The ABC Life Blog

1 Point

Robert Hinkle, the author of Call Me Lucky, A Texan in Hollywood, writes about his days in Hollywood, where he taught Rock Hudson to talk like a Texan and James Dean to act like a cowboy for the movie Giant. Now that’s entrepreneurial – taking your experiences with famous people and flushing/puffing them out to have a semi-continuous income stream. I heard him talk recently at my woman’s club. Mr. Hinkle is in his 80s now so and still going strong – so I bought his book, complete with the AUTHOR’S AUTOGRAPH.

It’s amazing how those A’s can pile up fast – this time all under “activities.”

2 Points:
This past weekend, it was all about ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATING. Motivated by an article in Southern Living that raved about a fabulous restaurant, Rancho Loma, where the charm is abundant and the food is extraordinary, we met up with our close friends, Bill and Carol (from ARIZONA – can’t count that one) for a Texas style getaway. With the lure of a gourmet, farm-fresh, five course meal stretched out over three hours, that place exceeded our expectations. No wonder Bobby Flay is a fan. (No, he wasn’t there but his cookbooks were well represented at the Owl Drugstore where you can still get a great breakfast for $1.99.)

Since Rancho Loma is in Valera, Texas, we stayed at nearby Hords Creek Ranch in Coleman. What a find that was too. Clean and roomy, two-story, two-bedroom ranch house with fabulous cowboy ambiance.

2 Points:
On the ranch, I tried my hand at ANGLING. Didn’t catch anything but I did get a pull on the line. Hey, that was enough. I had finally “gone fishing.”

2 Points:
An 800-acre ranch has its share of critters. And who can resist horses’ hooves and cattle calls? Took some great shots during my brush with ANIMAL PHOTOGRAPHY.

2 Points:
Whenever I go to a new town, ANTIQUING is a must to get a flavor of the past. Although “true” antique stores were not abundant, we did find some rarities among items being readied for a Sunday auction. Interesting collection but nothing had my name on it.

What a great weekend.

How’s your ABC life been going?

New experiences keep your life fresh and interesting – a constant stream of discoveries. And lists, well I’ve always been the sort to write it down and check it twice.

So I’m taking my love for the new and combining it with the thrill of the list and having fun with the ABC Life – an orderly way to expand my life with fun places to visit and fascinating things to do, read, eat and experience. Admittedly, I get enthusiastic over the tiniest things but then often lose that initial interest rather quickly. Another reason why the ABC Life is for me.

The ABC Life is where you do as many things within a month that you can – starting with a specific letter. Obviously it all starts with “A.” So for me, October is the A month. During this month, I will try to cover as many categories as I comfortably can, without feeling like it’s a race. It’s an add-on, not the end all.

The main categories are:
Visiting/going to a city or type of place. ( Like A could be going to Austin. Or if travel was out of the question, it could be going to an aviation exhibit or to a local airport and browsing through their gift shop. )
Doing something specific.
Trying a new food or recipe.
Studying a subject.

Additional categories are wide open but could include: reading a book whose title or first or last name starts with the letter, watching a movie that starts with the letter, going to a restaurant or drinking a specific wine.)

There are “points” in my ABC Life. Doesn’t have to be the same for you, but I like the points concept – sort of the thrill I get from lists. But the rules for the points can change and when there’s no one making them but you, you can adjust them as you go. I give myself 2 points for a main category and 1 point for additional categories. I’m aiming for at least 8 points a month.

I’m excited to start. In fact, I’ve already started.

2 Points:
I went to Arlington for a Ranger’s game last Friday. They were playing the Los Angeles Angels so my loyalty was split. I own a Rally Monkey, which was all the rage during the summer of 2002 when the Angels won the World Series but I live in Texas now. Only my friend P knows who I was rooting for and she won’t tell.

1 Point:
Tried a new wine last week at an interesting wine bar in Frisco/Little Elm. The place is called The Grape Escape (casual vibe and good live music) and the wine was Argiolas Costamolina – a fresh, clean, ripe white wine, expressing pear, peach, spice and a touch of grapefruit.

1 Point:
Read Anna Quinlan‘s Every Last One. It’s a very powerful book but it deals with the subject of loss and it’s a very emotional read. I loved the writing and the truths revealed by the main character, the mom. If not for that, I would have stopped reading since it was hard to deal with her pain. Glad I did finish it, however, since it was so well written and didn’t take the easier, more cliched route to the end.

More points to come. I know I’ll be going to antique stores later in the month and trying out two great new recipes: one for an amaretti torte from my friend JD and another for a simple Apple Torte from LH. (Notice the trend here for dessert?) Can’t share them yet since I haven’t baked either but will post when I do.

Feel free to play along and share. It will be fun!