Nothing better than an excuse to visit an old Fernwood friend. Andrea Shearer and I worked together in the cauldron of the Fernwood office together and between the stressful times and the quieter times got to know each other pretty well.
She had since married, moved to Ireland and had two kids but had moved back to Austin. Her children are cuter than cute and except for leaving them with their Dad to go off and hear Toni Price play we got along quite well. Charlie is the extrovert and asks lots of hard but insightful questions. Georgia Bee is quieter and less overt. Both are delightful and I became very fond of both of them.
Austin is also a must-visit when in Texas for many reasons. It's the state capitol and not coincidentally the oddball capitol of Texas. The University of Texas is largely responsible for producing and attracting this colorful crowd of characters and Andrea was only too eager to give me a taste of the town.