News Flash

Dateline: Fentress Texas
Leisure RV Resort Clubhouse
December 29, 2012  4:30pm

The results of 2nd annual chili/cornbread cook-off have been posted.

First place for her famous 'White Chili Surprise':  Michigan's very own June V...

First place for her newly created 'Hot Pepper Corn Bread' : Sharon M ...

And cash prizes to boot!

Sharon and June with Cook-Off organizers

Not bad for a couple Yankee babes, I'd say.  Take that Texas.  With about 18 competitors, the contest was hotly, shall I say ...  contested.  With chili temperatures ranging from mild to 'it's a good thing it was served in a Pyrex bowl', there was lots to like.

Anyway ... the thunderous applause has subsided, the high fives finished, and the crowd has dispersed to find the nearest bottle of Tums.  Our work is done.  Yankees 1... Texans 0.

Still livin' the dream in the Texas outback.

Phil

Texas travels

Just in case I missed telling you ... Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you.  From Helsinki Finland ... to Sidney Australia ... to Mountain View California ... to Upper Saranac Lake New York and all points in between.  Sharon and I wish that you have a safe and restful holiday.

I think most of you know we don't sit around the RV all day munching Fritos and drinking RC Cocola but are snooping around the countryside seeing how the local live and what they do.

Even though we've had extremes in weather the past week or so (high near 80, low of 23) we have managed to find a few interesting things to bring to your attention.

First was another, (yup ... third time) stop to the Brisket Capitol of the Texas ... Lockhart TX.  Aside from the famous, but not too fancy beefatoriums (new word), Lockhart has one of the neatest, and most well kept county courthouses around.  Nothing sleek and modern about this old girl.  Style and grace is what the Caldwell County centerpiece is all about.  Finished in 1894 this grand dame of court houses was actually the third court house built on this site and I think you'll agree ...they finally got it right.

Caldwell County Courthouse, Lockhart Texas

Getting lost in Lockhart isn't easy but with a wrong turn here and there, we stumbled across two unique places missed by most.  The N.O. Reynolds Saloon, or what's left of it, was discovered down a dank alley we accidentally ended up in.  If walls could only talk.

N.O. place like home

Here's another interesting, though a little worse for wear, sign from the past.  Does our friend Miki know about this?  This appliance store is still in business though it's good years may be long gone.

Who knew?

Heading north from our camp, the 45 mile trip to Bastrop was a gentle back roads journey across some of the famous Texas oil fields and cattle county.  Oil and cattle seem to get along pretty good but I'm not real sure where all the money earned from these resources is spent.  Many of the folks who live out in the country on these ranches aren't exactly living in 'South Fork' like dwellings (if you remember the old TV show Dallas).  So my conclusion is that even though you have a half of dozen pumping oil wells in your back yard and 200 head of black Angus cattle, you're probably just the caretaker.

Anyway it was a pleasant trip and found the historic town of Bastrop interesting.  A mix of old and new and at least the city fathers had the foresight to keep the two separated.  WalMart and the like were kept away from the historic downtown area.  We ate dinner at a forgettable little eatery in the historic district and had my first example of chicken fried steak.  Now talk about a meal that stays with you!  This is some heavy eating. I think they even had the local cardiologist's phone number listed on the menu for backup medical services.  The pulverized slab of beef (?) was dipped in a heavy batter then deep fried a golden brown.  Then and only then was it smothered in a layer of flavorless white gravy like substance with the consistency of sorghum on a cold December day.  With a side of mashed potatoes and green beans this is true Texas gourmet.  However this may be my last chicken fried steak.

On one of the side streets in Bastrop we found an old time opera house.  Still in business (but not open) it looked like one of those places that warrants a return trip.

Bastrop Opera House

On occasion we'll take a trip to Austin.  It's about 35 miles or so north and we do it strictly for the chance to drive on Interstate I-35.  Six lanes of folks all wanting to get someplace faster than I do.  It's sort of like taking a stress test.  Anyway the state capitol of Texas is without saying, one of the fastest growing cities we've been to in quite a while.  Spreading out in all directions there was nothing recognizable to me as I once lived here some 60 years ago.  It's hip, it's cool, it's music, food, and shopping.  They apparently cannot build enough roads fast enough to satisfy the growth.  However as I age the tranquility of the countryside appeals to me far more than all the hustle.  As they say ... 'a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there'.  But if you're in the area ... do plan on stopping.

Sprawling capitol building, Austin Texas.  Built in 1888.

So there you have it.  Another slice of life from the slow lane.

Still livin' the dream in central Texas.

