Rising early the next morning we enjoyed a very good continental breakfast at the hotel and worried about the dark stormy clouds rising from the West. We wondered if this trip to the flea market would be a washout. With this in mind we pointed the truck to the Southeast and the next geo-cache to find before arriving at our final destination.
As we got closer to Canton I turned on my GPS, I knew we would have to make a detour to Edgewood Texas where the next cache was hidden. While I drove I hoped it wouldn’t be far off the track as I was becoming anxious to start hunting the treasures that the flea market might have to offer. I even considered foregoing this cache and rushing on to Canton especially with the approaching storm clouds racing us from the West and the splatters of raindrops running down the trucks windshield. When we reached the crossroads where I would have to detour, I glanced at the GPS and seen that Edgewood and the cache was only a couple of miles down the road, so at that moment I decided why not, lets go for it and made my turn.
Edgewood Texas is a very small town and if you were to blink you might just miss it. The town has a main drive with a few homes branching off on side streets. I was also impressed by how clean everything looked. It was apparent the citizens took pride in their community. A railroad track ran along the North side of the town visible from the main street and since the name of the cache we were hunting was the “Iron Horse Tragedy“, I knew this geo-cache must have something to do with the railway. My thoughts were that a train wreck must have occurred in this town sometime in the past.
I made my turn toward the tracks checking my GPS to confirm that I was traveling in the right direction and drove to the intersection next to the tracks. My GPS then indicated that I needed to turn right to travel closer to the caches location. As I looked up the road alongside the track the only thing that stood out that was unusual was a single grave site. Placed in the center of the median between the road and the track.
I looked at my wife as she looked at me, we both raised our eyebrows and shrugged or shoulders wondering what and why, would somebody bury a loved one in a location such as this? I slowly came to a stop beside the grave and checked the GPS, we had arrived at the cache site. I then reread the instructions from the cache’s posting to determine what information the person hiding the cache wanted the finder to provide as proof of the find. The information was contained on the face of the tombstone.
Thomas Tracy
Killed by Train on
T. & P. Railway
May 28, 1889
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
PART II THOMAS TRACY
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
CANTON TRADE DAYS PART ONE
A couple of years ago this coming Spring my wife and I planned our trip much the same way as we usually do with one exception, this year we were going to geo-cache our way to Canton. We would leave our home in the afternoon and take our same route South through Ada then Tuledo and enter Texas at Sherman-Denison where the geo-caching would begin!
First we would stop at the M-K-T depot and search out the moument commemorating Engine NO. 15, the first train to enter Texas from the North. Then on to Eisenhower State Park and view the statute of the late President, Dwight D. Eisenhower who was born in Denison Texas October 14, 1890. At each site we gathered the information needed to prove to the geo-cacher who had hidden the caches that we were there.
Our day finally ended at Greenville Texas our regular stopping point on the trip to Canton. We had dinner at Tamale’s, a wonderful Tex-Mex restaurant and after stuffing ourselves with chips, salsa and fajitas we went to hunt the last cache of the day. A memorial to Audie Murphy the most decorated soldier of World War II. Audie Murphy lived in the small town of Celeste Texas just a short distance to the North of Greenville where he worked before enlisting into the Army.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
AN OLD TRAIL TO BE EXPLORED
This trail is located West of Branson Mo. at the Paul and Ruth Henning Conservation Area. While walking some of this trail last June I was impressed with the beauty of the country side and the peace and quiet that surrounded me.
My thoughts went to Harold Bell Wright who wrote the novel "The Shepard of the Hills" Mr. Wright wrote his best selling book in 1907, not to far from where I was walking and I wondered if I might be walking in his foot steps.
The trail is between 5 and 6 miles long and I understand some abandoned homesteads are along the route. I hope the next time I visit Branson I will be able to continue this walk.
As a side note of interest Paul Henning is the same person who created The Beverly Hillbillys, the TV show which was very popular in the sixties.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
SIGNS AND MURALS
For the last couple of years I have become interested in photography. Over the course of this time I have taken thousands of pictures and most of them have not been keepers. But I have really enjoyed doing this and have worked hard to improve myself within this craft.
This past fall I started a project to photographic signs and murals in Shawnee, a town close to where I live. I found this sign, or is it a mural, on a building in the downtown area. Of course the primary reason for taking this picture is that it fit in with my project, but a secondary reason is that I knew Dan Brown would be coming out with his new book "The Lost Symbol. " I haven't had the oppourtiny to read the book as of yet, but hope to sometime in the future.
Friday, January 15, 2010
THE CALL OF THE WILD
Thursday, January 14, 2010
GROWING UP
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
PEOPLE WATCHING
You see Mom was a daughter of a share-cropping familty who had never practiced good manners or being polite. They couldn't take the time for education because farming and putting food on the table was a day to day battle for suriveal. So what Mom did growing up and into womanhood was watch how other people acted and then copied what they did in the day to day ways of life.
I listened to my Mother and followed her example and I have been watching people for many years. I have learned a lot of things by doing this and my manners are about as good as they will ever be. I have also learned many things about how not to act because over the years I been around my fair share of fools, but the best teacher I ever had was my wonderful Mother who taught me to observe, and make decesions based on how I would want to be treated if I was in other peoples shoes.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
THE TOOLS OF THE ROAD & TRAILS
For many years I have been interested and have enjoyed walking and riding the trails in and around home. When I take trips away from home I always look for a place to walk it may be a city sidewalk or a trail around a city park it doesn't really matter I just enjoy being out and about looking at whatever is new to me. I have seen some wonderful sights.
One habit I have when I walk or ride no matter whether I am in an affluent area or on the poor side of town is whoever I meet or pass I always greet them with a smile and hello, sometimes I get a smile and hello back, sometimes they look at me as if I am crazy, but it is fun to watch their reaction.
As the attached photo shows this is my tools of the trail all of this equipment has been with me for years and has traveled many miles and I hope these tools have many more miles left in them, because there is a lot of trails I still want to travel and people I want to say hello too.
Monday, January 11, 2010
AUTHORS OF OLD
Harold Bell Wright one of my favorite authors would write a tender love story surrounded with a story centered in the good works of man. Fred Gipson's stories took place in the Hill Country of Texas and told of growing up on the frontier. The characters were very much like the people I knew in my little country community.
I have only mentioned two Authors with this post, but hopefully as I write this blog I will go more in-dept with their writing and talk more about other Authors and Books I have enjoyed a lifetime of reading.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
LITTLE RIVER COUNTRY
Little River is a quiet place where I go when I want to get away from the house for awhile. The river is not to far from home and I enjoy sometimes walking, or I may ride my mountain bike on the dirt roads, sometimes I just sit and enjoy the peace and quiet.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
JANUARY
This is a photo of a crane taken at Tecumseh Lake. Tecumseh Lake is a small lake close to where I live and I go there quite often to hang out.
I also used this photo as the January photo for a calendar I made for 2010.