HIGH POINTS FROM EL CAMINO REAL
CHRIS DAVIS elcaminoreal@consolidated.net
Folks along El Camino Real have had to shift into high gear in order to get all the things done that need doing before Christmas. Christmas decorations are going up along our stretch of the old Spanish Trail, and some folks are even getting some shopping done. I haven't gotten much Christmas shopping done, but I have managed to gather four bits' worth of news to take your mind off your chores ahead. My four bits' worth of news might be just what your husband needs to pass the time while you're in the mall shopping.

Clint and Rebecca Corley have a new baby boy. Anderson James Corley was born on Nov. 24. The little fellow weighed in at a whopping 9 and a half pounds. He had a little trouble with his breathing starting out but he is improving everyday. His lungs just needed to get a little stronger. If he had weighed any more his big two-year-old brother Carson wouldn't have been able to pick him up. Congratulations to Clint, Rebecca and Carson on their new baby!

Larry Joe Davis snagged a 15-point buck last week that scored 161 3/8 by Boone and Crockett.

The A. Frank Smith United Methodist Church Choir will be performing their Christmas Cantata on Sunday, Dec. 9 at 5 p.m. The choir has been working extra hard this year to bring you a Christmas Cantata that will awaken your holiday spirit and kick off the Christmas season. Everyone is invited to come and enjoy the Methodist Christmas Cantata that over the years has became an Alto Christmas tradition.

On Dec. 10 the Alto Lions Club will host the Alto Christmas Parade. The parade will start lining up at the Alto Missionary Baptist Church at 5:30 p.m. and the parade will take off at 6 p.m. and go right through the middle of beautiful downtown Alto. Come out and enjoy a great parade as a participant or a spectator.

Alto Yellowjacket fans headed to Tatum Friday night to take on the Joaquin Rams in a the regional playoff game. The Rams were supposed to be pretty tough, but they weren't tough enough to take the Yellowjackets, who won by a score of 47-6. Everything clicked and our boys really looked good. J.C. Dover and I were selling programs at the gate and he told me that he hadn't missed but two Yellowjacket football games since he was in school. He missed one in 1975 when his father passed away and another one when he was real sick with the flu. I don't suppose you could find a more dedicated fan than him. Saturday night J. C. suffered a heart attack and as they were loading him on the helicopter he was telling the boys to win state. When the doctors checked him out in Lufkin they were a little shocked to find that black and gold blood ran through his veins. Well I might be exaggerating a little bit there. They did find some blocked places and were able to open them up with a couple of stints. J. C. should be home by tomorrow or the next day, but I don't think he will be able to make the trip to Huntsville to watch the Alto Yellowjackets take on the Granger Lions in the semi-final playoff game. Even if he can't be there in person, we know where his heart will be during the game, even if it does have a few patches on it now. You are in our prayers J. C. and we are praying that you will be up for the trip we are hoping to make to the state championship in the next few weeks. Get well soon, J. C.! Go Yellowjackets!

A. C. Dover, J.C.'s older brother was also having some health problems this past weekend. I don't know exactly what the problems were, but we better add him to our prayer list and try to get all the Dovers well at one time.

David Middleton fell and broke his hip and leg at home last week. He was making up the bed and tripped over a bench at the foot of it. His wife must have said that she wanted that bed made up quick. Accidents like these are the reason that I never make up our bed. I imagine David has a long road ahead before he recovers from this accident, so we need to keep him on our prayer list until he is mobile again. Best wishes on a quick recovery, David!

My brother Larry Joe Davis had something to brag about last week. He killed a 15-point whitetail buck that had a Boone and Crockett score of 161 3/8. It was one of those deer that deer hunters dream about all their lives. I thought the excitement and bragging would end in a day or two, but he is still going on about the buck. I don't think I could bear to hear the story one more time. The distance of the shot and the speed of the deer increase every time he tells the story. I think he has his wife sleeping on the couch so he'll have room to sleep with his horns. I'm hoping to outdo him before the season is over, but I'm not going to get too optimistic just yet. Congratulations to Larry Joe for bringing home the big buck!

We've all got more things to do than just sit around and read the newspaper, so I better wind this week's rambling to a close and let you get to it.

If you have any exciting news that needs telling, be sure and let me know. I'll see ya next week! And remember, He who angers you----controls you!