Tangible Reminders

Welcome to Robin’s Scenic Route, where we sometimes take the long way ‘round, just because.

Author’s Journey - Where I’ve Been

Last week, my husband, youngest daughter, and I went to Texas. He had a business conference in San Antonio. We checked out a few of the touristy things in the area which I’ll blog about next Friday. But then we headed north to San Angelo where we were stationed for the last three years of my husband’s time in the US Air Force. It was, by far, our favorite base and town because it was so family oriented.

It was nice to revisit some of our favorite places, though we didn’t get to go to our all-time favorite, The Chicken Farm Art Center. They were closed for the holiday. I really was hoping to buy a nice piece of hand-thrown pottery, but it’ll have to wait until the next visit. The last visit was about six years ago or so, so it may be a while.

There’s a river walk in San Angelo that’s pretty nice, though the river itself looked pretty dirty. It’s sad when people want to enjoy nature, but they aren’t aware of the many things they all do that add up over time to junk up a nature site. Still, the visitor’s center and water feature there looked really nice, but for some weeding in a couple places. They usually don’t get a whole lot of rain, but this year’s been different. More on that later.

San Angelo Visitor’s Center Entrance

Start the River Walk, or on business days, visit the gift shop where you can get info on all the area attractions and a souvenir to take home.

And the last place we re-visited was the city flower garden. There are waterways which run through, but I can’t remember if there was ever water running through it during our three years living there or the previous visit we made. I would imagine it’s the same case of people not being careful to keep trash in trash cans and not pollute the waterways which keeps it dry.

San Angelo City Flower Garden

I know you can’t see much from this photo, but if you visit my social media, I’ll be uploading video of the flowers there later.

One new place we discovered was The Bearded Barista. I recently discovered that I can eat sourdough bread. Imagine my overwhelming joy after having to avoid most breads for about two years now, even the gluten free ones. I’m so excited that I get to eat sandwiches again! The Bearded Barista offered a build-your-own breakfast sandwich and sourdough was one of the bread options. Not only that, it was small enough that I could eat the whole sandwich at one sitting. And their latte was pretty dang tasty, rating a second and third tasting. I always have to get mine without flavoring and I usually skip sugar because of my dietary struggles, so it’s a new game I play… Whose Latte is the Best? I prefer a nutty, woodsy, and/or smokey tone in my latte. Theirs was earthy which was close enough. And I know my descriptions are gonna throw some folks.

Having said all that, I’m sure you’re wondering what that has to do with this author’s journey. Every experience one goes through can really enhance their writing and creativity. Re-visiting places you spent time in the past can also help to refresh your memory of the emotions and atmosphere you experienced in a certain place. Personally, I’m going to avoid dangerous ones since those tend to stick very clearly in my mind. (I went spelunking once during high school. My foot slipped on some damp rock which was at a crazy downward slant. The light source came only from our flashlights/headlamps which were few. My heart literally skipped multiple beats and then ramped up so fast, I had a bit of trouble breathing. But the drop was short. Still, I don’t really want to do that again.)

I loved visiting all these sites again and breathing in the air of a different place. I feel refreshed and ready to get back to writing. All the things I experienced on this trip will help me craft a better story.

Writer’s Life - Tragic Loss

I’m sure by now everyone’s heard of the terrible loss of life, injuries, and damage which occurred in Texas during the night of July 3rd or early morning hours of July 4th. This happened just south of where we were staying. On our drive home, we had to re-route about five times due to road closures and saw large swathes where flood waters had been over the roads dragging debris and leaving it in its wake.

Please pray for the families who’ve been affected by this flooding as they mourn the loss of their loved ones. Also pray for those who suffered injury or damage to property/crops. Help with donations, or volunteer your time and energy if you’re able. But definitely keep these families in prayer. They will need that support for a while. Sometimes, no amount of preparation can prepare you for this kind of flash flood, but hopefully, something can be done to minimize the loss and damage in the future.

We’re not guaranteed tomorrow, dear readers. But my hope rests in my Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. My prayer is that He is your hope, salvation, and Lord, too. If not, and you want to know more, please check out my Statement of Faith. I’ve shared some scriptures there which might be an encouragement to you.

Conclusion

Thank you so much for stopping by today. I hope you have a beautifully blessed and safe weekend.

Until next time,
Keep turning pages…