Trek to Texas

On Nov. 17, we set out in Gracie to visit Norm's sister Maxine and her husband Roy in Texas. We overnighted in Muskogee, Okla. and arrived at their place in Mineral Wells, Texas, before dark the next day. The 19th was Roy and Maxine's 52nd Wedding Anniversary. Congratulations, y'all.




Our last visit to Mineral Wells was exactly two years ago for their Golden Anniversary party. This time we wanted to see how Maxine is coming along following a fall that injured her arm and knee. She wasn't showing either in these pictures, but we can attest to the fact that she is doing her therapy and getting along really well, all things considered. We all attended the Methodist Church on Sunday and people were really glad to see Maxine out and about.

One additional voice that drew us toward Texas at this time of year was the lure of Roy's home grown pecans. We had heard that there was a good crop this year. Many were still on the trees, so Roy and Norm went out to shake some down. We picked up about 3 or 4 gallons from just an hour's prodding. Thanks for the pecans! They will be shelled and frozen and appear in all kinds of delicacies for the next couple of years. (Some went to my cousin's for Thanksgiving--see next story.)

A cold front was due in on Wednesday, so Roy was working hard to bring in the rest of his garden. He was digging sweet potatoes, some as big as small watermelons. We were lucky enough to bring a few of those north, too. They are keeping well in our former coal room in the basement, which is cool.

Since our tomato vines gave up a couple of months ago, it was amazing to see vines still full of delicious fruit. We picked these for Roy while he dug potatoes, and we got to bring part of them North with us to share with family. Bacon and tomato sandwiches have been on our menu several times since we returned home.

Apparently, the long growing season extends to Okra, which had many large pods... they were a little too tough to eat. But the plants were still in bloom, waiting for the blast from the north to finish them off. Sometimes the 10 acres at their place is a little much to keep up with, but Roy and Maxine have a wonderful variety of produce and they were very generous in what they shared with us. This was a great visit, full of stories, reminiscences, and laughter. We left on Tuesday for Oklahoma and a Thanksgiving visit with my cousin Mike and his family.