27 HOURS IN SAN ANGELO.

DEL RIO-on the way home-LANGTRY,TX. Part 4.

1. EW!!! This is a Vinegaroon. Before Lantry was called "Langtry" it was called Vinegaroon. Is this bug CREEPY or what? WE did not see this bug....I pulled the picture off the internet. Did you know that Langtry was NOT named after Lilly Langtry?
We stopped in Langtry about 45 miles out of Del Rio. It's a mile off the highway and I bet only about two dozen folks live there.
2. Judge Roy Bean-1825-1903 was an eccentric saloon keeper and Justice of the Peace. He called himself "the Law West of the Pecos"....thus every other visitor to OUR museum here in town would ask me all about him. I got really tired of it. But after all....the city of Pecos IS just a mile from the Pecos river and we DO have an exact replica of Judge Roy Bean's saloon.

Folks called him "the hangin' judge" but there is no evidence that he ever hung anyone. Tourists always ask to see the hangin' tree. Langtry had no jail so the Judge always just fined the hell out of vermin and violators and told 'em to git. Later in life he always gave to the poor and made sure that the schoolhouse had plenty of firewood in the winter. He died in his billiard hall in 1903 after some hard drinkin' in San Antonio. It's SO desolate there and easy to imagine what it must have been like over 100 years ago with no amenities. But at least train would go by there and brought supplies.

3. This museum is funded by Texas Dept. of Transportation and is free. I wonder how that works...our West of the Pecos Museum has to struggle with private donations and charges a small fee. The building is wonderful and has a small "cactus trail" out back.
4. The Judge died in his billard room that is attached to the saloon...I could almost feel him in there.
5. The legs from his pool table...hey....what happened to the 4th leg? I bet the lady who is inside the museum gets tired of people asking. Aren't they COOL?
6. Inside the original saloon.
7.The original saloon and billiard hall.
8. Inside the museum they have some display cases with Judge Roy Bean's walking stick (which has amazing teeny, tiny carvings all over it) and gun etc. In this picture Gene is looking at one of about six of these cool little windows that tell a story. See the little old fashioned phone ear piece? You listen to that and there is 3 D action in the window.
9. Really nice picnic area out fron of the museum. Wish it was in my backyard!
Read more about Roy Bean and his infatuation with Lilly Langtry etc. online....like Wikipedia or just google.

DEL RIO-The City Of....Part 3.

I didn't take many pictures IN Del Rio because I was always holding the map and telling Gene where to go.
1. A pretty church.
2.&3. San Felipe Springs, the 4th. largest in Texas. There are 10 or more springs spread over a mile along the creek. It reminded us ALOT of the San Marcos River.
4. Gene checks the water temp....nice and not as cold as the SMR which is 72.
5. Another part of the springs/creek.
6. The house we are going to rent. It's very much like the house we owned in Kyle, TX before we moved out here to Pecos.
Other FAQ's:
Wolfman Jack broadcast from Del Rio in the 60's and 70's from AM XERF.
Del Rio has an international airport. It's continental Airlines that comes in from Houston.
There is a winery there and it's the oldest privately owned (still operating) winery in the U.S.
Amtrak Train-The Sunset Limited goes thru Del Rio back and forth from Los Angeles to San Antonio and then to New Orleans.

PECOS TO DEL RIO-Part 2.

1. A limestone cave near Langtry TX. It is inaccessible and 300 ft. up in the air. On April 25,1875 Lt. John Bullis fought some Black Seminole Scouts near there.
2.&3. The Pecos River...it's HUGE here compared to where we live...it's about 12 feet wide here in Pecos.
4. A cool lookout over the river.
5. Big bridge...I'm afraid of heights and this creeped me out.
6. River again.
7.&8. Back to Eagle Nest Creek AKA Eagle Creek Canyon near Langtry. This runs south for 5 miles to the mouth of the Rio Grande River. This place creeped me out also.
9. Another ol' high bridge.
Stay tuned for the story of Langtry and Judge Roy Bean.

PECOS TO DEL RIO & BACK-in 37 hrs. PART 1.

COOL CACTUS-
1. They quarry ALOT of rock around Sanderson and Langtry.
2. A big Century plant..at least that's what we call it. After it blooms, it dies.
3.&4. Saguaro Cactus-these are not native to Texas. They were brought from either CA, AZ or MX.
5. A flowering barrel cactus.
Here's the stats:
Pecos to Del Rio-3 hrs. and 45 min./238 miles.
Del Rio to San Antonio-2 hrs. 45 min./154 miles
Del Rio to San Marcos-3 hrs. 30 min./202 miles
Del Rio to Austin-4 hrs./232 miles
The trip over there was fine and rather pretty and interesting in some spots but pretty darn desolate after you leave Ft. Stockton...that's an hour into the trip. Better have gas and check the tires and fluids! It sorta creeped me out. We saw at least 6 or 8 Border Patrol trucks with their built in "paddy wagons" on the back. They didn't creep me out.
After Ft. Stcokton, the next town is Sanderson-population about 900.
Then on thru Langtry, home of Judge Roy Bean...more on him later. I bet there aren't more than 2 dozen folks living there.

MY CANTALOUPE IS BETTER'N YOUR'N.

Cantaloupes are here. There are at least 6 sellers all along Hwy. 285 that goes thru Pecos on the way to Carlsbad N.M. (to the north) or Ft. Stockton (to the south). They also have watermelons...and some onions.
I have read that there will be none or just a few shipped out. They just didn't plant many at all compared to past years. So, don't expect Pecos cantaloupes in your local stores and for sure no Blue Bell Cantaloupe ice cream.
Last Friday was the Cantaloupe Food Show down at the local bank. I made a Cantaloupe "Pizza" and got too busy and forgot to take a picture. The crust was sugar cookie and it had a marshmellow fluff/cream cheese topping with pecans and toasted coconut and then fresh cantaloupe on top.

That's all the fruity news.

SANDRA'S GARDEN @ FONVILLE BUILDING.

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Sandra and Abel are in Oaxaca, Mexico. She's wondering how her garden is doing that she left behind. We have had over 5" of rain in the last 15 days. That's more than we get in a year sometimes. Sandra's garden is doing great!