Happy Birthday, Donna

Well, today is the old woman's birthday. Donna is a year older today. I won't tell you how old she is; after all, I have to sleep sometime. But if you were to put candles on a cake for her, you'd be violating local fire codes.

Actually, the old girl seems to get younger while I do enough aging for both of us.

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.

A Good Week for Wildlife

Donna and I have been fortunate this week to see quite a bit of wildlife in San Angelo.

Early in the week, we drove out to Spring Creek Park on Lake Nasworthy. We drive out there often when we eat out. It's become pretty much a routine for us. After crossing the bridge, we pulled into the Mary E. Lee Park area next to the San Angelo Nature Center. A prairie dog colony has grown up in the area, and we like to drive by and watch those playful little critters. However, the growth of the colony has been such that the city is now looking at ways to reduce the number. (See related story). They have been removing some, but there are quite a few of those chubby little guys still out there.

From there, we drove around the edge of the lake on Fisherman's Road to Spring Creek Park. As we approached the entrance to the park, we passed a few turkeys working their way along the edge of the mesquites. Then, just inside the park entrance, we came across a dozen or more deer lying around in the shade.

Click to enlarge. There are deer scattered across the width of this picture.

Here's a close-up of a small group taking it easy in the soft grass and the shade of some pecan trees and mesquites.

Donna rose early one morning and looked out the window overlooking our patio, which is her usual routine. She never knows what she will see. On this particular morning, she saw something that looked like a fox. I was not in the room at the time, so I was unable to see what was lurking in our yard.

The daytime highs have been somewhat mild lately, so on Thursday afternoon, we decided to drive out to San Angelo State Park and take a walk out there. It was so pleasant as we walked along the traffic-free roadways, hearing nothing but the chirps of birds and the wind in the trees. We were fortunate to see the bison near our route. I never tire of seeing those massive creatures. They are such a natural part of this landscape and speak volumes of the history of this area.

Later that evening, Donna and I made our way to our rocking chairs on our back patio as darkness began to envelope our neighborhood. It wasn't long until we saw a buck and two doe emerge from the brush to our south. The trio moved along the opposite side of the street from us, then worked their way along a yard and soon disappeared into the draw between our house and the clubhouse.

This morning, I started my walk just before 6:00 AM, which means it is dark. It starts getting light about 6:30 or later these days. As I was nearing the entrance to Rio Concho West, I saw something along the curb ahead. It was too far away for the beam of my flashlight, so I continued my approach. As I got closer, it began to resemble a cat sitting upright. We do have some feral cats in the area, so I assumed it was one of them. As I drew nearer, it then rose and began to move away. I then saw that unmistakable bushy tail and realized I was looking at Donna's fox. It stopped for a moment to turn and look at me, and I could see the outline of its head then. No doubt about it -- that was a fox.

Yep, it's been a good week for wildlife viewing for us. We do enjoy watching animals of any sort. That is probably one of the things we miss most about no longer having our RV. We have spent a lot of time over the years in rural parks in close proximity to numerous critters, and we have enjoyed all those moments.

Harvey

Harvey is all over the news, as it should be. What a disaster! Donna is from Conroe (just north of Houston) and I did undergraduate and graduate work in Huntsville at Sam Houston State University, so we are both very familiar with the area. Donna has family in Houston as well as Conroe and that area, so we worry about them. They all seem to be doing well, though.

When Harvey first appeared on the radar, some early models projected that it might move inland from Corpus Christi through the San Antonio area and then out to our area. Although any tropical storm is dangerous, we were somewhat hopeful that it might follow this course. Now, I don't want a deadly, damaging storm wrecking where I live, but we continue to be hopeful for some nice sustained rains to fill our reservoirs.

As Harvey neared the Texas coast, models then began accurately predicting its true course. I find it amazing just how accurately the weather can be predicted. Anyway, most of the rains from Harvey did not go much beyond San Antonio and Austin. We received only half an inch last Saturday from an outer band. We need several inches to fall over several days. Hopefully, such rain would fall gently and slowly, allowing the water to flow into our reservoirs without causing much damage.

