Back from Texas

OK, you know how folks say you don't appreciate what you've got until you don't have it anymore? And that little diddy about not seeing the forest for the trees--that's basically the same thing. Well....I certainly have a new appreciation for the lush green landscape that surrounds our little part of the world called North Carolina.

I enjoyed my trip to Texas, learned a lot and made some great new friends. But I had a little eye opener. I sat beside an 8 year old Texan on the plane trip down, and she was quite the little traveler. She's been to Hawaii and oodles of other places. I asked where her favorite place was, and she surprised me by saying North Carolina. I asked why, thinking she had a favorite family member there or something, and she surprised me again by saying "Because it's so green."

Turns out they don't get as much rain as we do, so things don't grow as well. Also turns out that the hotels try to compensate for the fact that it's blazing hot outside by trying to freeze you to death inside. Now some of you are saying, "Wait a minute. I know how you are, and you freeze all the time." OK, that's true. But everyone in my workshop was saying the same thing. And my roommates and I would back off the AC, then the cleaning lady would crank it all the way to high when she came. Burrrrr.

Anyhow, I learned some great stuff, and you'll be seeing some new things at the studio soon. Very soon. Until then, let's take a moment to enjoy the smell of the grass. Ummm, good.