A TRIP TO CENTRAL TEXAS.

Pictures:
It's Toby's mexican tree...it's a flamboyana tree and it's noteworthy because he loves it so much and because about 6 years ago i smuggled the seeds home from Cozumel and we got 7 seedlings and his is the only one left. One of the others made it with us to our Kyle house and we planted it in the ground...it was about 7 feet tall and then it froze that winter.
That's Toby's house.
Check out the cool chicken leg rack that Toby uses on his grill.
I took 10 cantaloupes and handed them out to friends....i got tired of smelling them in the car for 4 days.

Dropped Jamey at the Midland/Odessa airport last Tuesday at 5:30 a.m. then found a little highway that would take me south to IH 10.
It wasn't daylight yet and there was nothing out there and kinda creepy.
I was happy to get on the interstate and the sun was coming up....and gee, wally....there was STILL nothing out there and still kinda creepy.
I saw 2 terrible car accidents.
I had to pull over for awhile in Fredericksburg cos it was raining so hard.
Anyways, I got Dripping Springs on my way into Kyle to go to the Guerras and took hwy. 150 (after Dan told me not to)...and had to turn around and go another way because the road was closed due to high water.
The san marcos/kyle area has had rain for the last 44 days out of 47.
The emerald cities!
I enjoyed it...everyone there is sick of it.

It was great to see dan and bobbie and especially his mom...i hadn't seen her since she was staying there as a refugee from hurricane rita....she lives in Texas City.
The next day I went to the dentist and eye doctor and shopped alot and then met Patty, Toby, his roomate Troy, Scott and Dano for dinner at the river pub.
Then we hung out at Toby's and I spent the night at Patty's.
The next day I shopped some more and met Brook and Carolynn for lunch then drove up to Austin and stayed with kay and jim. Jim made some seafood chile rellenos that were to DIE for!

I miss cental Texas and our friends there.
I'm going back in 6 weeks to get a couple of cavites filled...crap...i havn't had any cavities in years.

Gene sure is enjoying his job in the P.E. dept. at the prison.
The other day he took all his old trophies and baseball t-shirts and decorated his office....that's cool...his tropies had been in storage for years.
The inmate-kid that he had unpacking them was saying: "gee, coach...these trophies are older than me....so is the newspaper that they are wrapped in." (it was a 1988 paper.)

It's raining lightly here today....FINALLY! But tonight is our Night in old Pecos festival....i remember it rained last year for it too. They have bands, a cake walk, a dunking booth and food and crafts booths. Gene and I are volunteering for 2 hours tonight...we'll drive around in a golf cart and pick up bags of trash and put out fresh trash bags.

RADIO HOTLINE:
For Sale:
antique organ. $40. (cool...i want that.)
6 1/2 golden retrievers $100 each. (hmmmm....is the half of one only $50.?)
Wanted:
fresh okra.
folklorico costumes for 4 girls.

That's all bloggers.
Love, Mary

Snakes, Jails and a History lesson.

This jail cell was used in McCamey Texas....but there are others just like it around here.
Looks quite dreadful, yes?

These are Gene's bottle cap snakes. I've seen similar ones in Alpine for $95....bet they don't sell many. That artist uses carved wooden heads and tails and I don't like them much. Once Gene gets his fixed up....I make a head and tail out of polymer clay.

I rolled around on the lobby floor for about an hour this morning taking out the last of the staples and scraping crappus off the floor and sweeping up a few spots....it hurts.

We had a bit of rain yesterday and a little bit more today....not even a tenth of an inch...i know, i know...ya'll are still flooding...it's not MY doing!

West Tejas History 101:
This is regarding P.H. Pruett (phillip hawker)....T.B.'s big brother.
In 1865 he married Martha Brown of Augusta, Arkansas....and when she died he married her sister....no wonder she died after birthing FOURTEEN children!
According to one 1977 interview with Ora Jane Pruett (P.H.'s daughter), the family settled where they did when her father (P.H. Pruett) put together what is now the Kokernot '06 Ranch.
P.H. sold his wife's cow milk and butter to soldiers at Ft. Davis. He stumbled upon a lush canyon and Ora Jane stated "he rode up Limpia Canyon and at the place we call 'picnic rocks' he ran into a mexican man...who said my father could rent his house for $5. a month and turn his cattle out on up the canyon on what is now the Prude Ranch."

so what was it?
prude ranch or the '06?
they are both still around today and near each other.
if you goggle "prude ranch" it's quite an interesting website!
Ora Jane married A.G. Prude in 1897. She lived to be 100 years old.

