I know that everyone says, after a tragedy like the Boston Marathon bombing or the horrible explosion in West, Texas, that his or her “heart goes out” to the victims and survivors. But I honestly find my heart pounding with sorrow for the folks in West. I feel a stronger connection to them than I do to the people of Boston, just because I’ve been to or through West many times, whereas I have never been to Boston and I don’t know much about it.<\/p>\n
The town of West has a large Czech population, and as I posted earlier in the week on my Facebook page<\/a>, I was very happy to see that the Czech Stop<\/a> had survived the explosion. I’ve stopped there many times on my way from Austin to Dallas. the Czech Stop is right on IH-35 about halfway between those two cities, and it’s a perfect place to stop and stretch one’s legs, get gas, use the AMAZINGLY CLEAN<\/strong><\/em> restrooms, and … buy some kolaches.<\/p>\n Oh, those kolaches! I don’t think I eat kolaches on any other occasion. I don’t think about kolaches on a regular basis, but when I used to drive north toward Dallas, as I got closer to West, I would start to see those billboards–“We gotcha kolache!”–and my mouth would start to water. What flavor of kolache to choose? I couldn’t pick just one, but of course, I couldn’t have every flavor … could I?<\/p>\n I mean, I had to restore my strength for driving, which would take at least two. Maybe a blueberry filled and a plain cream cheese. Then I might want to have a little late-night snack at the hotel tonight, or at whatever house I was staying. There was breakfast tomorrow morning, which might call for a savory kolache. Oh, the possibilities. And don’t forget to eat them all before they start to lose their pillowy softness.<\/p>\n Those kolaches and the AMAZINGLY CLEAN<\/strong> <\/em>restrooms will always symbolize West, Texas, to me. The people have a great sweetness and an open-handed hospitality. I’m so very glad that the Czech Stop survived this disaster, and I really and truly feel sad for those in West who did not.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I know that everyone says, after a tragedy like the Boston Marathon bombing or the horrible explosion in West, Texas, that his or her “heart goes out” to the victims and survivors. But I honestly find my heart pounding with sorrow for the folks in West. I feel a stronger connection to them than I … <\/p>\n