Patch Museum. About the oil strike in the Luling area
financed and supervised by a guy who made his money in
Brockton, MA. Too long a story to go into about how
he got to Texas. There are a number of wells pumping
in the middle of Luling. The curator said that with
the rise in oil prices a lot of the capped wells are
going to be reopened. Even if each only produces 3
barrels a day, that's 90 a month and $6300 at $70 a
barrell.
Had breakfast at The Coffee Shop in Luling. It looked
like any small town diner. Except it had a 4 head
espresso machine and a two shelf selection of Italian
syrups. Apparently, people from Austin are buying
houses in Luling and commuting because of the low
property values. About an hour commute.
Went to Helena, TX population 35 and falling. A
hundred years ago it was at the crossing of two
stagecoach roads and the San Antonio River crossing
for cattle herds being driven north, a populous town
with shops, doctors and the only judge for hundreds of
miles. JD Smith, a retired high school football coach
from San Antonio, showed me around the few historic
buildings left.. The story goes that a son of one of
the town patriarchs was shot in a gunfight. The
killer was never brought to justice (as the saying
goes) so dad vowed to ruin the town. When the
railroad was being planned he made sure that it
bypassed Helena and that was it for the little town.
JD showed me the home of the founder of Helena. It
was a very spacious house with 10 foot ceilings to aid
in keeping the temp at human level more comfortable.
I'm now at Mustang Island State Park, near Corpus
Christi. You get here by crossing ¼ mile stretch of
water on a commuter ferry. Six run at once and there
3 docking spaces at each end. And it's free. The
campground is completely paved. I discovered that you
can drive right onto the beach and camp. I'm thinking
about moving there if the weather holds. Once the sun
went down there were no people outside. There are no
fire pits. Folk don't seem to stand around and chat.
But the beach is beautiful, very few people. You can
see oil drilling platforms far offshore.
Some things I've noticed: Buses with Spanish names
that cater to Mexicans traveling back and forth across
the US border. White pelicans.
Hello to people from the Teardrops and TTT site.
MadJack, it's nice to know people still make gumbo
like in the olden days. And, Roly N,
thanks for your kind words.
There's a pretty strong wind blowing tonight. I've
bungied down the top hatch to keep it from rattling.
But it's warm enough to have the door open and the
breeze coming through is delightful. No peepers
tonight but lots of crickets.
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