This child of mine was born January 13, 1991 at Baptist hospital in Memphis, TN over a zip-loc baggie full of Texas soil. I'm born and raised in Dallas, schooled at the University of Texas at Austin, and all my family is there. Consequently, many trips to Texas are required. Getting there has never been easy. First you have to get to Little Rock. That means getting some dear someone to drive the Memphis-Little Rock round trip (twice) or drive and pay $$$$ to park. Either way we also have to tack on $$ to the airfare and plan to leave town 3-4 hours before take-off.

The photo was taken when Sam was barely 2 while we waited for our plane to Dallas at the Little Rock airport.

Now, Sam is a college student, and guess which college he attends? The University of Texas at Austin. Will the SWA/Airtran deal be real before he graduates in 2013?

Summer Plans...

Summer plans? We're sending Sam to the International Society of Bassists Conference in San Francisco followed by a week at UNT to study with Lynn Seeton. He begins his junior year at the University of Texas in August, and we all think now's time to meet and greet grown-ups in the world of music outside of Austin and Memphis. So the rest of the Pankey family has a staycation here in mighty Memphis.

For me, summer is about catching up on books and movies, making and baking stuff, taking some professional development classes, and thinking more about the big picture. The last 2 are particularly important this summer since I'll start a new teaching position next year, CLUE. More about that later...