Bodacious Boomer

Let’s see- where was I when I was last here?

Ah, I remember. The truck/RV/trailer had just gotten it’s seal of approval from the city. They could open.

Now all they had to do was get it to it’s final location.

Sounds easy, right?

Was it?

Not so much.

In their enthusiasm Doug and Brett forgot to do obligatory virgin sacrifice before attempting to actually drive the RV across town again.

Was that a good idea?

Not so much.

They got back on S. Lamar and once again developed a catastrophic engine problem.

This time it was terminal.

She was dead- as a doornail.

And this time no amount of cajoling, making promises to God that could never be kept, etc, could make her start again.

Lucky for them though a man in a truck near them noticed their plight and offered to tow them to where they needed to go- for free.

Austin people are like that. That’s why everyone wants to live here.

So now Doug and Brett are being towed across Austin. And life is good; except for the fact that since the RV was dead neither the power steering nor the power brakes worked. And Doug, who was driving the RV was now responsible for not only stopping the RV they were in, but the truck that was towing them as well.

Apparently it took a near Herculean effort to do this.

Thank God Doug isn’t a 97 lb. weakling. In fact his legs are super built up which was quite fortuitous at this moment.

He said he was stomping the brake as hard as he could; and the veins on the top of his foot were so engorged they looked like a relief map.

Twenty minutes later I caught up with them over at Cheer Up Charlie’s, the bar where Handshakes would be doing business in their parking lot. When I arrived the Good Samaritan was still at it, now in a steel cage death match with the Handshakes trailer trying to wrestle it into it’s proper spot on the lot.

At one point his truck could no longer be used so it was left to us to push it into position. Someone had to stay in the RV and steer it. But instead of one of us, all of whom are obviously well fed, Doug recruited an anorexic kid sitting nearby to get inside and steer. We needed as little weight as possible inside it at that moment.

So the rest of us (5) got behind that RV and just like the slaves in Egypt pushed liked our lives depended on it.

There was much sweating, swearing and shoving.

It remained immobile for what seemed like forever then slowly started to move forward by inches.

Then it stopped.

We rocked it back and forth a few times and eventually it moved and was jockeyed into place.

After that we realized that we were hungry. Which wasn’t surprising when we remembered that we hadn’t eaten a bite in 16 hours.

So we adjourned to the local Furr’s- a cafeteria where for $6.99 you could have all you wanted. That was a good thing because we all ate like it was our last meal; we were going to the chair in the next few hours.

After that we went back to Brett’s, crashed and slept like the dead.

By the time we got up and moving today it was already mid- morning and there was still lots to do before the opening at 4pm. Doug was making the shelf for the outside of the trailer and I was sent on an errand to Buda, an Austin suburb, to pick up the power cord for Handshakes.

Did I get there?

Yes.

Did I get what I needed?

Well I’d certainly thought so.

In reality, not so much; although I was there for an hour talking to no less than 3 different people in the parts dept trying my best to explain the Hieroglyphicesque drawing Doug had sent with me. And of course in that hour I received no less than 10 calls from either Doug or Brett.

Then of course when I needed to talk them and tried to call them back I never got them.

By the time I got finished there and drove back to Austin through Friday afternoon traffic I was so frustrated I ‘m surprised I had any molars left at all.

And to top it off, all the stuff I got, all $354 of it, was wrong.

So 4:00pm came and went and Handshakes did not open.

The hard labor was almost over; but the baby was breech and for just a minute I was wondering if we’d ever see it.

However, by 5:00pm with much jerry-rigging, bargaining with God and other sordid acts and agreements which decorum prevents me from discussing here, and without any formal sign Handshakes had their first customer.

Congratulations! It’s a girl!

To be more specific a girl who ordered a Texas Popper AKA jalapeno/vanilla shake.

 

 

 

 

So there you go. The big reveal has now been revealed.

Over the next few hours I watched a steady stream of people walk up, order and walk away with their shakes. Everyone seemed pleased.

Of course there are still things to fix on the RV and other things to tweak of course; but due to a lot of hard work by Brett, his business partner Alisia, and a lot of their friends and family Handshakes is up and running and that’s a good thing.

We couldn’t be more proud and since I have to get up early, I’m off to bed. I was told there’s going to be a party here tonight but since it starts at about 3am, I doubt I’ll be participating. Doug’s been in a bed for an hour already.

So if you’re in Austin and craving a really great milkshake in a flavor you’d never have thought of before go get a Handshake.

They’re at 1104 E.6th. Just look for the tacky/cute trailer and the cute guy with the beard and infectious smile. Tell him his mom sent you.

Here’s a link. http://do512blog.wordpress.com/2011/10/04/handshakes-austins-gourmet-milkshake-trailer-opening-friday-oct-7/

Thanks to everyone who came along for the ride the last few days. I appreciate it.

And if you do get a Handshake, please let me know how you liked it.

BTW- I’ll be at the South Congress Artists Market Sat. from 9- 6. If you’re in the area pop by and check out our Ecofabgifts.com goodies. They make great Christmas presents.

Back to the funny next time kiddos.:)