Being such a big state, everything seems to be bigger in Texas, ya know? And LOTS of them. Things like steaks and armadillos.
I saw my share of both while out in Abilene last week. Both at the same time, actually, out at the Perini Ranch near the not-so-big city of Buffalo Gap, pop. 463. But then, out from towns is where you find many of those big steaks and armadillos.
Armadillos, for instance, tend to like to cross the roads. Trouble is, unlike chickens, they never get to the other side. Rather, they end up as an extra souvenir to the underside of passing vehicles.
The one we saw didn’t, I don’t think. We saw him as we were winding around the dirt road from the Perini Ranch entrance:
. . . to the “mess hall” restaurant.
See what you think:
Looks like a pretty big fella, don’t he?! (Using my best Texas drawl.)
We were so excited to see one who might just stand still for us, Laura took my picture with him. And apparently, he’s a pet. He has a name tag that says “Barbadillo.” What’cha think?
Our steaks were just about as big as Barbadillo it seemed when they came:
And for all I know, they may well have been Barbadillo steaks! I know it took all three of us about three days to get them completely eaten up!
That’s the news from south Mississippi today, branching out to Abilene, Texas for the memories of a wonderful time. But, you know what?
The last night I spent there (last Tuesday night), I couldn’t sleep. My mind was too full of remembered sights and sounds, thoughts of the days there, thoughts of the future . . . and I came up with this really brilliant idea! Plans for a two to three day “Mini-Road Trip” for me, Mom & Laura for late next spring starting out from Abilene and wandering down among the vast fields of gorgeous wildflowers to Fredericksburg, Luckenbach, LBJ Ranch and grave, over to Leander, Texas (where our good school classmates, Bill & Marty, live), etc.
But wait – we’ll have to see how everyone is doing then, first, and how things go. And I want to surprise you later with the details as they evolve. Anticipation is a wonderful thing, but at our ages and all, it’s sometimes better to just let things simmer along, you know?
Cheers! And many blessings to each of you today! Dee
That is one big Barbadillo, he could be a car!
The steaks look great too. I’m glad you are enjoying good health and able to be do some traveling.
Out here, on occasion you see “the armadillos that didn’t make it” on the side of the road, laying on their back with a beer bottle propped in-between their feet.
Cheers to you too!
When you take your Mini Road Trip, you might consider Making a little jog & come through San Angelo. We could meet for coffee, lunch, or something.
We might do that, Paulette! For one thing . . . Tom & I saw Los Lonely Boys in concert about a month ago in Biloxi and they were OUTSTANDING!!
And as you know (and I’m sure are “mighty proud” to tell people), Los Lonely Boys hail from San Angelo!!
Thanks for commenting!
Dee (Ann Davidson when you knew me growing up in school)
We have plenty of armadillos around our place as well. The steaks look good!!
A frequent site along any Florida highway was that of dead armadillos. (Should that be “armadilli”?) Anyway, my younger brother once purchased a new semi-auto pistol and wanted to see what it would do, so he saw an armadillo on the side of the road, got out and shot it. There was little to nothing left of the critter. When he got back in the car, proud of the way his new gun performed, his wife said, “Honey, do you realize that may have been the only armadillo to ever successfully cross a highway and you blew it to bits?”
Hope you can make that trip next Spring. I hope the Wife and I can do another cruise next year … will have to see how much of OUR money the Obama administration lets us keep in April.
This made me remember the take on the old joke my kids came up with when we lived in West Virginia.
Why did the chicken cross the road?
To show the possum it CAN be done!