HIGH POINTS FROM EL CAMINO REAL
CHRIS DAVIS elcaminoreal@consolidated.net
Spring Break has come and gone on El Camino Real and folks are trying to get back in the swing of things for the rest of the school year. I'm sure most folks across the country would think that our spring breaks are pretty boring, when you put them up against the wild parties and goings on that take place on the beaches of Florida this time of year, when big droves of college kids head that way for warmer weather and an early tan. Our spring breaks are filled with lots of hard work getting ready for livestock shows and catching up on chores that have been left undone in the winter months. For all of you who were lucky enough to get to go somewhere last week, I'll try and fill you in on what you missed while you were gone in this four bits' worth of news.

I probably don't need to tell you this but when you arrived home everything was probably covered in a thick coat of yellow pollen. Yes, pollen kept falling even though you were gone. The weeds kept growing in the yard, even though there hasn't been much rain or warm nights to get the grass growing yet. I hate mowing weed patches. The price of gas took a big jump just in time for spring break, and whether you traveled or stayed home, you knew that. I just don't know when enough money is ever enough for the big oil companies. We have gauges on our cars to tell us when our tanks are full. Maybe they need some gauges on their bank accounts to tell them when their bank accounts are full and our wallets are empty. One bright spot about being gone for a whole week is the fact that your azaleas were probably blooming when you got home. Let's just hope the blooms last until Easter for all the pictures that will need to be taken. Other than these few things, I guess Alto stayed just about the same while you were gone.

A bunch of Alto folks headed to Bryan Saturday for the wedding of Justin Scott and Jordan Bayer. The couple was wed in a Catholic ceremony on Saturday afternoon. The other five Scott kids were in the wedding and Mindy and Kim Scott were beaming with pride as they finally married off one of their six kids. Only five more to go for them. It was a beautiful wedding, but as a judge I would have had to charge over $200 to do a ceremony with that many words in it. I would have probably dozed off, but the priest kept making us get up and down throughout the whole thing. That is an idea that some of our preachers around here might want to incorporate into their sermons to keep folks awake. The couple had a reception with lots of food and dancing following the ceremony at the Kurten Community Center, just east of Bryan on El Camino Real. The newlyweds will reside in Nacogdoches after the honeymoon. It seems like only yesterday that Justin was a little boy and now he is all grown up and married. Congratulations to Justin and Jordan on their new life together.

Several members of Alto's bovine family traveled to the Houston Livestock show over spring break to be paraded around and judged in various contests.

I haven't gotten all the details on who won what, but if you pass by a pasture and see a cow with a big grin on its face, it could be one of the winners. The cows can't celebrate too much and must watch their figures if they are going to be in shape for the big show coming up in Jacksonville at the end of the month when the Cherokee County Junior Livestock show begins. Young men and women are working double time to make sure that their entry looks its very best for the show. I never have figured out how it is possible that you can get a kid to wash and comb an entire cow without any argument and have to argue with them to brush their own teeth and hair. I'll try and give you a full report on who won what when the details start trickling back in with the cows and their owners.

Several people around town have taken advantage of the nice weather and are doing some fishing in the river. I haven't heard of any real big catfish being caught, but it seems that everyone is getting a good mess of fish to eat when they put their lines out. I haven't seen any of the fish and I haven't been invited to any fish fries, but I'm still hoping some proof will show up before long. It's a lot of work catching bait and fishing the river, but if you can ever bring in that big one, then you have some bragging rights for a good while. I guess I'll just stick with Catfish King for the fish I eat. It's a lot less work and a good bit cheaper.

As you can see the news around our neck of the woods was pretty slim pickings this week. I'm sure hoping that some of my readers will snap out of their comas and give me some good news to spread around. I'll keep my ears open to see what's buzzing around town in the mean time.

I'll see ya next week! And remember, Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of what you already have.