in which I lose at Scrabble, but not at life

One of my favorite things about Austin is the coffeehouses. I could give you a list right now of my favorite ones, and another Austin local would probably come along, list her favorites, and they would be establishments that I haven't even discovered yet! In other words, Austin is full of coffeehouses. And they are mostly wonderful. My own personal love affair with coffeehouses began... I don't even know when. But what I love about a good coffeehouse isn't the good coffee (though of course, that helps), but the atmosphere. I love sitting in a squishy armchair and reading for hours (if I am there for pleasure), or camping out at a table by a window with my laptop (if I am there to do work). It's important that the coffeehouse not play loud and distracting music, and I also prefer a coffeehouse to have some food options available.

One of my favorite things to do at a coffeehouse is go on a Scrabble date. Years and years ago I received a travel-Scrabble set for Christmas, and I admit that I have put it to good use since--in Austin, but also in Arkansas, Oregon, and Iowa. R and I recently went on a Scrabble date to Mozart's, a coffeehouse on the lake that I have not been to in years because of its location. But the day was a warm and sunny one, so I suggested this (admittedly expensive) coffeehouse with plenty of outdoor deck seating over the lake. Mozart's not only has self-roasted coffee, but, for perhaps which they are most often utilized, specialty desserts like fruit tarts. My favorite aspect of the establishment, however, is that they allow dogs on their deck outside. So we alighted on Mozart's, found a seat on the deck, and prepared for an afternoon of reading, dog-watching, and Scrabble.







I lost. Actually, I kind of got my ass kicked. R is a formidable Scrabble opponent, and our games tend to be rather close. However, in this game, owing to a surplus of useless 'u's, I struggled and fell quite behind until the last few turns when I was able to make a profitable play with an 'x.' But I was unable to recover.

I can be fairly competitive, but on this particularly sunny afternoon I was less phased. The sun on the water was glorious, and the ducks communicating in a way that had yet to cease being quaint. There were fuzzy dogs abound on the deck, and my vanilla-almond Italian soda was delicious. My company was handsome, and we had plans to get BBQ later. I couldn't possibly have complained.