Painting with Parents

Born in Austin, I’ve been a Texas fan for as long as I can remember, and that only intensified when I attended UT. But this year, I added a new level to my allegiance: Now I’m also a Texas parent.

One of the great comforts during this, our first year with a kid away at college, has been the Texas Parents Association, especially the group’s Facebook page. It’s been a great help to see what other parents (and their students, of course) are going through. It’s always good to know you’re not alone with your hopes and fears. It’s also great to have a source for advice when dealing with issues that can come up on the Forty Acres.

Shortly after Bevo XIV died, a DFW mom suggested a Bevo painting party for Metroplex Texas parents. I jumped at the chance to memorialize my favorite steer and meet some fellow parents to boot.

When I arrived at the Lover’s Lane Painting with a Twist location, I soon knew I was among “my people”:

After many reminders that we were not creating “fine art” but “fun art,” we were underway. We sketched Bevo first:

Then the artists-in-residence led us through the process to create our masterpieces. I was again reminded why I write and don’t draw, but I was still pleased that if you blur your eyes, you can at least tell what my subject was:

It was fun getting to meet the other parents, and it was cool to see how our paintings varied so much, even though we all followed the same steps and instructions.

We had a great turnout for this event.

I hope we can do something similar later this year or next.

Uncanny resemblance, huh?

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Bear Down

Texas 23, Baylor 17

Dec. 5, 2015 • Waco

Who woulda thunk it? If you had told me that the Horns would win just five games all season, I NEVER would’ve guessed two of those wins would come against ou and Baylor.

In the first half, our guys made it look easy. Baylor, in spite of ridiculous injuries, came into the game with the top offense IN THE NATION. The Bears had scored on their first drive of every game this season. This time, though, our D stuffed their fourth down conversion attempt to end their first drive. Then our O came to life and scored on the third play from scrimmage, a 57-yard pass from Swoopes to Bluiett. It was a thing of beauty.

At halftime our oft-maligned Horns were up 20-0 over the 12th-ranked Bears. We all knew that if anyone could come to life in the second half, it’d be Baylor.

After all, Baylor’s been known to play lights-out with the right inspiration.

Injuries had forced the Bears to play their fourth-string QB, which led to this post from another Twitter user:

That didn’t seem to matter, though. The Bears went to the wildcat formation and didn’t even need a quarterback to rattle off 17 unanswered points in the second half and pull within 3. Up 20-17, we finally rediscovered our offense and capped off this game with a Nick Rose FG to win by 6.

Of course, most college fans will say that Texas never would’ve beaten a healthy Baylor team. To that I say this:

(1) But we weren’t healthy, either. Nobody seemed to acknowledge the role huge injuries on D, not to mention our starting QB, had in our losses, especially that Tech game; and

(2) We beat ou. We are the only team that has beaten the sooners, now ranked number-freakin’-TWO, this year so far. How ’bout that?

I know, I know: Even these two huge upsets can’t save this abysmal season. But these precious wins were flat-out fun and desperately needed in this cringe-worthy year.

Ten years ago, we were packing for Pasadena, and this year, we’re not in a bowl at all and our long off-season has already begun. We have a new offensive coordinator aboard AND an ace QB commit headed our way, so hope springs eternal. You know I’m going to be in those stands regardless, so it’d be a whole lot more fun if we could actually get back to that thing we used to do and—what’s it called again? oh, yeah—WIN.

As I write this on Dec. 26, we are a l-o-o-o-o-n-g 252 days away from the next Texas football game, and knowing our first opponent will be the Irish will make the anticipation even greater. But when those gold helmets show up in DKR, we’ll be there. Our guys had better be ready.

Hook ’em.

 

 

 

 

Wrecked

Texas Tech 48, Texas 45 

Nov. 26, 2015 • DKR

 

 

Just as it’s hard to get away from Rice Krispie treats when we play Rice, it’s apparently impossible for me to avoid the tortillas when we face Tech.

Tech fans have been known to throw tortillas when their team scores. I wondered if this tradition was a thing of the past, but at this Thanksgiving night game, I got to see first-hand that obnoxious, danger-loving Raiders are still wont to toss the ’Wretillas. Speaking of obnoxious fans, Katie and I encountered some doozies. The phrase “act like you’ve been there” came to mind, but then again, I had to remember that this was the first time Tech had beaten us in Austin since 1997.

Give me just one of our injured defensive players (preferably Malik Jefferson) and we win this game. Give me just one of our terrible play calls (that 4th down lob to Daje, maybe?) and we pull it out. But isn’t that how this season went? Moments of greatness (Chris Warren’s breakout performance, our unlikely win over ou) tarnished by confounding ineptitude.

Photos have gotten fewer, and blog posts are shorter and have come later than ever. It’s hard to get fired up to recap these crappy ones. Losing sucks. But I insist on documenting these lame games because when we get back to where we’re supposed to be, I want to look back and see how far we’ve come.

In spite of the outcome, Katie and I managed to have some fun. After sharing Thanksgiving dinner with our family, we hit the road for Austin. We poncho-ed up for the misty/drizzly evening and made the most of this last 2015 home game.

Highlights of our trip: Jimmie Vaughn’s halftime performance with the Longhorn Band and a fun day of Black Friday shopping the next morning.

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