"On the Road Again...."

I headed out this morning for Colorado. Will spend the Thanksgiving holidays with ABW, Gunner, Em, Abs, and Junior. It was a balmy 70+ degrees when I left. It was a good day to work in the garden and my neighbor was busily doing just that. I invited her to continue her labors in my direction, but she declined. "I don't want to trespass," she said with a laugh. Oh well, I will get to it later. Grandchildren come first.

From Austin to Amarillo is a pretty straight shot and the beautiful weather made driving a particular pleasure. The country has fairly sparse, native vegetation, designed to stay alive with small amounts of water. Not enough grass for cattle to graze, but goats fare nicely and I saw herds of them grazing contentedly. Many of the nannies held hope for the next generation. Note to self: check out the festival in Brady, Texas, this summer. I have fond memories of barbecued cabrito from the last visit several years ago.

I always look forward to the various rock formations, many from roadway cross-cuts. The mindless driving gives me an opportunity to speculate on the people who braved the elements to settle the area. This includes some of my ancestors who arrived in the area via covered wagon from Alabama. They tried farming, but most moved on, including my grandfather. Some stayed, turning to cattle raising, but I don't know that any kept the mineral rights. That is unfortunate since underneath the desolation of the land, there was oil.

The sight of the day for me, was the miles and miles of windmills. In this land of wind. that rivals Chicago's "Windy City" title, these huge towers hum with the business of providing "green" energy. Hundreds of them stand on small rises, rotating their three arms. There is no competition on the horizon for these sentinels of energy.
I stopped for lunch at a "Cotton Patch Cafe," intending only to have a light lunch. Instead I had the Monday special, beef tips with rice, steamed veggies, squash casserole, a roll, and iced tea - all for under $10.00. It was a big lunch!

I was having so much fun driving and looking that I forgot to monitor my gas consumption later in the day. When the little gas tank with the nozzle showed up on my viewer, I became a little frantic. The first two stations I pulled in to, did not have diesel. I could feel my anxiety rising, especially when I realized I was in an area that featured bars across all the store windows. Thank goodness for GPS, which allowed me to search for the nearest service station. I could have called to see if they had diesel since all the info was on the screen. Instead, I headed out on fumes and a prayer. My thirsty little car took 20.09 gallons. I can't complain, since I had gone 513 miles on the last tank.

I am safely ensconced in a comfortable room at the Ashmore Inn in Amarillo. I passed on the hospitality hour and opted for cheese, crackers, and an apple in the room for supper. It sounds as if the continental breakfast, which is included, will be more than a roll and coffee. It had better be since there are two boys basketball teams staying here. There are also several jeans-clad people staying, who must belong to the horse-trailers outside. All, however, is quiet on the western front.

Memoirs at The Little House

(Note: Click on photos to enlarge)
Our memoir writing group has been writing together for about 6 years. The core group remains intact, but a few others have cycled in and out for various reasons. We have written about all aspects of our lives and, just when we think we have said it all, we come up with more. We put our stories on paper for our children, grandchildren, and beyond. How I would love to ave had a journal of my grandfather's family traveling to Texas in a covered wagon. How I wish I had kept a journal of the early years of my marriage when we lived and traveled all over the world. Nevertheless, I can put my memories on paper, so all is not lost.

Several years ago while doing genealogical research on a family line, I came across a copy of some typed pages stapled together and placed in one of those clear plastic report covers so beloved by teachers. There was no fanfare, it was just sitting on a shelf amongst real books in the reference section. I could hardly believe my eyes! Those papers contained stories about my great-great grandfather and his family! What a treasure. One of his children, later in life, had written the stories while "laid up" with a broken leg. What a blessing that others had seen the value in her efforts and shared them. Since this occurred in a small town, the librarian readily allowed us to remove the "Reference Only" copy and take it to the local print shop to have it copied. I hope someone will be just as excited someday, to find a copy of my stories.

I have digressed....
Our group of seven journeyed to La Grange for a long anticipated retreat. We wanted some time away from the world to concentrate on writing. We stayed in a member's weekend home, which was an event in itself.

Called simply, "The Little House," it was built about 1910 and moved to its present site from lower on the hill. Shortly after it was moved, a tree, felled by a vicious storm, fell on the house's previous site. It is a typical farm house from the era and is filled with bits and pieces reminiscent of bygone times.

The inside railings were recovered from an outside porch and thus preserved. The lofted sleeping area provided dorm-style comfort where we curled up at night under pieced quilts. We ate heartily and, for the most part, healthily with food we brought from home so little time was lost in the everyday tasks of life.

We went "out on the town" one evening. Traveling all the way to Winchester, Texas to Murphy's Steak House. Murphy's is a popular country, no-frills, restaurant housed in an old store with "1913 C.H. Schmidt" in pronounced letters over the entry.

Of course it is popular since it is the only real restaurant anywhere around this wide-spread farming community, but it was also good....and inexpensive! Memoir writing can be intensive so we broke the time up into sessions. Memoir writing is also fun and therapeutic as we share the joys and tragedies. We topped our time off with a quick trip to a local quilt show.

Strangely, as we laughed and shared, traveling to and from our retreat, the miles just melted away. Good friends, good times, good work.