Another computer find:
"About 1880 P.H. drove 275 longhorn steer up Limpia Canyon from Ft. Davis."

FIRST RURAL SCHOOL WEST OF THE PECOS RIVER: (this is a texas historical marker...or something similar).
Built in 1881 of adobe brick, by settlers P.H. Pruett, Cal Nations, James Dawson, Joe Dorsey.
At the same time Pruett built a home a half mile north. A Texas Ranger's camp in the area gave protection from indians. Mrs. Pruett once made a midnight ride to alert rangers of an approach of Apaches. Pruett sold his home in 1883, to Ft. Davis commandant B.H. Grierson and founded "Lone Cottonwood" ranch 4 miles east. The school was closed after he moved. In 1912 Pruett sold "Cottonwood" to H.L. Kokernot...now several Kokernot rnches use it as headquarters.

I have read that the adobe ruins of the ranch can still be seen from the Ft. Davis to Alpine highway. We found the marker but could not see any ruins. P.H. died Feb. 28, 1924 in El Paso and is buried on the Kokernot ranch.
He was born in Marshall County, Kentucky in 1839 and the family moved to Texas from Romance, Arkansas.

Where was little brother T.B. all this time?
The earliest date I can find of him in the area is 1892.
He got here as soon as he could and built our house between 1902 and 1907.

There will a test on this information tomorrow....not.

Love, mary

A NEW PROJECT BEGINS!

So....Gene and his co-worker (Art) pulled up the "lobby" carpet last night and we started pulling staples and prying up the nail strips today.
I can telll I'm going to be sore. I had to have Gene help me up off the floor cos I can't bend my knee very well.
We believe that the floor is the original (so it's over 100 years old) and will be beautiful someday.
We'll have to sand it and fill in cracks with wood putty and then polyurethane.
It's going to be a big job.
The dogs=no like!

Our cantaloupes are good but I think the coyanosa ones are better.
The farmers planted less than 50% this year cos there's no one to help pick them cos they have no where to stay.

Everyone has rain around here except us.
We have an 80% chance today and 90% tonight...i'll believe it when i see it.
I hear central texas had flooding yesterday.

We have lots of hummingbirds....they seem to love my recipe now that they've discovered my feeder.

Jamey is on her way back here from california and has been checking in regularly and has had the BEST time!
She meets all kinds of people...they seem curious since she is cute and traveling alone...everyone wants to fix her up with a friend or relative.
She went to Big Sur and rented a bike in San Francisco and rode to the golden gate bridge.
She stayed a "hippy dippy" hotel on Haight street.
She's done and seen so much I can't begin to list it all.
She plans to be in Pecos on monday and will fly home to new york tuesday morning.

I am going to San Marcos on Tuesday for a very fast visit....will return friday in time for Night in ol' Pecos on saturday.
I'll return the wheelchair to kay in austin and go to the dentist in san marcos and visit dan & bobbie guerra...i'm excited to see his mama who is there visiting from texas city!

The museum was closed for 2 days last week cos it got overrun by BEES!!! No one was stung but it was big clean up on the 2nd and 3rd floors.

RADIO HOTLINE:
For Sale:
1978 superman luchbox. $600. (shit, that's alot of money!)
Wanted:
2 army cots. (do they HAVE to army?)
Lost:
a parrot named "ducky".

That's all bloggers.
love, mary

RANDOM PICTURES.

We went to Alpine today which is about 100 miles south. It was a pretty drive....crap...I forgot to take my camera today.
The 1st picture up there is the pair of mexican made bookshelves that we bought. Notice the one on the right has been mostly lemon oiled and looks much better....$250. each was a steal....they are heavy and well made.
We plan to have them in the "lobby" after we rip out the rug and refinish the floor in there.....that's our next project.
We also visited an art gallery and plant nursery.

We stopped and bought some colored glass for my art sculpting/hangings....the selection was small but o.k....and hey the lady wanted to toss in a kitten for free....it was the darlingest, prettiest, sweetest, baby dark orange pussy! Gene declined. If he hadn't been there I would've taken it! But Bennie (our "cat terrier") would've eaten it and Willie would think it was a squeaky toy.

We stopped at the Balmorhea flea market on the way and I bought 13 really old, hardbacked books by Zane Grey for 25 cents each. Gene got a cowboy hat.

Our thermometer WILL go as high 140 degrees in the sun even though in this picture it says 130....gee, we're easily amused.

