December 7th - another side trip.

     One may well ask what does the date December 7th have to do with anything.
It depends on the year appended to the end of the day and month. If 1941 it was a day that will live in infamy but if 2011 it was just another day on the calendar except for this "historical" aspect; it was the date when the last of the peppers were harvested from the vegetable garden.
     We managed to get a reasonable good crop of Anaheim, Pamiento, Red and Yellow Bell peppers. A few days later we had a light frost and the plants died rather quickly. The only thing left out there now is the cauliflower, broccoli, parsley and the rosemary, the oregano will survive quite well because it is in a moveable container and can be moved indoors when needed.
      Below are a few photos of the last crop.

Red Bell Peppers on the left and Yellow in the right.

The quite tasty Pamiento peppers.

The very tasty Anaheims.

      More stuff on the veggie garden will follow in the spring when we start planting again.
      May all of you have a Blessed Christmas and a Most Happy New Year.

Go West Young Man ---- another installment.

     The drive from Fort Stockton to El Paso on I10 is generally an uneventful drive unless ... If one is a slow driver, say somewhere around 65 MPH or even 70 MPH with the cruise control set for a leisurely pace in order to enjoy the sights along the way one runs the risk of being run right over the top by following drivers, including 18 wheelers. The speed limit on large sections of I10 out in West Texas is 80 MPH meaning that cars and trucks breeze by at 85 to 90 or more MPH. One could almost hear the words that would peel paint off of battleships coming from some of the driver that came up quickly from behind us as we were tootling along at 65 MPH, conserving gasoline and getting great mileage for an all wheel drive vehicle.
     We left Fort Stockton at 9:25 AM but had to stop at a Walmart to get a few things for the journey.  One gets an immediate understanding of the distances in this part of Texas - at 10:07 AM we passed a sign that said El Paso 237 Miles. At noon we passed through Van Horn.
     There were interesting sights along the way and we did stop a couple of times to take the obligatory photographs. The first stop was just outside of Van Horn at a scenic overlook, where a climb was mandated to the top of the overlook; look out for local fauna, particularly the slithering kind but it should also be noted that some of the flora has to be watched out for as it will let its presence be known. Obviously the understanding of scenic is subjective depending on what one likes or dislikes. Here are are a few photos from that stop.

On top of the Outlook looking North

On the Outlook looking toward I10 as it winds it way West.

Spikes everywhere.

Color right in the middle of an otherwise desolate landscape.

More color.

     At 12:30 PM we discovered that we were suddenly an hour younger as we passed a sign that said "Entering Mountain Time Zone" and the clocks and watches went from 12:30 PM to 11:30 AM. I didn't notice any difference in the way I looked or felt, but there was a distinct difference noted on my wife, she certainly looked at least that much younger.
      At 11:50 AM (we are now on Mountain Time) Norma entered the following item in her notes: "Allan actually passed someone going slower than we are, this was an 18 wheeler." My observation is that we were probably going uphill and the driver lost a bit of speed doing so.
      Another stop was necessitated by the landscape - we had to look at some boulders - not rocks - but large boulders that had at one time or another made their way down the "Mountainside" and remembering that this is the erosion process at work, the end result being little grains of sand or pebble.

     A while later we had to make a uturn to go to a roadside stop - natural reasons - but in particular because the shades were teepee's so the "Indian" in me came out.



Hi Paleface - Let us share the peace pipe



     At a quarter to two we arrived at our destination hotel in El Paso. After checking in we began the tour of the El Paso Mission Trail but that will follow in other posts.

