Mission Explore Texas

You've heard people say this before: Texas is not just a state. And they're right. It's more like its own continent on Planet America. If I had a list of the last places I would live on Earth, Texas would definitely be among the last. Yet, ironically, I find myself living here now in the "heart of Texas" for a whopping record-breaking 3 1/2 years! That's the only place I've lived in the longest besides Detroit (the burbs), Michigan, where I grew up to be an American. The city's slogan is "Keep Austin Weird" and that probably has something to do with why I love it! What other city do you know celebrates Eeyore's birthday (yes, that's Eeyore the donkey from Winnie the Pooh and his birthday party is this Saturday) by getting dressed up in weird costumes, drumming, and doing "stuff" in a public park? So, instead of feeling sorry for myself and dwelling on the fact that I currently reside in Texas and not somewhere much cooler (not in temperature), like Vietnam or India, I've decided to make it my mission to explore Texas like a real tourist. (I'm also a proud owner of a Texas State Park Pass for 2 years.) You know, maybe like someone from Vietnam who has never left her country and has dreamt all her life of bountiful America, just like the way it is in the movies with huge houses, fancy cars, mountains of money, triple-decked hamburgers, shopping malls, movie theatres, amusement parks, etc.

Austin is the capitol of Texas AND the "live music capitol of the world!"  Yes, really, it is.  On any given night, Austin has more live music than any other city in the world apparently.  Pretty incredible, isn't it? Austin is also in the Hill Country region of the Lone Star state, which means lots of rolling hills and my new favorite, fields of amazingly beautiful wildflowers in Spring! I took my first spring time scenic road trip to North Padre Island (NPI) and I must have been driving at 35 MPH just "ooohhing" and "aahhing" at the huge fields of Bluebonnets (the state flower) and Indian Paintbrushes, and the poor little armadillos on the road (the state animal, although I didn't know what they were but since we were in Texas, I figured armadillo was a safe guess).  I mean, just crazy splashes of vibrant blues, reds, yellows and whites along the side road.  It was definitely breathtaking and I wanted to just go run in the fields and lose my breath some more! Actually, on the way back, my friend and I couldn't resist stopping several times to pick ourselves a nice bouquet of wildflowers.

One of my favorite things about Texas besides the hot weather and wildflowers is, the warm friendly people. And they say sweet things in their sweet Texas twang like "Bless your heart!" I just love that, for some reason. Anyway, I believe there is a strong correlation between warmer weather and warmer people.  *Travel Tip* Go to places where the average daily temperature is at least in the high 70s and you'll be guaranteed a more friendly and relaxing trip, seriously. 

Ok, back to the heart of the story. I was sitting on a bench inside the Wal Mart in Seguin next to a properly dressed Texan man, in a cowboy hat and cowboy boots, of course. He looked healthy and no more than 80 years.  He was very friendly and asked me how I'm doing and if I'm from the area.  I said, "no," and he went on to tell me that he's 90 years old, from Stockdale (roundabout 30 miles from Seguin), survived all his 9 siblings and he was the third oldest.  I listened respectfully while he detailed who died in which year, etc. (I'm used to this because my dad does the same thing.) He wasn't being depressing or morbid but rather grateful and happy to be alive. I told him how impressed I was that he was 90 years old and still healthy and alert to be shopping with his daughter at Wal Mart. He even told me how he took the car and drove to the store the day before even though he wasn't supposed to!

(This is the reason why I wanted to tell this story.) 

In response to me, he said, "I'm just lucky to be here."  And I nodded in agreement.

I was secretly hoping he'd share some profound wisdom or advice for me after 90 years of life experience, but what he said to me was so simple. Yet, I contemplated it for the next 4-hour drive and then some.  As I chilled on the beach, breathed in the fresh ocean air, listened to the waves, felt the ocean breeze in my face, and cozied up to the fire, I thought about how lucky we ALL are to be alive.  No matter what trials and tribulations life throws at us, we should all be able to enjoy all the simple and beautiful things that life has to offer - the beach, jellyfish, flowers, rain, sun, moon, stars, clouds, kite-flying, etc....and especially, ambient beach camping with the company of friends and fellow beach lovers.  Awww yeah!!


