Invasion of the Barbaric Hordes

The Sheriff and his rowdy posse are back in town. It's spring break, so they have swooped down on us for a few days. They arrived Wednesday at noon, but Papa Michael and oldest grandson Xander left today for a cub scout camping trip; however, Mama Courtney and Sheriff Camden are staying until Sunday.

The Sheriff has changed quite a bit since his last raid. He definitely has more personality now, but he is still a no-nonsense type of guy. He crawls around and plays, but smiles are rare. He is a very serious little fellow. His bottom lip seems to permanently jut out, and that reminds us all of my father.

This is probably the closest thing to a smile you'll get out of the Sheriff. He was really in a good mood, believe it or not. How do you like that lower lip?

But his very serious disposition reminds me of my great-uncle Thomas, the youngest brother of my grandfather. Uncle Thomas was born in 1910, almost 20 years after my grandfather. Sometime in the early 1980s, Donna, Courtney, and I were visiting my parents in their Fairfield home during Easter break. Dad needed to go to nearby Mexia on business, so I tagged along. On the way back, we decided to detour past the last area farmed by his father near Pt. Enterprise and Shiloh, small communities east of Mexia. As we were driving along a dirt road, we saw a farmer plowing a field with a team of mules. Dad recognized the man as his Uncle Thomas, and had me pull over. He had not seen his uncle in years, and I had not seen him since I was a child. We waved the man over, and he approached the fence where we were standing. Dad spoke to him, asked him how he and his wife were getting along, and just made the normal chit chat. During this time, Thomas answered questions briefly, and never smiled. He was not a friendly sort. After a few minutes, he asked, "Are we done here?" He then turned and resumed his plowing. He had work to do and didn't have time to spend with idle chatter. It was Good Friday, and like many traditional farmers, he wanted to get his seed in the ground.

So, I can see a little of my Uncle Thomas in the Sheriff.

Here's a recent picture of Camden that Courtney sent us. Again, that bottom lip is hanging down.

This is a picture of my mother holding me when I was a mere babe. Can you see a resemblance with the picture of Camden above?

I was fairly chubby as a baby, but soon became slim and remained so until Courtney was born. I've been fighting my weight ever since. We'll see what happens with Camden.

Courtney and her husband are expecting another child. It is due in July, which is when Camden was born, and this one is also another boy. Wow, they went on a 10 year drought, and now she's popping them out annually. 

Springing Forward and Other Things

We sprang an hour forward yesterday. Spring isn't far away, just another 10 days or so. I always look forward to Autumn and Spring, in that order, each year.

I'm hoping we will have a good wildflower crop this year, but because of lack of rain, I'm prepared for a poor crop. On our trip a couple of weeks ago, we saw scattered batches of dandelions, both yellow and white, on our drive through East Texas. We also saw dogwoods and one or two redbuds. I'm sure there are more now, and the wisteria, my mother's favorite, is probably draping the trees in that part of Texas now. I do miss the colors of spring and fall.

Color in West Texas is not as prominent and plentiful as in East Texas, though it is evident if you know where and when to look. During my days working at Region 18 ESC in Midland, I always looked forward to February trips to the Big Bend area when the Big Bend Bluebonnets would be in bloom. Mountain laurels should be blooming soon, I think.

This has been a very dry year for the Concho Valley; we've had only .08 inch of rain so far. This is not good for wildflowers, but there has been more rain in the Hill Country, so it is possible they may have a good crop. I'm watching the paper for wildflower sightings now, and when these start to pop up, Donna and I will probably make some day trips in the area. I'll let you know what we find.

I hope you have good spring color wherever you are.

On the Road: Boat Loop

Donna and I just returned from a week long trip.

Our recent 1100+ mile trip.

We started our trip by spending some time in Conroe so that we could visit Donna's mother. Conroe is Donna's hometown. We make several trips there each year.

