Day 6 - Oct 11 - Day 1 in Leander and how to get from here to there

UPDATED 10-12-2022

Driving solo has its ups and downs.  The upside is that you have exclusive control over music selection AND volume.  So, most of the time I've been driving down the road, the volume has been loud enough to let me sing along in full voice without drowning out the music.  While I can't keep up with every song, it's fun to try.  The down side?  Well, you're solo.  But if that's the case, focus on the up side!

Just in case you are wondering which bands influence The Mud Dragons...there is list of artists below that appear in playlists on my devices.  Be advised that my musical tastes are all over the place, including classic rock, folk, MoTown, pop, disco, stadium rock, and even a smattering of country - see Kat did have an affect on me!  

FYI, I deliberately chose the first song I played when I pulled out of Rexburg at the start of this trip.  It's my absolute favorite trip-launching song when I head out on motorcycle rides: 

The Who - Eminence Front

Check it out!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rx6Zgz0TZuA 

Here's the (incomplete) list of artists: 

Kansas, Boston, Bill Withers, The Blues Brothers, Howard Jones, David Bowie, OAR, CCR, KT Tunstall, BTO, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Michael Jackson/Jackson 5, Paul Simon, Doobie Brothers, Sheryl Crow, Moby, Huey Lewis and the News, The Association, Dr. John, Steve Miller Band, Sly and the Family Stone, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Van Halen, Blue Oyster Cult, AC/DC, Eagles, Queen, Chicago, Bruno Mars, Alanis Morissette, Sting, America, Katy Perry, INXS, They Might Be Giants, The Guess Who, Alan Parsons Project, Weird Al Yankovic, Fleetwood Mac, Hootie and the Blowfish, War, The Maggies, Gerry Rafferty, Haircut 100, Supertramp, Billy Idol, Smash Mouth, James Taylor, Moody Blues, Elton John, Al Stewart, ELO, Elvis Costello, Eddie Money, MIKA, Level 42, Bread, Green Day, Lee Ann Womack, Trace Adkins, Counting Crows, Coldplay, The Human League, The Clash...and many, many more.

When music no longer cuts it and I still have a long way to go, I'll either play a movie downloaded to my phone or I'll connect my computer to the car audio system.  This way I can listen to the audio track and watch the movie in my mind.  So far, music has been my main go-to, but I did listen to one movie while on the road - TRON (1982).  There will be more to come, I'm sure, since I will still need to drive across the rest of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah before I arrive back home.

So, what happened today?

First of all, my niece, Emlynn, is running a business "Milky Tomato" out of my sister and bro-in-law's home.  And business is BOOMING!  She makes all of her own designs and sells stickers, buttons, key chains, etc.  From what I gather, she's also a true influencer on TikTok (I guess you qualify if you have 250k+ followers).  This is her store's online URL:  https://www.milkytomato.com/

And, lastly, because Big Al and the Mud Dragons were on the horizon, my sister and bro-in-law picked up a new piece of IKEA furniture for me to assemble.  We may not be able to sing, but we sure can assemble IKEA furniture.  I was happy to do it, and it was fun...I enjoy doing this kind of thing.

We wrapped up the day by attending a performance of the Leander High School marching band.  Another niece, Brynn, is in the percussion section.  They did a wonderful job, and it was fun to be there on a beautiful early Fall Texas night...where the stars at night are big and bright!  Clap, clap, clap, clap, "Deep in the Heart of Texas!" :-D

I also had a great day with my Mom.  She turns 90 next month, and it's been so good to see her.

That is the scoop for one more day.

Stay tuned for next time!