From my school days in Texas a few decades ago, I have memories of driving past the old Austin Motel on South Congress Avenue. That's the place with the phallic neon sign that still reads, 'So Close, Yet So Far Out'. Whatever that means. Truth be told, I really rather enjoyed the cosmic hippie side of old Austin, with its groovy vibe that seemed so out of place in the middle of Texas. At any rate, all this came to mind on a recent walk through Algonkian Memorial Park near Washington, DC the other day. There we were, out in the nearly pristine landscape, or as close to it as one can get these days, yet we were also just a stone's throw away from a golf course owned by a former president of the United States.
