New Mural in Pflugerville, “Train of Thought,” Celebrates Language and Culture

The city of Pflugerville has a new mural, “[Train of Thought]”(https://www.artistcouple.com/trainofthought), by the Artist Couple, Sara and Topher Mack. The mural, located in a trail tunnel beneath Railroad Avenue, features 90 feet of painted boxcars with over 100 idioms and pop culture references. Unveiled on June 25, the project cost $44,000 in hotel occupancy tax funding, according to city spokesperson Jessica Taylor.

“It’s all these whimsical, funny little creatures doing all these weird little things, and it is a challenge to catch all the idioms,” said Sara Mack. “There’s over 100 idioms from all the different regions of the U.S. and some Spanish idioms...it’s mentally stimulating for sure.”

The mural, which took eight months to complete, was inspired by Sara's childhood love of “I Spy” and “Where’s Waldo?” books. Fittingly, the city hosted a scavenger hunt competition in July, challenging participants to find and count all the idioms and references.

“We’re thrilled to receive so many creative responses beyond what the artist had envisioned,” said Erin Sellers, innovation strategist for the city. “It emphasizes the beauty of art being interpreted in diverse and unexpected ways.”

The artists themselves continue to find new idioms and references in the mural, with Topher Mack noting that it has "taken on a life of its own."

"My dad used to say cheesy stuff like that all the time growing up," Topher Mack said, referring to the idiom, "spill the beans," depicted by cooking hot dogs in the mural. "It's got some nostalgia for me."

The Artist Couple hopes to one day paint the entire tunnel, including the ceiling, and they applaud the city's growing effort to expand and appreciate public art.

"We want to spread joy and start a conversation about language and culture,” said Sara Mack. “That’s the thing that connects us all.”