A Midnight Battle and an Approaching Storm

It's been an interesting week.

Earlier in the week, Donna and I attended a presentation at Fort Concho entitled "The Midnight Battle at Fort Lancaster" by local historian David McMahon. The battle occurred during the War between the States, when a column of approximately 500 troops from California attempted to invade Texas from the west. A command of approximately 550 rangers was assembled and moved west from the San Antonio area to confront the invading force. Very little documentation exists regarding the battle. At present, historians are researching archives as well as investigating camp sites in order to learn more. There are plans to erect an historical marker at a highway nearest the site. One of the best online descriptions of the battle can be found at the Texas Historical Commission.

Fort Concho has an ongoing speaker series. These are offered at lunch to accommodate employed folks. Participants are invited to bring their lunches to enjoy during these presentations, which deal with various historical aspects of life in West Texas. Donna and I visited Fort Lancaster in January 2014 (see "Day Trip: Fort Lancaster State Historic Site" for pictures of the post). The fort is located on Live Oak Creek just off the Pecos River a few miles south of Interstate 10 just a few miles east of the small community of Sheffield. The surrounding country is very scenic. See "On the Road: San Angelo, TX, to Fort Lancaster, TX, and Back" for some pictures of this rugged country.

The weather cooled here a bit this week, and Donna and I started walking some in the late afternoon rather than early morning. In fact, I walked three times in the afternoon this week. However, the heat is slowly coming back, and we expect temps near 100 next week, so I've already shifted back to my morning walks.

Right now, I'm monitoring Hurricane Irma. My brother Larry and his wife Nancy recently moved to Florida, so I'm a bit concerned about them. They now live on the beach just north of Miami. As I write this, the storm has moved more to the west, so I'm hopeful they will be spared the worst. I'm sure they will lose power later tonight sometime, and then it becomes a waiting game until we hear from them again. And let's not forget about Jose and the other storm forming in the eastern Atlantic.