The Grain Elevators

The tracks are long since gone and the whistle of the train is no longer even a distant echo of memory but the silos stand at the edge of town as Sentinels to a time gone by.

Mesquite Beans

We have a pretty good crop of Mesquite Beans this year. My grandfather often told me that the Mesquite Bean is one of natures checks and balances. In dry years when the crops were bad, the Mesquite Trees put forth an abundance of beans for sustenance. I have only ate mesquite beans once. When I was very young a great aunt made up a big pot of these beans. I don't remember it being very tasty but in the old days it had to beat starving to death.

Ripening

The fruit of the Prickly Pear Cactus is ripening. The fruit is rather a pain to eat although they are sweet. If you have never had them then imagine a pomegranate with thorns. Many old timers made some very good jelly out of the prickly pears.

Stone

i am but a dirty stone
thrown into a stagnant pool
a thud a sickly splash
ripples quickly vanish

all that's left of me
is lying in the murky waste
drowned dumb dead as stone
cold and uncaring

i stare from the shallow sludge
sunlight drifts downward
too weak to warm
too feeble to illuminate

here i wait
patiently silently
for the storm
to wash me away

Cabello

It had been reviewing my posts and realized a gross oversight on my part. I do not know how I managed to wait this long before posting a picture of horses. I hope this rectifies the situation somewhat.

And you might also notice that the rains of the past two weeks have really made a difference in the pastures. A little bit of green is starting to come back.

Catfish & Bar-B-Q

Another rainy day shot. This in my opinion is one of the most inventive signs that I have ever seen. Besides having a really cool sign, this little joint in Post, Texas has some huge Catfish plates and the Chicken Fried Steaks melt in your mouth.

Rain Cloud

Isolated thundershowers have been moving through the area the last day or so. The rainfall is not near enough to help with the drought but it is thankfully bringing down the temps a little and any rain is welcome.

The bottom shot is where I turned around from watching the rain clouds and just shot a pic down the road. It may be goofy to just take a picture of the little farm to market road but the picture reminds me of the line from a Robert Earl Keen tune, 'The road goes on forever and the party never ends.' It also illustrates just how isolated thundershowers can be here in West Texas. I have seen it to where it will have a good rain on one side of the road and the other side of the road stays bone dry.

Silver Falls

Located four miles east of Crosbyton, Texas is one of the states best roadside park. The top section is handicap accessable, contains well maintained toilet facilities, a tornado shelter, manicured lawns, picnic tables under awnings with barbeque grills but a short walk down the stairs and the area is kept to close to a natural state. A few steps down on a patio overlooking the bottom of the park is a sign cautioning visitors to proceed downward at their own risk. The water seeping from the ground makes the steps rather slippery in spots.



At one time it was a large waterfall with a good size pond but with much of the ground water in the area being pumped out for irragation water to water crops and with the drought the water is but a trickle of it's former self. It is still a very nice spot with large Cottonwoods and green vegitation.

On most weekends it is a well visited stop for travelers on U.S. 82. Lots of area people come to picnic and play vollyball on the upper tier. I have always enjoyed the relative peace and quiet of the bottom. Where only the sound of light traffic interrupts the trickling sound of the water.

Patriots In West Texas

Today I had the honor of attending the funeral service of Andrew Velez. A soldier who fell defending freedom in Afghanistan. I stood bearing an American flag in an honor guard. As first the family passed by and then the soldiers bearing the coffin, it really struck me what a debt all of us owe to the young men and women defending this way of life that far to many take for granted.

This family has given so much. First the eldest brother Freddy fell in Iraq and now Andrew in Afghanistan. It was a small thing to stand with the Patriot Riders as they made sure that Andrew's family were able to bury him in all the dignity that he deserved. It is a shame that religious zealots with a twisted view of Christianity would try to desecrate this service. But they did not succeed. The overwhelming presence of The Patriot Guard Riders and those that support the dignity of our defenders kept these contemptible creatures from disrupting the service.

Whether you are hawk or dove makes no difference. These men were issued their orders and followed them. They died in the defense of our freedom as was their duty. It is our duty to remember them and respect them. It is good to see that never again will our soldiers come home to a country that spits on their good name and curse their deeds. That is a shame that I hope this country will not forget but will learn from. These are our sons and daughters, our fathers and mothers, our neighbors, and our friends.

I hold my head up high and will defend them against those that would seek to blemish their honor. So that they may hold their heads up in pride at the honor that they do for us. I am proud of all of those who do the same.