We seem to always be living on the edge out here as regards our water. One of these days, I'm sure the rains will come and replenish our area lakes. Until then, we continue to live from year to year.

Until then, my thoughts remain with those in coastal Texas and Louisiana who have received much more rain than they wanted. Folks in those areas have some challenging days ahead of them.

Back Roads Tour: Lake O. H. Ivie

Donna and I were getting a bit restless, so we decided a drive in the country was in order. I had been thinking of a drive over to O. H. Ivie Reservoir lately, so that seemed like the place to go.

We got an early start Thursday, heading to the east edge of town. At Loop 306, we headed east on Highway 380 for about 30 miles to Paint Rock. About 2 or 3 miles east of the loop, we crossed the Concho River, which would then remain just to our north for the remainder of the drive to Paint Rock. The first half of the drive passed through flat, productive farm land. It's summertime, and the cotton is tall out there in Lipan Flats. We passed through the tiny community of Veribest, home of the Falcons of six-man football. There isn't much there, just a post office, some homes, a Baptist church, and the school. I like a country school like this. In fact, I taught in such a place during the 1980s, in little Wellman about 50 miles southwest of Lubbock. It was one of my favorite teaching experiences.

A few miles east of Veribest, the flat farm land began to disappear, replaced by rolling ranch land covered with mesquite and rocks and grass and cactus. Before long, we found ourselves entering the small community of Paint Rock. Though home to fewer than 300 people, it remains the county seat of Concho County. As with Veribest, this is another six-man football school. What a great game six-man football is. If you've never seen the game played, you have missed a great experience.

Paint Rock doesn't have much. Residents probably journey to either nearby Ballinger (16 miles north) or to San Angelo (30 miles west) for most of their shopping. Besides being the county seat, the town is also home to some Indian petroglyphs. Unfortunately, these are located on private land on the north side of the Concho River just north of town, and arrangements must be made with the owners to visit the site.

South side of Concho County courthouse in Paint Rock, Texas

North side of Concho County courthouse, with mostly deserted shops along US 83.

Concho River, taken from US 83 bridge. Notice old bridge support in left of picture among trees.

This is the bridge over the Concho River on Highway 1929. That is a really big house on the bluff. At one time, much of this land was covered with the waters of O. H. Ivie, but that was quite a while ago.

At Paint Rock, we turned north on US 83, crossing the Concho River on the north edge of town. About 3 miles farther, we turned east on Highway 1929, the Ray Stoker, Jr., highway. In 11 miles, we crossed the Concho River again. This is where the reservoir really begins.

O. H. Ivie Reservoir was impounded in 1990. It is formed by waters from the Colorado and Concho Rivers. It has the potential to be a rather large lake, with a potential surface area of almost 20,000 acres and a depth of 119 feet. The lake provides water for a number of West Texas communities, such as Abilene, Ballinger, Big Spring, Midland, Millersview-Doole, Odessa, San Angelo, and Snyder. The lake is owned and operated by the Colorado River Municipal Water District. It has a storage capacity of 554,339 acre feet. It currently has only 117,679 acre feet, so it is at about 20% capacity.

Since we moved to San Angelo in 2011, it seems that the lake has hovered at such levels, even dipping to 15% capacity of so at one time. We just can't seem to get the sustained rains we need to replenish the lake. All of the data above is just that -- data. Numbers are one thing, but when you actually see the lake, they you really realize just how precarious your situation can be. Fortunately, San Angelo has other water sources it can utilize. Still, water remains one of our top concerns.

The lake around the Concho Park area. Not much water out there.

But I digress . . . . . let's get back to the trip.

There is not much development around the reservoir. At one time, I think there was some attempt at development. However, the consistently low water levels have impacted those attempts. There are some parks, such as Concho Park and Kennedy Park. Camping is available, but we found the facilities to be in rather poor condition. The concession at Kennedy Park appears to be for sale and it did not appear to be open. The whole thing is a bit depressing.

Hawk surveying the country from his perch on power pole.

View of the lake from high ground on the highway.

