HIGH POINTS FROM EL CAMINO REAL
CHRIS DAVIS

Folks along El Camino Real were blessed with a beautiful spring weekend that seemed even nicer than it was after the two or three cold weather weekends we've had in a row. It's a little dryer than it ought to be this time of year, but it hasn't gotten so hot that you notice it. July and August is when "hot is hot" and "dry is really dry." Maybe we'll get surprised with some rain this week, and my peas will come up. Rain or shine, I've got to get you your four bits' worth of news, so here it comes.

Ms. Ara Pearman died last week at the age of 96. Ms. Pearman was preceded in death by her husband Tracie Pearman, and her son Tracie D. Pearman. The family ran Pearman Chevrolet here in Alto for many years. Ms. Pearman was a worker and you could always find her cleaning up something around town. She hated a mess. She was an entertaining lady to visit with and she will certainly be missed by all who knew her. Please keep her family and friends in your prayers as they mourn her passing.

I ran into Jillian West in Rusk the other day and she was sporting a maroon cast on her leg. Five-year-old Jillian broke her leg jumping on a trampoline. Trampolines are dangerous things if you aren't careful. Jillian is going to have to set aside her dancing and gymnastics for several weeks while her leg heals. It looks like it is gong to be a boring start to the summer for this little girl. Get well soon, Jillian!

The weather is warming and that means it's homecoming time again. Bonnie Wilson Navarro called to remind me about their homecoming. On Sunday, May 6, the Central High Community will hold its annual homecoming at the old Central High School. If you have roots to this great old school or community you are encouraged to attend and join in the festivities. Start planning a good homecoming lunch for your family and get it cooked. Then all you have to do is pack up the lawn chairs and head out for a great day of reminiscing. Elisa McDonald is still recovering from her broken hip, but maybe with a little help she and Jerry can hobble out to the homecoming. As older generations pass on, it is up to our younger generation to honor their memory and keep these traditions alive by attending community and cemetery homecomings like this one.

The annual Fish Fry Fundraiser to benefit the Alto Youth Baseball/Softball Assoc. was held Saturday evening at the Alto Fire Department. A good crowd showed up to eat some great catfish and help support the baseball and softball programs for our area youth. The fish was great, so the cooks knew what they were doing. Opening day ceremonies for the Alto Youth Baseball/Softball Assoc. will be held on Saturday, May 5. All teams are practicing now and they should be ready to put on a great show on opening day. Please support our youth and America's greatest pastime.

The Alto Yellowjacket Softball and Baseball teams are having a terrific season and if you haven't had a chance to go and see them play, you better hurry up. The teams should begin play-off competition soon. It looks like the Yellowjackets are going to swarm all year long with so much talent in so many different sports. Congratulations to these young men and women on their great season.

I decided early last week to take the boys and head down to the river to do some fishing and just sit back and watch the turtles swim by. In other words I was going to do exactly what I wanted to with no interference. I knew that in order to do this, I would have to mow the yard, plow the garden and water on Friday afternoon. I managed to get most of my chores finished and loaded up the boys about noon on Saturday and we headed to the river. This time of year the mosquitoes weren't bad and I only saw one or two ticks. This in itself makes for a good time at the river. We settled into fishing in a big bend in the river, but all we seemed to catch were logs and limbs on the bottom. The catfish eluded us, but we didn't really care. It was a nice day for just looking around. I was cautioning the boys about the slippery banks and warning them not to get covered in mud. All the time I was warning them, I was having flashbacks of camping on the river at the mouth of Wire Creek when I was little. I remember sliding down the muddy banks in our underwear and being covered with mud from head to toe. Somebody tied a big rope off the limb of an oak tree that hung over the river and we swung ourselves over the river and dropped in until after dark. We would dig in the mud bottom and find mussels and pile their shells up on the bank. I felt kind of guilty after I told my boys to watch the slippery banks, knowing what fun I had going hog wild at the river. I don't know why we are often quick to say "no" to things that we were allowed to do as children. I don't think we love our children anymore than our parents loved us, but we are often overly protective. Maybe the horrors that our generation has witnessed on television- through the hurt we see in others faces when they are forced to experience the loss of a child in a tragedy much like Virginia Tech parents must have endured this past week- has changed us. Maybe the old saying that, "Having kids is like wearing your heart on the outside of your body," is soaking into our generation. Our need to protect our children might really be us trying to protect ourselves from the pain, and we may deny our children certain life experiences they need to grow into adults. If our kids have the freedom to slide down more muddy river banks and get a little mud in their hair, maybe there wouldn't be as many 30-year-old adults still living at home under the protection of mom and dad.

I guess I've rambled on quite enough for this issue.

If you have something that needs telling, let me know. I'll see ya next week!

And remember, It is funny how small our sins seem and how big "their" sins are.

elcaminoreal@consolidated.net