And another reason why I love Texas - While passing through Stockdale on the way home, I nearly drove right into an old man (I don't think this was the same old man at Wal Mart) on this antique 3-wheel scooter just scooting across a wide 4-lane highway.  He saw me coming but apparently it was HIS town so he decided to cross right in front of me in the middle of the road anyway, at 5 mph!  I was totally laughing and thinking, ONLY in Texas would I witness such a site! And the wind must have blown away his cowboy hat. 

Ambient Camping with DJs spinning retro 80s ambient music! Total ambient awesomeness!

Malaquite Beach, NPI

I love FIRE! Luckily I always keep matches in the car, yay!

Jellyfish, they're huge! Is everything really bigger in Texas, you ask?  YES!! I weigh my heaviest now bc of the large portions of food and the State of Texas government work life. btw, I think this is a Cannon ball jellyfish.

a beautiful field of Indian Paintbrushes!! 

A Woman's Guide to Picking Up Hitchhikers

Let me guess what you're thinking...."What?!?! You PICKED up a HITCHHIKER?!? That's crazy!  You could've been killed!"  Yes, I picked up a hitchhiker and I know I could've been killed. Call me crazy. I'm a girl. I was alone. I could've been hacked into pieces, blah blah blah.  BUT before you REALLY think I'm crazy and stupid, let me tell you my story and then you can judge for yourself if I really am crazy and stupid. So this is how my awesome Houston hitchhiker story goes...

It was 6 days before Christmas. I had been listening to Christmas songs and dreaming  of a white Christmas. [Perhaps being in the Christmas spirit might have played a part in my impulsiveness that day, but then again, I probably would have done it anyway because I'm not that religious.]  I was on my way to Houston for a photoshoot and to visit family. Shortly after I started heading East on Hwy 290, I saw a guy sitting on the side of the road at the gas station, holding a sign that said, "To Houston (Montrose)." I didn't get a real good look at the guy or anything since I was in a fast moving vehicle.  But instantly, my unfiltered thoughts were, "well, I'M going to Houston. If there's someone that needs a ride, why not give him a ride?" Seriously, that was all I thought before I took the next turn-around and headed back to the gas station.   

Here's my perspective behind this: What if we didn't live in a society where we were inundated with depressing news of random shootings, murders, rapes, kidnappings, burglaries, terrorism, etc? What if there was no crime, no evil? What if we lived as humans should live together...in love, peace, and respect for one another? Imagine that for just a moment. [Seriously, pause and give it some thought. Close your eyes if that helps.] Then imagine a situation where you are driving somewhere and you saw someone who needs a ride to the exact same place you are going.  Would you even hesitate to give that person a ride? Would you even question for just a second that that person could be some crazy pyscho that will chop you up in pieces? I don't think so. If you're an average sane human being, your good Samaritan human instincts would tell you to do the right thing and give that person a ride.  It should be that simple, right? 


Now, imagine you're back in the real world. In two seconds, your mind would be flooded with paranoid thoughts of how you might be killed with an axe and buried in pieces, etc. If you grew up watching Freddy the 13th, Jason, Poltergeist, or Pet Cemetary, I'm sure you can conjure up all sorts of gory scenarios. [By the way, I don't like and refuse to watch horror movies because of this.] But, you won't immediately realize that those paranoid thoughts are precisely the result of our (crazy) society invading the purity and goodness of our human nature. Personally, I think that's sad and depressing to think that we live in a society that IS that scary -  that we are  afraid of helping a fellow human for the sake of protecting our lives. Honestly, I think THAT'S crazy. It just doesn't feel right to me. How would you feel if you were stranded one day and had to hitchhike for a ride?  Wouldn't you just want a kind person to give you a friendly ride and not think that you're an ex-convict axe-murderer going to kill them?


