Jerky? (10/16/23 Mon)

Yes I am. And yes my 10 rating remains. What makes the jerky from this specific place so good?

Well first off it's thick. Modern jerky rules seem to dictate it shoulbe be 1mm thick. I think this stuff is at least 3/8in thick and maybe even more (in dry form}. The "flavor" I seem to prefer is pepper. As a kid I recall it being too much pepper. But honestly I used to dislike pepper, and now I appreciate it. So my tastes and scale have certainly moved from first taste until now. Some might say my taste buds have dulled with age. I recall the strong pepper flavor. That still exists but it's not as strong as my 12 year old pallet thought. I recall it as fully dried and tough. Having only had one piece, cut up by the shop keeper for me to try in store so she could see my reaction. When I say one peice I mean most of a full "candy bar sized" jerkey cut into 1/2 inch bites for easy consumption while I rode north to Dallas. It is not as dry as I recalled. Far moister than my aged memory. Flavor very much on par with memory, and I absolutely love the tiny amount of fat/grisle that remains once the flavour is gone. And the flovour does last, even when only the grisle remains. If you must know I swallow the gristle, but spitting it out is a valid option if you abhore fat.

Dallas traffic started in Fort Worth. I arrived there close to 1700 (rush hour) and it scared me off route. I accepted an alternate route to avoid delay, then took a wrong turn off the highway. I'm sure I took express lanes (at a toll price) that I don't know exactly how to "pay". But it wasn't anything like the California traffic. I didn't even consider white lining in Dallas.

The rest of my day went smoothly. Reaching Dallas around 1800.. Erik's place is a masterpiece. Nancy I'm giving you credit for it. Sorry Erik I'm sure you deserve some, but she's presented it better. Dinner was great, drinks (sure I'll have 3). We watched the Pink Panther 2 in the theatre room. And yes as the guest I was king. Not only are Nancy and Erik great poeple, they are amazing hosts, I'm in another world, please don't make me come back.

Just in case Josh is still reading, their toilets are low tech, non-heated seats. I am very sorry but I love that!

Two things from the past.

Real, not Real. Not Real, Real, not Real. No I'm not reliving an overly judgmental trip to a strip joint. Just my Three Twisted Sisters ride. Real is a county, which Elaine tells me is pronounced "re-all". For those that who enjoy flaunting pronunciation superiorioty I'll also note that Leakey is pronounced "lake -e". The thrree sisters tease the Real County boundry, as their boy toy.

When I tell the story of having my position eliminated and hitting the road for months at a time on a roll-about the majority of the North American continent, 3 out of 4 people respond that I must be single. The answer to that is always no. I'm very happily married to a wonderful woman whom I miss. Many counter with "are you sure"? My answer is a quick, "yes I am". We love and trust each other. What if I'm wrong? Let's explore that a minute.

Assume, while I'm away, she falls in love with someone else. I just enjoyed the summer of my life. How depressed do you expect me to be? I've missed sharing most of these trips with her, and having her around. I'm very much looking forward to returning home and spending the winter close to home. Honestlly I would be far more devistated by loosing Anne than just loosing a job. Would it break me? I have no way to be sure, but I think I could get past it if I really needed to. Far happier that the probability of "worst case" is crazy low. I could choose to focus on that low probability bad outcome and crush my sole, or simply trust my wife and enjoy my life. I've made my choice, each of you can make your own. If you're asking my opinion, assume your spouse is faithful until you have actual proof otherwise. Asuming the worst can easily become a self forefilling profecy, I only wish to be the catalyst for the positive outcome.