Virtual Brush Box

Buc-ees of the outside world. My San Antonio: Buc-ee’s fan creates LEGO version of Texas’ iconic gas station chain, Romero, June 27, 2023.

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Have you ever been to Buc-ees? It is the platonic ideal of a highway rest stop. Cheap gas, good snacks, clean restrooms. We have been known to stop by our local outpost for gas & snacks, see below.

As of this week, I count 72 stores in 13 states: AL, AZ, CO, FL, GA, KY, MS, MO, OH, SC, TN, VA, TX. Buc-ees: Locations

I assume a high level of standardization among stores. That is the point, after all. However, I found one item that would have to be unique to each store, a postcard, with state attractions and the location of the store. Thus an idea was born.

Collect all Buc-ees postcards.

Level One. A postcard from each state.

Level two. A post card from each store.

Not a hardship. If I’m driving past one, I’d want to stop anyway.

Will I ever get a second postcard? Shrug. Maybe yes, maybe no. As a hobby, it’s low-maintenance.

I have NOT searched this. I prefer to keep the surprise.

Process Notes

What I learned. Postcards are extremely sensitive to breezes. Will have to ponder the best way to photography them.

Alabama Sites

My best guess.

Monarch butterfly, state insect. Encyclopedia of Alabama: Alabama Quick Facts

White state outline with red Cross of St. Andrew from the Alabama flag. EoA: AQF

Yellowhammer, state bird. Also know as the Northern Flicker. Outdoor Alabama: Northern Flicker

Beach. For the Alabama Coast?

Southern Longleaf Pine, state tree. EoA: AQF

Camelia, state flower. EoA: AQF

Boat. “B.A.S.S., born and raised in Montgomery, Ala.” Bassmaster: About B.A.S.S.

Fish. Largemouth bass, state freshwater fish. EoA: AQF

Gun & gun dog. ???

Checkered flags. Talladega Superspeedway.

Blueberries, state fruit. EoA: AQF

Ship. USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park

Football. Yellowhammer: Saban is America’s highest paid public employee, and he’s a bargain, Sims, September 21, 2016. Dated. Saban was the football coach at the University of Alabama from 2007 to 2024. These days, football is changing due to NIL money, so I hear.

Rocket for Huntsville, known as Rocket City.

Buc-ees on the blog

Repost. [Carbs To The Rescue]

Buc-ees Nuggets remind me of Screaming Yellow Zonkers. Remember those?

“Have you seen the subscription boxes with food from various places? I just got one from Texas.” [No Epiphany, Lots of Feasting, Blogger Gift Exchange, What Came In]

Onwards!
Katherine

Photography of the outside world. We Eat Together: Food Photography Composition Guide. Serious food styling rather than photo snaps at a restaurant. Has food-related tips rather than generic photo advice.

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American sushi restaurants offer enormous, gaudy rolls stuffed and coated with a kitchen sink worth of ingredients. They bear the same relationship to Japanese cuisine that Tex-Mex does to Mexican.

I am not a fan.

I consider them a blot on the menu.

Recently, we took in a local art show. That’s us, getting all arty these days. [Landscape]

Anyway.

We stopped for lunch at a sushi restaurant, name withheld due to the level of snark herein. Although classic sushi choices were limited, the menu had an entire page of these behemoths. I decided I would try one. With no way to choose, I ordered the roll named after town we were in. The description promised deep-fried, smoked salmon, crab salad, cream cheese, topped with mango sauce, sweet soy-reduction, green onion.

Did I like it? No. As sushi, it did not change my opinion that dairy and cream sauces have no place on a sushi roll.

Did I like it? Yes. As food, I could see how the accretion disk approach might work.

Will I order this or one of its cousins? Never. The purist in me remains offended.

My safety order.

Process Notes

Taking pictures of my food made me feel as if I were cosplaying an influencer.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. U.S. Mint: Fort Knox Bullion Depository. Found in the same Internet drawer as the Kentucky quarter. [The New and The Old]

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Last week, Stepping Stone Farm was at Lexington Junior Charity Horse Show with seven horses. I attended virtually courtesy of Richfield Video.

Why I Watched

I wasn’t going to get the livestream this year. It can be hard to see specific horses in a class. Then my friend Michelle (waves hi), who lives in another state, mentioned getting it. If we both signed up, we could have a joint virtual watch party. So I did. Okay, I wasn’t that hard to convince.

We watched. We texted. We had a blast. We are already talking about doing it again next year.

What I Watched

I watched mostly people I know. Classes while waiting for people I know. Always the five-gaited finale. Checked in on open roadster & carriage classes. I didn’t tend to watch the show for its own sake.

This is not an ASB thing. I don’t watch the livestreams of the big hunter/jumper shows either. Generally, I am not a nice enough person to want to be around a horse show that I’m not in. I’ll make exceptions for grooming, watching people I know, or working at the show. But not without making squeaky noises.

