but not as many as other places

5.  Cruise Line visitors are full during this month of June

6.  It never gets dark

7.   It's not warm

8.  An interesting crossroads of the world

9.  Food scene is behind the times

10.  ANC is barely scratching the surface of Alaska.  More time needed to get a full picture.

Anchorage

I arrived in Anchorage, Alaska at their time midnight, my time 3 a.m. on Saturday morning.  No sleeping on the flight to speak of.  I think you know where this is going.

The time change and no darkness (to speak of) caught up fast and Saturday turned into a half day of activity followed by a half day of sleep.  Today is Sunday so I think I might be about caught up.  But I'm still planning to take it easy.

Our trip to Denali got cancelled due to weather.  So we found a bicycle rental store and rented some bikes.  Our plan was to ride the Coastal Trail to Kincaid Park.  But the trial was not so easy, Eric got a flat then lost (temporarily) his phone and so we cut it short after just past Earthquake Park.  Still a good time.  We also found a Pacific Islands heritage festival going on in a local park and got a plate of food for lunch.  Plus entertainment of the local dance troops.  Liked it.

Today, Eric has his conference all day so I am heading out to explore the areas outside of downtown.  Like many cities, the suburbs are where the people and commerce are at.

Tomorrow, we head down to Seward, AK

San Marcos

"How do you get to San Marcos?" asked John.  I initially thought it a strange question from a native Texan.   I emailed the answer - I -10 West from Houston to Luling, then Hwy 80 West to San Marcos.

But after being there for 2 nights, I'd say I didn't really know about San Marcos myself.  Never having spent more than a night there for a wedding in the 90s, I was a stranger.  I was pleased to see that it has become a little Boulder, a college town with a hip, current look.  Downtown courthouse square was a great place to walk around with lots of restaurant choices and bar choices for the party crowd.  I enjoyed dinner at the Root Cellar the first night.  Today lunch with my cousin Deborah was at Aqua Brew, which she recommended.

Our hotel, the high rise Embassy Suites was certainly the best lodging between Austin and San Antonio.  Recommended.

Thursday I had a delightful visit with Rupert, the proprietor of Tackleberry's, a local gun shop.  Capt. Eugene Tackleberry was a character in the Police Academy movies.  As you can tell, he had a great sense of humor - and he was a Brit so it just sounded even better from him.

Friday we had a full day:  Ziplining at Wimberley - a quaint little town I had only heard about.  BBQ at Miss Mae's, a local place - good value.  And then floating the Guadalupe River loop near Canyon Lake.  And dinner at the Gristmill in Gruene.  The Hill Country area seemed very authentic - you'd never know you were near a big city like Austin.  Everything and everyone seemed to have a small town vibe.

A good trip with John and Kyle.  Our group the Wrenegades did it again.  We are already planning the next adventure.

Happy Memorial Day

It's the first day of the holiday weekend.  I've got the flag flying, the new grill cooking and the pool ready.  But first, a movie:  Snatched to start off the summer season.    Nice and light, like a cool summer drink.

Next week will be a short week as I will be ziplining in Wimberley TX on Friday with the Wrenegades.

Then the following week I'm off to state # 44 - Alaska.  Saving my dolllars for that, even thought it feels like I should be changing money to a new currency.  Temperature in Anchorage now is 48 F.  Better dust off the jackets - or better yet buy one there.

100 F today in McAllen TX.  Now you know why I went to the movies.

A Visit to the Good Doctor

I had written about my former college professor Dr. J.D. Futch on my blog.  In a happy occasion worthy of social media, my writing led me to a new friend RedCloudJL who not only was a former student of Dr. Futch, but has become a regular visitor and local agent for Dr. Futch's [very extended] family.  As a confirmed bachelor, he had no children and was an only child himself.

So Red was able to tell me about his visits to Dr. Futch who is in assisted living suffering from dementia now.  For my reunion visit, I went to see the Good Doctor.

I met him in his room at the Borden Center.  A cross between a hospital room and a bedroom in a home.  There were some notable decorations.  Dr. Futch wondered how someone knew to put a Cannoleto in this motel.  He noted that I was "very elegantly dressed" and asked if I was an art dealer?

I let him know that I was a former student but while he tried to place me, he did ask me more than once what my name was.  But that was not important.  After a few jump starts in conversation, he resumed a familiar lecture pattern.  Once he got to speaking about something he remembered, he was on a roll.

He told me of his parents and grandparents.  They had migrated from Florida to Maryland over the years.  His father was a sales representative for River Brand Rice.  Futch Jr. was pushed away from attending college.  His mother thought he would learn "sinful practices".  Dr. Futch was incredulous that someone would think that college was bad.  Of course he went to make his career in college and leave his mark on W&L.

He did know that Red was "A Good Man!"  When he asked where I lived (McAllen, Texas) he recalled a former student Mike Allen '86.  I informed him that Mike was a prominent political commentator now.  "Really?"  He was pleased to know that.   And he also said that he recalled his family sending Christmas cards to relatives in Texas as a teenager.

I told him of my readings by Casanova and his escapade in Venice.  Dr. Futch was pleased I had done such reading and encouraged me to go to Venice while I was young enough for all the walking.  He recalled going there for weekends after he was fortuitously assigned to Italy while in the US Army (in those draft days).  He said that the British monarch patterned themselves after the Venetian nobility.

After telling him the year of 2017, he recalled that would be the 100th anniversary of the US entering World War I.  His father was too young for that, again fortuitously.  He noted that President Woodrow Wilson was a "Protestant Saint" and was very full of himself.  We noted the difference between the W&L President Wilson during my time.  "Woodrow Wilson did not tamper with W&L", he noted.

He asked if I knew Dr. Leyburn (from the 1950s and 60s).  I said No, but I did read his book on Scotch-Irish immigration to the English Colonies.  Dr. Futch did not know/had forgotten of such a book, but favorably noted that Dr. Leyburn was so suave and elegant that of course he would write favorably of those simple people.

All in all, a very good visit.  My first interaction with someone with dementia.  It was not as extreme as I expected.   But he was very physically handicapped - in a wheelchair, hard of hearing, limited use of his hand, round the clock nursing.  I was glad to got to go.

Thanks Red, for all you do for our Elder Statesman.

A golf dream

I dreamed that I was playing in a big tournament at the Austin Country Club, home of the Dell World Match Play Championship.  It was not that tournament but one equally as big.   A course I know well - but this was not that actual course.

I was preparing to tee off for my first shot.  I was playing with a competitor who was an aggressive personality.  As I was preparing to hit, he told me that I could not use the ball I was preparing to hit.  Somewhat flustered, I fished around for a different brand, while arguing.  Then he said I was assessed a penalty of loss of the hole.  I countered that you couldn't lose a hole in a stroke play format.  I was heated up.  Not typical.

Then I realized I was set to hit from the wrong hole.  So I made everyone go to the next hole over.  There was a group there we had to get through.  Then the tee area had very little room to swing.  As I was finally about ready to hit the first shot, I thought of how difficult it was going to be to hit a good shot under such stressful conditions.

I woke up before I hit that first shot.

Different from another memorable golf dream.