Today was the day that Nathan scheduled visits with some of the folks he met and served with while he was in Texas. Since this was one of the big reasons we are in Texas, we told him to arrange visits with as many people as he wanted, and he opted to make multiple visits throughout the day. There were many offers for meals, which Nathan says is totally normal, so we started off our day with breakfast in Denton. Two of the families he worked closely with, hosted us and it was so good to put faces to a few of the names he mentioned on his calls home. They fed us well with waffles, eggs, biscuits and gravy and as had been requested in advance, Nathan had some piano music on hand and played several things for them. And since he isn’t an official missionary anymore, he was able to play something other than hymns!
One really good thing that came from this morning’s visit, other than just meeting some really great families, is the fact that they passed on to Nathan that the work he and his companion did in Denton has continued. When Nathan first arrived in Denton, the ward there had requested no more missionaries be assigned to them due to the huge problems they had with previous missionaries. So, Nathan knew, and I remember him telling us, that they had their work cut out for them and would need to regain the trust of the ward before they could do much work. Well, they did just that and ended up being greatly loved and appreciated in Denton. They worked hard and did good and apparently the current missionaries are still building on the work Nathan and his comp did. Their names are still in the documentation that the current missionaries are using and when new missionaries arrive, they end up asking who these elders are. For Nathan, hearing that was one of those moments that confirmed to him that although his time in Texas was short, the work he did made a difference.
While we were in Denton, we knew we needed to make a stop at Buc-ee’s, a gas station chain that originated in Texas and, as we’ve been told, puts all other gas stations to shame. While the internet tells me it is no longer so, when the Buc-ee’s in Denton was built, it was the biggest one in the world. And the Denton-ites are proud of that! In fact, the street that the gas station is on is named Buc-ee’s Boulevard and the one of the cross streets is Beaver Nuggets Lane. Kevin says Buc-ee’s is a lifestyle, not a gas station, and Nathan felt like that was an apt description! Now that I have experienced Buc-ee’s for myself, I completely agree. It is a gas station and really only carries the things any gas station would, but it has a bigger than normal selection. For instance, there is a whole wall of jerky. And a section where you can buy jerky by the pound as well. You can buy a small selection of hot food like many gas stations carry, but instead of hot dogs and nachos, they have fresh BBQ brisket sandwiches and such. There is a large assortment of Texas and Buc-ee’s themed tourist memorabilia rather than just a rack or two of keychains and magnets. And rather than half a dozen gas pumps, there are ninety-two. And a goodly number of them were in use when we were there. The place was seriously busy.
As we left Buc-ee’s with beaver nuggets, t-shirts, socks, jerky and several Baby Buc-ee keychains, I saw something that not only made me work really hard to stifle a laugh, but fully supports the “Bec-ee’s is a lifestyle” claim. As we crossed the parking lot, I happened to notice a ground of men gathered around several trucks that fit the stereotype of a Texan’s truck to a T. They were all wearing camouflage and one of them was wearing a white hat that looked just like a sea captain’s hat. Embroidered on the front was the word “Groom.” It was a bachelor party…at Buc-ee’s. 😂
Now let me talk about beaver nuggets for a minute. When I first heard the term, my mind immediately landed on cow patties and assumed beaver nuggets were similar. However, Nathan was quick to inform me that beaver nuggets are in fact a kind of snack food. Since one of my goals for this trip was to experience Texas, I knew that beaver nuggets needed to be on the list of things to try. They come in several flavors, but as a first timer I opted for the original ones. They are a kind of cornmeal crunchy bite size snack, and they are kind of weird. They taste like caramel popcorn with a hint of cornbread and while the shape and size are reminiscent of Corn Pops cereal, they are far crunchier than the cereal. And like I said before, a bit on the weird side. But they weren’t disgusting or anything. Probably not worth the calories, but now I can truthfully say that I’ve eaten beaver nuggets. Kevin declined the opportunity to try them, and I honestly can’t say that I blame him.
After our adventure at Buc-ee’s, we ate lunch at Razzoo’s Cajun Café, a Texas restaurant chain that Nathan ate at once on his mission and really enjoyed. Part of experiencing Texas is sampling some of the quintessential local cuisine. We started with Southern food based on Nathan’s recommendation and the fact that alligator was on the menu. That’s most definitely something we can’t get at home, so we knew he had to give it a try! When we drove up to the building, we were uncertain about whether or not the place was still operational since it looked pretty sketchy, but we discovered that not only was the restaurant still open, but the food was also absolutely fabulous. We had just arrived a bit before the restaurant opened for the day, which explained the lack of cars in the parking lot.
We started our meal by sharing an order of fried gator. I went in with pretty much no expectations as I have absolutely no frame of reference for what gator should taste like but let me tell you that it was delicious. It was tender, and mild flavored, breaded in a slightly spicy coating and deep fried. I think we could easily have consumed another plate of gator, but there were so many tasty options on the menu that we opted for variety. We also shared some jambalaya pasta, which was amazing, and a catfish po boy which was also super tasty. I think I might have to see about adding a few Cajun classics to our menu rotation once we get home.