Quilts from the La Grange Quilt Show February 2009

On a break from our writing at the writing retreat, six of us visited the 12th Colorado Valley Quilt Guild Show in La Grange, Texas. The theme was "Crazy About Quilting" and showcased Crazy Quilts from the collection of Karey Bresenham. Karey is the founder and President of Quilts, Inc., and the beginning force behind the Houston International Quilt Festival held in Houston every year. The quilts are grouped by categories.: Artisan - does not quilt or use quilting knowledge for monetary gain. Master - former Artisan that has won at least 3 ribbons but does not quilt for monetary gain. Professional - quilts for profit, sells work, teaches classes, publishes patterns, and/or conducts programs.
"October Leaves" an artisan pieced quilt by Doris W. Zumwalt of Halletsvilles, Texas; quilted by Pat Hildreth; pattern by Ruth Powers. It is based on a 9-patch technique and required careful template-making and workmanship.
"Golden Circle" a Colorado Valley Quilt Guild Raffle Quilt. Quiltmakers: Kim Stuart, JoAnn Hill, Gerline Kieschnick, Giddings, Texas. It is a machine pieced, machine quilted, original pattern.

"I had a dream - a beautiful quilt in lights radiating to shades of gold, then finally with corners of color, The final touch...the shirred border. This quilt was mentally planned for months before the cutting process."

The photo does not do it justice

"John's UFO" a machine pieced, machine quilted quilt by a professional was made from old quilt magazine pattern.

"I had been working on this quilt for my brother since 2001. I was doing pretty good on the piecing but life got in the way of the original 796 star points so it became a UFO (unfinished object). I picked it back up and quilted the blocks separately last year and assembled them this year."

These are just 3 of the quilts...more later....

Sharing My Home State

DD Kr has visitors from Germany this week, but she has to work. I have the distinct pleasure of introducing them to Texas. Yesterday, we spent the day at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. This was my 4th visit and it was a complete bust as far as I was concerned. The first two times I went, it was great, but the last two have been devoid of much interest. The highlight of the trip there was seeing some empty chrysalises and talking to a nice volunteer who had been searching for caterpillars and/or eggs in the garden. There were more wildflowers on the roadsides than at the center.

There was, however, an exhibit of paper sculpture by Shou Ping. These examples give some inkling of how talented she is. They depict some of the wildflowers we should have seen.

We made a few small stops on our excursion. A special stop to see "Madison,"the Longhorn sculpture. A visit to some real Longhorns who graze in a field in front of a business on I-35. They were too lazy to even get up. My children always remind me that I told them many years ago that when cattle lie down in the pasture, that means it is going to rain. I don't recall telling them that , but I do think I read it somewhere. It did not rain yesterday, but there were a few sprinkles. We had a quick, light lunch at Wendy's, a real treat according to the visitors. We drove home on the roadways that had been cut through some of the hills that give "The Hill Country" its name. I always enjoy seeing the beautiful cuts that show the geologic formations of the area.

We are off today for a quick trip to San Antonio. The visitors are having a hard time with the heat, but they are troopers. She keeps telling me how "wide" everything is here. "In Germany, everything is so small," she says as he moves her hands from showing great expanse to compact area.

A Night Out

I had a big night out tonight in Jonah, Texas. Friends and I attended the annual chili bash to benefit the old school in Jonah. The school was built in 1921, but has been used for various purposes since it was closed to student education. Now the school rooms are rented to various people / organizations and the annual bash helps rehab the old building.

A delicious, but mild chili was served accompanied by rice, cornbread muffins, crackers, and small packages of Fritos. This chili was full of meat, but beans were available to top it off. Sliced jalapenos, chopped onions, and grated cheese were also available as toppings. Water, coffee, iced tea, brownies, and banana pudding were served.

The real fun was in the surroundings and the people in this town with a population of 60. A Czech band provided music and several couples looked very much at home dancing to one side of the long tables set up in the auditorium. The rest of us tapped our toes, clapped our hands, and occasionally sang along to the traditional style music provided by 2 guitars, 2 accordions, and a keyboard.

We arrived early, but I had the distinct impression the party was just getting started when we left. What a great group of people in a really small town. If you ever visit, be sure not to miss the "Jonah Maul[sic]."

"Oh What a Beautiful Morning....."

It is hard to believe Christmas is right around the corner. We will soon be 8 years into the new Millennium. Remember when we were worried the world might come to a screeching halt at midnight on the last day of 1999? Would computers stop? Would all the things dependent on computers just quit? People were stocking food and preparing for an unspecified period of isolation as the world waited to see what the morning of the year 2000 would bring. When I was young, I thought about the advent of the year 2000, but I did not think I would be able to live long enough to see it. I simply could not imagine being THAT old. Of course, it doesn't seem so old now.

The old adage - "If you don't like the weather, just wait a minute and it will change" - is especially true in Central Texas this time of year. Yesterday it was 80*F outside, today, at this writing, it is 37*F . When we walked this morning, there was a heavy fog which almost felt like sleet falling and the wind chill was 31*. Yesterday, the gold, pink, purple, and orange colors of the morning horizon heralded the new day as we finished our walk and headed home. The trees were dark silhouettes, and our resident herd of wild deer grazed in the landscaped gardens. We tolerate the deer, having invaded their home, and they retaliate by munching on our shrubs and having babies in our gardens.

I can look out my front door and see the tree across the street clothed in its Fall finery. We don't always have a autumnal show of color and mine is the only house on the street that does not have a tree in the front yard, so I particularly enjoy this one. It is a glorious yellow right now. With the cooperation of the weather, it might reveal some other colors. Soon, the deciduous trees in the greenbelt behind my house, will lose their leaves. They won't change slowly and with dignity like the one across the street. They will just change from green to brown and drop their leaves in a huff of wind. The bare trees have their own beauty against the morning and night skies and they leave behind a treasure only seen when the leaves are gone. Amongst the dark bark and green cedars of the greenbelt area, the possum haw will reveal its red berries which glisten like jewels with dew or ice in the mornings and provide food for the resident and wintering birds until spring.

“This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24