Mardi Gras

We got the Dod back on Monday with the brakes finally in working order. We spent the last day walking around the Woodlands and catching a flick. Don't go see "Wolfman", it's a terrible movie.

That night we loaded up and set our alarms for 5AM so we could head out and make it to New Orleans for the last day of the Mardi Gras celebration. However, the Dod stalled out before we even left Jenny's neighborhood.

Jenny drove around the corner to give us a jump, and we made it to the gas station where again the Dod wouldn't start. We got another jump but el Dodo stalled out again as we waited to pull out from the gas station.

A call to AAA got a tow truck and a truck driver named Bubba dispatched. As we were hauling the Dod back to the shop Bubba made it very clear to us his stance on homosexuals. We had told him we had spent some days in Austin and the only thing he could tell us about Austin is "that's where all them gays at. Me and them gays just don't get along. My brother brought me down to sixth street one time and I had to tell him to take me home. All them gays..."

After the awkward ride in the tow truck, Jenny picked us up from the shop because we needed to have all three belts replaced and it was going to take some time. By the time we got the Dod back it was almost 4 in the afternoon, which meant we wouldn't have made it to New Orleans till almost midnight. We'd heard that Galveston parties it up pretty good for Mardi Gras so we made the executive decision to make the 2-hour drive south to the Gulf of Mexico to celebrate Fat Tuesday there.

We bid farewell to Houston and made it to Texas' paradise island just in time for the last parade.

After the parade finished, folks of all ages clogged the streets, screaming for beads tossed from balconies that lined the streets. Live blues blared from one bar so Chris and I stopped in to listen.

Even the puppies joined the festivities.

As we walked around the street collecting beads we were stopped by a group of fellow Michiganders, Tahd, Marie, and Matt. It's pretty strange how Michiganders can always recognize one another. We're drawn together like magnets. Or perhaps it was Tahd and Chris' beard magnetism.

Marie and Tahd from Traverse City.

Matt, friend and Chris.

We joined our new friends at an outdoor bar to dance the night away listening to another live band play classic rock covers all night. One woman was especially appreciative of the music and the booze and showed her gratitude to the band and bartenders (and everyone else, for that matter) by flashing her boobs.

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A Jimi Hendrix cover, no doubt.

One drawback about the Galveston Mardi Gras, however, is that the whole shebang shuts down about 11:00PM. So we picked up some beers and followed our Michigan friends back to their campground to continue the party. Chris and Tahd entertained us with some acoustic guitar.

By 3:00AM we made our way to the nearby Walmart to crash for the night. Because it was a holiday we allowed ourselves to sleep in and treated ourselves to breakfast at the Waffle House. I recommend you order the hash browns covered, diced and topped (that's covered with cheese, mixed with diced tomatoes and chili for those of you Non-WaHos.) And a word of advice to my fellow soup enthusiasts: don't even try to order their "famous" chicken noodle soup. I don't think it exists. :(

We drove back through Galveston to see the town in the daylight. We coasted up and down Seawall Boulevard and admired the sunny coast. Then, we headed to the end of the island to hop on a free ferry.

We traced the coast North and East, through swamp and marshland, and hopped on another ferry. Some of the bridges spanned the swamp for miles and miles. Other times, we drove right next to the swamp offering us an up-close view of all it's beauty. There were dozens of white cranes perched on tree branches and pelicans soaring overhead. We even saw an alligator hanging out in the swamp! Her name was Gertrude.

That's some back yard...

Some houses were on stilts as high as 20'.

Front row seat on ferry #2!

After an eventless night in a Walmart in Crowley, Louisiana we drove to New Orleans. We faisons une promenade in the French Quarter and down Canal Street.

Hm, something must have hitched a ride from Roswell.

Voodoo dolls.

Window display on Bourbon Street.

We stumbled upon an eight-member band playing in the street. There was an accordion, trumpet, trombone, banjo, steel guitar, tuba, washboardist and chanteuse. We stayed for a few songs. I wish now we had bought one of their $10 CDs.

This guy was awesome!

A la Gumbo Shop.

