Always loved that song by Little Texas, later met the lead singer, Dwayne O’Brien, he’s a pilot!!  Anyway, love to be back in Texas where great friends love a get together and some of my finest burgers that have been scarfed down!!  A few years ago I had two breakthrough burgers in Texas; Pappa’s Burgers in Houston, and Hut’s in Austin.  Sharlie and I were back at Hut’s tonight and they haven’t lost a step!  Still a great burger joint!  You just have to love a place with steers head wearing a National Championship hat, Hook em’ horns!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The people are great the burgers are good and juicy and the history makes it all the better!  Hut’s Burgers have been voted Number One in Austin for 26 straight years, and have also been voted TEXAS Best Burger in 2011!   In a state that knows how to make great burgers that’s a real statement.  Hut’s holds on to it’s 4.7 rating and remains one of America’s best burgers!!!   The company, my pal Sharlie and Butch (her husband) get’s a 5!

 

 

 

 

Wish I had made this last shot, but it was from there website, someday, after another “Dagburger”  (Double meat) I’ll try to stay up late enough ot make this shot!!!

 

God Bless Texas,

 

the pilgrim

I got a call from one of my favorite folks at Nikon, Sharlie Douglass,  she is the sales rep for the Eastern half of Texas.  I always enjoy working with Sharlie, she is a former NPS Tech Rep, and really knows her stuff.  She called to ask me if I would pinch hit for a tech that is our of the country at the Olympics, an assignment I has asked to be set free from.  The Texas Legislature’s photo group are getting new Nikons and needed a little overview and some training, so I will fly down to Austin tomorrow and help them out.  The great news for me, other than working with Sharlie, is Austin is the home of Hut’s Hamburgers, one of the very best in America.  It has been several years since I’ve been there and I can’t wait to see if they are as good as I remember!

 

I’m betting they will rise in the rankings, I’m a more seasoned cheeseburger critic now than I was then!  I will definitely get some pictures and do a review.

I found a great book reviewing burgers across American an so far I concur on many of the authors picks, we have raved about some of the same spots, I now keep the book in my iPad for reference as a travel.  I can highly recommend the book!  Which brings me to an interesting email I got some time back.  The writer said they admitted they really enjoyed the reviews and the Cheeseburgers in Paradise Blog, but they wondered how I got so enamored with burgers??!!  I figured some other folks might have the same question, and then thousands out there could care less, but for those want to know here goes!

 

When my brother Homer and I were growing up in Harlan, Kentucky my Dad sometimes was in charge of supper and he made a great Cheeseburger, as I went to school and later got out of college it was just always one thing I really liked. Later in life when Sherelene and I  formed a company called the Great American Photography Weekends I started to travel extensively to run workshops all over America.  Back then I would drove from Corbin, Kentucky to every place we did workshops, consequently I drove over 70,000 miles a year and was away from home over 200 days each year.  I really missed my family so I created fun games to pass the time; I collected funny road sign images, looked for all the brilliant color for color sake images I saw along the road, and started to search for the “perfect” cheeseburger.   It became a habit to ask friends in different town where the best burger was and then I would drop by those places to see how I like it.  I had a newsletter that went out to the mailing list of the GAPW customers and I would, from time to time, review a particularly good cheeseburger.  The more I did it the more I enjoyed the process of learning about the people and places and the history behind some of the long time favorite burgers.   People started knowing me as “that cheeseburger guy” so more recommendations kept coming in. When I met Jim Begley and we started to teach workshops together and travel to many Americana locations more great burgers started to pop up!  Now it has taken on a life of it’s own.  I guess it’s better than hanging out in bars!  But hey a few bars have been good burger locations.

 

So if you were wondering, there is the story, and if you weren’t, well I’ll try to get back to something more relevant soon, but expect a splash tomorrow night, or Thursday about Hut’s!

 

the pilgrim

 

It is said that their are three dimension to human interaction; Time, Place, and What Happens.  In the spiritual realm we must add a Fourth, How we Respond. My Pastor preached on the life of Joseph on Sunday, actually he has been preaching on Joseph for several weeks. The story is found in Genesis.  Joseph was Jacob’s son and he experienced many trials but never lost his faith in God.  It took 13 years for Joseph to learn all of God’s lessons, but he was faithful to God and he eventually was made the ruler of Egypt.  I would encourage you to read Genesis chapters 36 through 42.  What you will discover is  a rich treasure of how to please God.

 

Joseph was thrown into a pit by his jealous brothers,  accused of crimes he did not commit, was thrown in prison for 13 years, yet he did not go the route we have often been guilty of in this life,  He did not allow bitterness, to enter his heart, which grows to anger, hatred, and finally a hardened heart.  Instead he looked outward and sought to serve those around him even when in prison.  It was very difficult to experience what he went through, but his response prepared him to be a great leader.

 

Do you want to be a great father, and husband, or wife, and mother, or leader in your community, or your church?  Humble yourself before Him and ask Him to give you the strength to respond in Love and Kindness, even when your enemies attack you.  Take heart from the songs lyrics below, You Are My King.

 

In Him,

 

the pilgrim

 

“You Are My King”

 

 

As a photographer you’re never lost, you’re just on your way to a subject you didn’t know existed !  Traveling on the blue highways, (the roads that existed long before the interstates or four lanes, and blue in color on the road maps), is one of life’s greatest adventures, taking the roads less traveled!  America lives on the back roads, our history is tucked away,  just around the bend.  Get off the Interstate and discover our past!

 

For ten years, between 1991 and 2001, I drove over 70,000 miles a year, passing through virtually all the lower 48 states, EVERY year!!!  Many of those miles  were on the blue highways!   Route 66, Highway 50, 421, U.S. 1, and many more historic roads of yesteryear….

 

Traveling America’s Byways is a wonderful way to see the treasures, forgotten, and left behind.  Travel by car has become a race to see how much distance we can cover in the minimum amount of time!  We are so focused on “getting there”,  we’ve lost the joy of the journey!  As a photographer, the journey IS the destination!!!

 

I sat watching my granddaughter, Abigail, sleep in the shade on Thursday, ( two posts back), and my life came full circle.  Life truly is about the intimate  pleasures, the best moments in life are not the costliest.

 

Spiritually, we need to discover the same road less traveled, time on our knees talking with our Heavenly Father.  We need to get off the expressway of life and fellowship in a quiet place with Him.  If we truly want to do His will, we need to know Him better, and fellowship is the only way to do that.  God does not want to yell into your spirit above the ruckus of daily life!  He desires to speak to your heart in the quiet moments of intense fellowship.

 

Slow down and take the next exit from life’s super highway, find “the  rest area” and wait on Him!  Trust me when you seek Him, He will be there!!!”

 

The pilgrim

 

Recognizing treasure?   Here is my list from the five days since I returned from Oshkosh;

 

1.   Watching Abby sleep.

 

2.  Cuddling Sherelene on mornings when the alarm doesn’t  matter.

 

3.   Watching the sun sink into the horizon and then watch the glow spread across the sky.

 

4.  Reading the Word, and hearing God speak directly to my heart!

 

5.  Sitting in the car riding to Lexington looking at my wife’s face, and thinking how proud I am of the woman she has become.

 

6.  Listening to my grandsons, Cade and Elijah talk about their life’s adventures.

 

7.  Sitting at the computer waiting quietly for God to speak to my heart, before I post, and reading Chuck Summers calming words in his blog!       www.seeingcreation.com

 

8.  Taking afternoon naps when you’re exhausted.

 

9.  Talking with Jim about plans for His Light Workshops.

 

10.  Talking and listening to God in prayer…..