Another detour to the veggie garden

     It is November 9th, we had a cold front pass late yesterday which provided a good 1/2" of rain, and a nice day today, the sky is clear and the temperature in the sun is a nice refreshing 72 deg. F and in the shade about 64 F. There is a cool envigorating breeze blowing.
     The day started out with a required visit to the doctor who commented that my blood pressure is that of someone 30 years younger than I, in other words, it is perfect. I reminded him the last time he used those exact words, 2 1/2 years ago, I suffered two strokes, the first within 8 minutes of leaving his office and while driving, the second 12 hours later in the hospital.
     Today, since we had the good rain yesterday, one had to look at the veggie garden which suffered much during the dry summer and fall, but it is still producing on a limited basis.
     The radishes are still doing well, with a new batch started about every 14 days.

Since radishes deter some garden pests they are not planted in nice neat rows, but scattered.

The radishes harvested this afternoon (Nov. 8, 2011)



The Cauliflower are coming up and should make before the first real hard frost,
 if we get a "hard" frost in this part of Texas.



Also looking forward to some Broccoli. (not shown is
what we hope will be Red Cabbage - which the heat and worms got early this year.)

We are still getting a few yellow bell peppers.

The Rosemary loves it in the shade of the non producing Avocado tree.

The oregano really suffered this year but it is producing.
It is also living in the shade of the avocado tree.

There is still an abundance of Anaheim peppers which have tolerated the heat and drought quite well.

Red Bell peppers, they are so good in a salad as well as stir fried.

Though not a great producer, the Pamiento pepper plant is providing some peppers.

And we are looking forward to the fall / early winter crop of Beets.
Those from the very early spring were picled and are delicous.

Starting on the next post we will leave the vegetable garden and go back Out West.

Gone for a while

    Once in a great while the task of life interferes with other plans, and having just discovered that I have not posted anything for two months now I will make a few changes to the plans so that posts will resume. We will resume with the "Go West - ..." postings. Without adding photos I can tell all of you that the watermelon plant suddenly took off on its own, greened up and gave us three more watermelons, one which rotted in the bottom, one which actually completely ripened and is now in the process of being eaten, and a smaller melon which was given away for others to enjoy. In the meantime the broccoli and cauliflower plants seem to be doing well, just need some rain, which is supposed to arrive tonight. The last rain of consequence in this part of Texas fell on October 8th, a much needed rain of 4 1/4" at this location, which the ground soaked up in no time at all.

Go West - Go West Young Man (3)

     Just a few miles after crossing the Pecos River, which is the gateway to the Big Bend Country one comes up on a small sign on the right hand of the road that says "Langtry" and then the distance. The grey cells go to work bringing one back to something read "way back when" in the teenage years about Langtry and Texas history; Langtry and Judge Roy Bean, the Law West of the Pecos.
     This required a decision to be made - it was one thing to drive past a movie set that was 46 years old - even if an important movie set - it is entirely another to drive by a historical place, one rooted in the history of the West and in the history of Texas. Therefore a decision was made to stop and visit Langtry even if it meant we had to drive like "bats out of hell" to make it to our hotel in Fort Stockton at a reasonable hour later that evening, knowing from experience that "small town Texas" restaurants close early with the exception of the "fast foodies".
     Langtry was well worth the stop and anyone traveling that part of Texas should plan on making a stop there. The historical site is operated by the Texas Department of Transportation and not by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, which was a surprise. Surely the stories and legends that came out of Langtry fall into the Wild Life category. Here is a link to the TDoT website: http://www.txdot.gov/travel/safety_rest_areas/srahome.htm?sranbr=120&dir=X&title=Judge%20Roy%20Bean%20Visitor%20Center
     If memory serves me correctly a number of movies were made about the good judge, but I can only find the link to one http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068853/ as well as links to a number of documentaries http://retrovision.tv/freevideo/judge-roy-bean-3-episodes and although they are not the greatest of the silver screen they are fun to watch: Just do a search for Judge Roy Bean movies, but do not forget the other person that is important in this story - Miss Lilly Langtree / Langtry - the Jersey Lilly. Here are a number of links http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lillie_Langtry; http://www.lillielangtry.com/Intro.htm; http://www.lillielangtry.com/;
     A number of books are also available about the good judge and his life in Langtry, some of it surely factual, some of it legend, some of it hyperbolae; http://www.amazon.com/Judge-Bean-Country-Jack-Skiles/dp/0896723690, and here is the link to a website about the Judge and Langtry; http://www.judgeroybean.com/jrbhistory.html
      Below are photos from that interesting stop in Langtry, which in 2006 still had a population of 36 people and a post office.