Just before the dam, we came across a scenic area, so we pulled off and I was able to snap some pictures of the dam and lake. From there, we drove along the downriver side of the dam, then continued around the lake. We soon intersected with Highway 503, turned north, and headed to Valera. Along the way, we passed the small community of Voss and the country school of Panther Creek, another six-man football school. I'm so glad to see these small country schools surviving. They do such a wonderful job of teaching the basics.

Lake with dam on right. Picture taken from scenic view area.

View of dam on downstream side.

Colorado River downstream from the dam.

Boat Ramp in Kennedy Park

Old school building in Valera.

At Valera, we turned west on US 67 and headed to Ballinger, where we enjoyed cheeseburgers at Gonzalez Restaurant at the corner of US 67 and North 7th Street.

Patrick Dearen

If you've read my blog much, you know how much I love Texas history. It has been a passion of mine my entire life. I would not say I that I am an amateur Texas historian, but I am well read and quite knowledgeable on certain periods of the subject.

Over the years, I've read all the giants of Texas literature, such as J. Frank Dobie, Walter Prescott Webb, and John Graves. And of course, I've read my favorite Texas fiction writers, such as Elmer Kelton and Larry McMurtry. I've even read Frederick Law Olmsted's A Journey through Texas; only serious Texas historians can make that claim. And then there are the less well known Texas writers, such as Hallie Stillwell and Sallie Reynolds Matthews; although not as well known as others, these folks have made a great contribution in recording regional history of our state.

My latest discovery is Patrick Dearen. Now, I've known about Mr. Dearen for many years, at least since 1991 when -- if I recall correctly, -- I attended an event in which he was the guest speaker, but I've simply neglected to read any of his works. A few weeks ago, though, I checked out 2 of his books, and I've been plowing through them since then.

For the most part, Mr. Dearen is a tireless and devoted historian. In his work, he will focus on a specific aspect of Texas history and do some very thorough research, even to the point of hiking to secluded and forgotten spots. Most -- if not all -- of his work seems to center on West Texas, and dwells on topics that have been neglected in the past. For example, I just finished reading Crossing Rio Pecos. This book thoroughly explores the numerous fords and crossings of the once treacherous Pecos River, which at one time formed a formidable barrier to east-west travel in the state.

But Mr. Dearen has also written a few novels. I cannot comment on these, as I've yet to read any. But they are certainly on my list.

If you are a serious student of Texas history, especially of Texas west of the Pecos, then you should really look into Mr. Dearen's work. You will not be disappointed. I'm just sorry it has taken me so long to give his work a chance.

Rain and Other Things

We've been blessed with some good rain this past week.

Last weekend, we received slightly more than half an inch. Since then, it has rained lightly several times, but none amounting to more than a tenth or so. But on Thursday night, we had another half inch. So, in the past week, we've had probably an inch and a quarter or so. That's really good for us. We're about where we should be for the year, perhaps an inch or two behind.

An old friend from our Ozona days passed away recently, so we made the trek there last Monday evening to pay our respects. It was good to see old friends and colleagues, some that we have not seen since we left there in 1999. San Angelo is the nearest big shopping town for Ozona, so we do run into folks from there around town, especially places like Walmart and H.E.B. And lots of folks from Ozona retire to Angelo, much like we have, and we see them around town from time to time.

We were glad to see how green things were in Ozona. They have really had good rains there this summer, much more than what we have received in Angelo. That is ranch country down there, and the pastures did look good.

It was also interesting to see the many changes in Ozona. The town seems healthy. It had been a while since our last visit, so we were surprised to see 2 new hotels, a Holiday Inn Express and a Hampton Inn. Ozona is a good place for east/west travelers to stop on Interstate 10. Hotel rates are reasonable, and there a several good places to get a good meal. I'm glad to see the town is doing so well.

We boarded the fun bus to ride to the Manor for lunch on Wednesday. We always enjoy socializing with our fellow inmates, but I have to say, I enjoy the food over there less and less each time I go. It's hard to beat the price of $6.50 for a full meal (drink, entrees, veggies, bread, and dessert), but the quality really lacks.

It's been quite a while since we attended a birthday dinner at the club. It seems we are always traveling when those dates roll around each month.

Aside from that, we just continue our regular routines and look forward to our next trip.