Retired Drifters: Happy Birthday, Denise

Glen Rose, Texas

Weather: low 30 degrees, high 54 degrees, windy, clear

Today is our friend Denise's birthday. Since we don't ask a lady how old she is, we won't tell, even though we know. To celebrate Denise's birthday, several of us from the park went to a German restaurant in southwest Fort Worth. The entertainment was good, as was the food. Best of all was the company. Happy Birthday, Denise.

Carolyn's exercises seem to be making a difference with the vertigo, at least for the time being. She is doing more than the physical therapist asked her to do, and each day I see more confidence from her in what she is doing. Our fingers are crossed that we may have found a treatment that will allow Carolyn to live a more normal life. And maybe we can get back on the road.

We took care of some housekeeping chores today that we have been putting off. It is still too cold to do much outside, such as wash the truck and RV. Maybe it will be warmer next week.

Most of north Texas is under a fire alert because of the dry conditions and wind. There have been several grass fires that have flared up over the past couple of days. Last year, we had the same conditions, and there was a lot of damage from fires. We need rain, but the forecast does not look good for the near future.

About 25 miles from Glen Rose is the little town of Hico. By itself, there is not much to distinguish Hico from 1000 other little towns in Texas. The town motto is "Where Everybody is Somebody” but a clever Hico native changed it to “Where Everybody is Some………Where is Everybody?”

What makes this little town stand out is the fact that they claim that William Bonney, also known as Billy The Kid, actually escaped Pat Garrett’s shootout in New Mexico and eventually settled in this small town using the alias of “Brushy” Bill Roberts. Of course, this claim probably doesn’t sit well with the folks over in New Mexico since they are making tourist dollars from people visiting the burial site of Billy The Kid. Brushy Bill was a colorful character in this small town during the early 1900s. With his cowboy hat, colorful bandana around his neck, rough leather vest, and cowboy boots, Brushy Bill looked as though he came straight out of the 1800s in a time of cowboys, saloons, and outlaws. Whether or not Brushy Bill was truly Billy the Kid, he left the town with enough details of his life to be convincing. The picture below is of a statue the town of Hico erected in Billy The Kid's memory

At one time, Brushy Bill made a trip to New Mexico to ask the governor for a pardon for his alleged crimes as Billy The Kid. As might be expected, the governor threw him out of his office, telling Brushy Bill that Billy The Kid was buried in New Mexico.