Ok, hopefully I made my point and convinced you that I'm not crazy.  But I haven't convinced you that I'm not stupid either.  You're probably thinking..."Get down from Cloud 9 you crazy girl because we DON'T live in your dream world and we DO live in a scary world. There ARE crazy people out there that will kill you." True. You're absolutely right. I'm not totally naive and stupid enough to think that I'm always safe from crime and evil and everyone out there is inherently good. So, I tried to be smart about it at least. 


This is my woman's guide to picking up a hitchhiker:

• He was young, under 30 years old. Plus, under all the facial hair, you could tell that he was good-looking but that doesn't matter. It was just a lucky bonus.
• He had dreadlocks. I know this is stereotyping but it's a good stereotype and I would bet my life (and I was right) that guys with dreads are hippie types that make peace, not war.
• He was dressed in pants held together by a whole bunch of patches, actually in several pants and in several layers of shirts. This means he was a serious hobo gypsy traveler type. I don't know about you, but they're my kind of people.
• He had a backpacker backpack. If they don't look like they're really traveling then you can assume they're in a different type of situation, though that doesn't eliminate the fact that they may still need help.
• He had a guitar. My theory is that musicians are creative, not cruel, nor criminals. Brilliant theory, isn't it?
• I also checked his I.D. He didn't have a license, but he had a passport. That says A LOT to me, personally.  He's smart enough to have a passport and even better that he's a worldly traveler. [The statistic varies, but according to an article in the New York Times, the State Dept. estimates that only around 27% of Americans own a passport.]
• He was just trying to see his good friend in Houston that he hadn't seen in a long time. I think that's simple and sweet.
• He was kinda stinky, but that was a good thing in this case. :)
• Given all that... I've backpacked and lived around the world by myself so trust me, I have enough experience (and never a bad one, thankfully). I can say with confidence that I trust my instincts. If you don't trust yourself, then who can you trust? [On a side note, I must say that of all the places I'ved lived and traveled in, the U.S. is the place that I feel the most unsafe. Just something to ponder.] 

So do you still think I'm stupid? Perhaps. But anyway, you know that the story doesn't end with me being chopped up and buried in the bushes somewhere in BFE, Texas. To continue with the story, I picked up the hitchhiker and we shared a deep conversation about life, art, music, kids, travel, etc... We listened to Pink Floyd and had an enjoyable ride to Houston. He kept me company, we had great conversation, I got him safely to his destination, and even met his friend. In fact, I am even Facebook friends with both of them! Needless to say that I didn't do it to get anything out of it, but I was rewarded for my good deed with a bowl, Jim Beam, and VIP seats to good live music.  However, I am absolutely positive that my real reward will come as good karma in disguise at some point, if not already. Besides that, it simply felt good to help someone out and make him happy...and not just one person, I made two people happy.  They literally jumped for joy and hugged and screamed like little girls when they saw each other.  And it really really touched me and made me so happy to see two grown boys hugging like that! So, as crazy and stupid as it may have been, I followed my heart and I know I did the right thing.  Love, Peace, and Happy Hitchhiking!       

Disclaimer: For your safety, La Pham Nikita does not encourage women (or men) to pick up hitchhikers and even if you do, I cannot guarantee an experience as pleasant as mine.  But if you choose to do so, please be safe and use good judgement.  I don't do it regularly or pretend to think it is a smart and safe thing to do for a single woman, but I just trust my instincts that much and consciously choose to live my life this way, as pure and good-hearted as possible, uncontaminated by society, seeking adventure at my own risk and hitchhiker-friendly. But, I will probably delete this post when my children are able to read.  This is just a post to stimulate your thoughts and provoke some conversation about the society we live in and how it affects our thinking and our human relationships.

Caption: This is the photo of the hitchhiker and his friend.  They were both extremely talented musicians and I was lucky they didn't chop me up, but instead sang and played beautiful music for me. How blessed am I?

