It's a Family Affair

In the city of Muleshoe, TX there is a semi elaborate park dedicated to the glorious town mascot, a Mule.  It is complete with a random chandelier dressed gazebo, park benches labeled with metal descriptors describing that you are in fact sitting on a park bench, and a giant copper Mule placed prominently on a podium as inspiration for this fair city.  Beside this artistic little jem is the BEST gas station I have ever experienced!  This place concentrated on the small details like deciding to forgo the use of generic doors on their bathroom stalls, and instead spicing things up with vintage 70s curtains.  This way the locals can just peek in on you whenever they feel to show a little local hospitality.  The main lobby of the store was where the real magic happened.  There was a buffet table lined with rows and rows of taco fixings AND frozen yogurt toppings.  As in chocolate sprinkles next to chopped onions.  This was mecca. Why did I even continue further?  A little feast for the eyes...

So this was how the trip began.  I was really excited to have my Dad joining me for the first half of the trip.  When I was growing up we would road trip west often, so majority of this drive was through familiar places and memories.  My Dad and I do not live in the same city so the extra time with him was an unexpected but wonderful surprise, even if we had to listen to Tower of Power while driving across Utah.

If you are not familiar with Clines Corner in New Mexico then you have not experienced New Mexico.   It is a gas station, restaurant, but mainly souvenir store.  It is located at the corner of route 66 and US highway 285 and every year we would pass through this amazing adventure in trinkets and parental patience.  My goal as we stopped for fuel on the annual family vacation was always one thing...get the plastic toy horse.  At one time I knew the exact location in the store of the horses.  To save time I could retrieve the horse upon entering, while those less fortunate had to peruse asile after asile of last minute decision making, all allowing more time for me to convince my Dad why this was a necessity.  I was never successful.  The same answer was always given to stop my dreams "Wait till we get to (insert destination) You will find something better there"  Now besides the totally unnecessary $200 dress from Santa Fe that I, post appropriate horse age, attempted (understatement) I never found anything better.  And really what was better than a figurine of a plastic horse decorated in war paint, a real-ish tail made of white "fur", and a feather mane that even a real horse would nea fabulous, WHAT WAS BETTER DAD???  So as my Dad and I walked through Clines together giggling at the racist souvenirs and reminiscing on his own father buying him the little wooden drum/tomahawk set EVERY year, I gracefully retold my memory of summer vacation.  In a perfect father daughter moment I then found my dad roaming the isles in search of the horses.

Meet Larry

Thank You Dad

    More run-on sentences to come...