Family memories

Daddy drove us from San Angelo to California in a Model T Ford in l923 when I was five years old. There were no freeways, only graded dirt roads, and no motels. We slept in bedrolls. When we got to California we rented a house which had fruit trees growing in the front yard. We went to the beach and splashed in the Pacific. It was like living in Paradise. Then Daddy began having headaches. California did not have good doctors in the early days and the ones he went to merely gave him pain killers. Some of these shots were a little narotic. I remember one night when Daddy was hallucinating and refused to go to bed because he said it was crawling with ants. Mother was proud but she finally gave in and called Grandpa Sam Moore in Dallas. Grandpa Sam not only was rich, and owned downtown property in Dallas, but he also was on the board of Methodist Hospital. "Hell, Mega, bring him home to Texas. We have the best doctors in the United States here in Dallas," he said. We boarded the train and took Daddy to San Angelo where Grandpa Sam met us and carried him off to Dallas. The surgeons at Dallas removed a tumor from Daddy's brain. It was benign. Within two weeks, Daddy was well again.

San Diego

During World War II I was contacted by Uncle Henry who told me that his nephew, Charles, was in San Diego. I was stationed nearby, having returned from service in North Africa. So Charles and I went out into the city. He was just out of boot camp but I had ribbons on my chest. We went into one of the big hotel dining rooms and waited to be seated. After a long wait it became obvious that they were not going to serve us. So we went down the street and ate a hamburger. To make matters worse, the burger was scorched. Several years later I was on a junket and we approached San Diego. The hotel that had snubbed me was on the list for a luncheon. I talked to the tour boss and told him my story. He was sympathetic and cancelled the luncheon at the hotel. We went down to the waterfront and ate seafood. I felt vindicated.

Washington's Birthday

Down at Laredo there was a combined celebration of George Washington's Birthday. The one I attended was at the airport and included some guests from Mexico, including Governor Horacio Teran and a number of generals. As part of the program some high school girls performed a dance routine. One of the generals with Gov. Teran apparently was used to seeing such performances in one of the whorehouses of Mexico. He was a little bit drunk and staggered as he approached the stage apparently to fondle one of the dancers. It looked as if an international incident was about to happen, but Gov. Teran intervened. He grabbed the general, returned him to his seat and hissed in his ear. The timely intervention was well received by the local guests, who included the governor of Texas and other dignitaries.

Salvador Pena

Down in Nuevo Laredo was Dr. Salvador Pena, who delivered more than 8,000 babies over a period of time. When I met him he was 80 years old and still practicing medicine. Women of Mexican descent living in Laredo would go to Nuevo Laredo to have their babies delivered by Dr. Pena and then would rush back to Laredo to register them as U.S. citizens. Dr. Pena was a believer in the principle of the siesta. He would take two hours off in the early afternoon and usually was to be found in a men only cantina, where he and the other leaders of the community met to eat and drink and exchange viewpoints. Frequently he would leave the cantina and have a tryst with a young woman. He recommended this practice as a method of prolonging life. He pointed out that he was 80 years old and still healthy.

Alexander Chee

Down the coast from Belize is Punta Gorda, a peninsula. Here is a country store operated by Alexander Chee. He told an interesting story. When he was a young boy in China his province was invaded by Mao. He came from a family of aristocrats. They decided to flee. His mother sewed gold coins into a frayed jacket and he wore this garment to Hong Kong. There he was joined by his father and uncle. Later on they divided the gold and he went to Mexico and then to Punta Gorda where he opened this store. You could buy almost anything in his store. He added Chinese culture in a country which had native Indians, Spanish speaking whites, black residents and mixed races. During the time of Sir Walter Raleigh Belize was invaded by English pirates. From these raids came mixed races. The Indians still lived in nearby villages. The blacks were descended from former slaves. The primary languages were English and Spanish. This was an interesting mix of cultures.

Provines Davenport

One thing about being a traveling reporter is that you meet some interesting people. Out of a clear blue sky such a person showed up. She said her name was Provines Davenport. That was not her original name but one that she had chosen. She dressed like a man with matching shirt and pants, a big hat with a wide brim and cowboy boots. She was rich. One time she took a group of us to Matamoros, Mexico, and we ate venison and drank tequila at her expense. But the time that I remember best was at an international festival in Laredo, Texas. The governor of Tamalupis, Horacio Teran, showed up with a delegation. Then Provines showed up. She wanted to dance with the governor. We had a mariachi band and they were already playing. Governor Teran graciously agreed to dance with her. He was not married and was a tall and dignified man. Provines was much shorter. The band struck up and a space was cleared in the middle of the festival. This is a little hard to visualize. Teran was deeply serious and Provines was trying to be dignified. I shall never forget this experience.

The Salt Grass Trail

The Salt Grass Trail got out of control after a few years. It was not well organized and in one particular year it took nearly five hours to cross the Brazos River Bridge on the highway. One stubborn old timer said he was not going to yield at the gate leading from the bridge. A group of rowdy riders pushed him and his horse into a barbed wire fence. We took him to the emergency room where they had to stitch up a bad cut which took nine stitches. Then, as we went through Hempstead some reckless rider threw an empty beer car into a front year. Unfortunately, the Baptist deacon lived there. He complained. And so we passed some rules. All riders would have to be affiliated with a wagon. The wagon boss would be responsible for their behavior. Whiskey bottles would have to be kept out of sight. This worked. The Trail moved with precision. More family groups showed up.