This past weekend I traveled to deep South Texas to visit my son and his wife on the ranch they now call home. I was totally blown away by the incredible lessons in life I learned while there, and the new found admiration I have for all those who live, work, and possibly die beyond the fences.
If you have traveled south of San Antonio or Corpus, you have seen the fences. It does not matter which road you choose to travel, be it 281, 77, or 16, the fences are there. Lining these fences is what appears to be an impenetrable row of brush and mesquite trees. You might catch a glimpse of cactus, too. But, can you see beyond to the life that is abundant in the midst of all that clutter? I couldn't...
I left home around 2:00p.m. and headed south, going through Austin and San Antonio and hoping the slow traffic would not follow me the entire way. The trip took about five and a half hours, and I was really glad when I could call and tell Jason I was at the appointed turn-off. I really do not like driving into new territory and feeling lost in the middle of no where. He told me how to find the gate and said he would meet me there. Once inside the gate, the world around me took on a whole new meaning. Truly, I never expected to see so much life in the middle of all that brush! We drove about 3 or 4 miles and along the way I saw cattle, deer, javalina, and turkeys. Not bad for the first few minutes on the ranch... Jason led the way and we stopped in a clearing that opened up a place of much activity and human presence. Beyond the fences and brush line, life became real.
We stopped at Jason's temporary home (his permanent is being build), and gathered suit cases and cups and headed inside. I felt safe and secure. After dropping off the bags and giving hugs, we headed back outside to sit around the barbeque pit and talk and become acquainted with nature. I was totally amazed as deer came near to eat corn and bat their beautiful eyes. A couple of the females decided that they were going to show off, and they stood on their hind legs and slapped one another with their front paws. Laughing, I thought of the spats my sons used to get caught up in... I learned that there is no killing done on this ranch of any of the wild life, unless a worker or the property of one of the workers is threatened. Now, I enjoy venison and turkey, but I was glad that these would not produce that food. I want my meat to come from the grocery store. :-)
We sat there for hours talking and listening to the various evening sounds: dogs barking, horses neighing, cattle moaning, peacocks squealing, birds chirping, coyotes howling, and the intermittent quiet. Yes, real quiet! I went to bed totally exhausted but more relaxed than I had been in months.
Sunday morning came awfully early, but quite welcome. Jason is an early riser and loves his morning coffee, so the smell of coffee is the alarm for me on this early Sunday morning. We had coffee outside and watched as the morning began to stir the animals. Of course the deer and turkeys came around for their breakfast, but a new group made its appearance-- a covey of quails, bobwhite quail to be exact. Before breakfast we took off for the barn area. I saw a mare and her colt, and some orphaned calves. Playing with one of the calves was the highlight of that morning. He was just wanting some loving and perhaps a bottle. :-) While playing with this little one we spotted the female peacock nesting on the large pile of hay. She is solid white. A pretty sight, but her male counter-parts are truly beautiful. We left there and headed for the bunk houses. I was able to meet one of the cowboys because he had not gone home for the week end. I will call him Tacho for the purpose of this blog. Tacho has lived and worked on the ranch most of his life. He knows no other life and probably doesn't care to know anything else. A nice man, a gentle man.
I was shown the cowboys dinning room and kitchen. Okay, here I have to admit to a little shock. It was the cleanest kitchen I have seen. This cowboys' kitchen was gleaming stainless. The eating area and the TV area were also clean and very neat. Not what one who has watched the roughness of the cowboys on the big screen and TV might be led to expect! In fact, the entire ranch, thousands of acres, is clean.
Leaving there we ran into another man who does weekend work for the ranch. He had brought his young sons with him. He loved his smart phone and began to tell stories of its use. We all laughed as he told his stories and his last line was "I could perform surgery, if I had my phone. It gives me directions for everything."
We headed back to get breakfast before heading out to find some ruins deep within the ranch. So far, the morning was great.
We got into the truck and started out...
This ranch has dirt roads, cliche roads, and possible roads. It is crisscrossed with roads. I was very thankful for Jason's military training and experience because I knew he would not get lost. We hadn't driven far when I knew that I could not find my way back. Everything looked the same to me. Brush and mesquite trees do not change... But, Jason and Gig knew where we were headed and how to get there. The rest of the day was spent going from one area to another that had been home to someone in the past. Some 'ruins' were from a much earlier time, and then other places were from the possible 50s. Another place was probably 10-15 years old and the story of a possible suicide here was daunting. To realize that there was life within the fences, lives lived in simple traditions on land that can be cruel and deadly gave me a new respect for the ranchers of times when life was extremely difficult. There is a lot of history on this land--ghosts of times past longing to be revealed. We drove for hours and walked, as well. I saw a few things that made me proud to live in a state that strong men and women have helped to develop. The real strength is found in our ranchers and farmers, not in our modern cities with the fancier life styles. There are wells and cisterns, some modern--many not. I saw areas where this water is made available to the cattle and other animals. Certainly a question I have had for many years: How do the animals drink when we go through dry spells? I found my answer. Toward evening we headed back. I don't know how many gates we went through, how to find them again, or where all the roads end. What I do know is that there is life beyond the fences. Of course, there is death too, but the caracaras take care of it.
We once again sat outside to watch the animals wonder in for their evening feed. I could sit there for hours and gaze at the mingling of God's creation. There is one particular beetle that caught my attention that has me puzzled. It is called the dung beetle. This little beetle cleans the area of any excrement left by the animals. All animals. They attack the pile of dung and begin rolling away their find until nothing is left. So, where do they take it? What do they do with it once they get where they are going? Do I really want to know? As I have said, the ranch is clean! When the Lord realized the use of this great land, He knew exactly what type of bugs to send. :-)
We called it a day after watching a few reruns of Duck Dynasty... A fitting end to a fantastic day.
Monday came way too early. Leaving the ranch was the last thing I wanted to do. I wanted to see more and learn more about the area. Driving out a herd of about 20 white Brahmas came to say good-bye. I had to stop and watch. Leaving the gate I had entered on Saturday, I said a sad farewell to Jason and Gig, and headed north, but I had a better perspective of life beyond the fences I saw hugging the road. A fondness for the roughness and the men who tame it.
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