Weather: low 72 degrees, high 95 degrees, partly cloudy, scattered showers
Since I've been diagnosed with my respiratory problem, Carolyn has been trying to slow me down as much as she can. I understand why she does it, and I appreciate what she does to remind me that I need to take care of myself. However, sometimes the enforced inactivity gets to me, and I suspect it gets to her. So, today I stood it as long as I could, and then did something about it. About 1500 hours, I suggested to her that we needed to go see what's going on in Hico, the little town where everybody's somebody, and Billy The Kid spent the last years of his life.
Very little has changed in Hico, but I didn't expect to see much change. This is one of those little Texas towns that tries to use what they have to draw tourists, as well as provide a little shopping area for the surrounding ranches and farms. This mural that faces the main drag through town probably gives as good an idea of what the town is about as anything.
When we left Hico, we drove over to Stephenville. It was late in the afternoon, and we hadn't eaten lunch. We decided to try Hard 8 Pit Bar-B-Que, since it was always busy every time we passed there. I have to say it was a different experience. If I had known what it was, I might not have been able to get Carolyn to go, but when we were finished, she was making plans for the next visit.
The way this restaurant operates is that before you go inside, you pass by the cooking pits where you tell the guy cooking the meat what you want. Each of us picked the half chicken, which was actually too much food. The chicken was taken off the fire and plopped on to a serving tray covered with a piece of butcher paper. Carolyn wanted to know where the plates were. There were no plates, but they did provide silverware. At that point, I was expecting Carolyn to say she was ready to go. But, she didn't, so we went inside to the seating area, where we picked up our eating utensils, cole slaw, potato salad, and french fries. Then I got us some dill pickles, onions, and jalapeno peppers. At the table, we had some sauce along with ketchup and loaf bread. Then, we got a hand full of paper towels and dug in. Eventually, I realized that Carolyn wasn't squeamish about how we were eating. She was actually enjoying the food and the atmosphere. I would never have guessed it.
A word about the jalapeno peppers. They were as hot as any I have ever eaten, and by the time we finished, I had worked up a pretty good sweat. That should give an idea how hot they were. Oh, another thing they provide is a pot of pinto beans that you can eat all you want of. I didn't try them, but they looked good. Maybe next time.
As I said, Carolyn is already planning what she will get the next time we go to Hard 8. Maybe I can use this experience to get her to try some other places.
More later, be safe.
Today's Town - New York, New York: Babylon
Not all who wander are lost.
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