A Short Walk in the Park

My uncle Frank Curre, Jr., and I met with some fine folks with the City of Waco who are in charge of the 100th Anniversary Celebration for Cameron Park that will be held in 2010. The park was started in 1910 when the William Cameron family donated acreage from their estate for the enjoyment of the people of the city of Waco. In 1914, my grandfather, John Wiliam Head, known as Billy Head, and his wife, my grandmother, Sally Lee Allen Head, moved to Waco with their family. Billy went to work for the City as a gardener for Cameron Park.  My daddy, Ralston Cecil Head, was born on St. Charles Street in East Waco in 1917. In 1921, the Head family moved to 2220 North 4th Street to be closer to the park. Billy Head retired from the City in 1957 as an assistant park superintendent after 42 years of service. I had brought some old photos of the park they had not seen before  (Many photos of Cameron Park and the Head family, taken in the 1940's and '50's by Marie Ellison Head, my mother, are in the Texas Collection, Baylor University), and they had some I had not seen. We had a great visit, then went to the park to look around. There were some cement railings that we tried to place but could not. I don't think they were there when I grew up, and Uncle Frank did not recognize them either. Frank was born in 1923 and grew up and ran in the park with my uncle Son (Duward Allen Head) and had plenty of park memories to tell. I was born in 1946 and grew up and ran in the park with my sister, Sue Ellen Head, born in 1948, and later my little brother, Charles Lee Head, born in 1958. We all know the park like the back of of our hands and have such wonderful memories of the park, especially since we lived right at the entrance at North 4th Street and Herring Avenue, and the old Head place was right next door at 2224 North 4th Street.  Frank, the city folk, and I went first to the Redwood Shelter...it was not there when I was growing up, but I remember picking up pecans by the sackful in the bottoms nearby. Frank said there had been tennis courts there when he was a kid, and you could still the cement slabs. We then went to Cold Springs, aka the Lion's Mouth or Proctor Springs, which has really deteriorated;  looked at my old home, 2220 North 4th Street;  looked at the old pavilion Cold Springs used to run under; and, finally, visited the old playground, with the recently uncovered steps and metal slides in the steep hillsides. Frank and I remembered the metal merry-go-round, the swings, and the cement big "steps", usually under water, that you stepped on when crossing Wilson Creek from Cold Springs into the playground, if you did not want to use the bridge by the pavilion.  The city folks have awesome plans and the funds to carry out those plans to refurbish the park. That made Frank and I extremely happy, as we love the park so much, as it was a big part of our growing up. Even though it was hot and very humid, it was an enjoyable short walk through the old park. I want to share more old photos and information with the City, and, hopefully, be part of the Cameron Park Celebration when it rolls around in a few short years.  

Happy Birthday, Sis!

 I went to the tiny town of Cranfills Gap, Texas,  yesterday, to spend the day  with my beloved sister, Sue. I like to call her by her first and middle name,"Sue Ellen", as in the soap opera "Dallas". It was her birthday and turned out to be a great day in many ways. Met Evan Moore, an investigative journalist who owns the Bosque County News and his wonderful staff. Mr. Moore was the first to realize something was amiss about the controversial school superintendent Carla Sigler,who illegally and maliciously blocked my niece, Kaitlan Head, from her graduation ceremony at the Gap. Evan proved Carla Sigler was a fraud with a fake Phd, among other things.

 Kaitlan, my brother's Charles' daughter, was Valedictorian but was banned from campus and graduation by Superintendent Carla Sigler... a matter of retaliation against my sister, Sue, who saw right through Sigler's  game from almost the very first.

Some people are born with no integrity, no morals, no scruples, and, in my opinion, this woman is one of them. Thankfully, God does not allow many of them to walk the face of the earth without punishment. I just hope He allows me the satisfaction of hearing about it one day.

 I ate with Sue; her daughter, Amy, and her children Tara, Krista, and Cody; and my niece, Kaitlan, and her fiancee, Daniel, at the superb Mexican restaurant across the street from the Bosque County Courthouse, which Meridian has done a wonderful job of renovating  to all its former glory. Looks like a castle, with all its turrets and points. Quite beautiful. 

