Tuesday, September 29, 2009
A Guide To Life - Texas Style
I profess to being envious of those mental giants of blog who seem so Einsteinian, and keep me on my toes. Gentle readers of TT, you may notice that I ramble on and alternate between silly and serious. At the risk of becoming a sappy Lone Star Pundit, I love Texas humor and offer the following guide ( I didn't originate these little jewels, but they still hold good advice). Serious Pattie might be back this weekend... stay tuned Kiddie Troupers:
A COWBOY'S GUIDE TO LIFE
1. Don't squat with your spurs on.
2. Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.
3. Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier 'n puttin' it back in.
4. If you're ridin' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there.
5. If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.
6. After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him...........The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.
7. Never kick a cow chip on a hot day.
8. There's two theories to arguin' with a woman. Neither one works.
9. If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.
10. Never slap a man who's chewin' tobacco.
11. It don't take a genius to spot a goat in a flock of sheep.
12. Always drink upstream from the herd.
13. When you give a lesson in meanness to a critter or a person, don't be surprised if they learn their lesson.
14. When you're throwin' your weight around, be ready to have it thrown around by somebody else.
15. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it over and put it back in your pocket.
16. There are three kinds of men: The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. And the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Texas Ghost Towns
Friday, September 25, 2009
Friday Gettin' Ready for the Weekend Music
Butch is an occasional Terlingua denizen and a Lubbock native. Great music if you haven't discovered him...
Thursday, September 24, 2009
24 Hours in Ghost Town
My local PBS station, KERA, is airing the full length version of this documentary on Monday, September 28th.
Terlingua, Texas. The most unique place in Texas, maybe the world. Though Kman thinks it would be too hot to live there year 'round, I think it might just suit my new world view to be a Terlingua denizen. I can't explain what I find so appealing about the little town that just barely hangs on to the outer edges of this big state, but I suppose the lure of adventure and escapism is the major draw.
Famous for its yearly chili cook-off, Terlingua is only a hot jumpin' place for the one weekend a year when chili-heads park their big ol' motor homes in the desert and conjure up their inner heathen. Oh, there's a motorcycle rally and a desert car race, but they pale in comparison to the number of visitors that come for the cook-off.
Never been to the cook-off since a huge number of drunken city idiots in one small place just has no appeal to me. I can go downtown Cowtown on any Saturday night for that kind of ambiance.
Terlingua is so much more than chili pots, its about an amazing night sky so full of stars you need to wear Wayfarers to take a midnight stroll. A sunset so breathtaking you stop mid-sentence so as not to miss a minute of that deep purple, orange and pink sky streaking up and out from the low-sinking sun like the exhaust from a hundred flaming chariots.
Maybe one day I can change my alter ego to Terlingua Desert Rose, and Cowtown can eat my dust...
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Deadly Navajo Taco
This my friends, is a genuine Monument Valley Gouldings Lodge Navajo taco.
Kman and I had these on our trip way out west last spring. I will only say this in reference to the word "deadly" in my blog title - be sure to pop back a few little green GasEx capsules BEFORE partaking of Navajo tacos and getting back into a car with loved ones. They will be forever grateful. Trust me on this one. We DID NOT preload with GasEx, so I speak from true experience.
Hey, even Cowgirls sing the (gas) blues occasionally.
How to describe Navajo fry bread...hmmm...if you've ever had sopapillas at a Mexican food restaurant the taste is similar. Crispy, yet melt in your mouth tender.
The following is a traditional fry bread recipe:
4 cups unbleached flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon powdered milk
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/4 cup warm water
Sift together the flour, salt, powdered milk, and baking powder into a large bowl. Gently pour the water over the flour mixture all at once and stir the dough with a fork until it starts to form one big ball.
Flour your hands. Using your hands, begin to mix the dough, incorporating all the flour well into your dough ball. NOTE: You want to mix this well, but you do NOT want to knead it. Over kneading it will break down the dough and your fry bread will be heavy and tough. The inside of the dough ball should still be sticky after it is formed, while the outside will be well floured. Cover and let rest in a warm place for about 45 minutes.
