King of the Hill Gang in their Fence Alley
1) The only other city in Texas I’ve been to is Austin. Dallas is very different from Austin. Austin felt like San Francisco or Burlington, VT transplanted into Texas. Dallas felt more like real Texas. Like big oil, red state, belt-buckle Texas.
2) Those fence alleys from King of the Hill that Boomhauer and the gang drink behind all day? They really exist.
3) George W. calls this place home. And by the looks of things he’s VERY comfortable here. No, that’s not Alfred E. Newman on Mad Magazine. That’s Dubya on the cover of Dallas Magazine.
3) Rodeos. Not sure what to make of these. We went to one….and it was pretty unique. Prayers at the beginning, a girl flung from her horse and carried out on a stretcher (she was okay), children riding sprinting sheep bareback until they fell off into the dirt, clowns. It was all a bit surreal. But it was also pretty empty. This was opening night of the Mesquite Rodeo and the stands were only 1/4 full. How’s that for an economic indicator?
4) A cowboy hat, handlebar mustache and checkered shirt can transform a wall street money manager into a true Texan overnight:
Before
After
5) Childhood friendships can withstand 2,000 miles of distance, years of separation and all the other stuff that comes up in life. Sure, we’re all working through our own lives, one of us has a baby now, two are married, one is engaged, but for one weekend it was like nothing had changed. We were just friends together again….deep in the heart of Texas.
The King of Suburbia (Far Left) with Friends & His Own Fence Alley
5 comments
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April 17, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Weiss
Very nice, Ash. It was a great trip. I’d would like to point out, for posterity’s sake, that while I am neither married nor engaged, I am in a long-term, monogamous relationship. Thank you.
April 17, 2009 at 1:30 pm
Karin
Ether,
Great post. Loved the “before” and “after” pic of Beck. Maybe a writing career is in your future.
April 18, 2009 at 12:40 pm
Jesse
Man, I want to punch Bush in the nose. Nice post, E. Beck is the goy Zelig.
April 18, 2009 at 10:14 pm
Harry
Sure would like UB to see the W pic…
I’ve always marveled at your friendships–you guys wear well!
April 25, 2009 at 1:51 am
Crafty
What does it mean that I have that same fence in Austin. However, I just have an arroyo behind my house, not a driveway…but I know a nearby neighborhood that does.
My dad doesn’t like that show much. He grew up in Garland, TX (sounds a lot like Arlen, doesn’t it?). Needless to say, I can do a killer Hank Hill accent.
You look pretty comfortable in your Texas Gear. I think I’ll start forwarding my subscription to Texas Monthly up to Ithaca.