texas from air and land

bonjour,

i tell myself - don't fall behind! you'll never catch up!
but such is life, i am learning. you fall down, you get up. you fall behind...you run faster? haven't yet figured that one out.

i flew into town on saturday night by way of bologna/paris/cincinnati. i dream of the day i will be able to afford direct flights, maybe even in business class. i dare not dream of first class. :)

i am addicted to my mini ipod. how did i ever live before without 1000 songs at my disposal? sick. sick. sick.

in the interest of time, i won't be able to write about my charming flight on air france (the posh menu, a billion movies at a click, being called mademoiselle, accidentally using the way-cool first class bathroom) and will instead barrel on towards other items.

why is it that, upon landing in an american airport, i am immediately seized by the desire for fried food? chick-fil-a. french fries by any vendor. a cinnabon. (okay, that's not fried, but might as well be). a kid's meal later and i was in the air again, to touch down shortly in dallas. north texas from the air is SO darn flat. it is fascinating in its ugliness...the miles upon square miles of gray roofs, packed into subdivisions that are positively indistinguishable one from the other. yet there is some kind of strange beauty in its order, its efficiency. i wanted to take a picture, but i was in the middle seat, and at the window there was a little boy, about 3 years old, chanting insistently that the plane was going to crash into Lake Lewisville, so i stared ahead and thought as many positive thoughts as i could muster.

my friend leslie is an amazing artist. go check out her art: www.lesliesealey.com . likewise my friend dani, who designs jewelry: www.agapanthanyc.com

since arriving on saturday night, i have eaten an enormous quantity of mexican food and have consumed my fair share of margaritas, dr. pepper, and cookies. and amazingly, i am no worse for the wear. in fact, i am planinng lunch....

i played at my grandmother's tiny small-town church on tuesday night. the audience was mostly folks over 60 who knew me when i was knee-high-to-a-grasshoppper, etc. the total church membership hovers around 25 people, so we had nearly a 100% attendance rate. i was introduced as the "eye-talian" granddaughter. i played some of my songs and some gospel i learned for the occasion, and i have to say - there's nothing quite like singing "i'll fly away" to get your blood flowing.

the pictures posted are from the church, and from the land surrounding my grandmother's house. we went on a long walk before the show, and chatted about who owns this pasture and who sold their oil royalties on this acre of land and how small pets have been disappearing lately, due to (they think) some sort of bobcat or mountain lion in the area. i had forgotten how nice it can be just to walk, and remember an area you once knew very, very well. small town texas isn't so terribly different from small town italy.

on that note, come out to shows! they are happening in shreveport, austin, college station, and dallas. check the website for details and come out and say how's your mama and 'em.
y'all be good now, y'hear?
vanessa