Coming at you from Tanegashima, Japan on Wednesday morning (yes, the future), sitting on tatami mats next to a rice paper window screen. I apologize for the gap in posting. I don’t know what it is about traveling but, in transit, my brain just can’t go to a place where blogging feels like a possibility. There’s a switch in my head that takes me from reflection mode to intake mode and there is no in-between.

Let me tell you, there has been a lot of transit. The Saturday before last, Cody and I packed up our car and drove to Texas with Murdock. It took us three days. That’s three days of driving, three days of fast food, and two nights of interstate hotels. Once we arrived, we had to get Murdock all set up for his extended stay with my family. So there were vet visits and pet store visits and a rattle snake vaccine because Texas is rattlesnakes.

Texas is also delicious barbecue, Mexican food, and football enthusiasm, but I didn’t think to take pics of any of that.

One of the only fun things for me about road trips is sampling “exotic” drive thru cuisines. Steak ‘n Shake is a standard in the south and Whataburger is all over Texas.

My parent’s new house in Texas has a massive backyard and Murdock is in looove.

That’s a happy pup.

Since Japan doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving, my mom put together a little pre-Thanksgiving dinner for Cody and I, and she incorporated Christmas and my birthday too, which I will miss spending with family this year.

I have to publicly thank my Ma and associated kin for taking care of Murdock while we’re in Japan. On top of everything, Murdock had surgery on his knee shortly after Cody and I left and my mom has been tending to the poor soul in his recovery. I’ll be coming home to the new and improved Murdock 2.0 minus one luxating patella and I won’t have had to do anything. It’s unjust, I tell you. Mom – you’re wonderful.

Japan photos coming up next!