HIGH POINTS FROM EL CAMINO REAL
CHRIS DAVIS elcaminoreal@consolidated.net
The smell of fresh cut hay is in the air along El Camino Real and folks are busy doing all the things that have to be done this time of year. There is hay that has to be baled for the winter feeding, crops to be plowed, fish to be caught and baseball game after baseball game to be watched as the little ones turn America's favorite pastime into a lot of work for parents and grandparents. When you finally get caught up, aren't you glad you have this four bits' worth of news to read while relaxing and forgetting about all the worries of your day? If you are still worrying after reading it, then read it again. It's bound to put you to sleep sooner or later.

Chris McCallister was picked up at the airport in Houston last week by his mother Debbie Burroughs and grandparents Billy and Lou Cates. Chris is on a30- day leave from the Army. He is stationed in South Korea and has been gone for over a year. Lou said that Alto sure looked good to him when they drove into town. I know just how he feels. Welcome home, Chris, and a big thanks to you for your part in keeping us safe here at home.

Boots Brooks called to let me know about some good work the VFW Post 8508 is going to be doing on May 28 for Memorial Day. The VFW Post has 300 flags that they plan to place on the graves of Veterans in our local cemeteries. The group will meet at the Alto City Cemetery at 9 a.m. on Monday morning to start placing the flags and then continue on to the rest of our cemeteries. If you want to help or be there to make sure your special military loved one is honored with a flag, be at the city cemetery at 9 o'clock. The VFW Post will also be selling their red Buddy Poppies to help raise money for future projects. These guys continue to serve by helping to remember those who didn't make it home from the war and others who served their country and have since passed on. We can't thank our veterans enough for the sacrifices they have made for our country.

The Lynches Chapel Cemetery Homecoming is just around the corner on June 3. Its always the first Sunday in June, so folks ought to be able to remember that. Its coming pretty early in the month this year, so it might not be so hot. The program and singing will start at 10:45 a.m. and dinner on the grounds will be spread at noon. If you have ties to this community or loves ones buried in the cemetery, this is a great place to see some old friends and honor those who have passed on. It's a great little cemetery full of some really good folks, with more dying to get in. Come to the homecoming and rekindle some old friendships and memories.

I'm a little late in telling this, but Ray and Geraldine Jones celebrated their 54th wedding anniversary on May 3. After graduating from Alto High School Ray went to Skidmore to work for the Southern Pacific Railroad. He met Geraldine and married her around that time. They now have three children, Debra, Michael and Sandra. In 1980 they moved back to Alto, and have added 10 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren to their family. Ray retired from the railroad in 1995. If you are going to spend time with all of those grandchildren and great-grandchildren, you have to be retired. Congratulations to the Jones on their 54 years of marriage.

Susan Liles was traveling to Alto to see her mother, Sue Liles last week, and found a nice black Labrador female dog running down the middle of U.S. Highway 69 by the Cherokee County Airport and the Rolling Hills Golf Course, this side of 7 Mile Hill. Susan stopped to see about the dog and he jumped into her car without much coaxing. The dog is now living at Sue Liles' house in Alto and needs to find its owner or a new home. Sue said that it was a very well behaved mature dog, but she doesn't have room for it. If you own this dog or want to own this dog, call Sue at (936) 858-4092.

Graduation time is here and our seniors are anxiously awaiting the big day that they have been thinking about for the last 13 or 14 years. These young men and women will be starting another chapter in their lives in the next few days and I am sure they are a little worried about what the future may hold for them. The awards, the honors, the letter jackets and UIL medallions that were such an important part of high school will be packed away as some move on to college and some move on to work and matrimony. In future years something will spark a high school memory in your mind and you will dig out that old annual or scrapbook and try to remember some event from the good old days of school. The Alto High School graduating class of 2007 has the honor of being part of Alto School history with the winning of the first State Football Championship. We have all enjoyed watching these young men and women and cheering them on through their school years. I pray that their adult lives are just as rewarding as they start new careers, new families, and become parts of our community and others. Congratulations to the Class of 2007.

I hope I haven't forgotten anything that needs telling, but things do tend to get busy this time of year. The best way to give me news is to write down the facts on a piece of paper and hand it to me. I can usually fill in the rest.

I'll see ya next week! In closing, Remember that what's right isn't always popular, and what's popular isn't always right.