mrdreamjeans: (Greenville)
[personal profile] mrdreamjeans
My friend Casey came out from Houston yesterday and was my first overnight guest. She accompanied me to a concert last night at Texas A&M. The Singing Cadets is the group where I learned to sing; I didn't sing before college and the 8 semesters I spent in the group served as my master class. Attending the concert with us were my folks, my sister, my niece and her boyfriend, my twin nephews and our family friend JJ who heads back to Iraq in May. (Yes, he was in town from Georgia as he was last week on Easter:) For the final number, the director always asks any former Singing Cadets in the audience to join the current group on stage. I looked around me ... there were about 25-30 Formers on stage. With one exception, I was the oldest person on stage. Funny ... unless I look in the mirror, I don't feel much older than these college students ...

Casey and I took a bit of a road tour this afternoon. We headed 15 miles North to Lake Somerville, cut across Old Bahia Road to Independence and back to Brenham. Notable sites ... the lake, full and a vivid blue in the sunlight, a church in a storefront in Somerville for bikers, (There must have been 200 motorcycles lined along the single main street for services.) and the 50's-style diner at the Brenham Airport. Casey and I stopped for lunch, but there was an hour wait. It's an unique experience. People fly in for a meal and fly out. The waitresses wear poodle skirts; there's a juke box where you can play a nickle tune or two, a nice porch where you can dine, watch the sun set over the small lake and the planes come and go.

We ended our day excursion by having a late lunch at Las Fuentes, my favorite of Brenham's four Mexican restaurants and then Casey headed back to Houston. Tomorrow, I start my job with the communications training firm and head to Louisiana to conduct a drill. I'll end this little update with the most wonderful of the day's sights ... I took these photos of a herd of Longhorn cattle sunning themselves in a field of Bluebonnets. Amazing!



...And Baby Makes Three ...


... Hey, Big Guy! ...


... I'm Ready For My Closeup, Mr DeMille ...


... Longhorns and Bluebonnets ... Two Examples
of the Best of Texas!

Date: 2007-04-16 01:06 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bearfuz.livejournal.com
Those photos are great! I like the first one the best.

Your Singing Cadet tradition reminds me a little of the BYU A Cappella Choir. At the end of each concert, we would sing a lovely setting of the Mormon hymn "Abide with Me, 'Tis Eventide" (not the tune most people know), and all the former members in the audience were invited to come up and sing with us. We would do this when we toured, too, because there were often alumni of the group in the western U.S. cities we performed in. As it happens, I was in the group the year the director retired, and the choir (and its name) were retired with him... so I never got to join the choir as an alumnus at the end of a concert. :-S

Date: 2007-04-17 02:24 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com
I haven't been to a Spring Concert in 10 years and always have to fight the feeling that the group isn't as good as when I was in ... (it is actually smaller ...) I suspect the numbers will increase when the group makes a trip to Argentina and Brazil next year. I know our numbers went up when our group went to Romania (the first overseas trip in the Cadets' 60 year history.

You're strongly in my thoughts as Coram Boy comes to its opening! HUGS!

Date: 2007-04-16 01:48 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] texwriterbear.livejournal.com
Those are great pictures.
I'm so sorry now that I missed going up there this weekend.
I'm still hoping next weekend the bluebonnets will still be in bloom :-)

Date: 2007-04-17 02:27 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com
I think you'll find a few glorious fields remaining. I couldn't believe it when I came across this pasture with both wildflowers and Longhorns!! Hope to meet you sometime soon!

Date: 2007-04-17 07:52 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] texwriterbear.livejournal.com
Well this Saturday looks to be open (I hope LOL). I will keep you posted as the weekend gets closer.

Date: 2007-04-18 03:25 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com
My schedule is open. Let me know!

Date: 2007-04-20 02:32 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] texwriterbear.livejournal.com
Okay it looks like I have a free Saturday.
Let me know your schedule for tomorrow.
Cell number is 832-347-4120.

Date: 2007-04-16 02:56 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] use2bshy.livejournal.com
Like all good Texans its nice to see the longhorns get their must do texas Bluebonnet photo

Date: 2007-04-17 02:28 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com
The photos do look like those generic Texas tourism postcards:) I'm just happy that I got the chance to take my own!

Date: 2007-04-16 04:18 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] designerotter.livejournal.com
What wonderful photos ...I've never seen any quite like them, at least never a combination of those animals with those flowers. Silly notion - but aren't bluebonnets (lupine)supposed to be poisonous to herbivors, or at least intoxicating ? ... the latter might account for their really layed-back look ... a truly beautiful way to get drunk (LOL)
Thanks for sharing a delightful day. I bet that joining in song with the chorus must have been an emotional high for you.

A Fine Example of Indolent Behavior

Date: 2007-04-17 02:33 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com
I think the cattle were just really happy to have sunny, cool weather. It's almost like they staged themselves for maximum effect:) I have a few more pix which I didn't post; the calf crop was really cute, sort of like the baby in this first photo who's trying to hide amongst the flowers.

It was a truly wonderful day with one of my closest friends!

Big Hugs, my friend!

Date: 2007-04-16 02:53 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] elfkat.livejournal.com
I'm reminded of Ferdinand the Bull.

Hugs!

Date: 2007-04-17 02:34 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com
The big spotted one for sure!!!

HUGS to you!

Date: 2007-04-16 04:25 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gyvyr.livejournal.com
Growing up on a farm in Minnesota we had a herd of Angus cattle for quite a few years. I was very little at the time and our head bull "Oakie" was so sweet so I could easily pet him. I wish I had pictures of that.

Anyway, later we sold of the Angus cattle and my dad wanted to get into Longhorn cattle for show. So we ended up having a small herd of those. I had my own calf named Misty. She was adorable and very well behaved. My two sisters each had a calf and they couldn't even get them to be led around but Misty was my girl!

Date: 2007-04-17 02:38 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com
I know that several ranchers in our area are mixing the breeds, introducing Longhorns or Brahmas to increase the hardiness of their herds. This herd about 15 visible from the road was one of three herds I encountered yesterday. You couldn't ask for a more pictureeque setting.

Here's to good memories of MISTY!

HUGS! Good luck with your move to Bowling Green!

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