Also pictured is the nickel and turquiose belt buckle Gene got last weekend in Ft. Davis...sorry, it's out of focus.
Then we have darling patty-atty-watty when she was here for rodeo.
And look! It's Ramones Grocery between pecos and saragosa! Should we buy it?
Lastly....this cactus flower with a bee is the reason why everyone should have a digital camera. Click on it to enlarge.
I got my camera shortly before we moved here from Kyle...and was scared of it and didn't use it for 3 months...now i love it!
I sure wish I'd had it when we did our 3 week drive into mexico in nov. of 2005. I missed SO many photo ops.

Where's Jamey?
Well she was in Santa Barbara Thursday night and having a great time.
Tonight she's in San Luis Obispo...or however ya spell that.
She's going to San Francisco next.
She doesn't seem to mind traveling alone at all.

RADIO HOTLINE:
For Sale:
3 started cat dogs. (I'm scared....WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?)
2 pigs and a cattle guard. (nice combo.)
an apple head chihuahua. (i'm scared again...what's an apple head chihuahua?)
1948 kaiser sink. (what's that? It sounds cool.)
Want to trade african gray parrot for a rifle. (only in west texas!)

There have been big storms and lots of rain for the last 3 days....we see all around and it gets real dark here and thunders...but alas...only 10 drops of rain per day for pecos.

gotta go.
thanks for tuning in bloggers!
mary

THE TINIEST NEWS EVER.

The cantaloupes are ready!
Coyanosa started picking theirs last saturday....pecos strated picking theirs today.
They are small but REALLY sweet and REALLY juicey.
The crop is small this year...so they may not be around too long.
I guess we have enough for the Blue Bell creamery to make their vanilla and cantaloupe ice cream...look for it in a store near you...(sorry, not you Alicia.)
I read a good article in Texas Hiway mag. about blue bell celebrating it's 100th anniversary this summer...it was an excellent read!

I walked the dogs 6 blocks this morning and 9 blocks tonight.
Bennie tried to choke himself to death over numerous stray cats.
It's been 3 weeks since my knee surgery...it still feels very strange.
It's semi numb and I can't bend it as well as I would like.

I saw a big, black tarantula crossing IH 20 on my way to Odessa last week.
He seemed to have made it across o.k....I missed him anyways.

I went back to work monday and tuesday.
Peggy got a new embroidery machine....it has 10 threads and needles!
I never did anything on the old one that was more than 4 colors of thread anyways.
Gee wally...I was just getting used to the old one.
Come to think of it....Alfredo's Restaurant logo is done with 6 threads and needles.

Our movie theatre closed again already....about 3 months ago....I just found out.
That didn't last long.
I guess I'll have to drive 60 miles to see the new Harry Potter movie...or wait until it comes out on video.

OMG....this blog is so boring.
I don't know why I keep writing them.

Jamey called.
Russ flew back to new york today.
I was misinformed....he isn't going with her driving north....he had to get back to work.
Next stop for her...San Francisco.

RADIO HOTLINE:
For Sale:
big bag of boys size 2 to 4. (haha...they forgot to type "clothes" on the end of that.)
Wanted:
susie call cleo. (i've never seen an ad like this before on the hotline...hope she calls.)
Give:
a wooden frame. (well, hell...they didn't tell much about that...it could be anything.)

that's all the stupid news.
i bored myself to sleep....g'night.
love, mary

LA POSADA, EXPLODING BEANS & A BULL FOR DAN.

WED....july 4th...or thereabouts:

I forgot to say in past blogs that on or about june 25th we had 70 mph winds here....and odessa had some clocked at 93 mph!!! Gee wally....that's the biggest wind we've experienced yet out here. Thankfully the siding and windows of the house stayed intact.

Thursday we had about 25 drops of rain....Gene said that it poured down in Pyote as he was leaving work....that's 30 miles to the east ya know. It's the BEST smell in the world...that dirt and rain...course I know I can't ya'll that.....who have had rain everyday for weeks...I'm sorrry and hope you continue to have dry homes.

Jamey spent a night in Winslow Arizona...she was too tired to make it to the grand canyon. She said that she has miscalculated how far she can drive each day....that's cool....but it means that she will have to skip San Diego and the Hotel Coronado. She loved santa fe but stayed at a motel that even though it was in her guide book... it turned out to be ugly, not too clean and she didn't feel safe there....so she didn't sleep to well....a lesson learned.
So...anyways....when she pulled into winslow and decided to quit for the night she ended up at the La Posada....OH!!!! I was SO jealous because it was featured largely in my Harvey Girls books and my book all about Mary Colter the architect who designed and furnished those old railroad hotels. It's a treat to stay in one as there are so few left. La Posada was only $99. a night and had a garden, museum,mexican trading post (i.e. gift shop) etc. She said it was HUGE and very beautiful. If you are bored...go to www.laposada.org and read about the restoration and see the rooms and above mentioned cool things there. SEE A PICTURE ABOVE OF LA POSADA.

