Hometown

Dear Jack,

When I think about my hometown, I think of a red barn. It wasn't actually a farmhouse or a stable, but a bar that was shaped like a barn.

I never actually went in to this place, mind you, but it was the landmark building at the corner of Spencer and 8th that told me we were turning in to my neighborhood. It is also the representation of what happens when you live in the city neighboring a major "dry" city. For years, the neighboring suburb was alcohol free, so my hometown was where all the bars were. I'm pretty sure that barn/bar was at the city limit.

My hometown also had some pawn shops, used car dealerships, kiosks in parking lots that made keys and a novelty shop that occasionally got shut down for selling something other than the oddly shaped pipes in the glass case.

None of this ever bothered me as a kid. Who thinks about those things when you're a kid? It also didn't really affect me in the sense that just about everything we did, from shopping to church, we did in another section of town. But it does make me wonder what it's like to grow up in a town you can be proud of.

I'm hoping that your dad and I are giving that to you. I love living here in Georgetown. It's beautiful here on the edge of the hill country. It's also quiet and quaint and big enough to have all of the major amenities and close enough to the weirdness of Austin to have culture and counter-culture.

So today we went out to see some of this town we live in. We started at Blue Hole, a dammed up section of the San Gabriel River. Then we went to Monument Cafe for breakfast and then on to the downtown square.

You loved the river. You sat yourself down on those rocks, proceeded to pick up every single one of them, throw them, then you moved over and picked up more rocks.

By the end of our time at Blue Hole, you were pretty tired. But you pushed on through breakfast and into the bookstore and the candy store on the square. By the time we got to the Williamson County Museum, you were absolutely, positively, exhausted.

Somehow, you asleep never stops being adorable to me.

I think you had a pretty good day. My goal is to give you and your sister the opportunities to enjoy this beautiful town at every age.

Love,
Mom