A Day In Terlingua Texas

I guess it has been a while since I have posted here. Close to five years to be exact. Much has changed in our lives including our move to the Trans Pecos, Big Bend region, Alpine, Texas, or whatever your flavor might be. Karen and I also bought a small plot of land down in the Terlingua, Texas area.

The land is nothing to brag about but it is quiet, the air is remarkably clean and we enjoy going there from time to time, which we did today. We had a relaxing time kicking rocks around on the property, cleaning up around the east entrance gate, just off Hwy 118 South, and meeting one of our neighbors, Al from Canada.

 Karen and I keep talking about building a small cabin on the land so that we have a place to sleep when we go down to Terlingua. Al from Canada inspired us today as we spoke with him to continue thinking about building on the land and really taking advantage of the property. You see, Al has build a number of structures on his property, the most recent of which is a two-story building that can sleep several visitors. Not sure I will consider building a two-story structure but a small cabin would be nice. And, of course, some sort of privy.

 time will tell

Karen found these snack boxes for us to eat at the property.  In case you are looking for something tasty for hiking or other outdoor activities, this might fit the bill.

Fort Davis 2011 Day 2

Today started out with an early morning wakeup, a bad cup of coffee at the Stone Village Tourist Camp but a good cup at the Stone Village Market.  The coffee in the motel room can only be described as hot water with cream and sugar.  The coffee from the market more than made up for it however.  And, it was free.  Can't beat that. Karen and I took our coffee on the porch while we discussed the day's events.  One thing we discussed was moving to another hotel or cottage because the Stone Village Tourist Camp was more crowded than we like.  More about that in a minute. 

After the coffee and a quick bite to eat, I packed the car with my video equipment and Karen drove me to the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Trail, which is also headquarters for the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute (http://cdri.org). I met Catherine Hoyt, director of the center, an intern whose name I've forgotten already and Beth Nobles (@trailgirl). The purpose of our meeting was to interview Cindy about the sprint 2011 fires that ravaged so much of this area and to capture her thoughts on what it all means for her, for the institute and for the city of Fort Davis.  The interview was wonderful.  Cindy did such a wonderful job of articulating what the experience of the fire was like, what is means to the area and what they hope for the future.

After there interview was complete, my wife and kids showed up at the center and we spent some time hiking the Modesta Canyon Trail, which starts at the center.  This is a good, family-friendly trail that takes you to the location of a spring at the bottom of the canyon. We had a good time on the hike but everyone was hungry so we took a shortcut on the trail, ended up earlier and headed back into town for lunch. On the way into town, I was informed that we had in fact changed our accommodations. We drove into town to a beautiful home, the Webster House. The house has four sleeping areas, a full-sized kitchen, two baths and is absolutely beautiful. Karen was really excited about the white rocking chairs on the front porch. She loves rocking while she drinks coffee. 

After lunch at the Drug Store, I had a second interview with Larry Francille, a county commissioner for Jeff Davis County. I was interested in an interview with Larry because I knew he would bring a strategic perspective to the fires and the aftermath of the fires. He didn't disappoint. 

The rest of the night will be relaxing around the house, eating, hanging with the family and just relaxing.  I'll probably even go to bed early. Pretty tired after all of the activities today. Tomorrow is another interview with a park ranger, more b-roll and more fun.

Fort Davis 2011 Day 2

Today started out with an early morning wakeup, a bad cup of coffee at the Stone Village Tourist Camp but a good cup at the Stone Village Market.  The coffee in the motel room can only be described as hot water with cream and sugar.  The coffee from the market more than made up for it however.  And, it was free.  Can't beat that. Karen and I took our coffee on the porch while we discussed the day's events.  One thing we discussed was moving to another hotel or cottage because the Stone Village Tourist Camp was more crowded than we like.  More about that in a minute. 

After the coffee and a quick bite to eat, I packed the car with my video equipment and Karen drove me to the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Trail, which is also headquarters for the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute (http://cdri.org). I met Catherine Hoyt, director of the center, an intern whose name I've forgotten already and Beth Nobles (@trailgirl). The purpose of our meeting was to interview Cindy about the sprint 2011 fires that ravaged so much of this area and to capture her thoughts on what it all means for her, for the institute and for the city of Fort Davis.  The interview was wonderful.  Cindy did such a wonderful job of articulating what the experience of the fire was like, what is means to the area and what they hope for the future.