Phil

Our world

Just a short follow-up on the place we're parking our rig for a few months.  Rural and not too fancy.  Quiet and peaceful, the Leisure RV Resort does have some attractive vistas to admire.

Here are a couple of images that can get your mind wandering.

Louise the one-eyed llama munching away behind our coach

The San Marcos River without the kayaks and canoes

So with llamas and black angus in the backyard and the blue San Marcos River but 100 yards to the front, I think we've found a place to relax.

Still livin' the dream

Life in Luling

Luling Texas.

Located about 10 miles east of our camp alongside the San Marcos River, it's somewhat like stepping back in time.  The main street is lined on one side with railroad tracks and the other with buildings dating back maybe 150 years or so.  Its beginnings as a railroad town transformed into a cattle town in the late 1800's.  As a stop for cowboys driving cattle on the Chisholm Trail, it was a rough and tumble town that once earned the reputation as the 'toughest town in Texas'.  However the towns fortunes and reputation soon changed as  a guy named Edgar B. Davis discovered oil here in 1922.  The oil field eventually was determined to be about 12 miles long and 2 miles wide and by 1924 was producing about 11 million barrels a year.  And at a going rate of about 75 cents a barrel it was, at the time, quite a big deal.  I suppose some of the towns 5000 inhabitants are still in the oil business but my guess they've moved on to work in the big cities of Austin and San Antonio nearby.  Oil wells are still pumping in and around town so I guess they've not drained the reservoir yet.

So with the railroad and oil production activity on the sidelines what's exciting Luling?  Well let me tell you.  Watermelon thumping.  I'm not sure what thumping is all about (watermelons are not in season) but I could figure out what they do by the sign below.  The main street location is where the championship watermelon seed spitting contests are held in July.  Nobody was practicing today (surprise surprise) so I guess we'll have to return for all those festivities next year.

One thing this little town, just north of interstate I-10 about 140 miles west of Houston, has is some pretty good places to eat.  We've had three recommendations so far:  The Luling City Market (www.lulingcitymarket.com) is known for its BBQ, Edna's Diner on the outskirts of town and housed in an old railroad dining car, and the Rusty Rooster.  So far we've only made it to the Rusty Rooster and with maybe the exception of Babes in Dallas, it had the best tasting fried chicken we've had since our dear late friend Lydia Higgason recipe came into our lives some 35 years ago.

Also located in little Luling is the old Zedler Mill on the banks of the San Marcos.  We have not taken the time to tour the place but it is a neat place to take a picture or two.

So if you thought we spend all our time in the big cities hanging out at Sams Club and WalMart think again.  We livin' the dream out in the oil fields of Texas and having a great time.

Phil

What goes up ... must come down

Here's a challenge for all you marketing experts out there.  What do you think of the local skydiving outfits advertising efforts?  Makes you want to sign right up doesn't it?

Apparently they are quite successful as this place has been providing me a great deal of entertainment lately. They seem to be constantly dropping people out of airplanes for my personal amusement.  

I don't know the story of this old bird above but I'll bet it's an interesting one.

Still livin' the dream in central Texas.

Phil

Ultimate RV

Attention fellow RVer's.

I'm nominating this beauty as the ultimate RV.  What more could one want?

Still livin' the dream.

Phil

It's a bird ... it's a plane ... it's a

So where do I begin?

Let me tell you about those strange things in the sky.  Actually there are several peculiar things over head and maybe it was the sounds I was hearing at first more than what I saw.  First there was a small airplane circling above.  Engine at full throttle, it began climbing rapidly in a wide circle above.  Around it went, rising higher and higher until I lost sight of it.  My attention waned and I continued my slide into a partial nap while slightly reclined in my chair next to the picnic table outside.

Almost asleep, this odd little sound appeared from above ... not one, not two but a string of puffs of noise that reminded me of someone snapping the wrinkles out of a bed sheet after taking them off the clothes line.  ( I know many of you are far too young to remember but before clothes dryers, people actually hung their clothes outside on a line to dry).  Pooft ... pooft ... pooft ... pooft ... and on it went.  Apparently it was just enough sound that it brought me back to consciousness and I opened my eyes.  Directly above, maybe five thousand feet or so, was a line of skydivers.  The colorful formation of parachutes, eight in total, began forming a huge, but ever dimensioning circle above and were slowly descending.  Now I've been to enough air shows and county fairs to have seen skydivers before but this was almost like it was a personal show just for me.  Our camp is out in the country a bit with few people around and there I was, half awake, head tilted back, a bright blue Texas sky and I was getting my own private skydiving show.  Pretty neat.  As it turned out they slowly drifted further north, landing near a small private airport about a half of mile from me.  But before long another plane repeated the experience this time dropping off four jumpers this time.  By then I found my binoculars and enjoyed the show up close.  This went on for another hour or so ... then I drifted off to sleep again.  Life is good.

