It was time to go see SRV. We took the same way back, under Cesar Chavez, and braced ourselves for the heat. Their faces were getting red and I was short of breath, not from walking, but from the rising air. Vanessa and I were wearing all black. “Should I tell them the story?” I thought. It was weird.

For some reason, the day before my birthday, I decided that all I wanted to do was listen to Lionel Richie and go to Barton Springs. I...

A late night trip to Mount Bonnell.