The famous Saloon and Court House of Judge Roy Bean

An outlaw at the bar - obviously before he got in trouble

The star of the place - notice the sign in the back.
The good judge had his priorities straight.
The sign reads, in order of importance;
"No Shooting, Cutting, Fighting or Loud
Cussing allowed., and Absolutely no Spitting on the Floor."

The local flora and fauna.

The wood above my wife's head says "Ice Cold Beer"
Think about this. The nearest town with Ice making
capability in those days is at least 47 miles away in
Dryden, or perhaps even further away if it came from
Sanderson.  Imagine driving a horse wagon with ice
covered in straw and hoping there  would be some left
by the time you reached Langtry in order not to
upset the "good judge".

The Opera House built for Lilly Langtre - there is some question as
to whether she actually ever performed there.

The Langtry post office and general store. Unfortunately
it was closed when we got to the door, as they close
at 4 PM.

     After this most deligthful visit to Langtry we headed off for Fort Stockton. It is spectacular and majestic country, but very desolate. It is not a place where one would want to experience a mechanical breakdown.
We saw many road-runners, a few Jack Rabbits, some deer and lots and lots of vultures eating their fill of road kill. Here is a link to Fort Stockton http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Stockton,_Texas
     It must be said that no visit to Fort Stockton is complete without visiting Roadrunner Pete

Go West - Go West Young Man 2

     As we headed out West on the morning of, if memory serves me correctly, July 6, 2006, my daughter, her husband and their daughter headed east to Jacksonville Florida. Our trip west was to be a temporary excursion, all we had with us were two suitcases and two bikes hanging in the rack on the back of the car, their trip east was a permanent move, so they moved not only themselves, but furniture, two dogs, a cat and everything else. The comparison is made because it gives scale to Texas when compared to the other lower 48 states; it is 912 miles from our driveway here in Houston to theirs in Jacksonville Florida, which means crossing 3 other states. Following I10 from our driveway to El Paso is 777 miles.
     We didn't follow I10 except on the segment from Houston to San Antonio, and at the junction of I10 and Hwy 90 it was decided that since, as far as we knew, there were no warrants out for our arrest anywhere, no posse following us, and no schedule to keep as we had two or more weeks to complete our journey of the missions of far West Texas, New Mexico, etc, it was decided to take the leisurely route along Hwy. 90.
The only place we had to be at days end was the hotel in Fort Stockton. This route, Houston to Ft. Stockton, covered about 570 miles. It is only when one is in that part of Texas the scale of distance really become apparent and for a while it looked that we had perhaps bit off more than we could chew. In other words, in order not to drive as if the posse' was chasing us, and enjoy the sights, perhaps we should have made a "shorter" plan for day 1.
     Because of this a decision was made, which is still regretted, not to stop when we saw the billboards somewhere near Bracketville that said "The Alamo Movie Set" from the days of John Wayne http://www.civilwaralbum.com/misc8/brackettville1.htm. Looking at the time of day and the distance still to be covered we decided to press on. It is now on the books for a future excursion. For the canoe / kayak enthusiast among you, a great number of rivers are crossed this day, some obviously with more water than others; The Brazos, the Guadalupe, the Colorado (Texas), Rio Hondo, etc. until one reaches the city of Del Rio, which of course is named after the river: The Rio Grande or as they say on the other side of the border Rio Bravo del Norte.
     Just N/W of Del Rio one drives across the Amistad Reservoir and into the Big Bend Country. There is one more important river to cross, the mighty Pecos River. The Pecos River gorge is impressive from the lookout on Hwy. 90 and a stop was made to take in the spectacular view. The pictures speak for themselves. The view is from the east bank of the river. Here are some links for those that may be interested in canoeing the river at some point in the future http://best-river-adventures.com/canoeing-the-pecos-river, http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasRivers/PecosRiver/Canoe/CanoeingPecosRiver.htm, http://www.paddling.net/places/showReport.html?616. If you do decide to paddle the Pecos have fun but please be properly prepared, it is very hot and very desolate.

