West Texas Memories

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Photo by James Roland city-data.com

I'm a small town girl living in the city or rather, I'm a city girl that used to live in a very small town. When I take the time to count up the years since I moved to the city, it absolutely dumbfounds me when I realize that I have lived here in the BIG city of Houston far longer than I lived in my small west Texas hometown of McCamey.  I'm sure that you've heard that "you can never go back".  I don't know who said it, but I don't disagree at all.  However, as much as circumstances and people change, I am always pleased when those moments of gratitude and nostalgia find me.  My childhood like most had it's share of blessings and burdens but like most people, the place that I call home and the people who share that right with me, are always special, always loved and always remembered.



Medical Center with downtown in the background. 
I live on the west side so this is not my view
 but still a cool picture Houston cultutemap.com

Last night I went to a movie with some friends. As we left the theater we noticed that the quality of the air was unusually refreshing and lacked its everyday summer-slobber humidity that we Houstonians love to hate. Instead of walking outside and feeling licked,  our faces  cooled and our hair breezed off our faces and all of a sudden I was back home in McCamey.   Right in the middle of the city I felt like I was in my home town where because of the dessert weather you can count on the temperature cooling off  even on the hottest summer day there is blessed relief from the heat every evening. 



McCamey Badger Band at contest photo by gosanangelo.com

I live in what is quickly becoming the new middle of the greater Houston metro area.  My neighborhood is decidedly west of the "real" downtown but as the population moves west, so does the city center and at the moment, my neck of the woods is it.  Even still, I only live about a block and a half from the elementary school I've worked at for the last 4 years and am about 2 maybe 3 blocks from the middle school and high school.  I'll be going about my daily life and then I'll notice that I can hear the high school marching band practicing and all of a sudden I'm back home in McCamey where my earliest memories dance around to the constant distant melodies of the high school band practicing in the evenings each fall.



Photo by Barclay Gibson texasescapes.com

Sometimes as a music teacher I find myself "teaching" PE.  Either when we are working on a school-wide project where my team of PE, Art and Music are working together OR occasionally when they need a hand I have found myself helping out in the gym.  While helping in the gym my students will get out the scooter-boards and instantly I am back home in McCamey as I remember that grimy hand - pinched finger feeling I always ended up with after a PE class spent on scooter boards trying my best to stay on and not roll over my fingers.  (Now those dreadful scooter boards have HANDLES!)

My big city hometown of Houston is somewhat unique compared to other major cities in that we don't have zoning restrictions.  There are some deed restrictions in the planned communities but for the most part, if you live in Houston you can find just about anything anywhere.  Only a about four blocks away from here, in a random parking lot, behind the high school, next to an abandoned building and down the street from several mechanics and a drilling company there is a Dairy Queen.  Making lemonade out of it's lemony-fresh location, this Dairy Queen does a very brisk lunch business and then locks up each evening like Fort Knox with accordion steel sheeting that wraps around the building on 3 sides.  It has an old style drive through and the grass from the neighbors hard is starting to reclaim the parking lot in the back. Every once and a while I find a way to go to that Dairy Queen and all of a sudden I am back in McCamey.  It doesn't matter what I order, if the food is from Dairy Queen then I'm back home.  Too bad that McCamey lost it's Dairy Queen years ago. 





McCamey High School Football Stadium
 photo by Bob McSpadden texasbob.com

I could be absolutely anywhere in the world alone or with friends and if the right song is played I am right back in McCamey.  When I hear a song from the musical "Grease" I am with the youth group traveling back from Paisano listening to the cast recording.  If an old Garth Brooks song shows up on the radio then I'm on a debate trip with Ms. Phillips.    When I hear any song by Chicago I'm on a victorious basketball bus in the middle of the night between Ozona and McCamey listening to Beth's Chicago CD.  Any songs by Guns and Roses, Def Leopard, Boys II Men or Bon Jovi remind me of all the hours I spent in the homes of my sweet friends frying, fixing our hair and talking about boys while we watched MTV.  If I ever hear the UB40 cover of "Red Red Wine" I am instantly filled with dread because I'm in the locker room tying my shoes in preparation for the 7th grade basketball practice I both loved and hated.     With just a few songs, I'm reminded of 100 more that are each more than equal to the task of taking me right back home to place and time that while far from perfect will always be precious.

^"I thank my God every time I remember you.  In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy  because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.  God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,  so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,  filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God."
 Philippians 1: 3-11

A boy named Jason, and a man named Bob

Many of you know that I get to be an honorary aunt to the son of my best friend.  His name is Jason, he will turn 3 years old at the end of this month and he is brilliant.  Now that he is almost 3 he is so much fun to talk to.  One of his favorite things to talk about are his friends and his family.  I've never met someone so young who had such an intense interest in the people in his world.  Jason loves people! 

Even though my family is not really related to Jason, we've all met him and a couple of years ago when he was almost one he and his family came to my house and stayed for a few days.  While they were here my parents came over and my parents (Bob and Clara) gave Jason his very first basketball.  So even though I'm sure that Jason doesn't remember them, he has met both of my parents and I'm sure that at some point they will see him again.

While I was visiting my best friend last week, my favorite conversation with Jason was centered around my iphone which Jason was certain had Angry Birds on it.  I was sad to disappoint him, but in an attempt to divert him I asked him if he wanted to see a picture of my mom and dad.  Jason being the people loving child that he is said yes.  So there we were sitting on the couch together looking at my phone.  I first showed him a picture of my mom.  I said, "This is my mom"
Jason said, "What's her name?"
I said, "Aunt Clara." 
Jason politely listened but was still more interested in games than in the conversation and since persistence is Jason's middle name, it was at this point that he actually found some games and started trying to play them which was a habit I was not willing to start if I could avoid it......... so I quickly found a picture of my dad and said, "This is my dad"
Jason said, "What's his name?"
I said, "Bob"
Jason said, "SpongeBob?"
I said "No"
Jason said, "Bob the Tomato?"
I said, "No.... TexasBob."

Since Jason didn't have a respond to that I'm guessing he has never seen the cartoon "King of the Hill" .........Well..... He would have called my dad Hank rather than Bob, but Hank from King of the Hill looks so much more like my sweet dad than either Sponge Bob or Bob the Tomato :)

As it turns out my dad is the author and webmaster for a great website called Texasbob.com where he shares his enthusiasm for all things Texas as well as his enjoyment of Texas High School Football.  It's a great site with innumerable resources for anyone who wants to learn something useful or obscure about Texas. 

In honor of my amazing dad and my sweet nephew Jason here are some video clips I hope you'll enjoy.
(SpongeBob is BIZARO - not a fan!)




(These came out when I was in college, so I've always had an infinity for Bob the Tomato).


(His name may be Hank Hill but in my mind, He'll always be Texasbob!)


AND finally the REAL Texasbob!