She's in Los Angeles now and Russ flew there today from new york. They'll be driving up the west coast as far as time allows.
She's had some great times thus far....seeing dinosaurs by the hiway...and concrete teepees and meeting interesting people.
She has the use of a friend's apartment in los angeles.

Yesterday we had 50 drops of rain.
I went to 2 estate sales in Odessa.

Today gene and I went to ft. davis to the monthly market days....I got some stuff to use as a "base" to make glass art. Gene bought a nickel belt buckle with turquoise in it.
The Higgins family (and debra) found a glass source in Alpine! That's only 100 miles away instead of 400...in austin. And this glass is the same stuff I use and it's $2. a pound...in austin it's $3.
I'm ready to create!!

EXPLODING BEANS:
here's the plant...it's in our front yard and i've posted a picture of it's flowers before.
so, first we have the bloom and you can see the green beans that result from that.
then, the beans dry out...and as the sun heats the seeds inside.....pressure builds up.
and then they explode and make a popping sound and the seeds blow 10 to 20 feet away...or more!
and then the bean pod is split in 2 curly thingies...see them next to the brown seeds?
aren't we GREENHORNS...all this time we thought the birds were dropping pebbles from the roof and that's what was making the noise....duh.
boy...do i feel dumb...but that's nothing new.

i guess that's all folks.
write me please.
love, mare

LET'S RODEO ONE MORE TIME.

Scott took a couple of hundred rodeo pictures and I wanted to share a few.
Gene went back to work today, so this is my first day home alone in a long time...it feels funny but nice.
I have plenty to keep me busy.
I go back to work on monday.

Jamey has been calling to check in each night while on her semi-route 66 road trip.
Last night she was in Arizona.
She's seeing the grand canyon etc. and will go san diego next i think....and then pick up russ in L.A. the 7th or 8th. He's flying there from NYC.

The Higgins family (C.J., Kevin and alex) and their friend debra (from midland) have gone to alpine and then big bend for a few days and will stop here again before heading home to Tom Bean (near sherman).

RADIO HOTLINE:
For Sale:
"sorrow philly"....(shouldn't it have been "sorrel filly?")
4 wedding dresses. (someone having a run of bad luck?)

WEEKEND PICS. of FRIENDS,FAM....and sundry items.

Gee Wally...I didn't take anywhere near as many pictures of our friends as I should have.
Guess I was busy cookin'...and playing games....and just talking with old pals.
It was a mini R-12 reunion!
Patty, C.J., Kevin, Scott and I all worked there together.

This weekend, folks here at the pruett/weatherby/poole house played washers and horseshoes.
Inside we played paddle pool and catch phrase.
The Sunday night movie was THE LOST BOYS.
Mostly we sat outside in the heat and swatted flies.
A good time was had by all!!!

Jamey left today for the west coast.
Patty flew home last night.
Toby, Troy, Scott and son Indy drove home yesterday about noon.
C.J, Kevin and son Alex went to Roswell N.M. today and will spend tomorrow night here and continue on to Alpine and maybe Big Bend. Their friend Debra will come and meet them here tomorrow night (she lives in Midland) and go with them.
So, the fun isn't over yet....the laundry continues.
It's been such a nice and busy time....I'll live on the memories for months!

I have a check up on the 'ol knee tomorrow in Odessa.

Love to all you bloggers!
mary

RODEO IMAGES.

There's always alot of interesting folks to see at the rodeo.
My friend Scott who was here from Wimberley is a photo journalist for KVUE T.V. in Austin....he took a couple of hundred pictures.
These pictures are by me...I havn't even gotten into his yet.....stay tuned.
MDP

MARFA IMAGES.

The paisano hotel in marfa was WONDERFUL! The crew from the movie GIANT stayed there in 1955 during filming.
We had a big suite with a full kitchen, sitting room and huge balcony.
Jamey and I visited quite a few art galleries, the cemetary and the Luz De Estrella winery.
We shopped in Ft. Davis on the way home.
I wish we lived in marfa or ft. davis or alpine.
MDP