Mission Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

"Shit! I have less than 2 weeks to become an artist," I said to my friends before E.A.S.T. (my first East Austin Studio Tour).  The henna peacock bag idea was conceived one cool night in Austin. I was chillin' in the backyard, drinkin' a Lonestar with my inspiring artist friend and talkin' shop. He started a women's clothing line Darkeyes Clothing where his drawings are silkscreened on shirts and dresses. We put 2 and 2 together and decided I could draw a henna design to silkscreen on canvas bags. Actually, I had the bag idea sitting on my entrepreneurial bookshelf 3 years ago when I was living in a fully-equipped 32-footer 1982 Southwind Winnebago in Arlington, Texas, and working as a Program Coordinator for the Student Conservation Association. I was feeling really green and environmentally friendly at the time and that was when I started using the reusable bags for grocery shopping. I was also still under the influence of the German way because I had just come directly from living in a small German town outside the Ramstein Airforce Base. If you've travelled to Germany, you would immediately notice that the Germans are very environmentally conscious and progressive. At all central shopping areas, you will find several large bins for recycling paper, plastic, and different colored glass bottles. At grocery stores, you don't get plastic bags and they don't pack your groceries for you either. They all use reusable bags. It's totally part of their culture and it's called the Green Dot (Der Gruene Punkt). I remember the first time I was living in Germany in 2000 and went to the market in Hamburg. I panicked when I realized I didn't have a reusable bag to put my groceries in. "How the hell am I going to carry my groceries," I thought. No one warned me and no travel guide even mentioned it. I was ashamed of myself for not having my own reusable bag. Lucky for me, I was able to purchase a plastic bag at the checkout for 10 euro cents but I'm sure the cashier lady was frowning at me.

Now, a decade later, you can see reusable bags sold at most major shopping markets and stores in the U.S. However, we have only recently started advocating the concept of replacing plastic bags with reusable bags. It is great to see the U.S. doing this but we can still do more and be more green.  So please reduce the use of plastic bags, reuse the ones you have, and don't forget to bring your reusable bags with you to the store. Here's why:

The facts: We use well over 500,000,000,000 (that's 500 billion) plastic bags annually, or almost 1 million per minute and they stay on our planet for up to 1,000 years.

The impact: Plastic bags cause over 100,000 sea turtle and other marine animal deaths every year when animals mistaken them for food. Plastic bags don't biodegrade. It takes 10 years to break down into toxic waste that contaminates soil and waterways and enters the food web when animals accidentally ingest them. And there's more of course.  (source: http://www.reusablebags.com/)  Other links to learn more about plastic bags: No Impact Man Blog, Natural Environment,http://www.earthday.net/plasticbags

(please scroll down to the bottom to purchase a bag.)

It will be an amazing cultural transformation when we are all using reusable bags for our groceries and only using plastic bags when in desperation or if we've suddenly come down with amnesia. We need to keep advocating environmentally friendly practices and hopefully in another decade, we won't see plastic bags in our grocery stores anymore or be using other harmful plastics for that matter. So, my henna peacock bag project is killing 2 birds with 1 stone (no pun intended). Not only did I start drawing after having taken only 1 drawing class in high school but I transformed my drawing into a side entrepreneurial project with an environmental cause. It would make sense that the more we like a bag, the more we will use it. Plus, these are special bags that are not made of ordinary cotton, it's 100% recycled cotton! Be aware of using cheap quality bags that won't last long and will end up in the trash after a short time. It's nice when you can have a bag that is eco-friendly, durable, practical, locally made, meaningful, attractive, artsy and affordable - all in one! I so enjoyed coming out as an artist and the process of making these bags and I hope you enjoy using it (frequently) too.  Thanks again to JLaw, Big Medium and all my family, friends and fans who have shown your excitement and support for my henna peacock drawings and bags.  I am inspired by you. Thank you! Love, Peace, and Namaste, LPN