HIGH POINTS from El Camino Real
CHRIS DAVIS elcaminoreal@consolidated.net
Folks have been pretty busy with the longer days keeping us outside

doing chores until way past suppertime. The weather has been fantastic and it always makes me wonder why anyone would want to live anywhere else. There has been lots of stuff going on around here, so I best get straight to the chase or I'll wind up giving you way more than your four bits' worth.

I was sorry to hear about the passing of Alvie Jones on April 17. I didn't find out about his passing until I read it in the newspaper last week. Alvie was 92 years old. He lived in the Lynches Chapel Community I always knew him as my Aunt Viola Wallace's brother. He had a big family and I know they are mourning his passing. Please keep them in your prayers during this time of sadness.

I was surprised to hear that our friend,

C.E. "Shots" Reid passed away last week. He was in the hospital in Nacogdoches when he passed. His services were Sunday at the Campground Baptist Church in the Lynches Chapel Community. Shots was a good fellow and he will be sorely missed by all his friends and especially his family. Please keep his wife Mary, his daughter-in-law Sharon, and grandson Charlie in your prayers this week as they work through this terrible loss.

Garrett Davis caught a 40-pound channel catfish over the weekend that beats the state record by almost three pounds. Unfortunately, the lunker was caught in private waters and won't qualify as a new record.

My uncle, Thomas Kellum, was not doing very well recovering from heart surgery this week in Lufkin. Please keep him and Aunt Maybelle in your prayers during this difficult time.

It's been a good many years since I've said anything about Mark Landrum's birthday in the paper, so I thought that it was time that I wished him a happy birthday again. Mark is going to be turning 18 years old on May 1. Mark works at the NAPA store in town helping folks get their auto parts. I always try to be a little nicer to these kids once they become of voting age. Happy birthday, Mark!

Last week I told you how good the Alto Yellowjacket baseball team was doing as they headed toward the play-offs. I was quickly informed after the paper came out that the Alto Ladyjacket softball team was doing just as good, maybe even better. I certainly wasn't trying to slight the girls in any way, but I hadn't been informed of their great successes. We are certainly blessed here in Alto to have two winning teams. Good luck in the playoffs to our Yellowjackets and Ladyjackets!

Jeana Grogan went to pick her kids up at the Alto Elementary School one day last week, just like she always does. When she pulled up at the school her son Wade opened the front door and hopped in. Ms. Pat Morgan opened up the back door so her younger son Brett could get in. It was at this point that the regular routine of picking up the kids changed. A big chicken snake was coiled up in the back floor board of the car and when Ms. Morgan saw it she let out a scream that evacuated the area. Calls for help to Woody and Melvin fell on deaf ears after the word snake was yelled out. They both turned off their ears and turned on their feet. Jeana pulled the car forward away from all the kids and Lance Crisp came up and got the snake out and killed it. This isn't the only instance of a snake in a car that I've heard about this week. Brian Sessions' wife Jennifer was riding in the pick-up with him in Tyler and looked down and a snake was crawling on her feet. With all of these snakes getting in cars, it might be time to invest in some plastic seat covers. An experience like that could cause your bowels to lock wide open.

The A. Frank Smith United Methodist Youth-Alto Lion's Club flea market/ garage sale will be held on Saturday, May 3 at the A Frank Smith United Methodist Church Activity Center. The giant garage sale will start at 8 a.m. and end at 1 p.m. Drop by for some great bargains and help out some great organizations while you are at it.

I've saved a little space for some bragging here. My oldest son Garrett caught a 40-pound channel catfish this weekend on a trotline. He called me on his cell phone and told me to rush out to the pond and help him get the big fish in the boat. Creager and I raced out there and sure enough he had a big one. With three boys scattering my fishing stuff over half of East Texas, of course I didn't have a dip net. It had probably been cast aside years ago after an armadillo or wild kitten catching. I'm sure I'll find it with the lawn mower one of these days. The big fish had just about fought itself down on the line, so I was able to get my fingers under its gills and we lifted it into the boat. We took lots of pictures and tied it in the edge of the water for people to come and see. The state record for a channel catfish is 37.3 pounds. This fish was heavier than the state record, but since it came out of a private pond it doesn't count. We've still got the bragging rights and can still say that it was bigger than the state record. If you are thinking that it was probably a big blue catfish, you are wrong. It is a channel catfish with spots and everything. I just hope one of those outdoor shows doesn't want me to come on television and teach the rest of the country how to catch big fish. I only teach my own kids.

The opening day ceremony for the Alto Youth Baseball season couldn't have gone any smoother this year. Jay Jones welcomed everyone to the ceremony. Vonny Anderson sang the National Anthem. Greg Duplichain said an opening prayer. Jimmy Selman sang, "Take me Out to the Ballgame" and threw out the first pitch. Jimmy has been doing this for several years now. He is an opening day tradition. The only problem that I heard about was the fact that the new snowcone/ slushie machine couldn't keep up with the demand and wouldn't freeze fast enough. What is the use in playing hard and winning if you don't get a snow cone for your efforts? Hopefully that will be fixed by the next game and all will be well.

Don't forget the Central High Homecoming coming up this Sunday at the Central High School Community Center. Bring a covered dish and your lawn chair and get ready to visit.

It's homecoming time in East Texas.

I hope I got everything covered. When it rains it pours around here when it comes to news. Either nothing happens or everything happens at once. I just do the best I can with what I can find out. I'll see ya next week! And remember, God gives every bird its food, but he doesn't throw it into the nest.