The Duke is IN THE HOUSE!
Glen Rose was a bevy of activity last weekend. Trick-or-treaters of every age dressed up for the safe trick-or-treating at all the local businesses. My personal favorite were the two "nuns" outside Angels with Attitude, replete with yardsticks. I'll admit, I sat up a little straighter as I drove by....
Fossilmania was also in town. Hundreds of fossil collectors gathers to show, sell or trade their treasures at the Expo Center.
Lord's Acre at the First United Methodist Church was held to great success. The Barbecue was a big hit and the weather was picture perfect- a crisp autumn day under sunny skies with very little wind. For we Texans who just survived the hottest, driest summer in Texas history, the fall atmosphere was all the sweeter. A few of us crooners sang for the crowd during lunch, and then we all headed to the live auction. My sister Linda and her partner Karen arrived ten minutes before the silent auction and walked out of it with arms full. That is the way to get 'er done!!
The evening held a a highly anticipated event. Local artist Robert Summers' John Wayne sculpture is internationally known. It resides at the Orange County airport in California. The steel, Styrofoam and wax sculpture that served as the mold for the final bronze was brought back to Glen Rose and unveiled at the White Buffalo Art Gallery, where it will remain on permanent display.
As I stood with the crowd, I was taken back to a memory of the first time I saw the sculpture, back in 1999. I was in California for business and flew into the Orange County airport. When I spotted the John Wayne sculpture I was immediately struck by its larger than life size and spot on rendition of The Duke's walk. I stared at it in full appreciation for a good long time before heading out to grab my rental car. Here I was now in 2011, 12 years later, chatting with the artist in a crowd of many friends and acquaintances and art lovers, in the town that I have come to call home. I go to church with Robert's sister, Francis. I have met him and his wife several times and am friends with the gallery owner. I belong to the local art league, and my heart has come to belong to this town.
And now, in a small way, I feel like part of The Duke belongs to me.
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Our Family is Growing
Sun, Sep 4 2011 08:51
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Tracy and I had wonderful news recently. Jerrod Ivy, Tracy's step-son since he was just three years old, has asked Jenette Brininger to marry him. We could not be more thrilled. The wedding is set for June 30 in Mesquite, TX. The lovely couple honored me by letting me take their engagement photos. It just brought so much joy to me to see their two fresh and young faces, with their whole lives ahead of them. Both smart and sensible and clearly in love.
We took photos on a muggy August morning, in the last days of the hottest Texas summer on record. And they were still smiling! Tracy made a fine photographer's assistant, carrying props from one place to another. As he and I close in on our first wedding anniversary, being a part of this great celebration makes it all the sweeter.
More good news, it looks like the 100-plus days are for the most part gone. None are in the forseeable forecast. I rode my bicycle this morning and was ALMOST a tiny bit chilled when I first started. Almost.
Glen Rose had its second annual Neo Relix Film Festival this weekend. I was a volunteer movie screener so got a free pass for the weekend. One of the highlights for me was Child of Giants: My Journey With Maynard Dixon and Dorothea Lange, a documentary about and narrated by their son Daniel. Tom Ropelewski, Daniel's son-in-law, directed and produced. Tracy and I got to chat with him a bit and learned more about this fascinating family. I also very much enjoyed Bag It, a sobering conservation documentary about where all of our single-use plastic cups, bags and bottles end up, and Sh! and Sushi, a movie and dinner event to watch a sneak preview of a documentary by an Austinite. All in all a great event, and I hope we get even more attendees next year!!
Tracy and I are headed to church this morning and then off to College Station. It is that time of year....first game of the season tonight for A & M. He watched movies with me yesterday, I will watch the game with him tonight....give and take!!
Have a safe Labor Day weekend!
Praying for Rain
Mon, Jul 11 2011 08:50
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Our house sits on the southwest corner of Somervell County, teetering on the edge between "Severe Drought" and "Exceptional Drought" according to a News8 graph I saw last night.
