Open Jaw :: On The Town ::

with Martha Chapman
03DEC08

OpenJaw’s own lady in pink chats with Anita Perry, wife of the Texas governor

Austin Gilbert from Austin Texas was on hand with the tunes

Tonya Hope was proud to be on hand to tout the charms of San Antonio

It’s Official: They Have Big Hair, We Have Big Snow

You know we Canucks are important when a team of Texans, led by the charming Anita Perry (wife of governor Rick Perry), chooses to fly up here, chef in tow, to show us a little southern hospitality.

Graciously hosting a gaggle of industry types, Ms. Perry took to the podium at the delightful Novotel in downtown T.O. to share some thoughts about what we have in common. “Hospitality, generosity, kindness…but when we left Texas, the sky was blue and it was 70˚. What we don’t have is snow: I was amazed to hear you can measure your snow in feet. We have big hair but you have bigger snow!”

Obviously the affection is mutual: we love Texas big time - after all, 380,000 of us visited last year, 15 per cent more than in 2007. The draws? Beaches, climate, 800 golf courses, birdwatching, shopping and very cool-sounding upscale grocery stores called Central Market. They’ll even let you push your cart through the aisles with a glass of wine in hand (hear that, Galen Weston?).

And Texas is bouncing back nicely from recent hurricane visits. “Don’t let any news of a l’il ol’ hurricane put a damper on your travel plans!” urged the first lady.

But we have one thing they don’t. Ms. Perry seemed quite fascinated by the CN Tower. “I’m goin’ up in that tower this afternoon!”