Six Degrees of Separation

It seems that Frigyes Karinthy was right!

As you will of course know, he's the Hungarian author who posited the theory, way back in 1929, that any two individuals in the world could be connected through, at most, five acquaintances.   Well, after our first spooky coincidence with Becca's Uncle Mike knowing our friends, Danny and Carrie, we experienced another similar, if slightly less surprising, coincidence when we went out to a lovely open-air jazz cafe (Juliet's Italian Kitchen, on Barton Springs Road) with our host, Veronica, and her partner, Jay, on Wednesday evening.   He'd asked us about our plans for the week, and we mentioned we were visiting these two friends of ours the following evening.  "Oh, sure" he said casually, "I know Danny and Carrie.  I've interviewed Danny for my radio programme before now.   Lovely people".   Through that conversation, we learned that Jay is a well-known presenter/DJ on Austin's KUT radio station, a well-known and popular local figure in the music scene, though not a musician, himself.   So, chain-link network theory is alive and well, it would seem.

The music and food at Juliet's were both wonderful, and we were introduced to several friends who gradually squeezed themselves onto our table as the evening progressed.   The conversations between us all centred mainly on the twin disasters of Brexit and Trump and, fortunately for us, this being Austin, the least red-necked, most liberal place in the whole of Texas - there was much meeting of minds and mutual commiseration going on.   

Juliet's Kitchen: Andy's Forefinger; Barbara; Our Host Veronica; Jay the DeeJay

Our next evening, with Danny, Carrie, their 2-year-old daughter, Maizy Rae, and their friend, Phil Collins (no, not that one), was equally wonderful, with similar conversational themes, interspersed with much more focus upon the music scene, gigs or artists we enjoy in common, or wish we'd seen live before it was too late.   This talk, of course, mainly after Maizy Rae had been put to bed: until then, all 5 of we adults just focused all our attention on this sociable, gorgeous little girl who had us all eating out of her hand! 

Maizy Rae

During the day-time on both days - searingly hot (mid-30s) and steamingly humid - Andy and I had mainly ambled about, re-aquainting ourselves with the City's sights, monuments, art galleries, riverside walks, and Texan bars.   

The Changed Austin Skyline

We could clearly see, especially looking across at the City skyline from the south bank of the Colorado River, the proof of the headline we'd seen some while ago, that Austin is the fastest-growing City in the whole of the US right now.   Indeed, we were disappointed to note how many of the sparkling new, chrome-and-glass high-rise buildings have now obliterated, from that riverside viewpoint, some of the once most iconic of the not-so-old-themselves skyscrapers, including Frost Bank Tower, which had once appeared like a giant owl-like figure glowering across at the Congress Bridge bat roosts. Progress, I suppose.

Mexican Gallery on Congress

Guess Who: Mexican Gallery on Congress

This evening, we're off for some more, highly-recommended live music at the Saxon Pub on South Lamar - a place we visited with our long-time friends, Dave and Steph, almost exactly 12 years ago.