It’s the third in a clean three day stretch of 95+ degrees F here in Austin. Tomorrow’s looking like stretching to four. We’ve wore off sore heads, oozed out our insides and wrungout our ears with slabs of music and noise. Fuzzed 60s garage slams out of bars, so does country, old and new RnB, rockabilly, thrash and New Wave.

There’s a feel to the city of an anything goes. Liberal slogans and signs stake and state claims in shop windows, front gardens and bumpers. Busses run happy in English and Spanish, Asian markets and Mexican food stores sit side by side, each packed and drenched in their cultures and tastes and waiters and bar maids freely offer out weed. And I’m yet to see any tensions.

Outside of the city, there’s beauty as sweet as the chaos inside. Springs, waterfalls, and state parks packed with bright burnt red earth, clear water and canyons. Vultures and Eagles circle and swing low over twisted limb trees, and while walking is a punishing thing in the heat, it’s worth it to step out on what feels like new worlds.

Lower chamber before feeding river

Slow waterfalls fill chambers and rivers

Trees knurled and knotted from heat

We’re still only half through our stay here. Last time we’ll be this still for weeks maybe months. Next up it’s 2000 miles+ over 21 days, driving one day on, two days off towards LA. From LA to Vietnam to find a life for a while or keep moving.

Figured time to take stock and clock in, start letting you know how we got here. I’ll be letting out something like chapters; how we’re moving, managing, making decisions and I’ll try keep them coming as thick as I can…