Correction (memory update) to Go West Young Man Go West - 1.

     It seems that from time to time when we go down "Memory Lane" our memories are a bit cloudy or at least not completely correct, as if our "brains" took a wrong fork in the road, or was unable to remember exactly which road was travelled. Such is the case with my memory, probably more often than I care to know; could it be because of my more mature status?
After consulting with my brother Max, whose mind, and therefore memory, is so much younger than mine (exactly 11 months to the date, and almost to the hour) and whose response to my question begins in this manner; "Se det er meget svære spørgsmål du her disker op med. Måske skulle du frekventere en med en smule hukommelse i behold, men lad mig prøve." Translation: "It is rather difficult questions you serve up. Perhaps you should frequent those who has retained at bit of memory, but I will try." He goes on to say that some of what he remembers corresponds in detail and time to my "most terrible memory".
     It appears to be the case that I did not see the movie "Alamo" at Horbelev Hotel while we were living in Bregninge, but saw it in 1960 at the theater (Biografen) in the town of Praesto as we lived in the village of Stenstrup in 1960, very close to Praesto (see link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pr%C3%A6st%C3%B8). We went to school at Jungshoved School during the 1959 - 1960 school year (http://www.jungshoved.net/index.php?p=menu/side.php&menu=37&side=160).
     This of course makes me wonder what movie did I see with Birthe Ravn sitting next to me? Perhaps someone we went to school with will see this post and reply or post a comment; someone who has a better memory than mine. In order to help their memory here is a photo of me in 4th grade.

Handsome fellow!

Please keep in mind that the English translations on the two links are computer translations from Danish to English, which works fairly well most of the time but not all the time.

Here is what the house in Bregninge looked like when we lived there.
See the big cherry tree in the front and if you look closely on the
left hand side you will see yours truly looking at the plane shooting the picture.
It was a Sunday afternoon during a really hot summer day (probably about 75 deg. F)

Go West - Go West Young Man or actually "not so young man" - 1

    The heading under the photo or header states this is a blog about canoe trips, camping trips, occasionally fishing and other excursions; this particular post and those that will follow about this trip will be in the "other excursions" category.
     Growing up in Denmark I was, like most Europeans at the time, fascinated by all things Western, especially "Cowboys and Indians", a game which we would play quite often, except when we were playing soldiers in which case the "krauts" were getting their heinies whipped. Remember we had just come out from under the shadows of five years of occupation by the Wehrmacht and Herr Hitlers finest, the SS and Gestapo (which by the way when translated directly means "Homeland State Security Police", if that doesn't scare you I don't know what will).     Anyhow this is not about the war years but the years after. We played cowboys and indians, we read western books which were properly called "cowboy books". And of course it all took place in Texas, the only place with real cowboys (and I suppose cowgirls, but we were still too young to consider that aspect).
    Then one day I saw a movie which made all the difference in the world. I do not remember how old I was but it can be calculated using simple math and deductive reasoning (according to a google search the movie was made in 1960) in which case I would have been 14 years old, but the numbers do not make sense because if memory serves me correctly, which is not a very likely proposition at my age, we were living in Bregninge when I saw the movie at the Horbelev Hotel which turned its dance / banquet room into a movie theater once a  month when the "picture show" came to town. We moved from Bregninge in 1959 so something is not quite right here. I will have to consult my brother Max about when we saw this movie and where we lived at the time.
     The movie was "The Alamo" with John Wayne, Richard Whitmark and others. Sitting there on the folding chairs set up, sitting next to the girl from school and my class I had a crush on, Birthe Ravn. I decided if ever the opportunity presented itself to visit Texas I had to go to San Antonio de Bexar to see the Alamo. By a turn of fate I now live just 200 miles away from the Alamo.


