This past week I got a taste of the old days that we usually see portrayed in the western movies. They have been filming a western in Granbury, and with dirt spread out to cover the tarmac roads it looks very authentic - the old buildings have not changed since the western days. In fact many of the buildings are made from the Limestone the original owner of our old mansion used to supply. His name was Daniel Cogdell and I am sure he would have been very at home on the set in town this week!
Of course it is not necessary to have a western movie set in Granbury for me to be reminded that I am living in Texas. Just seeing the Hood County Sheriff's car driving around the area is a reminder every day! At home a sheriff is someone you would only see in a "Cowboy movie". Our police are called "Garda Siochana" which means they keep the peace - siochain is the Irish word for peace. You would never see an Irish police officer or "Garda" in a cowboy hat! It is still a novelty for me to see the sheriff in his hat and boots.
My daughter Jenny came over on a visit from Ireland a few weeks ago and we had fun looking around the Cowboy Market Place here in Granbury. Cowboy boots, hats, spurs, and ropes were of real interest to her, and she couldn't resist buying an old cowboy rope for her husband who is in the horse business in Ireland
.
Now I am buying a cowboy hats and boots for my grand children for Christmas!
My mother is coming over to visit in a couple of weeks time and I am looking forward to seeing her observations of life in Texas. I know it will seem amazing for her to see pickup trucks in the car park of Walmart with men in cowboy hats and boots strolling around the aisles of the supermarket!
Another common sight for Texans and still unusual and exotic for me are the
Cactus plants which grow wild at the side of the road. I can remember as a child seeing cactus plants in the Green houses at the Botanic Gardens, and i thought they were so exotic! Never thought they would be growing in my neighborhood someday.
What a great state this is!
