Deep South Meanderings

After collecting the Girl from camp yesterday, we had lunch in a Dennys' in Brownsville or thereabouts and then went driving around the town since we don't want to be out on the open road not near any hospitals too soon after the Girl eats anything, just in case.  Lone Star Pa got us pretty lost but managed to find his way back to 77 eventually.  We stopped at a mall at the Girl's request and wandered around a bit (I bought my $30 wedding dress in a mall in that part of the state years ago and was wondering if it was the same mall, but didn't think so).  By then it was time to hit the road.  

I realized on the way up that hitting cool Valley fruit stands is not going to be something we can do anymore because they are all hung with net bags of pecans everywhere (shiver) - something I never noticed as a young woman not preoccupied with food allergies.

The scenery along 77 is really beautiful - cactus and sunflowers, all kinds of brush, strangely transplanted palm tress and, best of all, the resacas.  

The Lone Star Girl had some questions for us after we passed through a border check point with drug dogs - she wants to know what criteria besides drugs get people searched or questioned more thoroughly than we were - we explained racial profiling, eye contact and body language, etc.  She is incensed on behalf of other people who get messed with - that's our Girl.

This wasn't the Lone Star Baby's  most well-behaved car trip.  She seriously needs to sleep later in the mornings.  There were horses and cows and wheat fields for her to point out, though.

We stopped at a remarkably clean rest stop just north of Kleburg County.   I wonder how those things get kept more clean than public restrooms at places that have staff cleaning every day.  They must get cleaned pretty often but I wonder by who since they are so scattered about.  It had a climbing structure and a historical marker from what we like to join our neighbors in referring to as the War of American Imperialism.  Lots of rest stops were made by the WPA but this one looked like it was just made by the highway department.

Near the rest stop, there is also a gas station and convenience store that is big for big trucks.  The Lone Star Girl is very into convenience stores and this one is something she really looks forward to on the trip.  She kept exclaiming that it had produce (!) and books (!) - her own personal field trip.

We got home pretty late but it was nice to spend the day together on the road, heading home.