Monday Morning Sidewalk Between Runs

We did a turn and burn to Round Top, Texas, yesterday. And I almost got burned, as in cremated after impact – if there had been an impact – with a HUGE deer on the way back last night.

There she was, just a lolly gagging into HWY77, and thankfully my horn and a dodge sent her the right direction … because she was, what we call in Texas, a “Biggun.” She lived and I lived to talk about it. It was an “instinct” driven dodge, and if there had been oncoming? we would not be talking this morning. And yes, I saw a horrific accident along the way, way off HWY77- all bags deployed – that is still sticking in my mind … I am pretty sure from the looks on emergency response faces, driver and any passengers were DRT.

SO, if you are headed toward the Texas Gulf Coast from North Texas, you need to know there is a bridge OUT on HWY77, and that means a detour, a short detour around to get back on 77 and continue to the Gulf Coast. I am still trying to find that on the map, but make no mistake that bridge is G O N E. And you will have to navigate around that situation somewhere outside Giddings, Texas. It was dark, I was beat, so I do not remember that exact bridge outage location, but I will get it on the Instagram feed if I go that way again in the next two weeks.

As for preparations in Warrenton (the next town South of Round Top) where we are set up? Well, the merchandise is mostly there, and now comes the time to take a loaner trailer down and set that up for the long haul beginning Thursday and going all the way to April 5th. There is the steel art, my photography, and art by other Denton Artists who I buy, sell and represent in selling their art.

Texas artists doing Texas and Mexico art is what you will find in our booth. That, from what I can see, is an EXTREME rarity in Round Top and Warrenton. These are the coordinates for the BOOTH at Warrenton, Texas — https://maps.app.goo.gl/A2s4ua6rQscEwCB78 – and don’t forget I will have a couple of fly rods SAWGRASS Fly Rods (5wt and 8wt) with me for you to take out back and throw to your heart’s content! Central Texas, this is your chance to get your hands on a Texas made high performance one-piece fly rod! Just contact me to be sure I am actually there when you want to come visit and talk FLY!

The ponds behind our tent are in sorry shape. That is because, unfortunately, there has been so little rain that these ponds are not catching any runoff … yet. We can always anticipate RAIN for these long events, can’t we? It may be 243-miles from Denton, but it’s still Texas!

Thanks for reading this morning, instead of watching! The Monday Morning Sidewalk Podcasts on YouTube are suspended and potentially discontinued due to lack of interest there. I hope there is still some interest here, for a written column deep into its second decade of it’s digital realm. Sometimes, it’s best to know “when to say when,” words I last heard directed at me from my chemo doc nine years ago. She was a piece of work! Remind me to tell you the story of how my (elderly) chemo doctor showed up in my exam room one morning – with a black eye – sometime.