Space Cowboy

When we are young, we're told that we can be whatever we want to be. Reach for the stars! Everyone is a winner! You can do anything! Sure, it's true, but also, is it? I had a lot of fantastical dreams as a kid. First, I wanted to be a long haul truck driver. Once I realized that my reality would likely be wearing a diaper vs. the fantasy of using the radio to chat with friends called Ham Hock and Road Runner, I was out. I then dreamed of marrying Arnold Schwarzenegger. That bubble burst when I found out he had an affair. Infidelity was something I couldn't have between Arnold and I. Our true love story would never be. And so on, and so on.

As we get older, our dreams get smaller when we start losing faith that everything is possible. Maybe not an astronaut now, just a pilot. Well, maybe not a pilot, but an engineer. Well, maybe not an engineer, but a... We sacrifice our wildest dreams for what we think is the safer bet. We stop going all in and end up folding too early.

I witnessed wonder this trip which made me remember how it felt to bet it all. We drove to Space Ex down in Boca Chica and got up close and personal with the Starship. Truly, we got crazy close. Security seems kind of lax in a way that is a little unnerving. We got so close in fact, we were able to secure a piece of space history in the form of cement from the previous Starship takeoff (Elon, no need to thank us for helping to clean up your trash). We saw Starships, Starhoppers and Super Heavies. We witnessed the next generation of rockets that are going to take humans to Mars and beyond. This is the dream that seemed unfathomable until now. It was astonishing to be in the presence of a real dream powerhouse.

To get to Space Ex, we had to push our limits. They say there are no limits in space. The ends are boundless in the realm of space and time. I am here to correct you all. My space is a minivan and it has limits. My limit of peak auditory sanity maxes out at right before a person randomly screams "FLY!". My limit for speed maxes out at 75mph because otherwise we will roll off the road. My limit for focus maxes out right before we turn on a children's podcast about an imaginary adventure that my brain is too tired to tolerate. I have seen my limits on this trip.

I have also seen limitless possibilities in the world around me. My brain almost exploded from the world's best cajun seafood boil (Cocteleria El Masiquero). I viewed the world's worst business plan of "Buy 1 Firework, Get 11 Free!". The business is not still in business. We walked on one of the saltiest lakes in the world and accidentally stole salt crystals (I didn't know I wasn't supposed to until AFTER we had taken them. I'm sorry La Sal Del Rey). We ate the world's best chips and salsa. They are at Chuy's. I dare you to find better. 

I'm pushing my limits everyday of this trip as I step into the driver's seat of my little white rocket. We call her White Lightning, and she's taking us to new horizons everyday.



My new lewk.

Texas sunsets are pretty darn spectacular.

This is the best thing I've eaten in long time.

History was made behind me. No big deal.

And fun fact, Texas is bigger than any other state in the Contiguous US.

I can't disagree on this one.
Salt Gold. It's beautiful.


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