"Might as well ride along with us. Hell, everyone else is." -Clint Eastwood, The Outlaw Josey Wales

The last picture we took in Alaska. Worth it. Ahhhh . . . wonderful snow.

Okay, I’m back.

Sort of.

Did you ever see the move, “The Outlaw Josey Wales”? Well, I have. I have it on DVD. In my opinion (which is normally right) it is by far Clint’s best flick. I won’t go into details, because this isn’t a movie review column. It’s life in Alaska, right?

Well, no.

The book that “The Outlaw Josey Wales” was based on was originally called, “Gone to Texas.” Gone to Texas was a phrase that was used in the middle of the 1800’s that indicated that someone had headed out to avoid taxes, debt, or some other crap that was enveloping them. Well, guess what.

I’ve gone to Texas.

Life in Alaska, as you’ve known it, is over for now.

Did I want to move? No. But, yet, here I am, in Tejas.

And, yes, The Mrs., The Boy, and Pugsley are here with me. It’s been a whole lot of adventure, and now we find ourselves in the Lone Star State.

The Boy is patently in favor of it, though he cried when he missed his friends H and S. Pugsley? Well, as long as they have food there, he’s good with it. The Mrs. was dragged along, but in the end agreed with the decision. Instead of the 49th star, now we’re in the Lone Star. I’m going to omit a lot of the details, since everybody’s moved (unless you’re still firmly ensconced in your mother’s basement, and, well, “Hi”) and moving is pretty boring stuff.

I’m thinking that the next few posts will encompass the differences that I’m seeing, the culture shock from moving from a state that’s the least populous in the US to a city that’s the third largest in the US. Let me tell you, I’m still reeling. It’s a change in latitude, and a change in attitude.

Houstonians don’t wear shorts when it’s forty because it’s so frikkin’ warm. No. They wear parkas and mufflers and knit gloves. Me, I’m still shaking my head.

I have a palm tree in my back yard. A. Palm. Tree. I know nothing about palm trees. Do they shed?

It’s December, and my palm trees are still green. Is it too early to take my chainsaw to them so that the wood has time to dry for winter?

What are these fire ants, anyway?

Okay, it’s obvious things are changing. But, you know what? I feel like a velociraptor in a room full of kittens. Houston may have a hard time assimilating an Alaskan. Let’s play.