On the road again: Austin, day 1

Getting up in the nines on a Sunday morning is never going to be a fun thing for me, but the rest of this travel day went exceptionally well.  Both flights reached their destinations earlier than the scheduled times, and I was lucky enough to get first-class upgrades for both of them.  I had enough time in DFW to enjoy a Red Mango parfait.  All the logistical details that can derail a trip--baggage, rental car, hotel room, etc.--lined up perfectly. 

Best of all, the evening featured a barbecue dinner at The County Line on the Lake and dessert at perpetual favorite Amy's Ice Creams.  It's hard not to like a day that includes those two places.

I normally post pictures of the food and/or the places I enjoy, but I did something highly unusual today:  I left my hotel room without my phone.  I was a few miles from the hotel before I realized what I'd done, so I decided to spend the evening without it.  I found that surprisingly uncomfortable, as if I was traveling half-blind--which, of course, in a way I was.  Like so many folks today, I've come to rely on my phone for random bits of data, pictures, and so.  The fact that I missed it so much makes me want to spend more time without it, because I suspect that its mere presence sometimes makes me less present than I want to be.  Another possible change to contemplate.