Franklinsanity

8:26 PM, Amarillo, TX:  left NM, the land of enchantment, for Texas – which urged us to “drive friendly.”

That was a lesson we’ve all taken to heart today, as some tensions – whether due to battery life, logistics/directions, lack of Hogwarts time, earphone use or dog misbehavior – surfaced.  By the time we rolled up to our Amarillo Airbnb, we’d more or less sorted it all out, with some Dad heart-to-hearts with the kids about sassing mom and each other.

Kingsley was very helpful, as a sort of furry therapy cushion.  Oonagh?  Oonagh chased a neighborhood cat.

If ever there was evidence of a family-time re-boot, it was our meal at Tyler’s BBQ.  Just off I-40, it’s modest.  Some would even say unpretentious.  It’s a stripped-down but friendly-red shack in a sun-blasted lot across from an unnamed hotel. In other words, it had Yelp reviews and (hopefully) the food going for it, and not much else.  (In fairness, that could be said of a lot of great BBQ joints.)

Most importantly, though, the family hasn’t fared well at BBQ in the recent past – lots of griping about the look and feel of the food, the sauces, etc.  Tonight?  Tonight we dined like kings and the kids packed it away and asked for to-go boxes.

Hunger and a good attitude go a long way.  The dogs were perfect and actually sat still. And bedtime was a breeze.

Hopefully a good omen, as it appears we’ve got to skip the highlight of our trip out, i.e., a visit to our friends and great Americans, Mr. & Mrs. MFDC in Nashville, TN…due to a pan-family virus sidelining their household.

MFDCs, we will DEFINITELY catch you on the way back!!

HHW is busy re-routing us.  Here be dragons?