Parade Time in Texas

Festivals and Parades, in a small community, are an opportunity for everyone to get together and have fun. The banners in town have been flying for over a month, promoting this past week end.

Very early on Parade Day, chairs began to line up on Main Street....no reservations necessary.

By the time the parade started, the temperature was in the middle 90's. If there was a tree along the parade path, people gathered under the shade.

No parade is complete without a marching band...

                    The Shriner's, driving their famous small cars, are always fun to watch.

         Clowns...is that a riding lawn mower? And, take a look at his hat by clicking on the photo....

Small town parades have their share of decorated floats with the local beautiful girls in long party dresses...each one, Queen for the Day, waving to the crowd.

                        Cowgirls and cowboys must be included in a Texas small town event.

And, of course, some horses.

                                        There is always good support from our veterans.

    The heritage of this community is Czech and German....so a Polka Club is a natural.

I don't know the significance of the mule drawn cart, but the animals were so magnificent, I couldn't resist showing them.

What wonderful spirit this small community of 2,500 has, to show up on a very hot morning and support the town parade....

Meggie Mac

Friday's Fences

                                       X Marks the Spot !

Humorous....
Informative....
Creative....

Meggie Mac

Note:  To give you an idea how tall the X posts are, the gate running across the driveway is about 3' tall.


I'm joining with Jan 'n Jer's Friday Fences. To see other postings about fencing, please check out their blog.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The title of this post says it all. If you have ever moved, you recognize these three elements. The photo above is of a box set up by a professional organizer. I simply laughed when I saw it. Does she really think I will have time to look at this?

I decided to call in Linda, the organizer, for some added help. I have worked with her before, when I felt overwhelmed with "papers".

Future Bedroom

The bad and ugly side of moving is the utter chaos that comes from trying to downsize. I have now been sifting through my life long collecting for about 6 weeks.

The items that made the cut, have been transferred to the new house.

After working a day with Linda, this is what I have....lots of sticky notes and some well-organized files.

And plastic containers just waiting for a new file cabinet.

Through-out this process, I need to remember, to be able to move to the larger circle of life, I must step out of my comfort zone...

Meggie Mac

Running Water....Back Road Surprise

Of all the trips I have made on this back road short-cut to town, I never once realized this beautiful spot existed.

I came across it quite by accident, when I stopped to photograph a fence post for this weeks' Friday's Fences.

Looking for a shady spot to park the truck, I stopped just past a small concrete bridge.

That is when I saw the water through all the lush green undergrowth. Click on photo for a closer look.











I'm guessing, the stream provides plenty of water for the vegetation to be so healthy and green. Everything around the area, is drying up in these high temperatures we are having.

On first sight, my imagination took me to another place in time...I wonder if a Lipan Apache or a member of the Tonkawa Indian tribe could have stood in this same spot so many years ago.

Because of the tangled underbrush, it would make a perfect hide-out... a perfect spot to water your horse and take a rest.

As the early morning sunlight danced on the water, it flowed past me, continuing  under the bridge.

Don't you just love finding the unexpected in nature.....

Meggie Mac

Military Convoy Stopping for Lunch

I decided to pop in to town for lunch on Friday. Much to my surprise, there was a military convoy traveling towards me on the main road. It is something you rarely see, and I have never encountered in our small community.

Since the beginning of my blog, my camera has become my sidekick. My thoughts were...A perfect opportunity for a post!

After they passed by me, I quickly turned around to follow. In less than 5 minutes, it was obvious they were stopping.

It was a lunch break for them, too!

And, to the surprise of my small town fast food restaurant, Whataburger, they were about to have a full house for lunch.









I quickly went to my favorite eatery, next door, for lunch. Then, I returned to Whataburger parking lot, to watch the convoy leave.

One by one, the soldiers began to walk back to their military vehicles, each carrying a rather large cup of iced drink. It was almost 100 degrees at Noon on Friday.

All lined up...and ready to roll.

The sight of this vehicle brings a tightness in my throat.....

From talking with one of the soldiers, I found out the convoy was returning from a training exercise at Fort Bliss Base, near El Paso, Texas.

I was thinking....What an appropriate place for them to stop for lunch!

Meggie Mac

The New Studio

It is just the beginning of a small renovation. The movers brought a truck load of boxes to Das Kleine Haus this week. With so much chaos around me, I felt like I needed, at the very least, get the inside walls of the old 10' x 10' storage building finished.

Do you understand the need for one spot that has some sort of peace about it?

Here is what it looked like just a few weeks ago. The very narrow door was coming apart.

The shed was originally used to store gardening tools and many old paint cans from previous projects.

Left inside, from a previous owner, was a wonderful shelving unit that appears to have been part of an old hutch. Lucky for me, I know exactly how I can use it to store my art supplies.

Walls are now up, brushes are out and there is a project on the table.

The (pre-owned hutch) shelving has been hung and supplies are beginning to fill the area.

Some of my finished projects are hung on the walls. This is one I painted many years ago of my two youngest children. While on holiday, during the winter time, the family was searching for sea shells.

My work table, located in front of the only window, has a view of these lovely roses.

So, until the moving boxes are unpacked, and furniture arrives, the Wizard (me) will be in and out of the studio searching for some quiet time........

Meggie Mac

Monday's Country Back Roads

When I think of cactus, I usually imagine a desert setting.

From time to time, I see Prickly Pear Cactus growing, as a native plant, along the back roads to the farm.

Can you see one of the ripen fruits that has turned red?

I have never picked any of the fruit....and, after learning it is necessary to wear leather gloves to scrub off the spines, I think I will continue to buy my Prickly Pear Jelly in the store!

Another good thing about my up-coming move is that I will still be driving these same back roads. The difference is, at the end of the day, My Truck will be parked in a different driveway......

Meggie Mac