I really think I could be a farmer. For a sailor, I sure do love large tracts of land. Always have. At first blush it may seem a bit odd, this passion for inland areas, tractors, plows and what not. But after digging a little further it really is not out of sync with an equal passion for the ocean. The sea is simply another type of wilderness. Another tract of open space. Really the ultimate in open space. An experienced sailor can extract many details from the surface of the ocean. Clues such as swell patterns, wind changes, distant islands unseen but for the pattern of the waves and the like. It may seem a little boring to the less experienced, but to someone who plys the water, it holds endless fascination. It is like that with the west Texas hill country. Dry, with stubby tree's, weird rock formations and rolling hills. But just sit for awhile and you'll start to notice all the birds, gopher holes, nooks where a rattler may reside and that prairie wind.
Many sailors either retire to the tundra or come from the inland tundra. Take Robin Lee Graham who circumnavigated as a 16 year old in 1974 and then followed it up with a bestseller, Dove. He resettled himself in Kalispell Montana and became a builder. Take the crew from Wandering Dolphin, they wandered their way aboard ship from Montana as well. If you spend some time reading about the old whaling captains from New England, you'll find many of them had farms. You see, I'm not nutts!
 |
| Me and Zooey |
Dr. David is sure an interesting guy. After retiring as a Pediatrician 10 years ago he decided he just wouldn't watch the world pass him by in retirement, he'd just enter the stream and see where things lead. So I just think it was of the coolest things that he bought a tract of land and decided he'd learn about ranching. He has some cattle, a garden and some fields that will be developed someday maybe.
So the past couple of days I got to spend hanging out in the beautiful west central Texas country side. I got to plow the field for awhile in the John Deer and watched the Vet immunize all the cattle. Really interesting to watch the cattle being corralled and then pinned so they could be marked and poked and whatnot. We spent a peaceful night in the bunkhouse and had a great meal.
 | |
| Sunsets in Mason Texas |
I left this morning and restarted my journey west. I now sit in Las Cruses New Mexico. Tomorrow I plan on making it to Tuscon Arizona where I plan to stay with Moma Larson. Tom Larson's mom from Sadie Sea and Sandpiper fame. Let it be known, it is friggin hot here in New Mexico.
I've been uploading tons of pictures that you can view in my google photo album. Just click here or the links at the right or up top.
Farmer Chris
2 comments:
You are right, you would make a good farmer. You look right at home. Love the hat.
Tracy
Great post. Wheather salt in your hair or John Deere green "The Kid" seems to be enjoying himself. Austin looked like a beautiful place also. Haven't been there yet. Keep upi the good work, it was great seeing you again in NOLA.
Post a Comment