On the Wheat Field

Hartley County Visit

On the way I saw many old barns like the one pictured above.

It's autumn; it's harvest time; the silos are full.

Above, an old elevator along Highway 87 in Hartley County.

The XIT Museum in downtown Dalhart holds a fascinating

exhibit of the local history and culture.

The next morning, I looked outside our motel door to see

trucks and more trucks parked.

Sunrise behind a water well.

All Green in Late September

Farmers have just sowed wheat. I could see little green sprouts in the ruts.
I have to send this picture to Carrie who enjoys flowers.
Above we see truck tire tracks across a recently-sowed wheat field.

Remarkable Old Homes Given TLC by Their Current Owners

Along Highway 287 I saw groves of trees under which, 3m said, camels find refuge from the sun.
Joan gives us instructions once we reach the town of Electra. I like this picture because it shows Joan and the background old buildings of a town built by wealthy oil revenue in the 20s.
Janice owns an antique shop in Electra and an interesting home built decades ago by the Ginnings family, then renovated, she told us, on a shoe string, admirably.
W.T. Waggoner, Jr.'s wedding gift from his father, a home built in 1922 along Highway 25 in Electra.
The current owners graciously allowed the Heritage Society members a tour of their home.
But members were not allowed upstairs and twine was placed to enforce this rule. I thought it made a beautiful photograph.
Another resident of Electra allowed a tour of her home (since the 70s). We had wine and chocolate while we admired the old home.
Susan Attebury Smith, resident artist, Electra, Texas.
I could not resist standing still in the middle of the street in Electra long enough to take the picture below. The truck in the background had a loud diesel engine, and made its way toward me. In the photo below it doesn't look as daunting.
While I've photographed and admired the old theatre in Electra from the outside, finally I had the opportunity to step inside. The floor is new, made of concrete and to last several lifetimes; but there is still much work to do: Please donate.
The marker commemorates the theatre's historical significance.

Sunny Day in Electra

One of my favorite images on Hwy 368 shows a sign saying "Loose Livestock. Open Range."A quick stop to photograph an abandoned pumper's communication device; a Harley Davidson stopped next to me to make sure I was okay, then, upon seeing my thumb up, he sped away.
The theatre marquee now reads "Come See Our New Floor." Bravo!
The theatre now has an access ramp.
Electrans maintain their town: Here, a Wildcat paw print has a new coat of paint. Go Wildcats!

Heritage

The Wichita County Heritage Society held lunch for the public at the Kell House Museum, then drove us in the trolley to the Riverside Cemetery. My dear friend hostess stood at the front of the trolley to impart to us stories about the history of some of the prominent figures in town, most from the Kell and Kemp families. The tour included a little bit of notoriety, too, by showing the grave of the James' sister (scroll below) and bank robbers killed by vigilantism. The tour included actors; a young woman played Susan Parmer, sister of Jesse James.
Parmer's grave and the two actors standing beside it, waiting for the trolley behind us.
A pensive My Mr Mallory strolls across the way from Charles William Wallace's mausoleum. Wallace identified himself as the premier scholar in everything and anything having to do with William Shakespeare (not an understatement).
Charles' mausoleum below.
On our way to buy a new battery for the '53 Chrysler I photographed protesters, or rather demanders of health reform.

Fossilizing

Note the structure of an oak nut on a stone and grass.
My Mr. Mallory drove up this afternoon to pick me up. Our plan: Meet with a professor of geology from the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
This is our first glimpse of the professor, appropriately enough, on his hands and knees in search of fossils. He takes the fossils to the museum in Dallas.
Here he is, knee-pads and all.
In addition to fossil searching, David plays the harp for the symphony orchestra.
Here he explains what and where to search for the 280 million-year-old fossils.
My Mr. Mallory found the bones of a pre-historic lizard.

Vertebrae of the dimetrodon.
Scales on the spine of a Permian era lizard.
Last shot: Super market flowers.

Sally's Work

My new friend Dottie helped me track down Sally, who lives on the other side of Lake Kickapoo.

Hogging and Pigging

A large hog in orange sits at Red River Harley Davidson waiting for a rider to share some TLC and the road.
This hog, the Deluxe, looked retro.
We stopped at Gene's and pigged on tacos.