This is a (sort of) continuation of my recent post Memories of West Texas. Nothing profound - - just a few afterthoughts.
I always emphasize that I lived in WEST Texas. This is because it's radically different from other parts of the state. Raw, rude, crude - - it is the untamed epitome of the wild west.
Somehow - amid the unrelenting inhospitality - there is a fierce romanticism, steeped in a surrealistic dream. The brutal, unrelenting dust storms, the fiercely burning sunsets, the endless skies and boundless land. If nothing else, it will pique your imagination and inspire your soul.
Gringos are minorities. I loved the Mexican culture and traditions - - and the food. I admired the hard-working ranchers and genuine cowboys.
I forced myself to be a Texan, but it wasn't truly in my heart. I knew that I didn't belong.......
Amid the vast intrigue, there were (many) disadvantages - - -
A blogger friend, A Brit in Tennessee, mentioned in a comment on my blog about experiencing a strong smell of burning oil while she was traveling through Texas.
I could relate to that. My (retired) parents had a home in Odessa, TX. Whenever the wind blew on target, there was a very strong stench from the nearby oil refineries. It was overpowering.
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I often wrote about the searing heat and droughts in West Texas - - yet I included photos of snow in my Memories of West Texas video.
After my father died in Odessa, my mother sold the house and I moved up north with her (and cared for her until she died four years later). We lived on the high plains in a tiny town about forty miles from Lubbock. The winters there could be harsh.
My mother died in December, 2009, and that was the worst winter I could remember. Numerous blizzards and ice storms.
Fortunately, snow usually doesn't last very long in West TX. It melts in a few days.
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Back yard
Pumpkins from my garden
Pumpkins in the snow
Tortoise in back yard
This fox stayed in my back yard for three days, then mysteriously disappeared.
The Concho River in San Angelo (where I lived for several years) and statue of a mermaid holding a Concho pearl.
Me by the surveyor's shack at Fort Concho
My trusty truck
My (sometimes) dusty boots
I don't think of Texas and snow! Some good memories there, though, sounds like. :)
ReplyDeleteA lot of people are surprised to hear that there is snow in Texas. The area with the worst winters are in the far north - around Amarillo. It got down to 4 degrees one night where I lived. Fortunately the cold doesn't last long.
DeleteCool Pics! Thank you for sharing them, Jon! Also, that mermaid statue is AWESOME!
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw the photo with the mermaid I thought of you. There are legends about mermaids in the Concho River.
DeleteSorry I've been MIA but I really enjoy your post and GOODNESS.. all those great pics.. thank you for sharing them with us.
ReplyDeleteNot anonymous..Louise, your Tennessee"neighbor"
'm glad you enjoyed seeing the photos, Louise. I am presently freezing in my area of TN (I'm only about five miles from the Kentucky border). Spring is only a few days away......
DeleteI'm 40 miles north of Memphis.. the weather stinks here ,too!- Louise
DeleteI left Abilene in 1988, but to this very day if someone asks, I specify "WEST Texas." Given the vastly different culture (and mindsets), I'm surprised the citizens never voted to legally separate East from West Texas.
ReplyDeleteYep, I remember those dust storms. We used to look to the north and remark, "Here comes Lubbock."
I've been to Abilene numerous times, and it seems quite "tame" compared to the wild places where I lived. Those dust storms are incredible. Experiencing them firsthand is an unforgettable experience.
DeleteI've occasionally read your post for the last year, like you, I've been absorbed in my own doings and life.
ReplyDeleteSeems like you're surviving, good for you. I'm glad.
We've not always seen eye to eye, but that's in the past, eh? I'm now 77, approaching the light at the end of the tunnel.
I try not to obsess about it, or write about the upcoming exit. It'll come when it comes.
Take care, Jon.
Wish the best for you.
Mike
Thanks for visiting my blog, Mike. I've recently been so overwhelmed with problems that I was truly ready to give up. I always thought life would get easier as I grew older, but it's just the opposite.
DeleteTake care and come back again.
West TX looks like it could be challenging on many levels. Is there a reason you parents decided to move here? Your pics were interesting. Your home looked very nice. If you could move from TN to somewhere else, where might that be? I've posed that question to myself many times and usually come up empty handed. Either it's too expensive, too remote, too hot, too cold and the list goes on. I guess every place has plenty of cons if you look hard enough. I thought Miami would be paradise. Boy, that was a crack up the side of the head! LOL! The fox and turtle pics were so cool. Thanks for sharing, Jon.
ReplyDeleteParanormal John
My parents knew very little about TX when they moved there. They just thought it would be less expensive than California was. Ironically, Texas isn't quite as "cheap" as expected. I was paying thousands of dollars for property taxes there. Here in Tennessee I'm only paying a few hundred.
DeleteAt this point in my life I truly have no clue where I'd want to live. Bitter experience has taught me that no place is a paradise. I loved California more than any other place - but it has changed DRASTICALLY and is nothing like it used to be. I'd never go back. I do prefer living where there is a change of season (even though I don't like the cold winters).