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These pictures, snap shots,
are of the stone wall as it exists today, 2002.
The overgrowth of the trash
thorn trees is seen here. In cattle country they are a curse to the stock,
tearing at their hide. They puncture the legs of the cowboys who have to
ride their horse through them. If one has a thin soled shoe, the thorn can
easily go right through the shoe and nail your foot, which is needless to
say, very painful.
Rodney Flood is over six
foot tall and this shows the height of Lee's stone wall. Rodney is
standing on the south side of the wall and certainly one can see the
difference in the north side and south side.
Someone vandalized the wall
to push it over. They had to work at it from the looks of the base of the
wide wall.
The picture with the mist
is interesting because it literally caught the moisture held there by the
rocks, which is, of course, why the trees have grown up around it.
This was a beautiful place
when I was a child. Mother would let us go out in early spring when the
weather was beginning to warm up some, simply because we begged her to let
us outside. Long winters having been shut inside made us want the
outdoors. We would take our toys, set beside the warmth of the stones in
the sun, and in this way be able to stay outdoors.
This was the advantage the
cattle also had as they grouped together close to the wall.
When my husband and I lived
at the old place there was no longer anyone using it for ranching. I had a
neighbor turn this ground and this is where my garden was located. The
memories of gathering produce from the rich soil will always be pleasant
and happy for me. Working in the rich, black soil was also a joy. I've
never lived anywhere else where the soil is so rich.
The little while we spent
there filming these ruins made me remember the wonderful soil. To reach
down, pull up a plant and have the black soil simply crumble in one's hand
is so very pleasant. Too, there are the cycles of the rainfall. There is
something in the locale to cause it to be named, "green country." The
rolling rain clouds always seem to drift right over the place, dumping
their gold of moisture directly on it. |