Next we went to Shreveport, where we stayed at the Eldorado. We had some free nights, free play, and free meals there, so we spent 3 nights, doing a bit of gaming there and at Sam's Town next door. We also visited Athena Greek and Lebanese Grill while there. This is a stop we almost always make while in Shreveport as we really enjoy their food.

From Shreveport, we went to Ft. Worth for a couple of nights to visit my brother Larry and his wife Nancy. We took a different route to their house, going up through Mt. Pleasant, Sulphur Springs, Greenville and other places along a more northern route. We just wanted to see some different country for a change. While in Ft. Worth, they took us to the Ft. Worth Museum of Science and History. We enjoy museums, and Ft. Worth has some very good ones. I hope we can visit more next time we are in town.

Finally, we headed home along I-20. Since we were in no hurry, we detoured through Ranger and Eastland, even driving around Lake Leon just south of Eastland. We stopped for lunch in Abilene at Fazzoli's, our favorite Italian fast food place; I wish we had one in San Angelo. We then drove home on US-277, passing through a range of hills that were rather scenic for this part of Texas.

It's always good to get out. We don't travel as much as we did when we had our travel trailer, but we do have some trips planned for the coming months.

Hike Report: The Big Hill

Most of the time we hike in the south section of San Angelo State Park. Our hikes in the north section have been few and far between. Recently, we decided to take another hike in that section.

The north section of the park is located just a couple miles west of Grape Creek on FM 2288. The main entrance for this section of the park is on the east side of the North Concho River. But the trailhead is at the end of a road on the west side of the river. That road, however, is gated. You need to check in at the office at the main entrance and get a combination for the lock on the gate. On this particular day, the lady at the entrance told us that we could also use the code to get into the gated area farther west called River Bend. This was great information, for this will give us easier access to trails in the center of the park about halfway between the north and south section. We've hiked those areas before, but they have been long hikes from either the north or south sections.

But for today, we decided to hike a loop that took us atop the Big Hill and then back along the North Concho River. This trail is similar to one I reported in San Angelo SP: January 23, 2012.

It was an extremely windy day. The first part of the hike was in a level area where the wind really swept along. I had trouble with my camera on this day, and not all of my pictures came out as I expected, so the ones I have are rather limited.

After leaving Bell's Trailhead, we turned due south on Dinosaur Trail. One of the unusual things about this park is that there are often dual trails, one for horses and one for bikes. Hikers can travel either trail, but bikes MUST stay on bike trails and horses MUST stay on equestrian trails. From time to time the trails cross or even merge, but when separate, each to his own. On this day, we followed the horse trail as we believe it is safer to be with horses than bike riders.

Trails at the park are usually appropriately named. For example, Roller Coaster Trail dips up and down and around, like a roller coaster. Tasajillo Flats Trail winds among tasajillo plants. I have heard that there are dinosaur tracks in the park, but these are not indicated on any maps that I know of. However, there are occasional guided tours, I believe, that will take visitors to the dinosaur tracks. If I were a betting man, I would bet those tracks are located near the Dinosaur Trail.

The Big Hill in the distance. It doesn't look like much from here, but as you get closer, it becomes a bit more imposing.

The Big Hill looks a bit more pronounced as we near it. Towards the right center, you can see a crane. Oil activity is taking place on the Big Hill, which mostly sits on private property. Note the dirt trail. Most of the Dinosaur Trail is easy walking on level, dirt trails.

The dinosaur trail heads south across a western prairie, then turns east where it dips into a creek. Just after turning east, the horse and bike trails merge into one for the next section of trail. Whenever I hike, I always look on the map for landmarks that we will encounter. These help break the hike up. A landmark can really be anything, from a scenic overlook to a river crossing to a campground. On this particular hike, I made note of several landmarks. The first was a watering trough just beyond the creek. Since horses use these trails, water troughs are provided. Most also have a bike rack or two for bikers as well as a hitching post, a map, and maybe even a bench.

