The quote above comes from actress Piper Perabo.  I assume she was referring to west Texas, as that is the only place in the state where that description fits.

She is wrong about there never being any clouds, though.  We get a few here and there.  This was the view out of the door of my shack last evening as the sun was going down.

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I sometimes hear people around here complaining about the lack of green, how it is always brown.  I suppose they just never look up.

Shotgun attack, perhaps?

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Lots of wind in West Texas.  Hail is a not too uncommon occurrence.

Scene near my adopted home.  No one cleans up their trash if they are out of sight of law enforcement.

My job requires frequent stays in Austin, Texas, the capital city of the state.  The hotel I favor is across the street from Donn’s, a local BBQ restaurant.  Not the best BBQ joint in the world, but convenient and oh so filling.

I like the three meat platter.

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Any BBQ fan in the world will swear up and down that you also need pickles and bread, an essential component of any BBQ meal.  Why aren’t they in the picture?  Because they are free for the taking at the service counter.  Get what you want. Load up, even.  If you are looking to make some meat-and-pickle sandwiches back in your hotel room, no one will bat an eye.  But needful as they are, pickles and bread aren’t considered to be worthy of taking up space with the good stuff.

They have good breakfast food.  Here is one of their breakfast specials featuring brisket-and-potato tacos.

Sorry for the small pic.  It came from the restaurant website.

Still no bread or pickles.  Again, they are there if you want them.  There just isn’t any reason to waste space in the frame for such a basic component of a real, honest to goodness BBQ meal.  Not when there is barely room for the delicious meat and side dishes, that is.

A recent article on Vice wonders why Brooklyn, New York BBQ is taking over the world.  Below is the headlining picture from the article.

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Do you know what this picture really needs?  A whole lot more bread and pickles on that tray to fill in all that empty space around the meager portion of meat.

(Hat tip to Glenn.)

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Strawberry and lemon flavored beer.  Limited edition, but still.

I have to admit that I didn’t try this odd concoction, as I am not a beer drinker, and so it may well be the most delightful and refreshing beer there ever was.  I freely admit that I am not brave enough to start with this particular brew.

For those readers who do not hail from the United States, or who live in the US where the product is not available, let me assure you that it is a real beverage and not some parody.

God bless America!