Priorities
I am back in south Texas, ostensibly to do research for the novel I'm currently working on. I went to San Angelo and the surrounding area to get a feeling for the topography (my second trip) since the story is set there at the confluence of the three Concho rivers.
There is really only one now, since the others were dammed (but not damned) to make lakes for recreation. I can only imagine what the area was like at the turn of the 19th/20th centuries, which is the epoch in which the story unfolds.
I took a lengthy and enriching (if blazing hot) stroll along the river walk in the city. It is truly beautiful! I would highly recommend a visit, but don't be stupid like I was and go in the insufferable heat of summer, in the middle of the afternoon.
I then drove directly west on Arden Street for a good two hours (Rd. 853) which is where the Lazy 8 Ranch (my creation) would have been. I got a good sense of the area which is still ranchland. It is quite arresting, with a few accidented rises to the northeast that form a broken half-ring around the area. It would have been open range at the beginning of the story since barbed wire was invented around that time. That event is covered in the story.
What I've realized is that when you're doing research all by yourself, it's quite a lonesome experience. I'm now glad to be back in old Laredo (never thought I'd ever say that!) with friends and family.
Have to admit I miss my friends in Charlotte, too.
To all my friends and followers, thank you!
There is really only one now, since the others were dammed (but not damned) to make lakes for recreation. I can only imagine what the area was like at the turn of the 19th/20th centuries, which is the epoch in which the story unfolds.
I took a lengthy and enriching (if blazing hot) stroll along the river walk in the city. It is truly beautiful! I would highly recommend a visit, but don't be stupid like I was and go in the insufferable heat of summer, in the middle of the afternoon.
I then drove directly west on Arden Street for a good two hours (Rd. 853) which is where the Lazy 8 Ranch (my creation) would have been. I got a good sense of the area which is still ranchland. It is quite arresting, with a few accidented rises to the northeast that form a broken half-ring around the area. It would have been open range at the beginning of the story since barbed wire was invented around that time. That event is covered in the story.
What I've realized is that when you're doing research all by yourself, it's quite a lonesome experience. I'm now glad to be back in old Laredo (never thought I'd ever say that!) with friends and family.
Have to admit I miss my friends in Charlotte, too.
To all my friends and followers, thank you!
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