Yo and Hey,
Lucky #13: a full day with variety ranging from impressive to silly to stupid; perfect.
1. Started off day in Waco. No we did not go to the Ranch Davidian BBQ. Instead we went to the Dr. Pepper Museum. It was pretty safe and traditional. Amusing and informative just not all that odd for us. And with the lack of a free Dr. Pepper, we did not feel all that peppy compared to the folks in all the ads.
2. On the north side of Waco we went to see the World's Largest Dog Collectibles Collection. Arf! Arf! This olio of canine obsession was mind blowing. It was housed in the back area of one of those antique mall/warehouses. There were sculptures, canes, posters, clocks, paperweights, umbrellas, knives, salt/pepper shakers, jewelry, plates, trays, buttons, toys and an atomic explosion of tchotchkes. A fave was the case of pink poodle figurines (ooh I just used the word figurine in a sentence.
3. Then along our way to Austin, we stopped in Georgetown to partake in a recommended BBQ place, The Monument Cafe. As Yogi Berra aptly stated "Nobody goes there anymore; it's too crowded." The long line did not mesh well with our appetite or attitude - we opted for a Greek place down the road. As a direct result of my wearing of the "Glore Museum" t-shirt, we were engaged in a great conversation with a remarkable man, Mr. Sonson. There is way too much to tell here but dollars to baklava, we will be hearing from and connecting with him again..... to be continued.
4. Cathedral of Junk in Austin - oh my oh my. This place is in the same league as Dinsmoore's Garden of Eden in the outsider art circles. Vince Hanneman's sculpture/environment is famous. He is a man not yet to 50 and working since 1987 on this ever-expanding mountain of creative use of, well, everything. He is engaged in a battle with the city over it's existence. The lawyers, insurance company idjets, neighbors and city dimwits are at war. He is fighting the fight. Note: the photos just do not do justice to this monolith-o-stuff and his yard is impressive as well. Unfortunately due to the legal battles, Vince was not allowed to invite us in for an closer view.
5. In another part of Austin, we wandered around the South Congress street area. Very groovy, hip and happening. Lots of wonderful and quirky shops. The highlight was "Uncommon Objects" -- sign says "Raw materials for creative living". This place housed booths by numerous vendors displaying stuff of a diverse yet connected quirky spirit. The best, by far, was by the people we met earlier in Waxahachie, TX at the Webb Gallery. Julie and Bruce have the COOLEST objects d'desire -- Rodney lusts for little these days but could easily squander his yet to be obtained fortune on many of the items found there - The Odd Fellows robes and Mason ephemera were especially appealing. Oooooh ahhhh........ me precious. Note: did not include photos; just too much.
6. As can be the case of our unplanned trek, we set off downtown to find ourselves in the midst of the "Austin Pecan Festival." The goal was the "Museum of Weird" but this lies in the middle of many blocks of booths and food vendors with music on every corner and blasting out of every bar. Pretty wild but aside from the traffic and parking hell it was a pleasant surprise. The "Museum of Weird" was a bit like Ripley's Believe It or Not" with more than a dash of P.T. Barnum suckership. Funny and mostly stretching the boundaries of reason. Small with bits of true amazement with lots of "Oh sure...... that's real."
Well once again, that's the Reader's Digest version of Oddasee Day 13 and trust us, there's a whole photo album from just today May 1, 2010.
Love and Kisses from the Mermaid of Fiji and the Phantom of the Opera,
Rodney and Susan
ps. Oops, almost forgot: In the name of educational activity, we played a round at the Peter Pan Mini-Golf (built in 1948 and virtually unchanged). Now keep in mind this was Susan's first time in the surely soon to be Olympic event of tiny golfing; she was born to putt. Note: Only in Texas - people were allowed to schlep along their coolers and beer from hole to hole.... yee haw!
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