Our delicious Creole sampler and cup of gumbo. Undoubtedly the best gumbo I've ever had.

In front of Cathedral Square.

Some boney guy tickling the ivories.

Entryway to the Hard Rock Cafe. Great happy hour.

Chris face on Bourbon St.

BOOGIE WOOGIE!!! :) Dedicated to my bff Chelsea Rysztak.

Having a grand ol' time on Bourbon St.

J'aime New Orleans.

We met Mike and Dialis at the Hard Rock Cafe. Mike is in a band called The 54. Check out their band at http://www.myspace.com/the54. They have a tour coming up and the dates and locations can be found there. Dialis is a travel writer and has done an impressive amount of traveling herself.

Laissez les bon temps roulez!

Sidelined

We survived our 24-hour adventure roaming Austin waiting on the Dod. We spent a good chunk of time at the University of Texas Student Union reading and playing Nintendo DS. When the Union closed at 3 am we moved to Kerbey's, a 24-hour diner down the street. We continued to read, do crossword puzzles, drink coffee after coffee, and eventually split the early-bird $3 special.

"Mmm, this is a good book"

At 5:30 we left the diner to wander the streets a bit.

Ms. Ritz and Mr. Cash.

Chris with Stimpy AND Bob Dylan.

That's what I'm saying!

Austin is a ghost town at 5am.

We stopped at Einstein's Bagel's for a little before the Union opened back up at 7am. We found a table in a corner, put our heads down, napped and watched Hulu on and off.

The Dod was supposed to be ready around noon so we rode our bikes back to Groovy Automotive to wait it out. By 3pm we got the keys. We pulled out only to have the brakes lights come back on one block down the road. So, we turned around and the Dod stalled at the busy intersection. You can imagine the profanities... The mechanic ran out to give us a jump and we returned to have him flush the brakes one more time. then we were on our way.

By Friday evening we made it to Montgomery, just a little north of Houston, to Jenny and Michael's house. I passed out after being awake for 38 hours, but that night Shanelle and Adam, our hosts from Oklahoma City, arrived.

The next day we hiked through the woods and let the dogs, Duke and Sabre, stretch their legs.

When we got back Adam found a tick on his arm. We all performed thorough searches and Duke won with a grand total of 4.

That weekend we played Jenga and Beer Pong and had a lot of fun, so much so that I can't remember what we did which day. Oh well, good times.

These beautiful faces courtesy of Jenga and booze.

Beer Pong = Random Activities.

Later in the week our Dallas/Fort Worth host, Kelly, who happens to be Jenny's sister, came down and we worked ourselves into another haze of Jenga-fueled fun.

Oh yeah, we colored some stickers, too.

Sabre and I both wanted the same piece of cardboard.

However, Fortuna isn't done with the Dod yet. Little did we know our plans would be altered and our patience tested some more.

Because the brakes still felt spongy, I decided to take the Dod in to get it checked out. Likely it just needed to have the fluid bled. However, because of the way the Groovy Automotive Garage installed the power booster (the very same part which caused our four-day wait in Austin) the garage in said they couldn't work on it.

I called the Austin Garage and they let us know their work is under warranty through Napa, and we can have it fixed at any Napa in the country. It would have been nice if they had told us this in the first place. So, now we have to wait till Monday to take the Dod to the nearest Napa. Consequently, we will have to postpone New Orleans for a few days which means we'll likely miss Mardi Gras. Oh well. You gotta roll with the punches. Take it as it comes. Go with the flow. Life's a garden, ya dig?

Today was Angelina's 10th birthday and we celebrated at the Incredible Pizza Buffet, where we stuffed our faces and played arcade games and putt-putt all afternoon.

Yep, goldfish on the salad. Gourmet.

By the way, did you know about the Dod's famous cousin?

We all met his redneck cousin who transports goats across the country. Well say hello to the Superstar Transtar of the family, star of the Flight of the Conchords video "Ladies of the World." He makes his appearance around 2:48.

