High Points| from El Camino Real

by Chris Davis

Folks along El Camino Real were up in arms because I took a week off from writing this column, but I’m having to pay the price for it by trying to squeeze twelve bits worth of news in six bits worth of space.
I hate to start off my column with so much sad news, but sometimes it piles up on you if you skip a week. I’m just glad that sad news often leaves behind lots of wonderful memories that made losing a loved one so sad in the first place.
On June 14 we lost one of the finest men that I personally have had the pleasure of knowing with the passing of J. C. Dover. He was 77 years old. If we ever needed a poster child for a good Christian man, J.C. would have been my first choice. J.C. was a creature of habit and they were good habits.
When I lived across the street from the Alto Missionary Baptist Church, I could set my watch by what time J.C. and his wife Nellie would be coming by the house to go to church three times a week. During football season J.C. was always sitting in his seat at the top of the stands just to the right of the press box. I think he only missed 3 Alto Yellowjacket football games in 63 years. He always honked his horn when he came by my house and it always brought a smile to my face.
He was much loved in our community and will be sorely missed. Please keep his wife Nellie, son Stanley, and all the rest of the family in your prayers as they mourn the passing of the fine man.
Vickie Lynn Wallace Barnes left us on June 16 after a lengthy illness. Vickie Lynn was 60 years old. In a small community like ours you grow up with people from childhood and you create a bond with them even if you don’t see them for years and that was the way it was with Vickie. She was always sweet and fun to be around growing up.
Please keep her mother and father, Bob and Ruth Wallace, her son Matthew, and all the rest of her family in your prayers during this time of loss.
On June 20 we said our good byes to Lindy Hinson of the Linwood Community. Lindy was 80 years old. He and his wife Rose moved to Alto around 1997 and became a big part of our community. Lindy was the perfect picture of a hardworking East Texas Gentleman. When I ran into Lindy in town or visited him at his home, he was always doing something.
He was a very polite, soft spoken man. I think his son Jason, and his grandson Colten have taken on Lindy’s gentlemanly traits. He was a good man and will be missed. Please keep his wife Rose, their children, and grandchildren and all the rest of the family in your prayers.
Last Thursday evening Jay Anna and I, Dan and Sunny Connelly, and Fred and Martha Warner Elbert had the pleasure of helping celebrate the 60th Wedding Anniversary of two of our favorite people. Bill and Marjorie Warner, were married at the Methodist Church in Devers, Texas on June 21, 1958 with a honeymoon (to follow) in Orange, Texas.
When Bill bought Boyd’s Pharmacy and moved to Alto he and Marjorie became a very important part of our town and even though the drug store has been closed for years we are still glad to have this happily married couple circulating about. Happy Anniversary to the Warners!
With Marcia’s permission, Summers Hassell remodeled his chicken coop a few weeks back to get it ready for chickens again. After getting the pen done, he set to work going through catalogs and found the kinds of chickens he wanted to raise. He ordered them and a few days later he got a call from the post office early to come and pick up his chickens.
From all accounts the mail order chickens arrived in good shape, so all he has to do now is wait for them to get big enough to lay eggs. There is something about watching chickens peck around that is very relaxing. Of course, if you don’t have anything else to do but watch chickens peck around, you ought to be pretty relaxed already. I wish Summers the best on his new mail order poultry endeavor. I wonder if a fellow could get mail order fried chickens.
Sometimes we forget about people when we don’t see them on a regular basis like we once did and the other day I saw a picture of a lady that always brought a smile to my face. Ms. Erma Lee Lindsey celebrated her 94th birthday last week. I worked for her at Lindsey’s Grocery when I was a teenager. Her husband Doyle always tried to make me believe that he was my boss, but I knew that he was working for the same woman I was. I Love Ms, Erma Lee and I want to wish her a belated Happy Birthday!
The rain we got week before last certainly helped to lift our spirits and green things up a bit, but we still need lots more. Hopefully it made the grass grow enough for some folks to get a cutting of hay. It seems like everyone around us got more rain than we did, but sometimes that’s just the way it goes. Its just been an odd year for weather.
Lots of folks are already making plans for the big Fourth of July holiday next week. When the holiday comes on a Wednesday like it does this year it throws everything out kilter. You don’t know whether to celebrate the weekend before or the weekend after. What ever you decide to do, I just pray that you will do it safely. A good time isn’t worth getting killed over, so play safe.
I don’t know whether I’m caught up or not, but this is all you are going to get for this week. If you have some news worth spreading give me a call. I’ll see ya next week!

And remember, Being brave doesn’t mean facing the world alone. It means admitting that you can’t and turning things over to the One that can.