Leaving Texas

Sometime late tomorrow or early Tuesday morning, I’ll walk out of Texas and walk into Louisiana. It’ll be a little sad, because Texas has always been special to me. Our family has vacationed here, my daughter and her family lived for a while in Flower Mound, and granddaughter Abby was born there. When our oldest children were in high school, we packed up a 1966 Ford Fairlane (no a/c), and headed to Texas in July to see a Dallas Cowboy’s exhibition game. The weather was so hot, it burned the hands to touch the motel room door. We’ve been to Dallas, Ft Worth, Grapevine, San Antonio, Houston, Galveston, Luckenbach, Fredricksburg, and all through the hill country……and other places I can’t remember. Now I’ve been able to walk across the Panhandle Plains, into and through the DFW area, and out the other side through the small towns of east Texas.

Before leaving New Mexico, I was told several things to expect on the walk through Texas: it’ll seem to take forever, there’s nothing in west Texas, and the people are really friendly…..only one of them proved to be accurate. It didn’t take forever, in fact it seems to be ending too soon. And there’s lots in west Texas, we just need to slow down to see it. To hear the coyotes howling under a clear night sky in west Texas is an experience that can only be appreciated by someone who’s been there. To stand on a little rise in the road, and be able to see 25 miles in any direction makes you feel that you could be the only person on earth.. And to walk through the small towns in west Texas….Seminole, Lamesa, Roby, Anson, Albany, Breckenridge, Palo Pinto, Mineral Wells, Cool, and Weatherford, takes you back to a time, many years ago, when everyone knew everyone else, children said “yes mam”, and the pace of life was slower and less stressful.

And yes, the people are friendly. They’ve escorted me across the state, making sure I had everything I needed…..be it a warm place to stay overnight, a meal, or just someone to talk to for a while. I've never seen people who are so proud of their state. If there's only room in the yard to fly one flag, it most likely will be red, white, and blue, with only one star. When I walked into Texas, I knew I was back in the South.

But, I can’t stay in Texas forever, because there’s more walking to be done. So tomorrow it’s into Louisiana…..gators, crayfish (crawfish?),swamps, parishes, and moccasins. Or maybe I’ll find the same thing I’ve found in all the states before…..friendly people and interesting places. We’ll soon find out………

I'll close this post with a musical tribute to Texas.....Waltz Across Texas