During lunch, I also got my first glimpse of what I could term southern gentility. When we eat out around here, the server usually starts at one side of the table and takes orders in whichever order we are seated. I was sitting in between Kevin and Nathan and rather than starting the orders with either of them, our charming server asked me what I wanted first accompanied by a very polite, “Ma’am.” While folks around here may get offended by that term feeling like it refers to their progressing age, in southern culture it is a title of respect and I felt exactly like that is how it was used. He was so friendly and polite, and I find that I love the easy way people converse, even with strangers. We saw a bit more southern hospitality when Nathan asked about purchasing a Razzoo’s t-shirt, all of which were hilarious and were on sale per the sign posted. However, his inquiry was met with the response that that don’t actually sell t-shirts anymore and didn’t have anything except the standard black T-shirt the servers all wore. But the manager grabbed one of those and handed it to Nathan free of charge. Nathan was most gracious, of course, and we proceeded to have a nice chat with the manager before we went on our way.
After lunch, we drove a couple of hours to get to Canton, which is in east Texas. It is actually two missions away from Fort Worth, where Nathan was serving, but as an ASL missionary, he covered more area than just his mission. He had worked with Susie and Ann, two deaf ladies, while he was in Texas and has actually been in touch from time to time since then. These sisters are roommates and while it is just the two of them now, Erin, a third deaf sister and her son, were living with them up until recently. Nathan was very excited to get a chance to catch up with these ladies, and I got to experience several things. First, I was in a situation where I could understand very little of what was going on. ASL is very pictural in some instances so I would catch things here and there, but for most of the time I had no idea what they were talking about. Nathan interpreted for Kevin and me some of the time, but we told him before going in that interpreting was secondary, the important part being his chance to visit with these sisters. I have rarely been in situations where I don’t understand the language, so it was an interesting thing. Second, I got to experience Deaf culture a bit. We met one of Nathan’s deaf teachers when he spoke in sacrament meeting before leaving for his mission, and we have seen Nathan interpreting from time to time, but this was the first time we were actually in the home of a Deaf person. Over the years Nathan has shared with us bits about Deaf culture and it was really interesting to me to see it in person. They even got Erin on FaceTime, so Nathan was able to catch up with her too.
I want to share a little bit about Ann, one of the sisters we visited. She is originally from Hungary so while she signs, it is not ASL. She uses Hungarian sign language which means that Nathan can’t understand large portions of what she signs. Susie understands though, so she acts as interpreter between Ann and those who use ASL. Ann also vocalizes which some deaf do and some do not. What was super interesting to me was that while she is deaf, she vocalizes with a Hungarian accent! Ann, who is quite elderly, shared with us some experiences she had as a little girl living in Hungary during the German occupation in WW II. She shared with us a few of the difficulties they faced living in occupied territory, how her father was taken (to prison, I think), the time she and her mother were forced to feed some soldiers and the fear that such experiences brought, etc. With Susie and then Nathan acting as interpreters, Ann shared with us these little bits of her life story and it was so humbling to me to think about all the trials she has faced compared to the relative ease with which I live my life. Yes, I have challenges, but I don’t have to worry that each knock on the door is going to mean death for me or a loved one. I don’t have to feed foreign soldiers while slowing starving to death myself. My family has not been torn apart by war. Honestly, I came away with an enormous amount of respect for this amazing sister. And her troubles aren’t over. She is a convert and has been working towards going to the temple. She is worthy, has her recommend, and is ready to go. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, they are having a very hard time finding an endowed member who knows Hungarian sign language who can act as interpreter for her. So, she patiently waits. And after that one short hour, she earned an enormous amount of respect from me. Honestly, what an amazing lady.
After our visit with Susie and Ann, we headed to Arlington for dinner with another family. They are a couple that Nathan worked with while serving in that part of the mission. They fed Nathan and his companion on multiple occasions and the sister is actually the Texas friend of my cousin who helped me find a neurologist for Nathan to see while he was down there. I got my first taste of Texas BBQ for dinner that night, along with potato salad, rolls, cookies, and the only available in Texas Blue Bell ice cream. We had a lovely chat with them, and Nathan was able to play piano for them as well, for which they were very appreciative.
After dinner, we drove past the apartment where Nathan lived while he was in Arlington and stopped at a park across the street from the apartment where he and Elder Brown spent a lot of time. It is bluebonnet season in Texas, and while we have seen many from the car while driving down the freeway, we were finally able to see some close up!
Today has been a long day of visiting, but it has been great to meet so many faithful saints. It has also been fun to get a dose of Texas culture. However, I suspect that I’m going to have a very serious veggie deficiency by the time we get home. It seems that potato salad and baked beans often pass as vegetables around here. 😂
