#odd duck

watching a movie, he forced me to pick out which he could either shut down or accept

him forcing me to watch HIM play video games

drinking various liquids

listening to music he started playing without me asking

When I check out of my room, the desk clerk asks me about the bathtub bugs and commiserates with me.  She tells me they’ve called an exterminator.  Good idea.

The mileage is at 2236.9, the temp 49.  It is so cold I am wearing a long-sleeved black shirt, a wool hoodie and a fleece vest. Sheesh.

I drive south on Hwy 84 and before you know it I’m in oil country, with oil wells clustered on both sides of the car.  The smell of oil thickens the air and makes it difficult to breathe.  I’d hate to live here and smell this all day every day. I suppose you would get used to it, but it certainly doesn’t appeal.

But I don’t see oil wells often, especially so many at one time, and they are certainly more interesting than the flat farmland I drove through yesterday. (Continued below)

It’s oil wells for several miles, then windmills, then at Sweetwater (great name) I hit lush lake country and carpets of wildflowers.  My GPS sends me on a lot of back roads and two-lane highways, and I don’t mind one bit because my route is strewn with flowers – with both ditches filled to bursting and blooms stretching into the fields as far as I can see. White, yellow, purple, red, blue flowers.  I recognize some because I’ve grown them in my garden: coreopsis, bee balm   and Indian blanket (or Gaillardia) to name a few.  There are also bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush, lantana, butterfly weed, fleabane and many others I am unable to identify. I stop often to take photos but it is impossible to capture the lush feeling of the landscape— my  photos look washed out and bland in comparison to what I am seeing with my eyes. (Continued below)

Due to the frequent stops and detours, not to mention the slower speed necessary when following back roads, it is late when I get to Austin.  In larger cities, Hotel Tonight is a godsend – like tonight, entering an unfamiliar city, clogged with rush hour traffic, the kind of place you would rather not make a wrong turn if you can avoid it, with no idea where motels and hotels might be located.  With Hotel Tonight it is simple – a search reveals a list of possibilities, one of which is the Hotel Granduca with a deluxe rating yet affordable.  Wooee. I could use deluxe about now, so I book a room and follow my GPS instructions to a grand place situated on a hill with a sweeping territorial view.

Hotel Granduca is decorated to look like a swish Italian villa with reproductions of Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and Ginevra Benci on the umber colored walls, along with thick carpets, grand staircases, potted cypress, courtyards with tiered fountains, and a few modern touches, like a pool table and a saltwater pool.

My room is luxurious, with many added touches, upscale furniture, tiled bathroom – quite a contrast from the disgusting room last night.  I get help with my myriad bags and chill for a while. (Continued below)

I’m tired from driving so am tempted to be lazy and eat at the restaurant on site, but I have a rave recommendation from a friend (the one I’m meeting in New Orleans) for a place called Odd Duck.  The name alone makes me want to make the effort to try it, so I activate my GPS and head out.

I am directed to an interesting section of town called the South Lamar district with many restaurants and an interesting vibe – the kind of area that would be fun to explore.  It’s crazy busy though and parking is hard to come by.  Luckily Odd Duck has valet parking, so I make use of it and go in to see if I can get a meal in spite of the fact that I don’t have a reservation.  They tell me I can have a seat at the bar if I finish by 7:30.  Deal.  

I love foodie restaurants with inventive food combinations and cooking techniques.  After due consideration of an interesting menu, I order a carrot dish made with curried peanuts (got to get my vegetables), and pork with greens and a glass of yummy red wine.  My seat at the bar lends itself to people watching, both patrons and the chefs at work in the kitchen.  For dessert I order beet sherbet on crème fraiche with granola sprinkles and edible flowers.  

My visit to Odd Duck is a rousing success, with great food, ambience ditto, and a server who is efficient and cute, with a rhinestone hoop in her nose and a left arm that is extravagantly tattooed.  Oh to be young again.  

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