Let me preface this by telling you that I am not a writer. I like to tell stories with a camera. I may not be so good at that either. So bear with me.
Some where between the Red River and Uvalde Texas are town names that as a child we would read about in the paperback books, we watched on Saturday morning TV and if you was old enough; you listened to the westerns on the battery operated radio in the living room, that the family would gather around. Our imaginations ran unchecked. Louis L’Amour wrote about these places. The Outlaws, Indians, Rangers and Cowboys; they are all still there, in the hill country, on the plains and around the bend. Let’s see, Junction, Bandera, San Saba, Uvalde, Lampasas, llano, Mason, Cherokee, Comanche, Hondo, and Hico, just to name a few. I don’t know why, but something tugs at my mind when I have the bit in my mouth and the wind in my mane.
Driving South down Hwy. 377, 144, and a multitude of county and unpaved country roads we stopped in Hico, at some ‘fast chicken' food place. Travel on Hwy 281 is always a pleasure, for some reason this time, more so that usual. Radio 89.7 was cranking out some good old C&W. You ever hear Hank Williams Sr. without the crackle and scratch of an old Victrola? We stopped along the way to finish off that chicken, fast. Moon roof open and the stereo
ON, Hwy. 281 was slipping quickly by. Dorothy (GPS with a voice) was handing out driving instructions like politicians hand out promises. Dorothy is OK when she is headed somewhere that has a destination. We were not sure where we would wind up, so I turned off the tracker. Star, Texas?! Whoops, think we are lost, naw, just too far north. We spent a night in San Saba and a night in Uvalde. Nice, It appears that in rural Texas there is a movement to restore some of the old motor courts.
We changed zip codes quicker than an old sailor with a nicotine fit could smoke a pack of “Lucky Strikes”. When the mail boxes outnumbered the cattle we would pickup speed and move farther down the road.
On this trip I shot 400 raw digital images, so I won’t bore you with all those details. From here to Uvalde and in between is pretty neat country. We met some really friendly people. Some of the places we stopped were Mason, Cherokee, Art, Junction and Pontotoc. I have a feeling after looking at ‘Cool River’ I need a return visit.
Mission this weekend as others recent is to find and take a picture of a Horned Lizard, Eagle or a Dragon Fly. I ain’t proud; I’ll take either or all three. Yes…
Please critique
..I'll place some pictures in here as this week goes on. I 'll try t0 caption some of the pictures. It may take me some time to do the blog.
So, Saturday was ducking storms, eating Mexican food and recovering. ( I'm still exercising the wounded wing..12 weeks is along time not to use the dominant arm for anything heavier than a cup of coffee. Pokey! In case you are wondering, I do all the camera lifting with my left arm. The left arm is getting pretty trim and tough)
Naw, just a minnow went down wrong.
The past three years of traveling down the highways and byways have shown me horses or all kinds. Horses are like people. Some are used to having their picture taken, some are shy, and then there are some that even show out.
