HIGH POINTS FROM EL CAMINO REAL
CHRIS DAVIS elcaminoreal@consolidated.net
The dog days of summer have arrived on El Camino Real and many folks are just trying to stay cool and not worry too much about the growing grass or the flower beds that are burning up in the August heat. It costs too much to water and I don't think it would do much good anyway in this heat. If the plants go ahead and die now, the winter won't have to work so hard to kill them later. The way I figure it, mowing and watering just prolongs the inevitable. The dog days of summer give me more time to concentrate on your four bits' worth of news.

Our community said good bye to Robert Thacker this week. Robert had been sick for sometime, but he still came to town and visited a little when he was up to it. When you went to town you would almost always run into Robert somewhere. He always had a big smile and a story to tell. Please keep his family and friends in your prayers as they mourn his passing.

One of our Alto Elementary first grade teachers, Peggy DeSpain, is having some health problems and is in need of our prayers. She is a very sweet lady and the wife of our school superintendent

Dr. Ray DeSpain. He has been working hard all summer to get this school year kicked off without a hitch and our prayers will help the DeSpain family get on the right page to start off the new school year.

Our prayers have definitely been working for little

Hannah Collie. She is improving every day from her heart transplant and is beginning to get a bit of an appetite. The support of the community has been great as always. "Pray for Hannah" signs are in yards all around the area to remind everyone to keep her on our prayer list. Donations have poured in to help the family with the cost of staying in Dallas. Keri Isaacs Bowman and her family have been working on several fund raising projects. Keri said that it gave them a chance to give back to the community for all the help that was given to her late sister Misti Isaacs when she was a very sick young girl in our town. On Saturday night a big crowd showed up at the Alto Missionary Baptist Church for a gospel singing to benefit the Collie family. Earl B. Clark's son, James Clark collected more than $800 at the Longriders Motorcycle Club's annual gathering in New Summerfield. It is heart warming to see how people in our area open their hearts and wallets to help a family in need.

Jonathan Avant was honored with his Eagle Scout Court of Honor on Sunday evening at the Rusk Junior High Cafeteria. A big crowd showed up for the Eagle Scout ceremony and to honor Jonathan for all his hard work and dedication as a Boy Scout. Jonathan's mother Janice Christopher was mighty proud of her son and I figure that it will take sometime for the smile to leave her face. Congratulations to Jonathan Avant on becoming an Eagle Scout.

The Alto Yellowjackets football team traveled all the way to Elysian Fields on Saturday morning to scrimmage Elysian Fields for the first contest of the season. It was a long bus ride nearly to the Louisiana line, but the Yellowjackets were able to shake off the trip and put on a good performance on the football field. Saturday morning football scrimmages don't draw very big crowds in the summer heat, but as the temperatures drop the crowds will grow and the Yellowjacket fans will be packing the stands for another great season of football. The boys are pretty excited about the upcoming season and their excitement is spreading throughout the Yellowjacket fans. Alto fans can walk a little taller this year with a state championship under their belts.

The summer floods haven't stopped across the Lone Star state yet, and another hurricane season is on its way. Memories of Katrina and Rita are still fresh on our minds as we prepare for more storms to bounce around in the Gulf and make us gun shy. People are keeping their gas tanks full and preparing to make better plans in case they have to evacuate from our coastal cities. Hopefully the storms will keep moving in another direction and leave our coastline safe for another hurricane season. I'll probably go ahead and stock up on some of the essential items like water and batteries just in case one of the storms decides to move our way.

School starts back on Monday and all the kids in our area will be heading back to classes and hitting the books for another school year.

Many of our little ones will be starting school for the first time - full of excitement over what lies ahead. Good luck to all of our area kids on a brand new school year.

Keep me posted on all the goings on at your place as we head into a new school year and settle down into the fall routine.

I'll see ya next week! And remember, Politeness is making company feel at home, when you wish they were.