Twisty, Curvy Roads

A beautiful morning! I am in a campsite on top of Montesano Mt. sitting outside the Casita having my morning coffee. Temperature is 77 with a gentle breeze rustling through the trees. The hardwood forest is heavy here. I've seen nothing like it in Texas although I suspect that there may be similar forests in the southeast part of the state. It has been nice reconnecting with my cousins. It seems strange that the last generation is gone now that Uncle Vernon has passed away. I am wondering creating some sort of online registry that would let us keep in touch and communicate easily. Maybe there is already an existing system that would work. I will check into that. It would have to be secure. Easy to use have a messaging system. Some sort of family tree, personal as well as group messaging. I'give it some thought. For now I have to decide what I will do today.. I suppose I should pack up and head back to Texas. Maybe stop in Arkansas tonight. Sent from my stupid iPad!...

Leading Ashore - Andy Blake, Photographer 'Readin' and 'ritin' and 'rithmetic,  Taught to the tune of a hick'ry stick.   The funding of arts education in public schools has been an issue as long as I can remember.  Any time the politicians tinker with educational funding, it is a fairly certain conclusion that the arts will come out on the short end of the stick.  "Readin', writin', and 'rithmatic" are important and everyone easily recognizes their importance.  On the other hand, the value of music, graphic arts, drama, and other art forms are not as universally recognized. They are looked upon a frills - not essential elements in a child's education.  I just finished reading an article that attempts to justify music education in the public schools. The writer points out that music students tend to do better on standardized tests than the general student population. I am certain that that is a true statement. On th...

Not the most beautiful place to awaken, but it was nice to have hot coffee waiting for me! Spent last night in the parking lot of a small truck stop in the town of Riesel. It sounds much worse than it was. The Casita has blackout coverings over the windows and is insulated well enough that little sound from outside gets through. And, of course, it was quite nice to walk inside the truck stop this morning and find fresh coffee ready and waiting. We had looked for a more aesthetically pleasing spot, including one rather long, after dark tour of a series of narrow gravel roads. The roads cut between crops of corn and sorghum that seemed to tower over the FJ, Once I had started down the road, there was no place wide enough to turn the FJ and Casita around.  Our luck held and we wound around and came out back in Otto, where we had started. That is when we decided to go back to a more traveled road and found the truck stop. We got up at 6 am so we could get t...