Marine & Bear

Here's a picture of Marine and Bear sitting at the back fence one morning. On this day we were heading out to Etheridge Tennessee to the Amish community. Just as we were getting the van ready we looked out towards the backyard and saw marine and bear sitting by the fence. Marine is the brown boxer and Bear is the miniature dobie. They look like they were just waiting for us to leave so they could go wondering around the country side. They're good dogs and very protective, and very fast.

At the end of the day they're still rocks

I was trying to figure out what to title this and Mark J., had the perfect title. We traveled close to a thousand miles and spent close to three hundred dollars in gas to and from Tennessee. AND WE BROUGHT BACK MORE ROCKS!!!!!!!! I guess Texas could always use more rocks.

I was actually able to convince Alma to leave these three rocks in Tennessee. Alma and I took a walk up the creek and found these three and as usual Alma has a very, very, very good imagination. She picked up the first rock and said "hey this looks like a lady bug". She must be smoking crack, because it looks like a rock. Then she picked up the next two and said they looked like mice. I guess I better start looking for a straight jacket, because they look like wet rocks picked out of the creek.

So we continue our stroll through the creek and pick up some round rocks. She continues to see images of animals, I'm now seeing dollar signs. Yeah baby, lets get some more round rocks and sell them back in San Antonio, cuz I need a new rifle.

I've now got rocks in my hands and my arms are folded together and I'm taking about 10 rocks on a stroll through the country side. This is where I think I need a straight jacket for myself since no one in their right mind would be lugging this many wet rocks around the countryside. Then Alma says hey look, a bull frog as she points at this rock that is pictured. A BULL FROG?????? She's gotta be smoking some loco weed, cuz I see a bigger rock. And guess what......I took that one on a walk up and down the holler.

Right about now I'm thinking to myself, I hope nobody is watching because if they are I know what they're saying. These Texans get away from the city and get some fresh air and they start picking up rocks and lugging them around the countryside like they've found gold. So we get back to the house and anxiously show Joan our prize collection. Her eyes gaze upon our.......rocks, and Alma says doesn't this look like a bull frog? Joan looks at it and for a few seconds their I thought she would say no it looks like a rock, but instead she agrees and said yeah I can see it does look like a frog. Now I think she's been smoking the same loco weed as Alma because I still see a rock.

A few days later Alma and Joan start painting and Alma and Joan still see a frog, and I now see an avocado that was grown in Chernobyl. I knew Alma had lost it one night when I heard John tell her, "Ms. Alma, would you stop petting the rock".

The lady bug that looks like it was pumped up on steroids and the two mice Alma left with Joan. The Chernobyl Avocado we brought home so Alma could finish painting it.

The Country

After a couple of days of looking around I had to take my camera out and take some pictures

I don't have some fancy high dollar camera, but I think the camera does take great pictures. Imagine waking up every morning and walking outside to see this. Fresh air and fresh sounds. What I mean by that is not having to listen to sirens, vehicles racing by, phones constantly ringing. Even a fresh cup of brewed coffee tastes better out here.

Watch out for Anaconda’s in Dickson Tennessee

The day started out really fine on Tuesday. Joan decided to take us out to the cave. Ronny showed up and he wanted to go also, so we got a backpack, put bottles of water in it and grabbed the cameras and started out for the cave. Before we left Joan did quietly ask me, (so that Alma would not hear), you are taking your gun with you aren’t you? I told her no I hadn’t planned on it but if you think I should then I will. Joan said yeah go ahead and take it because when she and Paul had gone to the cave many years ago, Paul had seen what looked to be bobcat tracks inside the cave, and she didn’t know if there might be something living in it. Oh, Ok, sure I’ll take my gun. So I got my gun and three extra magazines in case we came across a family of something or another and took off on our hike.

It sure was a nice hike. We saw some turkeys about 4 or 5 hundred yards from us. As I glassed them I could see 4 or 5 gobblers and some hens with them. We worked our way down the trail and finally arrived at the cave after walking for about 30 minutes. This is where it gets interesting.

I was ready to go in and so was Ronny. Alma on the other hand was not so anxious. It seems she has been watching way too much tv and way too many movies. With a stern and shaky voice Alma warns me their could be an anaconda in the cave and we shouldn’t go in. Now that stopped Ronny and me in our tracks, as we laughed hysterically. Anacondas!!!!!!!! Joan was having a good laugh also. I know Ronny was probably thinking “where did these city slickers come from”.

After reassuring Alma there were NO anacondas in the cave we went in. Alma all the while was shaking like a leaf and kept talking to Joan about the anaconda. Joan did tell her if anything was going to be in the cave it could be a bobcat or raccoon or something else, but there would not be any anacondas in there.
Gee thanks Joan, now she’s really scared. So as Ronny and I enter the cave, Joan blurts out, wait a minute, wait. As she is walking towards us she has a concerned look on her face, and now I’m beginning to think maybe she’s seen something or maybe she remembered something and she is going to give us some important information. Heck, maybe there is something in there and I start looking up on the hill and around the cave, as Ronny and I await Joan. She makes her way to the cave and says if there is anything in there let me get my cigarettes, and grabs them from Ronny, and heads back to where Alma is standing. Wow. It’s good to know how much you’re loved.

So we enter in and I must say it was beautiful. Even though we probably only went into what is the beginning, it sure was awesome. There were several different rooms, but we couldn’t get to them because of the big dirt mound that appeared to have been built up over the years. After checking the area out we assured Alma and Joan there was nothing inside so they came in. Alma thought the stain on the wall that can be seen the picture was an anaconda or some type of snake. We took some pictures and in one of them Alma looks like she’s about to say hurry up and take the picture so I can get the hell out of here so the anaconda won’t get me.

After spending about 30 minutes their, we took some pictures on some large fallen hickory trees and as Alma and I were standing next to the tree, I could see some dogs running up from the direction we had come from. Before I could say anything Alma asked in a rather shaky voice, “are those wolves”? And she wasn’t joking. Joan, Ronny and I laughed and I said no they’re Labrador puppies. It took a few minutes to convince Alma they were Puppies, and they were Black Labs, but we finally convinced her. That is a whole different story.