What I Saw

I noticed goggles, on drivers and at least one rider. They looked more eye protection than prescription. Maybe it’s not a new thing and I’m just seeing it for the first time. I can definitely understand them for driving, even pleasure driving. “If dirt wasn’t hitting me in the face, we weren’t going fast enough.” [Team Awesome]

Helmet Watch

All the juniors in the hunter division wore helmets instead of hunt caps. I assume it was a requirement. Not seniors. Same with roadsters. Youth, yes. Seniors, no.

The only suit helmets that crossed my livestream were a small handful in young kid classes. At least one class had two helmets. Some of the entries are undoubtedly repeats.

Class 68. ASB Three Gaited Show Pleasure 13 & Under.
Class 69. UPHA Walk/Trot Challenge Cup 9-10.
Class 73. UPHA Walk/Trot Challenge Cup 8 & Under.
Class 105. Saddle Seat Equitation Walk/Trot 10 & Under.
Class 156. ASB Three Gaited Show Pl. 13 & Under Championship.

Previous Posts

[Looking at Lexington] 2025 with list of previous years.

Onwards!
Katherine

World Cup Wednesday. ESPN: The 2026 World Cup’s wildest warmup kits: The good, the bad and the ugly, Wright, Jun 18, 2026. Regardless of their list, I like the Netherlands lions. I also liked Argentina Superliga: 2026 Argentina National Team Home Pre-Match Jersey.

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Monty
Rosewood Stables
11 July 2026

You may notice a certain lack of Goldyness in the above photo. Arrived at the barn, only to discover that Goldy had borked his shoe. No problem, says Coach Deana, you can ride a different horse. Sure, because I’m so good about hopping on a new horse. I chose the sweet, adorable Monty, mainly by promising myself that all I had to do was get on and walk. Anything else would be extra. By the end of the lesson, I was able to ride supportively at a low crossrail. Go me. And Monty, of course.

Goldy was fine once the shoe was off and he was tucking into his morning hay.

Monty gets ridden by littles. So, I found that had to be firm about behaviors such as yanking on the reins or not staying straight. Conversely, I found myself offering support and sympathy, because ridden by littles. I do much better once I have a story in my head about a horse. [The Power of Narrative & A Change in Attitude]

As a pony, Monty rides like a big horse on the flat. As a little pony, he makes the jumps the small crossrails look bigger.

Monty is Chincoteague pony. Younger me would have been thrilled. Older me was pretty tickled.

Yes, the title is an intentional Monty Python reference. Monty? Monty Python? I crack myself up.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. WPBL: Introducing the First Four – Inspired by Legends.

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{Backstory. Each morning, people & horses go on team walk in the pasture. Current iteration is one-mile, unmounted, & off-lead.}

Even I run out of things to say about walking back and forth. Here’s one from the vaults to cool us all off.

Snow back in January 2025. [Winter Weather]

This was back when the the barn minion was on injured reserve & I was walking both horses. [Version 2.0]

Also back when liberty was still a work in progress. [Rodney’s Position in The Parade & Milton’s Position in The Parade]

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. Sun-ways. Solar panels between the tracks on a railroad.

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That moment when you are out in public and you realize you forgot to change your shoes. Yes, that is a white rug I am standing on with my muddy paws. [Book Stacks]

Onwards!
Katherine

Art of the outside world. Did you know about artist gloves? Covers two fingers & the back edge of the hand. The goal is to protect the drawing surface. Seems to be a digital thing, but also works for analog. I had no idea.

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I call this – Don’t Quit Your Day Job.

Class #1
Acrylic Painting with Anthony Best
Shelby County Arts Council
9 July 2026

Looks way better in photo. The shading looks almost intentional. I assure you, it was not.

Instructor is redoing his website. For now, he recommends Facebook > Anthony Best >Picture Gallery. I have not looked. FB is not loading chez moi. It happens. Pages get too big. My system gets outdated. But I digress.

Box of Art. Husband is also taking the class. He went to Alabama Art Supply, showed them the supplies list, and said “Help.” They did an excellent job balancing quality, cost, and variety for two newbies.

Table at Start. No Table at Finish photo. I was halfway though cleanup before I remembered.

Start. Finish above.

Leftovers.

I signed up for this class thinking that messing with acrylics would be fun. I completely blanked that I had taken the same class with a different instructor last year. It’s even in the title!

[Walking In The Rain, Acrylic Class #4] with links to class 1 thru 3.

Other acrylic adventures

[Butterfly]

[Paint Mixing]

[Mixed Media Class #1,] Acrylics were one of many products we played with.

[Paint By Numbers] I suspect these were acrylics?

This is a fair amount to have done with acrylics and yet not to remember it at all. This says something about how poorly my brain retains art. Words? Sure. Art? Not so much.

Onwards!
Katherine