Dispatches - 16 June 2025 - Updates From A Few Weeks in Texas

What a few weeks it has been back in Texas.

To be honest, there's not much of an excuse not to have written a dispatch since the end of May; I like posting them on Sundays, which with my mentality means I write them on Sundays. Sunday's have been busy between church, the Feria de San Isidro, and family dinners (not to mention playing with my mom's dog, Skeeter!).

Most important update first: Jack's Journal is now live! I am very excited for this part of my writing career as it gives me an opportunity to write and tell stories without the stress of a manuscript deadline or editor's cuts. I'm a fast writer, which means I can get thoughts on paper (or, rather, screen) quickly whenever I have an idea. Of course, being home brings the same distractions it did six months ago when I needed to write the book, so I've been slow to get everything I want to write out there, but I've still made progress I can be happy with. Once I hit the road, I imagine that will change and I'll be able to write more (assuming I'm not exhausted from walking 25 kilometres a day).

Second most important update: I held my first ever book signing event this last Saturday! I had a decent turnout and sold 14 books as a result. That wasn't quite as many as I wanted to, but it is more than I could have, so I'm happy. The friends and family that came out asked a lot of questions, and I wound up talking for an hour and a half! I got to discuss Hemingway with my former English teacher, talk about faith with one of our deacons, and explained some thinking behind going to off the beaten path in several countries. My granddaddy was also there, so I got to thank him publicly for him encouraging me to write a book.

After that, life has been in constant movement. I'm ready for the next adventure to start, although I have to admit I am a bit concerned about my fitness, specifically my bad knee's ability to keep up. I do tae kwon do several times a week and haven't had an issue, but there is a big difference in training in a studio and pounding pavement for hours on end, day after day. On top of that, I would like to keep up with my tae kwon do training as best I can, even if that is just a couple of sessions a week. I trained in Mexico every morning for a couple of months, but eventually had to stop simply because it was too hot outside. Tae kwon do is good for physical health, discipline, and mental and spiritual resiliency, and I am hopeful I can return to regular training someday once my writing and travel careers have stabilised.

Just like before I took off on The Great Gallivanting, I had all of my medical checkups this last week. Medicine is topped off, teeth are cleaned, blood pressure is...higher than it should be. In the military, I was borderline low blood pressure; now, I'm pushing borderline high. That's probably a function of being less active than I should be and not eating as well. I plan to take steps to address that while on the road (including cutting down on the amount of alcohol I drink while at the bullfights in Spain). Walking so far every day with 18 months' worth of possessions on my back will probably help as well.

I'm headed to visit a friend in Indiana this week. She had a family emergency recently, so we may not do much, but we haven't seen each other in years, so it will be nice to catch up. After that, I'm headed to Colorado to move all of my belongings from my apartment down to Texas (I could really care less about the living room furniture, but I'm not giving up my 450+ books!). It's going to be a long two days of driving from Colorado Springs to East Texas. I learned my lesson last time; I'm taking two days to drive it instead of powering through one day of 14 hours on the road.

I mentioned the Feria de San Isidro earlier. My favourite matador, Borja Jimenez, has really skyrocketed since I first saw him in 2023. That year, he only performed 18 times. Since then, he has confirmed his alternative in Mexico City and Nimes, performed two único espadas, and opened the puerta grande in Madrid three times. Yesterday was one of those times. His first faena was great, but his bull kept tripping, which cost him his ears. I was worried that this group of Victorino Martin bulls was going to be lacklustre (like the ones he performed with in Nimes a week before), but the last three bulls were all fantastic. Borja was the junior matador against Paco Urena and Emilio de Justo, which is always a tough spot to be in, because the junior matador must keep the crowd engaged through the last performance. Borja did just that. His work with the cape was nearly flawless, and his bull was engaged without being overly obedient. A good bull with a good matador makes for a great performance, and both the bull and matador were great. The crowd awarded his first ear, petitioned for his second, and not a few petitioned for a tail. He didn't get the tail (which is an extremely rare event in Madrid), but two ears were enough to open the puerta grande, and the bull was awarded a lap of the ring for its bravery. Borja was crying as he hugged his team, and the television announcers were certain he would go out of the puerta grande even before the president flipped the white pañuelo to award the first ear. As they hoisted him onto his shoulders, the crowd chanted, "Torero! Torero! Torero!" I hadn't seen that before, and I've been to bullfights all over Spain. The crowd also carried out the manager of the Victorino Martin ganaderia. I have found Victorinos to be the most reliable stock in the profession, and they certainly did not disappoint on this day as the crowd chanted "Victorino! Victorino! Victorino!"

After yesterday's performance, I am ready for San Fermin to arrive. It's only a few weeks away, and it can't come fast enough. I am ready for encierros, bullfights, cutting competitions, rural sports, and Basque dancing. I am a proud Texan, but I love Spain and its culture. I bet Stephen F. Austin is rolling in his grave over me.