Austin, TEXAS, January 7, 2006 — We took an excursion today to the little town of Marble Falls. The basic excuse was that a friend of ours was giving a painting exhibition at a gallery there.

We all know the geography of Central Texas well enough. (Our friend and bookkeeper went along, and drove, on this excusion.) Still we all check our directions. Yep...Bee Cave (2244) to 71 to 281.

It doesn't take long to get there, past the barbeque joints and way out subdivisions.

We all think Marble Falls is this little tiny town. Indeed, the population signs say

there are less than 5000 residents. So we are amazed at the number of chains...HEB, Chili's, Whataburger among the independent barbeque joints. There are several motels, too. Big ones. With free Wi-Fi.

We find this famous comfort food place, Bluebonnet Cafe, and wait a few minutes for a table. We consume mass quantities. (I had liver and onions, fried okra, spinach, tamale soup and two giant homemade rolls.)

We find the fancy art gallery where our friend is doing his thing. A couple of dozen people are there. He's taking a break but when he comes back there are a bunch of people in rapt attention as he adds detail to the background of a painting of a cowboy herding some stock up a rise. Then he adds tack and color to another, more finished painting. On his next break we say hello. This type of representational painting is not really our thing but I'm in awe that people can do it. I have no talent in such things. I enjoy watching people create, though. It's interesting hearing him talk about always studying how the light falls on things and such.Listening as he tells how he arranges the pallette and his tools to be able to paint without looking for the instruments. "Like playing a piano," he says.

On his next break we say 'hello.' We look all around the gallery. And take off.

We go to a coffee place we've spied. It looks for all the world like a big city shop. Lots of coffee offerings, industrial styling, Wi-Fi. Only the coffee doesn't taste good. The young girls running it seem confused about the operation. Maybe that's why.

We load up and go home. We make one stop at a cactus and gift shop in the middle of nowhere that is very cool. They have all sorts of exotic succulents and nice jewelry and gifts. I see a ceramic piece for $65 that, if I were in an acquistive mode, I would buy. Our friend buys some plants and gets a lecture on how to care for them and how and when they will flower.

It's fun to make these excursions. You realize how sophisticated things are becoming in the hinterlands and yet you realize that it's still a place where paintings of bluebonnets will win out over abstract art and where the heavy mugs of passable coffee at the Bluebonnet are the standard.

I quote from the Holidailies website:

Holidailies 2005 is complete.

During the 31 days of Holidailies, there were a total of 3297 entries posted to the portal. We had 250 registered pariticpants—half on the portal, half at home.

Thanks to all the participants, visitors, readers, and sponsors for making Holidailies 2005 our biggest and best year yet.

I'll leave the link on my journal cover as long as the site is up so you can find some good reads in journal land if you so desire.

I posted 32 times (every day and a separate essay). Which isn't much of an accomplishment but writing is writing. (And good writing is something else.) As I mentioned yesterday, I was (inordinately) proud that this one won a 'Best of' from the Reader's Panel, too.