lone star longing

Etsy

I've been feeling a little bit homesick lately.   Maybe it's because of the roller coaster that is currently my life, but I want to escape to somewhere familiar.  Southern California has great sushi, perfect weather, and yeah, you can buy liquor at the grocery store at 3am, but this just isn't home.

Home is:

Photo Credit: Unknown

Bluebonnets

There is a magical time in April where the green fields are covered with a blanket of bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush.  The colorful blooms pop up seemingly overnight but disappear within a few short weeks.

Photo Credit: Unknown

Homemade Vanilla Blue Bell Ice Cream

The "Little Creamery" in Brenham, TX makes the smoothest, richest ice cream, with the most popular flavour being Homemade Vanilla.  I keep checking the freezer section of the grocery store, in hopes that I might spot the shiny gold-rimmed cartons.

Photo Source: Anthroholic

 Thunderstorms

Texas weather is tricky and unpredictable.  I carried an umbrella around Los Angeles every day for about eight months before I realized there would be no sudden torrential downpour lasting for a grand total of ten minutes.  Also, I miss dancing in the rain.

Photo Credit: Unknown

 6th Street

I have some fond (albeit hazy) memories stumbling around the streets of downtown Austin during my undergraduate years, but maybe it's best if we skip the reminiscing of those ridiculously late nights/early mornings.

Photo Credit: cakespy

 Shipley's Donuts

Krispy Kreme and Dunkin' Donuts have nothing on these perfectly glazed rings of deliciousness.  Growing up, these were a Sunday morning staple; the white box on the kitchen table was filled with an assortment of glazed, cake, jelly-filled and apple fritters.

Photo Credit: Showing America

 Landscapes that are 1/3 grass and 2/3 sky

Driving from home to College Station, you could see the land stretch for miles before it disappeared into the horizon line of the blue skies and white puffy clouds.  The endlessness of it can take your breath away, and somehow, it's even more spectacular at sunset.

Photo Credit: Flickr Alison Chains

Whataburger Taquitos & Deep Fried Pie

Okay, so maybe these make me totally nauseous when I inhale them these days, but I don't know how I would survived all-night rendering and shading projects without all this oil-laden goodness.

"Come back to Texas / It's just not the same since you went away
Before you lose your accent / And forget all about the Lonestar State
There's a seat for you at the rodeo / And I've got every slow dance saved
Besides the Mexican food sucks north of here anyway..."