Saturday evening, I went to an Event a little outside of Austin. I drove out to the tiny town of Coupland (after a visit to Taylor for reasons) to Coupland Dancehall. About a dozen of us showed up for some food, drink (I, uncharacteristically, had a cider), and some sound checks for the show later that night (a longtime Austin musician who I’d seen enough times to feel no desire to see again). I’d never been to the dance hall for anything before, so believe me when I tell you that whatever you imagine an old-school Texas dance hall would be like, that’s what Coupland Dancehall is.
It made for a musical weekend from a caching perspective because the day before, I went to another Event of a musical nature. A local cacher plays trombone for a band that was having a free show open to the public, so an Event was held to hear them play! We all had dinner and listened to some oldies performed with a suitably fat horn section. (I’m more of an indie rock/punk guy, but whatever).
That was mostly it for the weekend. No deep thoughts or epic undertakings. Just some Events and a few Adventure Labs. I picked up a Traditional in Taylor that earned me a new addition to my treasure shelf: a compass (which made me think about my old compass that’s probably in storage with my astrolabe, but that’s not important right now). And you know what? That’s more than enough. With all the talk about travels and adventures, sometimes all you have time or room for is something simple. Never let anyone tell you their experience is better than yours. If you can’t climb a mountain or go into the desert (or just can’t right now), that’s OK. If you can’t cross an ocean or drive a few states over, that’s OK, too. A cache is a cache is a cache no matter where it is or what form it takes. That means even a lamppost or a park-and-grab. Heck, though some may disagree, that means Adventure Labs as well. If you didn’t outwit a titan for an ammo can this weekend, that’s cool. There’s always next weekend, no?
Geocaching While Black 