Beginning a New Year

Happy 2012 all!


In bringing 2011 to a close, I visited friends and family. In doing so I touched on the following U.S. states: Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Missouri. Visited with my good friend Rex in Brandon, Mississippi and my long time friend Dr. Dennis in Lake Jackson, Texas.  Rex and Dennis both looked well and were great hosts. Had a wonderful visit with my sister Gerry, her husband Ron, and her daughters Gloria, and Debra. Gerry deserves thanks and hugs for making it a great Christmas for us all.


It has been good to travel in the U. S. again. The country looks good. It is a bit insulating to travel on our great interstate highways, but they are smooth going and it is amazing to see great cargo trucks rolling along at 70 t0 80 mph.  I did manage to get off those interstates often enough to look around a bit.


I left the Clute/Lack Jackson area on Texas state highway 35 going southwest along the Gulf coast to Corpus Christi (Body of Christ). From Corpus, I traveled north-westish up interstate 37 to state 72 near Three Rivers. On Texas state highways 72 and 97, I passed through Fowlerton and Los Angeles to Cotulla on interstate 35.


Many Texans are learning more than most of us about the differences between frack-water and fresh water. Frack-water is too often called brine. Still, I havent been able to find one Texan who can tell me the recipe for frack-water. I also have not found out why used frack-water is hidden away beneath the earth and not reused. Did find anyone who drank Frack-water to quench their thirst.


From Cotulla I somehow jogged over to federal highway 83 and drove north on it to interstate 10. Found the drive up 83 particularly pleasant and interesting as, by the way, I did the drive down state 35.


I took Interstate 10 to Fort Stockton on U.S. federal highway 285. Fort Stockton was, I believe, one of those places from which civil War veterans shot Indians for the good of the Republic. Fort Lancaster, a bit farther east, was another such place. I believe that both forts were on a major Indian trading route. We may have once called that route The Old Chihuahua Trail, which name we probably learned from the Spanish rather than from the Indians.


Took federal highway 285 to Roswell New Mexico. The only possible aliens I saw around Roswell were some Middle-East looking men in skull caps. They had run out of gas and were being helped by  good Samaritans.


Drove federal highway 70 from Roswell to Las Cruces and found it a very pleasant drive. Among other pleasant sights, it took me through my first pines with snow of this winter.


I stayed over-night in good accommodations many nights on this trip for less than $70 a night. Some accommodations were much less than $70 and some very good.


Las Cruces has grown enormously; not all of its growth has been for the better. From Las Cruces I took interstate 10 through Tucson, Arizona to the junction with interstate 8. Took 8 through Yuma into California to 86, 62 and home. In driving through some parts of Yuma I hadn't seen for a long time, I detected an amount of of drug and gang activity which, for some reason,surprised me.


It's good to be home. Joshua Tree and my little house seem to have fared well without me. Maybe, in Spring I'll head up to Washington state.