When ready, divide and shape it into small balls about the size of a peach. Using floured hands, shape, stretch, pat, and form a disk of about 7 or 8 inches in diameter. Don't worry about making it perfectly round. Then, make a small slit in the center of each.
I prefer to fry mine in Crisco vegetable shortening, but you can fry them in vegetable oil if shortening ain't your thing...Heat the vegetable oil or shortening to about 350 degrees F. NOTE: You can check by either dropping a small piece of dough in the hot oil and seeing if it begins to fry, or by dipping the end of a wooden spoon in and seeing if that bubbles. Your oil should be about 1-inch deep in a large cast-iron skillet or other large fryer.
Take the formed dough and gently place it into the oil, being careful not to splatter the hot oil. Gently press down on the dough with a wooden spoon as it fries so the top is submersed into the hot oil. The dough will begin to puff and bubble. Fry until brown, and then flip to fry the other side. Each side will take about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove to a warmed platter and drain on paper towels.
Indian Fry Bread can be kept warm in a 200 degree F. oven for up to 1 hour. They refrigerate well and can be reheated in a 350 degree F. oven for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
After preparing your fry bread, you're ready to assemble the taco! The Gouldings Lodge Navajo tacos were simply layered with heated canned chili, shredded Longhorn cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses, (add the cheese directly on top of the hot chili to melt nice and gooey for that important stringy-ness with each forkful), Ranch-Style beans, shredded iceberg lettuce, chopped fresh tomatoes and homemade salsa on the side. Fresh pico de gallo is a great condiment for anything, and especially good with Navajo tacos.
Using the fry bread as your base, you could create all sorts of variations on the simple taco. Try adding roasted hatch chilis, or freshly made guacamole, maybe a big dollop of sour cream? Replacing the canned chili with homemade chili would be terrific, too.
I am not sure if it was the ambiance of being in Monument Valley with the gorgeous scenery as a backdrop, but these Navajo tacos were...wait for it... MONUMENTAL!
Remember to click photo to en-biggen it ;-)
Monday, September 21, 2009
Old Friends
On Friday evening, Kman and I attended the homecomimg party for the classes of '69 through '72 at our old high school alma mater. It was great fun, but later, as I looked through the few pictures I took, this tune crept into my mind's ear. Simon and Garfunkel were a part of our youth, defining our generation. Not unusual for my memories to play a familar soundtrack.
A time of innocence, a time of confidences...
Found out three upper classmen had moved to Terlingua and have been there for years. One owns the Bee Mountain Hardware store. We've visited Terlingua 5 or 6 times now, and never once realized how small this ol' world truly is. Seems I'm not the only one to feel the draw of the Texas desert southwest.
It is odd to look across a table at an old friend, and realize the gulf of years that have slipped away.
Where did the years go?
To all my classmates: I was delighted to spend the evening with you all. We seem to always have a good time when we can manage this and I hope we get many more opportunities to meet again. Terrific feeling, reconnecting with good people from your past.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Mummer's Dance
Once upon a time, my daughter was listening to this on a family car trip - long before the advent of iPods. She had a portable cd player with earplugs. I remember being blown away by this song.
What is it about the mysterious northern Shetland Isles of Scotland and the Outer Hebrides? I have always felt a strange kinship whenever I look at photos of these faraway places.
Now Loreena McKennitt is a forever favorite of mine. Sometimes teenagers have terrific taste! Thanks, Larissa!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
"One Day"
ONE DAY
I'm gonna give up writing and just paint
I'm gonna give up painting and just sing
I'm gonna give up singing and just sit
I'm gonna give up sitting and just breathe
I'm gonna give up breathing and just die
I'm gonna give up dying and just love
I'm gonna give up loving and just write.
- Jack Hirschman, 4th Poet Laureate of San Francisco
photo taken near the Woodward Ranch, Alpine, Texas 2009
...The biographical equivalent of 12 hour chili - Sticks to the ribs! -