Evan Moore was nice enough to print in full my Letter to the Editor about the Valedictorian fiasco in his paper. The same letter also ran in the Clifton Record, though the lady there, deborah matthews,  is friends with one of the Cranfills Gap school board members and she and Leon Smith, publisher, would not run the whole story, editing out some of the best parts. But the true story did get out, much to the chagrin of the school board members, who I heard went to great lengths to try to prevent folks from seeing the paper. All they did was increase the circulation!

None of them, not one--not Kenny Wiese, Jeff Rose, Kathie Witte, Shelly Stuart, Virgil Tindall, or Jackie Ray Sorrels ---have any defense for purposely harming a child. No excuse whatsoever is acceptable. If the shoe fits, (and it does) wear it!! Most in the town are horrified at the way Kaitlan was treated, once they knew the whole story, not just the lies put out by the superintendent and her cronies. Would not surprise me if that little school closes down soon....they really don't deserve to have a school, if they treat children that way. Ok, OK, enough already!

While at Cranfills Gap, I ran into an old friend I used to work with, who now lives at the Gap, but I did not know she lived there..had not seen Donna in twenty years, but we knew each other. We both worked at Syzygy, owned by Kimberly Clark, back in the late '80's. It is really nice when an old friend crosses your path again--- the meeting is so sweet. 

 We ate delicious hamburgers made by James, who could be a world-famous chef, at the Gap Shell station, now part of the "Tommy's" chain.  He and his wife, Linda, are so very nice and an integral part of the Gap. The Shell station is where the town congregates--- for coffee, great food, good company, and to keep up with what's going on. That little store and gas station is the lifeblood of the community.

While at Meridian, we saw some beautiful coastal hay being baled in the field, so I bought ten bales to take back home for my horses. After unloading the hay from Sue's truck to mine, we went in and saw two pieces of cake on her dining room table. Thinking it was from her grandchildren, who were to make her two birthday cakes, we ate the cake, then called to tell them thanks ..but they had not made their cakes yet! SO, we then became paranoid, a part of us dead-serious, wondering if it was from the evil superintendent trying to do us in with a gift of a piece of cake! LOL! It was funny, and it wasn't!

 We told Amy we would call her when we got back from checking Sue's cattle, to be sure we were ok after eating the mystery cake.  And we were ok--turns out the cake was from a neighbor who knew it was Sue's birthday, but next time, we will call first, to be sure who it is from!! 

 Sue's cattle were fine. I like to see good animals, and Sue has some, for sure. It was hot, humid, and sultry. After so much rain, the ponds, lakes, and creeks that were bone-dry last year were overflowing. The grass was green and tasty for the cattle. Whata difference rain makes, to the land and to us humans! Water is more precious than oil. I believe that, one day in the future, battles will be fought over control of earth's water that will determine who lives and who dies on this planet. Hopefully, not any time soon.

Sue and I later went out to Amy's to get a bite of the two birthday cakes that Tara and Krista had made. The girls are practicing for the Clifton Fair and Rodeo coming up soon. Either cake would have won a prize. We looked at the horses, the girls' show pigs, and the new pig barn that Chad, their dad, is building. Chad and Amy have made a very nice home out of an old homeplace that had a lot of potential.

 Chad does custom "whatever- needs -doing", be it custom farming, construction--whatever, and does it right. His passion is team roping. Chad is a really laid-back guy, a man of few words. A few years ago, he had gone to Fort Worth to compete in the big Coors team roping. Amy, his wife, (and my niece and Sue's daughter) was out running errands. When she returned home, Chad had left a message on their answering machine. Very casually and nonchalantly, he said he had won the roping, and the prize was a big belt buckle, a saddle, a three-horse slant horse trailer, and $5,500 in cash, a total value of about $25,000. Amy didn't believe him! But it was true--he had won it all! After that, he was hooked.  He has won or placed in many ropings since then and has some really good horses.