I'm not much of a bird watcher but out here in central Texas there a good number of big birds flying around.  Sort of like UAV's (unmanned aerial vehicles),  they float around on the thermal currents looking things to do and probably eat.  A couple zoomed over the other day that forced me to get out the 'bird book' to help identify these large black with white wing tipped critters.  The locals would have had a laugh it I had asked about them as they are pretty common down here but these turkey vultures were interesting to watch.  Not as colorful as skydivers but they do keep the road kill cleaned up.

The next and final aerial mystery happened when we were at the local pecan farm buying some of the delicious native nuts.  BTW there are lots of pecans grown around here and the season is short so we try to stock up.  Anyway we were just leaving the pecan store and I could hear a helicopter flying very close.  It was tightly circling just about the scrub brush across the road when all of a sudden there was gunfire nearby.  Lots of high caliber gun fire.  It was so close you could see it was a shooter hanging out to open side door of the helicopter blasting away. Puffs of smoke from each round fired was silhouetted against the bright blue sky.  Needless to say lots of things were going through my mind as this was all taking place.  Strangely taking cover wasn't one of them but getting closer to see what was happening.  I opened the door to the store and asked the clerk what in the world was going on and he said they were probably shooting wild pigs.  Apparently these ornery little tusked critters like to eat pecans and make a mess of the ground surrounding the nut trees so they were not well liked here in pecan country.

Relieved that they were not shooting at people but pigs, we hopped into the car and looked for a way to get a closer look.  I quickly located a small road leading to a series of building adjacent to the field where all the shooting was going on.  As we approached the building the copter swung around our way, low to the ground with the open door (and gunner) away from us but heading for the barn as we were.
 

We arrived at about the same time as the copter did and as it sat down a person dressed in all black and welding an M4 style semi-automatic emerged from the open door.  One of the ground personnel approached and took the gun and the shooter took off their helmet.  Out from under that menacing black helmet flowed locks of long blond hair.  A women?  Just then another young woman approached our car and wanted to know what we wanted.  I explained my curiosity and said I wrote a travel blog and thought this might make an interesting story.  She was the marketing director of the outfit providing the helicopter and training that satisfied the requirements to license people to shoot things from helicopters here in Texas.  As it turns out, todays trainees were all from a women's shooting club in Austin who each had paid $350 each for the 4 hour training session and live fire helicopter ride.  So the ladies weren't shooting at pigs but at human like targets placed in the brush.  Bet you don't say no to one of these gals if they ask you out on a date.

I guess shooting pigs from the air is a sought after sport, but somewhat costly to undertake.  I was also told that any pigs taken were usually donated to the local food bank so some additional good comes from this unique way of hunting.  I also think the outfit probably trains law enforcement sharpshooters as well but she didn't volunteer that information.  I asked the marketing girl if I could return at a later date and take some pictures and she gave me her number and suggested I give her a call when I could come out.

And so it goes.  Continuing to seek out the weird and unusual while still livin' the dream.

Phil

Okinawa US Army 1966-1967

This is not one of my normal entries but a search for some old Army buddies.  I'm gathering material for a book about my military days and I'm looking for a little help.  In my other website (www.philipdean.zenfolio.com) is a folder named "Okinawa 1966-1967". In it is a series of images I took as an Army photographer while assigned to the 999th Signal Company 1st Special Forces Group based on Okinawa in 1966-1967.  I would like some assistance in locating any of the individuals depicted in the images or who were assigned to that unit during that time.

My poor memory has only given up a few names from that period so if anyone knows the whereabouts  of any of the following individuals please contact me (or have them contact me) through either the 'comments' section of this site or the 'email: send message' section of my photo sites main page:

Person                              Last known location

Ladd Graham                     California
Leroy Daniels                    Alabama
John Sutton                        Michigan
Bob Garrity                        Midwest
David DeAntonio               New York area
Mitch Mitchell                   Texas

So thanks for indulging me on this little excursion into the past.  But please pass the word to friends and family and maybe with a little luck I can get some help on the research.

I'll be back in the swing of things next time with details on strange flying objects in the sky over our coach and our first day trip to Austin.

Still livin' the dream in east central Texas ... and BTW ... It's still in the 80's

Phil