See ya, June.

There are 24 minutes left in June.

June has been good to me this year -- it brought news of a new job, a much-needed homecoming, pools, Kerbey Lane, Father's Day. There were five days of DC with Mom, and wicker furniture and Container Store runs. It brought Saturday mornings with the Deans and long walks with Laurel and a new cubicle and a new schedule and new/old friends. June made me think, June made me laugh, June made me cry and June made me remember who I am.

Based on recent posting trends, it's clear that a (large, enormous) part of who I am (and thus part of what I've been remembering) revolves around Texas. Because of this, my Aggie roommate and I trotted down Constitution on Sunday afternoon to 'see our people' at the Folklife Festival. There were so many things to write about, I almost grabbed a napkin from the Texas Rib Stand to make notes.

In order of discovery:

1/4 of a watermelon sold as a 'slice' for $3 - LJ's face was dwarfed by it. Amazing.

The Dancehall - The 9 minutes we spent in this tent could probably provide enough material (and certainly enough characters) for my first novel -- It was cool inside, so the crowds were loving the folding chairs and rickety metal fans. A band was playing two-stepping tunes from the front, and it didn't take long to see that the people who braved the dancefloor didn't feel like they were braving anything. They were awesome, and they knew they were awesome. My favorite couples were:

5) Thirty-year-old dad in Keens dancing with his toddler in arms; totally in their own world.
4) Jack Sprat couple look-alikes, she with whitish-gray pigtails, a full-length denim skirt, tennis shoes and, if my memory serves me, a fanny pack. Estimated age: 72.
3) Lesbian hiking duo. They were GOOD.
2) Presenters, who apparently do this for the whole festival. This group included a cute brunette in a blue sundress and a gray-haired guy with chops whose screen-print t-shirt was so sweaty after the first dance that he took a break to exchange it for an alternate screen-print t-shirt.
1) Asian 60-year-old lady with short, red dyed hair, in long skirt, velvet, sunglasses and metallic gold lace-ups. Her partner was completely bald, in jorts and black knee socks and tennies. If I could effectively capture his expression while spinning his little lady across the dance floor, I'd no doubt win a Pulitzer. Think exaggerated movement...

The Texas Taqueria - They said they came from Dallas, and unfortunately (especially compared to some awesome nachos Corie and I had the night before) my fajitas tasted like they'd been shipped from Dallas. Last week.

The Texas Noodle House - This was the weirdest thing I have ever seen. Noodles are perhaps the most uncharacteristic food of any Texas demographic, and yet, of three Texas food choices, one was Vietnamese noodles? I'm still reeling.

Polish Texan Cooking Demo - Also weird, the chef kept talking about how 'all over San Antonio when you order breakfast tacos you'll hear a type of taco called a Taco Polaco' with Polish sausage. I've been around the block as far as breakfast tacos go, but never have I ever heard the term Taco Polaco. At this point, I started to wonder if they hired actors from NOVA to pose as various types of would-be Texans.

The unbelievably tan beer-gut guy - He was almost undoubtedly from Port Aransas, originally. He was warm, you can't blame him for hanging out half-clothed on the Mall.

There was so much more too. I wish I'd gone through with that writing on the napkin thing.

Who knows where July and I are heading, but I'm along for the ride, as long as I don't have to stop at the Texas Noodle House.