 First time I met Chad, I actually met his horse first. Some years ago, my daughter, Jon Marie, and her son, Ross, and I were walking around at the Finstad team roping at their Cranfill's Gap ranch, looking for Amy and Chad. I had never met Chad. I was looking at the great Quarter Horses the ropers were mounted on.

 All of a sudden, I said, " Man, look at that little bay horse over there! What a nice horse!" and went to look at him up close. The cowboy said he was not his horse, but he was a good roping  horse. He did not know how he was bred ( meaning what is his bloodline--I used to do Quarter Horse pedigrees, and each horse family is distinctive). We admired the horse a bit, then walked on, still looking for Amy and Chad, and finally ran into them. I was telling Amy about the nice little horse, that I thought he was the best horse there, and she said that was Chad's horse. So, I met Chad's horse before I met Chad! He does have a great eye for a good horse, as "Spuds" is one of the best horses I have ever seen.

 Many years ago, I could have been a Quarter Horse show judge for halter classes, but was too busy riding, rodeoing, and raising a family. I would have been good at it, though. I love Quarter Horses best.  They are the most versatile and best dispositioned of all horse breeds. And, in my opinion, the most beautiful. I thank the good Lord that He made me a cowgirl, that little ranch gal who loves her horses so very much.

 As I started for home in the dark, I thought what a wonderful day it had been for me and the birthday girl, my beloved sister, Sue Ellen.

Summertime!

Well, it looks like summer has arrived. Way too much has gone on in the last few months. School is finally over. I went to Dallas for my oldest grandson  Ross' eighth grade graduation...had a grand time...even went to his dance party afterward..he was SO COOL and like a long tall cowboy in his black felt hat...quite the ladies man....he is a cowboy..rides and ropes, just like all of us on all sides of the family.....horses and cowboying are in our blood..... Got to hang out with him the next day, and that was cool..he is a great young man. Came home and spent the night, then headed the other way... toward Bryan --for grandson Cobey's kindergarten graduation.....came home next day in a terrific rainstorm....could not see the road at all....got home and neighbors said we had 11" of rain the night before ..our little road was about washed away..ended up getting almost 20" of rain on the place in a week....but I will NEVER NEVER EVER complain about the mud..well, at least not loud enough for anyone to hear me! after that almost six year drought we had. The green grass is the most wonderful sight in the world. Then  Saturday, I headed to Cranfill's Gap for an afternoon graduation celebration for my niece Kaitlan Head, my brother Charlie's daughter. She was Valedictorian at Cranfill's Gap, but was banned from her own  graduation ceremony by the school superintendent Carla Sigler,  the most vindictive person I have ever met. May God forgive this woman and the school board members who backed her, even though fully informed it was illegal, to prevent Kaitlan from participating in the once-in-a-lifetime graduation ceremony with her class. This is one of the most evil people in the world, that would purposely harm a child. May God forgive her, and them, for this shameful, malicious injustice. It may take me a while to forgive, and I guarantee I will never forget it.  I will have to write about it later, as I get too upset over it, though it was a over a week ago. It is indefensible to hurt a child...especially when that child is used to retaliate against an adult. As I said, there are some evil people in the world. I am asking God to smite her. The Lord said vengeance is mine, and I know he will take care of it. She said she had been shot at in Alaska. Many people said it was a shame they missed, that is how terrible a person she is. God have mercy on her and their souls. Jesus said whatsover you do unto a child, you do unto Me. They are certainly not Christians. Well, I am going outside now that it is cooler....millions of mosquitos..from all the rain...they land on me sometimes, but don't bite me...I am too sour!!! LOL....actually, a doctor, an allergist, many years ago told me to wash with Dial soap..white Dial soap...as it removes some kind of bacteria that mosquitos like....whether that is the cause or not, I have not been bitten by a mosquito in years! A very good thing now that West Nile Virus is around. Plus, in the mood I am in now, a mosquito might get sick if it bit me!