Back in Houston

Last week was a long, wet, unplanned trip in Houston while we waited to get the Dod back. But we made it (finally) and hit the road to get back to Houston. We're fine, the Dod's ok, and we're back to having fun. Pictures and a new post to come soon detailing all of the events. I just didn't want any of y'all to worry. thanks for all you prayers and wishes.

Dodless in Austin

?

Good, we hope!

Well, it's night three without our beloved Dod. Her rear brake system was "puking out brake fluid" so says the mechanic. It's going to be a pricey fix but our options were:

1) Fix the Dod. Cough up the dough and continue on our journey.

- or -

2) Don't fix the Dod. Find an apartment and live in Austin.

We weighed our two options and decided only one day of exploring Austin wasn't enough to base a move on. The Dod has brought us through seventeen states so far and there's at least a baker's dozen more. We've needed the Dod and now the Dod needs us. We can't give up on her now. It's Maine or BUST!

So, the Dod has been resting at "Groovy Automotive" for going on three days. We were told that the Dod would be fixed yesterday and now we're told it will be fixed tomorrow. Not so groovy. The biggest bummer is that it has rained nonstop since we dropped the Dod off. This is what Chris looks like:

Here's what I feel like:

Regardless of the rain, we have been spending our time biking from one end of the city to another checking out eateries, the University of Texas campus, unique shops, CD stores, book stores, live music venues and cheap bars.

Chris beat me at a game of pool at The Tavern. Barely.

Tammie the Turtle rain-bathing in a pond on campus.

Chowing down on the Richie Valens burger on the anniversary of the day the music died in 1959. Hut's two-for-one Wednesday is a busy night because it's such a great deal. They also have the absolute best pickle chips I've ever had.

Free live blues music at Nuno's on 6th Street.

Shot of the state capitol in the background.

Our favorite restaurant we discovered is the Texas Chili Parlor. It was so nice we went back twice! We tried the three chili sampler on our first visit and were so excited to eat we forgot to take a photo until afterwards.

Oops!

Our second visit we ordered our favorites and remembered to take a photo beforehand.

Chris gives his chili is two fingers up!

I recommend the black bean and sausage chili on a baked potato. As Chelsea has taught me, chili just isn't as good without a potato accompaniment!

This self-proclaimed big fat crazy person was singing and playing a harmonica on the corner of campus for at least three hours. Here are his Grammy-worthy lyrics: "Puuuurple poop/I've got purple poop/I'm terrified to call a doctor/They might send a helicopter/Puuuurple poop." Repeat and repeat and repeat.

We wandered around Toy Joy, a toy store that beats Toys-R-Us or KB Toys any day. Wall-to-wall and ceiling-to-floor is covered in knick-knacks, puzzles, games, animals, yo-yos, bouncy balls, and those little pin-covered things you put your hand under and it shows an imprint of your hand. You know what I'm talking 'bout. Anyway, you name it, they've got it.

In honor of my gramma's would-be 84th birthday, I bought a couple of her favorite toys I remember from when I was little: A chinese finger trap and a chinese yo-yo.

We spent the last two nights at a Super 8. It was totally worth it for the bed, the shower and the heat. And let me just say, we definitely got our money's worth with the continental breakfast. As a matter of fact, I'm eating a box of Raisin Bran right now...

Thankfully, earlier today we were able to get into the Dod to get a much-needed change of clothes and some food. Right now, we're hanging out at the UT Student Union surfing the web, reading, writing, people watching and playing Nintendo. Tonight, we'll be hopping from 24-hour diner to 24-hour diner until the sun rises. Keep your fingers crossed the Dod will be ready by noon tomorrow so we can be on our way back to Houston to stay with Jenny and Mykle! Shanelle and Adam are coming out for the weekend too.

Austin apparently can't decide on a slogan. So far I've seen: Keep Austin Weird, Keep Austin Bizarre, Keep Austin Fun, Keep Austin Groovy, and Keep Austin Odd. I say Keep Austin Dry!

The Dod Is Sick...

... And in need of repair.

Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

For now she is resting at the "Groovy Automotive Repair" in Austin, Texas. We should be back on the road tomorrow or Thursday.