Tracy and I and the cats sit out front every morning to enjoy a few moments of relative cool and then mostly stay indoors until the sun sets. At night we head to the back deck to watch stars and meteors and satellites.
We have been on a burn ban for so long I can't even remember when it started. The grass in the pastures is a wan brown, and several trees within site are dying or dead. It is July 11. Lots and lots of summer days yet to come.
Every cloud gets a visual inspection by us, looking for any sign that it could mean rain is coming our way. So far very little has come since this winter.
Tracy waters our "xeriscaping" a couple of times a week- and we still lost a couple of sage bushes. Even the cacti look thirsty.
I am praying for rain. A good, slow, longlasting garden rain. I am praying that the drought ends, for Somervell County, for Texas. For the scraggly, skinny raccons and mouth breathing road runners that are getting by with salty water from our hot tub.
Lord, please rain on Texas and please, end this drought.
I am praying for rain. A good, slow, longlasting garden rain. I am praying that the drought ends, for Somervell County, for Texas. For the scraggly, skinny raccons and mouth breathing road runners that are getting by with salty water from our hot tub.
Lord, please rain on Texas and please, end this drought.
All Seven Sisters Together Again!
Thu, Jun 30 2011 09:20
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In today's hyper-busy world, with pressures from all sides, I consider it no small feat that we were able to bring seven sisters in from busy jobs- and busy lives- to a weekend of sister fun.
Karen joined us, too, making this a full-on sisterly gathering.
We took turns making meals, ate in Glen Rose once and managed to schedule in all our regular sister gathering activies: star gazing, hot tub soaking, river walking, poetry reading, singing, walking, all important water ballet, and even built our own sister cairn just outside my driveway.
Now I have a reminder of the wonderful weekend everytime I leave or come home.
No shooting stars in the night sky were more appreciated than the ones we saw! There is something about shared joy that makes it exponentially better. I was tuckered out after everyone left, but found myself smiling all Sunday afternoon as I put towels from our swimming adventure in the washer and dishes from our home cooked meals into the dishwasher.
I am already looking forward to next year!
Karen joined us, too, making this a full-on sisterly gathering.
We took turns making meals, ate in Glen Rose once and managed to schedule in all our regular sister gathering activies: star gazing, hot tub soaking, river walking, poetry reading, singing, walking, all important water ballet, and even built our own sister cairn just outside my driveway.
Now I have a reminder of the wonderful weekend everytime I leave or come home.
No shooting stars in the night sky were more appreciated than the ones we saw! There is something about shared joy that makes it exponentially better. I was tuckered out after everyone left, but found myself smiling all Sunday afternoon as I put towels from our swimming adventure in the washer and dishes from our home cooked meals into the dishwasher.
I am already looking forward to next year!
Good and Ordinary Times
Tue, Mar 22 2011 07:49
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Last Friday I took the day off (except for that hour and a half I spent on a conference call and completing expense reports) to get ready for the weekend "festivities". My son Tim turned 30 on March 16! He came to Big Hill last weekend to celebrate with us, and I ordered a coconut cream pie from Pie Peddlers, one of Tim's favorites.
I was in the store chatting with my friend Betty Grace, who works there on weekends- and on Spring Break in this case- and as I was leaving experienced a palpable feeling of belonging, of happiness, of being home. I have learned to cherish those brief moments, small as they seem, because in the long run they are the times I remember as my happiest.
That good feeling carried over through the whole weekend. Ashley was home from College Station for the weekend, too. We didn't do anything special. We watched a movie, Tim and I played Scrabble, Ashley studied, I cooked, we all cleaned for a visit from my boss that never happened- but, boy! The house looked great! We sat outside and watched the evening fade to night and the Perigee moon rise over the horizon; we ate burgers at The Green Pickle and listened to a loud and kind of pushy band- "I like beer if you want to buy me one". What??
We slept in, but the "kids" slept in later. I gave Sweet Pea, my cat with very long and very thick fur, a bath to try and stave off her prolific shedding, and Ashley and I brushed the other three pets.
