Patty (and her group of friends, "The Hags") were our first non-Dallas area interview. Heather and I left Dallas Friday afternoon around 1:30 (quite a bit later than we'd hoped) and got into Austin JUST in time hit rush hour (hooray! friday traffic!)... it was a delightful experience.
PLUS, we had decided that it would just be better to make this a weekend trip for the WHOLE family-- so, we brought the dogs! Yayyy family vacation! (err-- yeah, think: National Lampoon's).
It was a stressful afternoon for sure-- we had the dogs groomed in Dallas before leaving (of course they were late finishing), packed the car, stopped for lunch, stopped for gas, stopped in Waco to pee (us and the dogs), battled our way into Austin, STILL had to stop by the hotel to check in, unload and get the pups situated before we could leave to meet Patty and the Hags for our session-- whew.
Needless to say, our first out of town session was off to a rocky start (understatement? yes.)
We called Patty as soon as we had an idea of how late we were going to be, and found out that she and the hags were already at the location (the coolest bar EVER! Karma on 8th-- see their link under the "friends/supporter" section on the right) having a cocktail...
As it turns out-- Patty had arranged for the bar to open up early for our shoot. We met Suzette (one of the owners) shortly after arriving-- She was incredibly friendly and accommodating! Karma isn't a gay bar-- but they are obviously very gay-friendly and supportive of the local Austin community. She has offered to host our Austin opening sometime next year! And we couldn't have been more thrilled by her support!)
After meeting all of the Hags and getting our lighting set up for the shoot-- we spent a few minutes talking with Patty alone. It didn't take long for us to realize what a fantastic group of women this was and after talking more in depth with Patty, we found ourselves so envious of the nature of their friendships... They definitely have a rare and wonderful thing in this goup. Something I think we all long for-- and as women (young lesbian women, especially) can often be hard to find-- and even harder to keep: A solid foundation of kindred spirits... A chosen family of friends.
It was Patty who initially contacted me about contributing the project. She thought their particiation could be a way to honor the special and intimate friendships that these women have cultivated over so many years. She hoped that by sharing their stories, it would give hope to others.
It already has.
Heather and I were touched by their connections, love and concern for each other, and when we asked about their "secret to success" the answer was so simple: trust.
In a society where ex-es overlap and date each other, infidelity is mainstream and women, in general somehow can't be supportive of each other in spite of common interests, dreams and goals -- it was so refreshing to find that it IS possible to find (and keep) that kind of support system... drama-free women, couples and friends-- a family who offers an unconditional love, support and guidance.
You'll be hearing more about the Hags-- and the group will soon have a bio of their own. It will hopefully be posted within the next couple of weeks.
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