BBQ and Brides 'n' Grooms

There's no prettier time of year in Central Texas than late October, so folks there love to have their weddings around then -- in fact our anniversary is on the 29th. So we were thrilled this past weekend to attend the nuptials of our good friends DeeDee and Jake not only because of our happiness for them but also because it gave us a chance to revisit the haunts where we tied the knot 2 wonderful years ago. Just like back in '05, we got to have an early breakfast at Las Manitas on Sunday morning and even a reunion with the padre who married us, Father Dave, at Sunday mass on the UT campus.

But first, there was the matter of BBQ.

Now people from all parts of the South have very strong opinions on the subject of BBQ: pork vs. beef, dry-rub vs. wet, sauce vs. no sauce, etc. Without wandering into that thicket of weeds, suffice it to say that we prefer Texas-style to all others, and our favorite joint is the City Market in Luling, just outside of Austin. It's the type of food we miss most, and we literally went there straight from the airport.

Like all the great places, it's a simple operation: there's a room where they smoke the meats and a room where you eat the meats. There's brisket, sausage, and ribs, slow-smoked over charcoal from native Texas woods, which you order by the pound and is served on butcher paper with some white bread and pickles -- and no utensils. You walk to your table with something like this:
And if you're Sergio you commence to do this:

Note the dipshit passport in the shirt pocket.

After that business was done, we went on a luxurious shopping spree for ordinary items. It's amazing to realize how much we rely on simple grocery products to get through our daily lives -- until you find yourself with less access to those products. We've made plenty of adjustments, and it's not like we're suffering here, but we took full advantage to buy tons of things like dental floss, good maple syrup, dog treats, etc. Our trip to Target was like a holy pilgrimage of consumerism.

The wedding itself was a blast, as we'd expected. There was a beautiful sunset ceremony performed by Jake's brother in Willie Nelson braids followed by a lovely reception in the crisp Hill Country air. Sergio's favorite moment was "Islands in the Stream" kicking the dance party up a notch. And we got to see all our great Austin comrades...












The Gammon-Beards










The King of All Weddings












Dave brings back the skinny tie.

No idea.

Getting closer as the night goes on.

California wedding date TBA...

The groom feels the groove.






It was a wonderful weekend overall, and we wish the newlyweds all the happiness that we've had over these last 2 years. Special thanks to Tristan and Jessica for their hospitality. It was so fun in fact, that the same cast of characters will reunite in 2 short weeks for the holy union of Brad and Abby:


As you can tell by the photo, it will be hot. Extremely, unbelievably hot.