I played my new-to-me white Yamaha baby grand that Tracy bought after his house sold. This one came up on Craig's list just at the right time. I had traveled to Winnsboro, TX the weekend before to check it out and was delighted to find it had been in the loving care of a very nice woman. It will certainly have a happy home on Big Hill.
An ordinary weekend, but a really, really good one.
A New Journey
Mon, Dec 13 2010 05:42
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It has been about three months since my last entry, and my only defense is that I have been a bit busy. Tracy Byers and I were married November 6 in Glen Rose at our lovely and historic Methodist church. We continued the celebration on Big Hill. It seemed more fitting than any other place we could think of. What a time we had!! Who knew getting married could be so much fun! We have been married a little over five weeks, and every now and then I have to remind myself of it. I am always delighted when I "remember".
We are going on a long trip in the spring, but we did take a weekend trip to Roddy Tree Ranch in Hunt, TX, the same spot where I made the decision to move to the hill country- and ended up in Glen Rose. So we went back to the beginning. The nicest part was that there was no TV and no computer and no List of Things to Do. We were forced to play and have fun. What a concept!
We have the house fully decorated for Christmas. We were asked to be in the 2010 Glen Rose Tour of Homes, which didn't happen, but our house looks very festive!! We are considering having a party, although something with a bit less than 200 people....
Rest in Thee
Sat, Sep 25 2010 10:52
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copyright 2010 molly golson
i run the rat race
i admit that
i am faster than most
i fight the good fight
for the right to
beat my chest and
brag and boast
i stay on target
ever focused on
my every goal
but what have i gained if
i win the world and
lose my soul
let me rest in thee
oh lord i pray
let my heart be held
in gentle song
all the world a breath away
but lord i under your sway
have no need no urgent thing
for which i long
but to rest in thee
i do for me and and mine
and we do fine
and what i do for you
depends on
what is at the end
of all the money
we go through
it's hard to
hear your cries or
feel your pain while
running at this pace but
when i take the time i
often find i'm
running in place
let me rest in thee
oh lord i pray
let my heart be held
in gentle song
all the world a breath away
but lord i under your sway
have no need no urgent thing
for which i long
but to rest in thee
my feet are on the ground
my heart is on my sleeve
my actions more than words
reveal what i believe
let me rest in thee
oh lord i pray
let my heart be held
in gentle song
all the world a breat away
but lord i under your sway
have no need no urgent thing
for which i long
but to rest in thee
let me rest in thee
rest in thee
Sizzling State of Texas
Thu, Aug 12 2010 07:06
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We have surpassed the average number of days for temperatures over 100 degrees F. And looks like there is a steady stream of them still coming our way.
I got in Tracy's attic last Saturday and looked like I had little water hoses all over me. Little streams of sweat were pouring all down my arms and legs - and face. I got just a little touch of heat exhaustion and spent the next few days recuperating. I just can't take it like I used to.
It still feels great at night and in the mornings, tough. Every now and then I feel almost chilly outside! I guess it is all relative, once you sweat in 125 degrees, 75 feels like an autumn breeze.
last week Jerrod, Tracy's stepsonm and his girlfriend, Jenette, came out for her birthday and to visit Ashley. We took some great photos of them. That is them above- aren't they the cutest couple? (I mean, of course, next to Tracy and me!)
A couple of weekends ago, Linda an I took Mom and Dad to Shreveport for an ad hoc Tempus Fugit meeting. We spent the first 30 minutes trying to get Mom to say Tempus Fugit correctly, and then we decided we weren't actually sure how to say it correctly ourselves. We got giddier from there. I wish everyone had a mom as fun as mine. Dad was in hog heaven in the Bass Pro Shop. We exchanged the knife we bought him for his birthday. Ours was prettier, but his was more functional, which matters for someone that uses his knife every day.
Yesterday evening I climbed to the sky deck after returning home from New Orleans (a very quick business trip) and was surprised to see a ginormous southern grasshopper on the roof. I was even more surprised when he started poo-pooing. That's right, it was a miniature National Geographic moment. Too bad I didn't have my video camera with me.
