I’m writing this post on my laptop in a motor hotel in cowtown, USA.

Seriously.

I’m out here on my own to do two workshops (also on my own, that kind of goes without saying). I’m still pretty tired from the weekend at ACL, and it goes without saying that my Arabic textbook has remained in my suitcase for reasons other than fear of being reported to Homeland Security.

The drive from Austin to San Angelo — my first stop — took longer than I remembered. I seemed to recall it being closer to three and a half hours, and it was just a shade under four (like, about thirty seconds under). I got in about 5:45, and I was tired from the weekend and felt no driving need to figure out what to do to amuse myself in a town whose self-identified claim to fame is that they had the highest murder rate west of the Mississippi from 1835-1850. (I kid you not; this was in the little book at the motel).

Since I was dressed a little weird (in my work clothes, but in tennis shoes ‘cos my loafers are new and uncomfortable for driving) and I didn’t feel like playing the restaurant-for-one game, I went to the Albertson’s Deli to pick up something quick for dinner that I could eat at the hotel while watching TV. Even though I was in a particularly frightening Albertson’s (there were electrical lights hanging from the ceiling, and I don’t mean because that’s how the Good Lord intended them to be displayed), the deli selection was appropriately suitable for someone who just wanted to pig out and go to bed early.

At the checkout counter, the guy looks at my purchases, looks at me and says (imagine this with a country drawl), “Dinner for one, huh? Wife throw you out or something?”

And so, maybe I’m just a little happier to be in my motor hotel in another city than I would otherwise be.

I took photos on the way up here:

Restaurant in the town square in Llano (that’s pronounced: “Lan-oh”)

Llano County Courthouse:

The World War I Memorial on the Llano Courthouse Grounds:

Slow day at the movies:

This is a little old country stone house in a dip in the road place called Potonoc that has a lot of interesting stuff to look at, but there were people about and I felt a little self-conscious about stopping to take pictures:

And another German-Gothic style courthouse, this one in a place called Brady:

Maybe there will be more photos later. The main attraction itself (San Angelo) rated no pictures from me, but we’ll see if Abilene holds more surprises.