I love Texas. My first trip into Texas was a real ‘homecoming’ experience. The weather was warm and sunny. I love sunshine too. We stopped at a small gas station and the first thing I noticed was the Texas Jellybeans on the counter. I laughed as they were huge.
We had a trip to Dallas and stayed in my favorite Best Western hotel. The boys enjoyed the pool. We walked down to a mall with drivers looking at us like we were insane. It was the middle of summer and very hot. In the morning, while George was still in the room, I wandered down to the restaurant to have a coffee. I really can’t function without a coffee. The first thing that happened – everyone was talking to everyone. It was fun and after finding out I was from Canada we had a lively discussion on Health Care. Fortunately for me, I am unable to defend our costly health care. It is abused, misused and pulling us down. I believe even I could figure out a better way.
In Dallas we met with our cousins and I held their tiny baby boy that I have since watched grow to a young adult. It was wonderful to meet up with people we knew. Although in Texas I never seemed to feel out of place.
We have visited Texas many times. Once George loaded his truck in the middle of the night to meet a deadline. It was dark and I was the only one to help him. I was so exhausted after drinking gallons of water, I could barely crawl into the bunk to sleep after we were done. In Corpus Christie we sat in a park overlooking the Gulf of Mexico and watched the largest moon I’ve ever seen crawl up over the water and horizon. I had a cook come out of the kitchen and sit with us – because I had a package of du Maurier cigarettes and he wanted to know where we were from.
My favorite place is San Antonio. We went to the Alamo, then for a carriage ride. Everyone seemed to know exactly where Calgary, Alberta was. Many cowboys from Texas participate in the Calgary Stampede Rodeo. Many people move between the two places because of the oil industry. Then riding in the carriage, seeing lights below the streets – we were amazed to discover San Antonio’s River Walk. It was fantastic with curved paths following the river, small, unique shops and cafe’s and foliage, flowers and four hundred year old oak trees. And San Antonio is where my favorite singer – George Strait – is from. Although I rarely pass up a trip to Texas, recently George was down there without me. When he talked to our grandson on the phone, Murphy asked if Poppa could possibly stop and tell George Strait that Grandma had all his songs. It was so cute.
My son sings an excellent rendition of ‘God Bless Texas’. Even a guy from Texas once complimented him on it. We were in a tiny bar in the Okanagan Valley in BC. It’s a small world.
Mary M. Forbes - Author 