Later on I went outside to watch the night sky and saw one of the absolutely best meteors I have ever seen! It zoomed across a third of the sky, with it's split tail cutting the sky in half. I gasped out loud. Tonight the Perseid's shower starts in full swing, and I will be right back outside. Hopefully not being poo-pooed on by a grasshopper.
Stay cool, my friends.
I Love Summer
Tue, Jul 20 2010 08:27
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I really do. I love the haze over the horizon in the morning and even the hot sun beating down. The sky of late has been filling up with tall cumulus clouds that morph and grow as the afternoon waxes , and then dissipate as the sun goes down. Everything has greened up again thanks to a recent bout of storms. I have not changed since I was a young girl in that I feel a certain freedom and sense of adventure when summer rolls around. Except now that adventure is constantly interrupted by work!
We sit outside on many nights watching the sky and listening to the echoes of the Chuck Will's Widow birds talking back and forth. We found out that was their name from a neighbor who was over not too long ago. We are finally getting drainage in the front yard. Then we can get some more plants out front. It has been a year since I moved in! I certainly didn't think things would take this long, but there is so much left to do.
I did finally get a desk for my work space, and in fact am typing from that desk right now. I have heard not to put work in the bedroom, but it was here or in the art studio, and I sure didn't want work in there! Ha!
I also bought shelving for the garage- the accumulation of stuff was making me crazy. I still have a lot of stuff to go through and organize. Truth be told, most of it could be given away. When you aren't really sure what is in a box, chances are you don't need it!
I've have a friend's grandson Jake, here working for a few weeks. He is a hard worker, and it is some kind of hot outside! It has been a real help having him here, with Tracy's knee injury and the wedding coming up. Between the three of us, we are getting the "yard" in shape for the wedding of the half century.
I hope we have weather like there was for the house warming last year. It could not have been more perfect, right down to the mackerel sky sunset. A repeat performance would be oh so welcomed.
Seven Sister Summer Solstice 2010
Tue, Jun 15 2010 05:56
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What a time we had! Terri started the parade o'sisters, coming in on Thursday to have a jewelery showing. That was a great evening with my friends. We spent a good part of the evening on the back deck, listening to the birds and cicadas and watching the stars.
The rest of the sisters came in on Friday. We were still missing Susie this year, but hope to have her rejoin us in 2011.
Friday night Terri and I prepared a 5-course dinner and then took a walk on CR 2012. Karen scare the HECK out of us by coming in while we were walking and hiding along the roadside and making panther sounds. We were huddling together and making ourselves LOUD and BIG and wondering what to do next, when "it" jumped out of the bushes and lunged toward us. We might have scared some actual panthers if any were in a 10-mile radius. We ended the night in the hot tub, relaxing and catching up.
Saturday we started with a home cooked breakfast, care of Linda and Margaret, and then went for an adventure walk in the woods. We also practiced our water ballet before having yet another meal, this one prepared by Rebecca and Mary. Then we settled in for a 30-minute nap, which ended up being over an hour! When we woke up sufficiently, we donned our swim suits and walked over to the Noells, where Paula was our lovely host and photographer for a lively water ballet.
Afterwards, we took showers and "citified" ourselves for a trip into Glen Rose. We ate delicious cheeseburgers at The Big Cup Eatery and took turns singing Karaoke. Mary won the best presentation for her prop-filled rendition of Leather and Lace, and Linda definitely had the most exciting, table knocking down performance of the night, singing Rollin' on the River. Terri brought down the house, Margaret nearly made us cry with her sweet dedication to Tracy and me, and Rebecca had the workers stopping to listen. It was good times.
Once home we grabbed pillows and headed to the back deck to watch falling stars. Even Mary saw one!
Sunday morning we had another breakfast prepared by Linda and then exchanged our gifts. A last, nice surprise was a card from everyone to congratulate Tracy and me on our engagement, with a toast of champagne.
And then they all left, and I cleaned house for 3 1/2 hours. The End.
Ha! I can't wait to have them again. The weekend went way too fast.
Sisters rock.