After leaving the water trough, the trails soon diverge again and turn north. The trail gradually works up a slope towards the Big Hill. Near the top, the trail then switchbacks down. At the north base of the Big Hill is a trail junction. We decided we needed a workout, so we took the trail straight up the Big Hill (no switchback this time). At the top, we paused at the cross (see San Angelo SP: January 23, 2012) and to enjoy the view north along the North Concho River. Mature pecan trees line the river; it is a rarity to see mature, natural trees in this part of the country. They usually only occur along rivers and streams.

We were disappointed to see that just on the backside of the cross an oil well was being drilled. The entire area had been scraped clean of all plant growth and the foundation was being put up. The land is private property, I believe.

Most of the land atop the Big Hill has been cleared for an oil platform. The cross is still standing, though, and is just to the left, outside this picture.

Mature trees lining the North Concho River. Taken from the Big Hill. Note red tint to sky. Something was wrong with my camera during the mid-section of our hike, and many of the pictures did not turn out at all.

From the Big Hill, we continued east, taking the Badlands Trail, another appropriately named trail. There is a section on the trail where the dual trails merge to cross an area that looks somewhat like the Badlands. By the way, after emerging from this dip, the left trail is the horse trail.

Donna in the Badlands, an appropriate place for a bad girl like her.

Just beyond this area, we encountered a herd of longhorns. They were peacefully grazing near the trail, and they were curious about our presence and kept an eye on us.

Longhorns near the east end of the Badlands Trail. They were having a drink at the local watering hole.

 At this point, we came to the paved road that leads to the River Bend area previously mentioned, and we took that road north. From there, we followed the Slick Rock Trail, another appropriately named trail, as it followed the river back towards the trailhead.

We then picked up the multi-use trail and followed it until we split off onto the Shady Trail for a final walk along the North Concho River. There isn't much water in the river. There will sometimes be isolated pools of water, but no flow; it's just too shallow for that. But it's nice to be able to walk underneath the trees along the bank.

The Shady Trail is appropriately named. Lots of trees and thick undergrowth in some sections along the river.

Sometimes the river just dries up. You can see just a trickle continuing downstream.

Sometimes there will be a nice body of water in the riverbed. Note all the trees on the opposite bank.

The end of the trail is always a welcome site.

Hike Report: Looping Pulliam Ridge

The weather has really been good lately, with highs often reaching the 80s. We've tried to take advantage of this good weather and do a couple of hikes a week at San Angelo State Park.

By this time, we've hiked all the trails and I've reported these hikes and shown pictures. There really is nothing new to report. But, I still click pictures of things I think are interesting on our hikes and I'll continue to post those pictures. Sometimes I get a new angle of an old subject. Sometimes we stumble on something we haven't seen before. So, as long as we hike the trails, I'll continue to snap photos.

On one recent hike, we parked at Burkett Trailhead (see map) and took the Roller Coaster Trail to the south of Pulliam Ridge (indicated as Highland Range Scenic Lookout on park map), then followed the Potts Creek Trail along the creek of that same name. After crossing the creek, we walked along Armadillo Ridge before heading back to the trailhead on the Burkett Trail. Total distance was probably 4 to 5 miles. Below are some pictures from that hike.

Lots of folks were riding mountain bikes in the park that day. Just after leaving the trailhead, we encountered  a man walking his bike to his vehicle. He had a flat and was calling it a day.

This is a good hike. The ups and downs of Roller Coaster Trail are good for the legs, and the views from several points on the trail are good. 

The trail begins by heading down into an arroyo leading towards the Highland Range Subdivision. Note especially the house just right of center.

Same house as in picture above, but from much closer. What a view they must have from that upstairs balcony.

I'm not a photographer -- I just snap photos. But I rather like this pic of Donna standing on a bluff overlooking a park road. In the background -- note the picnic table -- is Pulliam Ridge. Our hike today takes us on a long loop around that ridge.

On the southside of Pulliam Ridge is quite a bit of exposed limestone that serves as the trail. A series of switchbacks snake down the slope along this rock.

