The Bastrop Fire

As I drove through Bastrop County during my recent trip to Central Texas, evidence of the most destructive wildfire in Texas history is still very much evident.  Hundreds of acres of loblolly pines paint a black and white portrait around Bastrop as a result of three separate fires which started September 4, 2011, from the tropical storm Lee and then merged into one monstrous blaze which was not contained until October 10 and finally extinguished on October 29.  Permanent repercussions from the fire include the endangered Houston toad which is believed to have lost the vast majority of its habitat, and the Lost Pines Forest, a population of loblolly pine trees thought to have originated in or before the Pleistocene era, was heavily affected by the blaze.  Although over 34,000 acres were burned and 1,691 homes were destroyed, as you drive through the devastated forests you can see random buildings which remain.  If you enlarge the above photo you will perhaps be able to see, slightly to the right of the fence post, a small red building, maybe a barn, still standing amidst the ruin.  But as nature would have it, the undergrowth is lush and green and the forest will eventually regrow, although it may be decades before all the remnants of a massive natural disaster disappears. 

Oak Hill Cemetery - Smithville, Texas

Just a few miles south of Smithville is the Oak Hill Cemetery.  I'm fascinated by angel statuary and happened one day to stumble onto a photographer's website featuring photos of angels in various cemeteries in Central Texas.  One of the "good" ones was in Oak Hill so I made to note to try to find the cemetery when I visited that sweet little town.  I was not disappointed.

This gorgeous angel graces the grave of Edna May, daughter of W.T. and E.\M. Flint.  Born in 1880, she was just a few days over 30 years of age when she died in 1910.

Although not an angel with wings, this beautiful statue marking the grave of Theresa Esterak, wife of C.O. Leshikar, appears to have been recently cleaned.  Theresa was born in 1882 and died in 1914.

Smithville Murals

If you read yesterday's post you no doubt know that I fell absolutely in love with the little town of Smithville in Central Texas.  Another charming fact is the existence of two absolutely great murals.  The one above is painted on an exterior wall of the police station/fire department.  It is signed in the lower right corner by one Jo Watts and is dated 2012.  Can you see the Dalmatian peeking out the door on the right?

A much older mural can be found in Smithville's current (and previous) post office.  It was painted in 1940 by Minnie Teichmueller and is entitled "The Law - Texas Rangers."  The lobby of this old post office, replete with beautiful woodwork, is only about eight feet deep (of course, I'm horrible at estimating distances so I could be way off!) and the mural takes up the complete wall.  The Texas Rangers, the state's premier law enforcement agency, was created by Stephen F. Austin who is known as the Father of Texas in a call to arms written in 1823.  Two closeups of the mural are below.

Tomorrow:  Oak Hill Cemetery

To answer Jo's question on yesterday's post:  Yes, Jo, Smithville has a library, although I don't believe I saw it.  In doing a little bit of research after I visited, like other Smithville institutions I take it the library is quite unique.  For an interesting three short paragraphs on the library, check out the link HERE and scroll to the end to "Smithville Library."

Smithville, TX

A few weekends ago I took a three-day road trip to Central Texas to explore the region's historic courthouses, small towns, and the back roads.  Over the next couple of weeks I'll take you on my journey, although it won't be in any chronological order.

One of the most charming little towns I visited was Smithville, located about 40 miles southeast of Austin.  It was my first stop that day so I arrived in town quite early after a morning shower.  Since it was a Sunday, the streets were pretty much deserted so I got my own personal tour of the place.  As I drove through downtown and some of the residential area, I thought to myself:  This is one little city (population 4,000) I could live in.  It has many Victorian homes amid tree-lined streets, a cute park, a railroad museum, antique shops, a post office with an artistic mural and real wood doors and trim, and plenty of ghost signs.

Who wouldn't want to live in a quiet little town where antique store proprietors can leave some of their wares out on the sidewalk overnight on a Saturday!

The old Firestone sign has just about faded into oblivion.

This corner building has a variety of ghost signs.  I think I even see a Coca-Cola sign peeking through there.

Have you ever heard of the Star Biscuit Company?  I'll bet you haven't because this sign was painted in the late 1990s as a prop for the movie Hope Floats starring Sandra Bullock and Harry Connick, Jr.  Smithville has been chosen for several movie productions.

Even though the old Victorian homes were spectacular, this little cottage caught my eye.  Who can resist the bright yellow paint with the two red doors (perhaps it's a duplex) with the white picket fence, lions' heads on the gate, and a garden of sunflowers.

Tomorrow:  Murals

Misplaced Apostrophes (not Apostrophe's)

Meyersville, Texas, Burger, Biker, BBQ shack.  When will sign painters ever take a grammar course and learn the difference  between plurals and possessives!  I see the place is for sale so maybe the new owners will have studied fifth grade grammar.

Lonely Wildflower

Hello Blogger Friends:

I apologize for my absence over the last two and a half months.  It has a been a trying time with a three-week illness for me, followed by a life-threatening illness for my 91-year-old mother.  She was hospitalized on May 4 with a bacterial infection called C. diff (Clostridium difficile), an illness which is generally caused by the good bacteria in the intestinal system being wiped out by an ingestion of antibiotics.  C. diff can be fatal if it gets a foothold in the colon.  We've all been warned about the overuse of antibiotics, and the result can be what happened to my mom.  Two weeks before developing uncontrollable diarrhea, she received a course of Cipro antibiotic for an eye infection, which evidently killed all her good bacteria and allowed the bad stuff to run rampant.  She was in the hospital for two weeks and then released to a skilled nursing facility because she was too weak to stand up.  After two days in the rehab center, she was rehospitalized for a week due to being in a near-comatose state.  As of yesterday she has returned home and is able to maneuver with a walker or a cane but will continue to be treated with physical and occupational therapy by a home health agency.  C. diff kills over 40,000 people each year in the United States, most of whom are elderly or infants.

I want to thank all of you who e-mailed me with your concerns over my absence.  I hope to be back to blogging as of now, although it probably will not be on a daily basis since my mom needs round-the-clock care.  Her mental capacity has dropped tremendously in the past few weeks and she is incapable of handling the most rudimentary tasks.  I hope to visit your blogs within the next couple of days.  Thanks for being such great friends!