Driving through a dust storm near Lubbock, Texas. It went on for miles.
Unlikely
I love finding a pretty little plant growing in a very unlikely place. Seems like it is really fighting the odds.
Also found a quarter right nearby…
Must be my lucky day.
The Wigwam Motel
Just another roadside attraction in Holbrook AZ. It looks like it may have seen better days!
Old Friends
Margaret and I have been friends for more than 50 years. I was at her house today and just being silly, we cobbled together hats for the Kentucky Derby.
Making things together has been such an integral part of our friendship. It probably started with doll accessories, progressed through many Halloween costumes, then every imaginable craft, and so many meals.
Here’s a poem that, for me, sums up the time we spend together.
The Pleasures of Friendship
The pleasures of friendship are exquisite,
How pleasant to go to a friend on a visit!
I go to my friend, we walk on the grass,
And the hours and moments like minutes pass.
~ Stevie Smith
Horses
Whenever we see horses in the fields along the roadside, I’m reminded of this lovely poem by James Wright. I saw these horses near Balinger, Texas.
A Blessing
Just off the highway to Rochester, Minnesota,
Twilight bounds softly forth on the grass.
And the eyes of those two Indian ponies
Darken with kindness.
They have come gladly out of the willows
To welcome my friend and me.
We step over the barbed wire into the pasture
Where they have been grazing all day, alone.
They ripple tensely, they can hardly contain their happiness
That we have come.
They bow shyly as wet swans. They love each other.
There is no loneliness like theirs.
At home once more,
They begin munching the young tufts of spring in the darkness.
I would like to hold the slenderer one in my arms,
For she has walked over to me
And nuzzled my left hand.
She is black and white,
Her mane falls wild on her forehead,
And the light breeze moves me to caress her long ear
That is delicate as the skin over a girl’s wrist.
Suddenly I realize
That if I stepped out of my body I would break
Into blossom.
~ James Wright
Poem
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud
I wandered lonely as a Cloud
That floats on high o’er Vales and Hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden Daffodils;
Beside the Lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:—
A Poet could not but be gay
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude,
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the Daffodils.
~ William Wordsworth
This is one of my favorite poems, along with a very pretty picture. I am aware that none of the flowers in this photo are daffodils. Also I saw these flowers at the grocery store, not wandering in a picturesque field. Poetic license…
Thank You, Lady Bird
In July 2007, when Lady Bird Johnson died, Paul and I drove up to Johnson City to join many fellow Texans in paying tribute as her funeral cortège passed through town. Along the approach to Johnson City, on US Highway 281, the Texas Highway Department had parked dozens of the big tractor/mowers in an unusual and poignant salute to her contributions to Highway Beautification. There were many aspects to Highway Beautification, including the encouragement of roadside wildflowers.
Yesterday, Paul and I drove to Goliad TX on our way to the coast to celebrate Paul’s birthday. The roadsides were covered with the most beautiful wildflowers. It was a real pleasure to see and it made me very appreciative of Lady Bird Johnson.
Of course, the photos don’t do it justice!
Cherry Blossoms
This week I was lucky enough to spend a morning with my fabulous niece and nephew, Iris and Carlos. They suggested that we go to the Japanese Tea Garden.
I think these are Cherry Blossoms. I couldn’t find anyone to verify that, so I’m just going to believe it is true.
Comfort, Two Ways
This is a picture of a corrugated metal building smack in the center of downtown Comfort, Texas. It seems to be held together with duct tape, leftover bits of metal strapping and a handful of rusted screws.
And this is a quote from the 2010 Pulitzer Prize winning book, Tinkers, by Paul Harding.
“be comforted in the fact that the ache in your heart and the confusion in your soul means that you are still alive, still human, and still open to the beauty of the world, even though you have done nothing to deserve it. And when you resent the ache in your heart, remember: You will be dead and buried soon enough.”
~ Paul Harding, Tinkers
Telegraph, Texas
Our travels took us through the ghost town of Telegraph TX, 13 miles west of Junction. To call it a ghost town seems pretty generous. I might just call it an abandoned building.
Interesting fact about Telegraph, according to the towns biographer, Robert Caro, “the town had no telegraph; it had been given its name because telegraph poles had been cut from trees near there during the 1850s.” Weird!