Along Potts Creek, the level trail is dirt and easy to walk on. As in most creek bottoms or arroyos in the park, mesquites are numerous.

This photo of Pulliam Ridge was taken from the trail as we had just worked up Armadillo Ridge from Potts Creek. All of the area beyond Pulliam Ridge is the lake bed. Less than 100 yards behind me is FM 2288. There was lots of traffic on the highway today, and the noise took away from the hike some.

I've mentioned before that after OC Fisher dam was completed, the lake filled up almost immediately. I don't know if it has ever been full since. As a result, there are picnic areas scattered throughout the park that are far removed from any possible water in the foreseeable future. The cover for this picnic table is long gone.

Old boat ramp on the west side of Pulliam Ridge. I wonder when the last time was that water reached this area.

Donna on the trail skirting Pulliam Ridge heading northeast

On the north side of Pulliam Ridge, the land takes on a different look. No underbrush, no rocks -- just flat land, looking almost as if it has been swept.

Gauging Distances on Foot

Donna and I went to a nearby neighborhood park yesterday for a walk. Meadowcreek Park is located east of us in an area of established homes with lovely trees. A sign posted at the park indicates that the paved loop ringing the park is .3 miles long. This would give us a good opportunity to check our walking speed.

In a recent entry (see Hike Report: Tasajillo Flats Trail), I mentioned that I estimated distances based upon time. So, after the first loop yesterday, I checked the time. It took us about 5 minutes to walk .3 miles. I no longer use a watch (got rid of it when I retired as I was determined not to be bounded by time any more), so I rely solely on my phone for time. The clock on the face of the phone does not show seconds, so I do not know precisely how long it took to walk that first loop.

With each passing loop, I'd check the time, and we seemed to be keeping pace. Sometimes, 6 minutes would elapse between loops.

We made the loop 10 times for a total of 3 miles. We began at 1:48 and finished at 2:41 for a total of 53 minutes. This breaks down to making a loop in just over 5½ minutes, and averaging a mile in just under 18 minutes. We've lost a step or two over the years, but not much.

We can still keep a lively pace for 3 miles. After 3 miles, we begin to slow some. Now, this is a smooth walk, paved and level, so it just doesn't get much easier. On a walk with ups and downs, we'd get slowed down a bit. On a walk with rocks and other obstacles, we'd slow even more.

Many hikes we've been on have had markers along the trail indicating distance, and this is an excellent way to time your walks and learn how to measure distances you hike. But you have to take into consideration all the factors, such as distance, trail difficulty, frequency of stops (for admiring views and taking pictures, for example), and even weather conditions.

Movie Review: The Monuments Men

Donna and I recently went to see The Monuments Men. It is based on the book The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel. I do not know how accurately the book follows history, and I am not aware of how closely the movie follows the book. Regardless, for us, it was an enjoyable movie.

The movie follows a specially created platoon of mostly older men who attempt to rescue art stolen by the Nazis during World War II. The older men are museum directors, curators, and art historians. As the war grinds to an end, they seek art works plundered by the Nazis in an attempt to save them from destruction and return them to their rightful owners. It is a race against time, against the Nazis, against the Russians, and against the bombs of the Allied forces.

The movie is directed by George Clooney, who also stars in the film as Lt. Frank Stokes, the leader of the platoon. Other notables in the film include Matt Damon as Lt. James Granger, Bill Murray as Sgt. Richard Campbell, John Goodman as Sgt. Walter Garfield, and Cate Blanchett as Claire Simone.

The film's narrative is a bit erratic and does not seem to flow smoothly from scene to scene. But you could argue that war does not flow smoothly.

The central question of the movie regards the value we place on art. Is art worth a human life? What is the value of art for a country, for a culture? This is a question each of us must answer individually; it is a question that each member of the platoon answered at some point in the movie.

I liked the movie, and I think Donna did as well. Of course, part of our enjoyment was the result of the movie starring folks we like, especially Clooney and Damon.