Horbelev Skole (Horbelev School). This particular building housed 1st and 2nd Grade.
To the left and out of view were the apartment of Mr. Jensen, one of my favorite teachers.
He taught History (Religious, World, Political) as well as Geography (Social Studies) and Math.



Anther view of Horbelev Skole. This building in front housed 3rd, 4th and 5th grade.
The windows on top are teacher apartments.The building on the right housed 6th and 7th grade as well as the "home economics" class room and the science class room and again teacher apartments.
The school district closed the school some years ago and when I visited last in 2007 it had been purchased by a group of parents doing home schooling



The house in Bregninge Falster where I grew up. I do not know who lives there now but they have nade a great number of changes to the facade.. It used to be "bindings vaerk", and I do not seem to be able to find a proper translation so the last photo on this post will be a similar type house. The house is several hundred years old.

That flimsy thing growing out front of the house is not what we had in front of the house. We had a proper cherry tree and my brothers and I would spend many a summer day in the tree eating cherries. Of course the best ones were always out on the thinnest limbs.

 


Horbelev Hotel where we had our school plays and were the "picture show" came once a month.
The banquet room is at the two windows to the right of the door. The hotel is now closed and for sale.
It is directly across the street from the SNSB railroad station (Stubbekoebing, Nykoebing, Sakskoebing Banen), also closed now.



This house looks like the one I grew up in and this one has a bit of a connection because I had an Uncle and Aunt living in a similar house right next door.

     Because of teacher Jensen I developed a serious interest in history and "geography". One of the fascinations is of course Texas and its colorful history and another is the work of the Spanish Missionaries, mostly Jesuits, that came into Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Utah, Colorado, etc. from Mexico City.
     Therefore this next few posts will be of a trip of the "missions" in West Texas and New Mexico as well as visits to other places along the way.

Another short visit to the Veggie Garden

     It has been almost a week since we looked at the watermelon, so it is time to once again trek out to the "back 40" and  have a look. The remaining two melons are showing signs of being ripe (dried stems, yellow on some of the surfaces)

The larger of the two water melons

This on is smaller which would indicate the inside isn't quite ready yet

so it is a matter of cutting them up and having a look which we will do in short order.
     I thought that since we are already out here in the garden we should look at the other stuff still growing, all of it identifiable; We begin with the red bell peppers. All green bell peppers are actually bell peppers that are not yet ripe.

Red bell peppers, not quite ripe yet.

More red bell peppers. We have harvested some that were ripe.

We then follow with some of the other things;

Anaheim peppers, these are not yet ripe but we have harvested red ones

Oregano and it is doing well because it is growing in the shade of the Avocado tree (bush)

Pimento peppers, not quite ripe, but good and not too spicy

The Basil is trying to go to seed, but they are cute little blooms

The lone surviving tomato plant, these are supposed to be Roma tomatoes, but somehow the shape doesn't quite make it



The three year old Avocado "tree" grown from a seed stuck in the ground,
but it is only growing and not producing.

No this is not a cemetary with neatly arranged headstones although it could be in view of all the veggies that bit the dust in the Texas heat and dry spring and summer; it is the parched earth of the vegetable garden
with the remaining struggling plants. As this is being written it is 98 deg. F in the shade.

      And here is a look inside the small melon. Some of it is ripe but again not near the edges, so the larger of the two is being left for a couple more days to give it time to ripen some more.

      It still appears appetising so after these slices cool down a bit they will be eaten.
Since I mentioned the temperature a bit earlier in this post I think I will post photos with the proof. These photos were taken at 7 PM CDT on August 3, 2011.

110 F / 44 C in direct sun

98 F / 36 C in an area that is shaded all day long