March Letter from Lance
15 March 10So, we loaded up the van Saturday morning and headed off to “Market Days” in Goliad figuring we’d see some colors and get the stink off driving down those sweet two lane country roads. After an awful drought and then freeze last year, everything has been brown and ugly until the last two weeks. But we’ve had 22 inches of rain since last September, and now the grass is green in the pastures – the cattle are grazing contentedly and not minding the traffic going by. Goliad is an old town with history back to 1749 or before. It has an old town square brought over by the Europeans. And there is a wonderful four story courthouse with a big clock on the top spire that sits in the middle – this is the county seat, pop. 1995. Otherwise, a two story building in this town is tops and the dates on the buildings are 1891, 1892, 1896. You could easily film a story set back more than a hundred years on the sidewalks of Goliad and not have to change a thing. We got hungry after a short walk around the square. Leslie gets a smoked turkey leg, her favorite. And I spot the Westchester Methodist Church booth where I bought a fabulous smoked brisket sandwich for $4. So good. I finish it off with a cherry snow cone as we circle the town and check out all shops and shingles.
Then we got back in the van and drove back down a different two-lane highway to Corpus Christi and home. Getting closer to town we see the big windmills out in the cotton fields – maybe 50 or more. They look cool and they spin so slow the birds will not be hurt. And you gotta believe this is what we need to do and how we can get electricity without any exhaust gases or poisons shot into the air and water.
And I’ve seen lots of birds moving around this week – all the migrations have begun. Ducks are flying north. Thousands of Spring Breakers come south. It was at this time, Spring Break in 1967, when I first came down to this part of Texas. I was with three friends, all of us college freshman at Oklahoma State University. We had never seen the ocean before and drove 14 hours straight to get here. We camped out in an old abandoned building that had a covered porch. It was perfect for four wide-eyed kids who were blown away being so far south. Palm trees! And sleeping on the beach with mother ocean singing the lullaby. A feeling of euphoria and wonder captivated us – not one argument or fight on this trip – we were totally delighted to be here. I came back to the same spot some thirty years later and realized I wanted to live on the south Texas coast. I brought Leslie to check it out and she felt the same way. And that’s the story of how we ended up in Corpus Christi after living in Austin, Houston and Ft Worth. They all got so crowded and too fast. And you couldn’t get to those little two lane country roads and away from all the construction in these huge cities where the sprawl goes on for miles and miles. Now, we don’t mind the gang that comes down and parties on Spring Break. Next week they will be long gone, along with the ducks, and the beach will be ours again.
I remember a visit to Goliad years ago, on a drive similar to y’alls, wandering around the square, just visiting friends that lived nearby. Lovely old Texas town, as many of the small towns with squares are today, quiet then, some appearing near abandoned now, as we continue to mix and migrate. It does seem we are harking back to the beauty of yesterday. We are recognizing a simpler life is a more rewarding life, harkening back to nature, to be closer to God, Goddess, and Mother Nature. The windmills, along with other earth friendly solutions, joining our advance in technology and industry. The old and the new, a pleasant mix of the values of each, simplicity and balance, is my quest in this quiet little corner of Southwest FL, migrated from SW Louisiana, 20 years ago, to the warm, blue-green waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Salutations Lance and Mac, from the east side of the Gulf,and thank you for your inspirations and sharing your guiding light.
— balla Mar 17, 07:46 AM #Gawly Lance, I am green as a bean with envy, but not just for your weather. Spring isn’t here yet, but it’s fix’n to be. It’s those two lane country roads that has the green eyed monster tapping my shoulder. Up until 2005, those 2 lane roads were a part of my ordinary everyday life. Now days, I live up north with the cold, the crowded city, and the congestion that comes from urban life. I remember and miss those halcyon days in rural Georgia. I long for the stretch of meadows along the rolling hills. (sigh) Now days, some of those meadows where cattle once fed, are sub-divisions. I call them “Cow Flop Acres”.
— Franky Edder Mar 17, 09:38 AM #Many thanks again Lance, for your wonderful writing about your life, and your world. My world is going further north into Canada, and to an even bigger city to be with my partner.
(Gentle request)
— Jen in CA Mar 17, 07:14 PM #Pictures would be lovely for those of us not fortunate (yet) to have visited these beautiful sounding places.
Thank you Lance, for taking us on such a delicious trip thru your travels. I remember well when we Rv’d from California to Florida and camped on the beach down there. I loved it! We are soon moving to a small town near the Oregon coast and looking forward to everything about it.
— Laurie P Mar 22, 11:17 AM #