High points along El Camino Real

Folks along El Camino Real have been busy this week trying to figure up what they are going to dress up for on Halloween. I’ve pondered the idea myself but then decided that I’d be better off just giving out the candy. Whoever heard of a fat mummy or scarecrow anyway?
Its been a busy week along our stretch of the King’s Highway, but I don’t know of anything happening that could be considered as really exciting news for this week’s six bits worth.
We’ll just have to see what happens after my fingers get limbered up. Sometimes the lies can roll off my tongue quicker than my fingers can type them down.
I was sorry to hear of the passing of Ester B. “Beazel” Reggie last week at the age of 63. I guess I first met Beazel when he worked for Dr. J.C. Hill and Dr. Hill’s grandson, Jim Hill Wilson, and I were friends. When I was older and all the kids would sit in town at night like young people do in small towns, Beazel would always be around talking to us. He was always good to all of us, and had lots of friends around Alto.
He also worked for Oliver Griffith, Gerald West, and Paul Copeland. He could do just about anything from welding to being a cowboy. I always thought he was a lot older than us because he acted older but he wasn’t but four or five years older.
He got sick with diabetes several years back and lost his sight and his health started failing really fast after that. I knew he was in bad health and then I didn’t see him anymore for a few years. I thought he had passed a long time ago and I just didn’t hear about it, so I was very surprised to see that he just died last week. I don’t know where he was living at the time. Please keep his family and friends in your prayers as they mourn his passing.
A few domino games in town had to be cancelled last week when Billy Ray Johnson had to go to the hospital and have eye surgery to repair a torn retina he got trying to move a tree. And my Dad, Larry Davis got a kink in his gut and had to stay in the hospital in Tyler three or four days to get that straightened out. The domino tables might have been silent this week, but fortunately no work time was lost during either one of these incidents. Please keep both these guys in your prayers until they get completely recovered and back to rattling the bones.
Randy Dowling was also in the hospital in Tyler this past week having surgery on that foot he is still having trouble with. Hopefully he will be back at home by the time this paper hits the stands. Please keep Randy in your prayers as he limps through recovery.
Dan Stahlman showed up on my door step the other day with his deep North Dakota accent, which always lets us know the bee guys are back in town and all of those North Dakota honey bees are loaded on trucks and heading south to winter in our area.
In May and early June they will load them back up and head north with them, so they can make honey in North Dakota. They’ve got a pretty big operation here and even though I wear him out asking questions I still don’t understand the bee business.
They make new queens and start new hives like we’d raise bulls and heifers, but in their business all they need hay for is to burn in their little smoke pots they calm the bees with.
With all the army worms and drought we’ve had around here this year they better have brought their own grass with them down from North Dakota because we aren’t going to have enough around here for them smoke.
The Alto Mean Sting Music Machine performed at the Rose Parade in Tyler on Saturday and everyone said that they did great. I do believe they will always be the loudest band in any parade they are in. A big thanks to the Tyler Rose Festival folks for putting on such a great parade.
The Alto Yellowjackets played their second district game against the Carlisle Indians on Thursday night due to all the rain that was expected on Friday. The game sure didn’t turn out like the Yellowjackets had hoped ending with a score of 55 to 12, but it would have felt a lot worse in the rain.
Everyone tells me that Carlisle has a quarterback that is something to watch play. This week the Yellowjackets will take on the Cushing Bearkats at Cam’ron Matthews Field in Alto.
It was a busy weekend for our family. Our youngest son Creager turned 21 and I turned 59 on Saturday, October 20. Jay Anna and I, along with Grant, Garrett, the Jessicas (Garrett & Grant’s wives are both named Jessica), and Sawyer the new grandbaby, all headed down to College Station to celebrate with Creager.

It was also Grant and his Jessica’s first wedding anniversary. Everyone went out for a night on the town except Jay Anna and I. We got to stay at the hotel and keep our grandson. If you see me this week and I don’t smile, please don’t be offended. I think I wore my smiler out looking at my grandson. I believe it was the best birthday I ever had.
I guess that just about does it for this issue. I’m hoping things will pick up over the next few weeks as hunting season gets going and the weather gets cooler. If you know of something that is happening around your place then be sure and give me a call.
I’ll see ya next week! And remember, Enjoy the little things in life and one day you’ll look back and realize they were the big things.