Laguna Atascosa Wildlife Refuge

Martina and I attended a friend's wedding in Brownsville on Saturday evening, and we visited the Laguna Atascosa Wildlife Refuge on Sunday. While we were at Laguna Atascosa, I felt like we were on our own private safari. There were very few visitors that day, at least during the hottest part of the day when we were there, and we spotted plenty of wildlife even in the late afternoon. Upon our arrival, we immediately saw green jays, a beautiful species that is perhaps unremarkable to residents of the valley, but it was certainly fascinating to us. We also saw a golden-fronted woodpecker, an altamira oriole, a great kiskadee, a long-billed thrasher, and a couple of crested caracaras, a strange-looking bird that prefers fresh carrion. We also heard the loud, raucous call of the chachalaca, though we did not see one.

After a short hike down an old paved road lined with soaptree yucca, mesquite, and other trees that must have been in the acacia family, we came to an alligator pond. The pond was close to dry, but we did see one alligator that seemed rather large by my standard as well as a very young one. There are ocelots on the refuge,too, though we didn't see one, of course, for these elusive creatures are nocturnal and very difficult to spot. However, I could not help but wonder what animals used the game paths that led through the thicket. Looking at the thicket that volunteers must work like the devil to keep at bay along the trails, I did not feel a particular urge to crawl along a game path and find out who resided at the other end. There is a reason that ocelots live in this place, for it is an absolute fortress of thorn.

While I stood there looking into the dense, thorny thicket, I thought about the European settlers that tried to cross the brush country in the mid-nineteenth century. It must have been a strange and hostile land. Even today there are signs in Laguna Atascosa reminding parents that they are in mountain lion country and that they should keep their children at their side (lest they become breakfast).

We also saw a Nilgai antelope gallop across a field when we drove by on an unpaved road. Neither of us, I must confess, had ever seen one of these creatures before, and it was not until we were back at the hotel that we even figured out what we had seen. We learned that these creatures were introduced to South Texas on the King Ranch around 1930 and that about 15,000 of them can now be found on the South Texas range.

In my opinion, the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge is one of the most fascinating places in Texas. I hope to be back again one winter during peak birding season. However, after our recent trip, any time of year and even any time of day seems like the right time to visit.  




 

Parker County Peaches

This weekend Martina and I went to my aunt and uncle's house in Parker County for some fine fellowship and to pick some peaches from their trees. Thus, today was like the Golden Peach Jubilee at our house. We were in such a Dionysian state of peach worship that I could envision us riding the royal float at the Golden Peach Jubilee and waving joyfully to the smiling throngs, all the while tossing samples of the blushing fruit to the adoring crowd. After my daydream disappeared, I discovered that Martina had made a sensational peach cobbler and I had conjured up some splendid peach salsa that was dined upon on the porch.

One of the most ridiculous songs I believe I have heard in a long while is about the town of Weatherford, the Parker County seat. The musical artist alleges that Weatherford is home to the best peaches in the state, a boast that the folks in Gillespie County would likely dispute. This song about Weatherford and its peaches had exactly three views when I visited, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't give it a gander just for kicks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vd7RXiIPHCA   

Guy Clark: Passing of a Legend

Texas songwriting legend Guy Clark passed away today to be with his dear Susanna. Mr. Clark was a songwriter's songwriter. His lyrics were wise and full of insight. His delivery was unvarnished and true. He was a bon vivant, a working man's philosopher, a bohemian poet in boots. He was the writer that many of us aspire to be.

The songs of Guy Clark tend to stay in your heart and mind long after the last note is played. Songs like "Instant Coffee Blues," "Randall Knife," and "Desperadoes Waiting for a Train" all ache with beauty and truth. On the chorus of "L.A. Freeway," Mr. Clark's voice captures a feeling that so many of us understand.

If there was ever a song that I would use to define my life, it would be Guy Clark's "Dublin Blues." I have strummed the song on my porch for years, even on my porch in Thailand; and it was the first song my good buddy Shane ever learned how to play on a guitar. It is a song that defies the everyman conventions of country music by showing that the everyman can be well-traveled and can appreciate art and culture yet still be who and what he is. Guy Clark, quite simply, was a songwriter whose work touched me in a deep, substantial way. Although I never met him, or even saw him live, he will be missed at my house and eulogized on my porch. May God rest this gentleman who made the world a better place. 