After there interview was complete, my wife and kids showed up at the center and we spent some time hiking the Modesta Canyon Trail, which starts at the center.  This is a good, family-friendly trail that takes you to the location of a spring at the bottom of the canyon. We had a good time on the hike but everyone was hungry so we took a shortcut on the trail, ended up earlier and headed back into town for lunch. On the way into town, I was informed that we had in fact changed our accommodations. We drove into town to a beautiful home, the Webster House. The house has four sleeping areas, a full-sized kitchen, two baths and is absolutely beautiful. Karen was really excited about the white rocking chairs on the front porch. She loves rocking while she drinks coffee. 

After lunch at the Drug Store, I had a second interview with Larry Francille, a county commissioner for Jeff Davis County. I was interested in an interview with Larry because I knew he would bring a strategic perspective to the fires and the aftermath of the fires. He didn't disappoint. 

The rest of the night will be relaxing around the house, eating, hanging with the family and just relaxing.  I'll probably even go to bed early. Pretty tired after all of the activities today. Tomorrow is another interview with a park ranger, more b-roll and more fun.

Fort Davis 2011 - Day 1

Fort Davis Vacation Day 1

My family and I have made our annual trek out to far west Texas and more specifically to Fort Davis.  We arrived in Fort Davis a little before 4PM.  Pulled up to the Stone Village Tourist Camp.  We were greeted by the proprietor of the small motel along state highway 118, the main street in Fort Davis, given our key and shown to our room.  The rooms at the motel are quaint and as the name implies have walls made of stone.

The drive into Fort Davis was a surprise to us.  I would guess that at least 50% of the ground between Balmorhea and Fort Davis was scorched by the fires that consumed much of the area early summer.  I'll try to get pictures of the devastation on the way out of the area on Monday. Watching the news casts about the fire barely communicates the extent of the fires.  I can't imagine, based on the size and extent of the burn area, what it must have been like to live through that event.

As a family, we don't have much planned while we are here. We'll take a few hikes, eat some food, relax.  We are sad to see that the Caboose, the concessionaire that sold Blue Bell ice cream has closed.  The family that ran the Caboose and two neighboring businesses, the Chuck Wagon restaurant and a novelty store decided it was time to retire. The Caboose, which is actually a railroad caboose car, red color and all, was always a favorite with the us.  We'll just have to find some more treats here in Fort Davis.

While I am here, I'll be capturing video for a promotional video for the Fort Davis area. The video will include interviews of three individuals that are willing to share their stories about the fires that plagued the area this last summer and the impact those fires had on the area.  But more to the point of the video, they will share their stories of the rebirth of the landscape and their hopes for the area. In the end, I will use my family's experiences while we are here to demonstrate that Fort Davis and the surrounding area is a great place to visit.

Playing Basketball with the Boys

Took a little video while me and the boys played basketball at University Church.

Melting Snow

Last week, Abilene experienced one of the worst winter storms than it has experienced in some time. While we all like the arrival of the snow because it happens so seldom here in Abilene, we were all more happy to see it leave. As the snow started to melt, I had this idea to follow the snow from where it was around our house, back to the lake as it melted. Here is that video.

Puzzle Time

Karen bought a new (to us) antique table for the house. Its a pretty nice table. She intended it to be used as a game and puzzle table. This weekend, she and the boys used the table for the first time and put together a puzzle. Mamaw even came over and lent a hand. Here is a video of that puzzle time.

Kokernot Field in Alpine Texas

While vacationing in the Fort Davis - Alpine area of far West Texas, we stumbled across this baseball field in Alpine. Named, Kokernot field for the family that built it, the field has been the home for baseball for a number of years, even dating back to the days of the all-negro leagues. One person of note that played baseball here was Satchell Paige. My middle son has been interested in the negro baseball league for some time now so this was especially important for him.




We hope to return in future years and watch a game at the field. We love baseball, especially the Texas Rangers but how special would it be to see a game at such a historic field?

If you ever have the chance to visit the field while you are in the Alpine area, don't miss it. It is a wonderful field to visit and is well maintained.

Hiking at Abilene State Park

In September 2010, we took a hike through Abilene State Park, something we do a few times a year. Its not a hard hike so we can just relax and stroll along the paths. Here is a video of that hike.



This video was shot and edited entirely on iPhone 4

Playing in the Leaves

There is always lots of leaves in our front yard each Fall. I wait for most of them to fall before raking them up. Josh and Jon helped me rake part of the yard. Before we bagged them up, they wanted to jump into the pile.



Love to see them do this because it means they still have some of the child left in them. Pretty soon, they will be too grown up to jump in the leaves. Then, when they get to my age and want to do it again, they will resist the temptation lest they throw their back out.

Enjoy!

dave