Phantom Gourmet’s Barbecue Beach Party

As I came down the steps and made a left on Congress St I spotted the first check point. It was a place to check your bags. Boston has become very paranoid since the Marathon Bombing, not than anyone can blame them, but I hadn’t thought of that when I packed the camera bag for my trek into the city.

Now as I stood in front of the kiosk collecting bags I was stumped. No way was I leaving my camera bag with the spare lens, batteries and filters. I decided to try to talk my way in.

The first spot told me no but they pointed to another person in a red shirt. (Star Trek fans all know what it means to wear a red shirt).

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He also said no but I argued that it was just a camera and he could look at it. I had nothing to hide. He sent me to his supervisor. Now I began to get somewhere. He said there was an exception for cameras.

I purchased my ticket and went back to the gate where I was once again turned away. By now my journey from Taunton with the Red line issues and all the walking  was taking it’s toll. I could feel my irritation starting to grow.  I reminded myself that you get more flies with honey, took a deep breath and tried again. This time I pointed out the person who had told me I could take the camera bag in. He must have been important because the attitude changed immediately.

I still had a security line to go through. As soon as I stepped up I was treated with much more respect. In fact the security guy checking my bags said he saw me when I first approached and was surprised when I was turned away. He saw the monopod and knew I had a camera. He apologized and said some people just let power go to their heads! He told me to go on in and enjoy myself!

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More stairs loomed ahead. I saw kiosks for Ice Cream , fried dough, soft drinks and popcorn but where was the barbecue?Boston 023 copy

Just then my way was blocked by a vision from the past. Some kind of Raptor blocked my way. The smell of roasting meat must have called him back from the past.

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Taking a deep breath I tackled these cement steps. At the top I found the barbecue!

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Wonderful smells drifted on smoke across the plaza.

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A beer garden was set up along one side where there was lots of seating whether you were drinking or not.

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I got in line for the first Barbecue I saw, Chicago Ribs. I got a small rib sampler and  bottled water. Very filling, Very good! Dry rub , sauce on the side. But there’s 5 more kinds to try, even one from Australia!

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Everything’s Bigger in Texas

I promise…no bad Texas jokes. I mulled Texas over quite a bit before I decided it is going on the Yes Side of the ledger. Texas is such a big state that there’s no way to see everything and do everything in one vacation.

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I was in Dallas, Texas about 10 years ago. Back then I was selling Mary Kay Cosmetics and their home office is in Dallas so I was there for an annual Convention. I don’t remember exactly how many days I was in town but I think it was in August so it was hot! And when it’s hot, folks in Dallas disappear between 12-2 for a siesta! No one is on the streets.

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I did get to see the “grassy knoll” and the “Book Depository” where Lee Harvey Oswald took the fatal shot  that ended the life of President John F. Kennedy. The Sixth Floor Museum has a collection of photos and documents and news  clippings from the time. The tour is a self guided tour with an audio tape, or it was at that time.

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Of course if I was there for a Mary Kay convention then that was going to be the focus and it was quite impressive. We got to tour her offices on the 13th floor of the Mary Kay World Headquarters and we got to go to the Mary Kay museum. That made me think of seeing how flight attendants uniforms have changed over the years.  There was a whole  section of manikins dressed in the various Mary Kay uniforms from over the years.1960_objt03

So as you can see, I didn’t see very much of Texas. Next trip I want to see the Alamo. Founded near the San Antonio river in 1718, the Alamo became a symbol of Freedom for the nation and remains an iconic element of Texas independence.

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While in San Antonio I want to explore the River Walk, a 3 mile, flagstone esplanade that winds amid tropical foliage along both sides of the San Antonio River.

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Along the Mission Trail is Mission San Jose . Established in 1720, it is still an active parish and known as a photographer’s dream.

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In Austin, located in Central Texas, we’d sample the Texas Barbecue. “They” say that Texas barbecue, especially central Texas barbecue, is so good that you don’t need barbecue sauce and some places don’t even bother to serve it! The very best barbecue is said to be around Austin. Texas Barbecue is usually beef but some pork can be located if one looks hard enough.

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Oh dear, Running out of space again but we can revisit Texas another time. There’s rodeos to consider, vintage train rides and National Parks, space center Houston and mountains in West Texas. There’s even a “Birding Trail.” Yup it’s called the Great Texas Birding Trail and more than half of the recorded species of North America can be found along here. And we can’t forget that Texas has a Gulf Coast. So there’s much,much more to cover in Texas!

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Score 17/26