Here is a link to "Red River." Among the lyrics: "Susanna, Oh Susanna / when it comes my time / just bury me south of that Red River line." Rest in peace, Guy Clark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1O97kbKETo&list=PL19C41E9FCD4C0940&index=34

Bison for a House Pet

In my opinion, the top news story of the day has nothing to do with the peculiarity of this election cycle, the actions of an army that considers itself a catalyst of the coming apocalypse, or even public restroom access. No, the top story belongs to Bullet, a house-broken bison cow now living in Argyle, Texas. Bullet is a cow, so she is not like a bull in a china closet, and she has been known to wander through her owner's home on occasion. Bullet's owner, Karen Schoeve, must now sell the 1,000 pound bovine cutie, and interested parties with a big enough spread for a pet bison should contact her.

Here is a link to a fine Dallas Morning News article about Bullet:

http://www.dallasnews.com/lifestyles/headlines/20160514-house-trained-bison-with-great-personality-for-sale-in-argyle.ece

Back in my Yellowstone days, I remember reading about how to acquire a free Yellowstone buffalo from the Department of the Interior. Seeing as I didn't own property, and my backyard was Yellowstone National Park anyway, I never requested a buffalo from the government. Now, after seeing what a fine friend a bison can make, perhaps I should have written the Department of the Interior and requested a big furry companion after all.

Ma Ferguson on Mother's Day

What better day to celebrate Texas' first female governor than Mother's Day? Miriam "Ma" Ferguson made Texas history in 1924 when she won the governorship using the slogan "Me for Ma, and I ain't got a durned thing against Pa." "Pa" was her husband, the former Texas governor James "Pa" Ferguson, who was impeached in 1917 and no longer allowed to hold public office in Texas. While running for the governorship, "Ma" Ferguson told folks that they were getting two governors for the price of one.

At that time the Ku Klux Klan was extremely powerful, and Klan-backed candidates had experienced much success at the local level. "Ma" Ferguson's opponent was a Klan-supported candidate by the name of George C. Butte, and "Ma" told voters that they had a choice between electing "the bonnet or the hood." Voters overwhelmingly supported the bonnet, and she became the second female governor in US history.

It is claimed that Ferguson once said that "[i]f English was good enough for Jesus Christ, it is good enough for the children of Texas." While the line certainly makes for a good laugh, Ferguson did not actually say it.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you mamas out there! And please let your babies grow up to be cowboys!

  

Chicken Bingo

Some folks would say that if you ain't never played chicken bingo, you ain't never been to Texas. Well, I've never played chicken bingo, but I have been in Ginny's Little Longhorn Saloon in Austin on a Sunday afternoon to see it played. During the summer, Ginny's Little Longhorn can be hotter than Bikram Yoga because there is no air conditioning, but it is totally worth it. Apparently, I've heard, experiencing chicken bingo should be on every Texan's bucket list, though the term bucket list kinda makes me cringe. If you happen to be in Austin on a Sunday, I would recommend visiting Ginny's Little Longhorn and, after putting a couple of bucks on a square, listening to Dale Watson play some honkytonk tunes.

Here's a link to Texas Highway's short video about chicken bingo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zbykDjwjIo

Flatlanders in Denton

The Flatlanders played an excellent set at the Denton Arts and Jazz Festival last night. I had never seen Butch Hancock, Joe Ely, or Jimmie Dale Gilmore live, and I must say that they are incredible in tandem. They are so good, in fact, that I will make sure to catch each member individually when he comes to town. What I love about the Flatlanders is their powerful energy and synergy combined with lyrics that are meaningful and informed by their musical predecessors. They even played a cover of "Sitting on Top of the World" to close out their set. "Sitting on Top of the World," incidentally, was first recorded by the Mississippi Sheiks in 1930 on the Okeh label. Of course, any band with a member named after the "Singing Brakeman" Jimmie Rodgers would have to know a bit about our nation's musical heritage. The Flatlanders also sang their song about that "suburb of Denton" as Joe Ely put it.  

The weather was pleasant. Our view of the stage was great. The folks around us were mellow, and all was right with the universe. Here are some pictures Martina took during the show: