Please donate to Mike Black’s medical fund.
Thank you.
Benefit for India and William
Online Fundraiser for India and William!
India and William need YOUR help – donate NOW because Terlingua needs 
India and William to be here and healthy.
India and William Wilson have had some health issues and financial problems since the Covid 19 pandemic began. They had to close their art studio and the places that India put her jams, jellies, pickles, salsas and breads were no longer buying her products because of closures and cutbacks caused by the pandemic. So the extra money they had in the bank has been exhausted to pay their bills.
Click the Donate button below now!
Then arose medical issues with their eyes and dental issues with their teeth. With declining vision they decided to spend what was the last of their savings to get their eyes examined. That cost almost a thousand dollars for eye examinations and the needed glasses. They both knew their eyes were bad and have now been told that they both must have surgery. William has Aggressive Cataracts already covering his eyes. He will go blind if this surgery is not done as soon as possible. India has a growth of some sort on one of her eyes that will also require ophthalmic surgery.
They have arranged to have some one take them to El Paso so they will need expense money for the needed trips and lodging in El Paso. To raise money they had a sale at their gift shop and raised as much as they could but that was still not enough money to pay for everything.
Both William and India now also have dental issues that need immediate attention. William had some dental repairs done and this was followed by some breakage causing a need for much more dental work. India also has dental problems which she believes will need for five teeth to be pulled.
Medicare will pay for part of the eye surgery costs but it will still cost India and William at least $3,000 out-of-pocket. Dental costs have not been calculated but they will in all likelihood be substantial.
For many years India and William have given generously to the community in many ways. It is now time, and an opportunity for the community to give back to help them in this time of need.
Terlingua: We Take Care of Our Own –
we are a community.
Donate now:
Benefit for Judy
Judy Boe Towry needs some help.
One of our very dear community members has experienced some medical issues in the last few weeks. She needs some help, and she needs it now.
Click the “Donate” button to pitch in.
She suffered a heart attack and had angioplasty surgery which will help in the meantime along with medication. Parts of her heart are damaged and she will have a difficult time working in the next few months. Along with that, the doctors discovered she has histoplamosis. This is a fungal infection in the lungs. She is on an aggressive treatment plan to heal from that also.
What she and her hubby Phil don’t have is money for doctors, drugs, transportation, etc. Out here, we take care of our own, and Judy is definitely one of “our own.”
Click the “Donate” button and give what you can – you don’t need a PayPal account to contribute.
All proceeds from this online fundraiser will go directly to Judy via TerlinguaCares / Big Bend Citizens Alliance, a 501 (c) 3 corporation that serves the Terlingua and Terlingua Ranch community.
For any inquiries, you may send an email to info@jackassflats.us
On To Romeoville
Romeoville? Yep. I’m in Romeoville. Tomorrow I’ll see if there’s a Julietville.
(My daughter just informed me that Joliet used to be called Juliet.)
Spent last night in St. Louis, and had the only mediocre Indian food I’ve ever had. Previously, Indian food was like a cross between religion and sex. Surprising and delightful.
This was Luby’s cafeteria quality. And the waiters were surly and slow. I’m pretty sure I won’t go back to St. Louis again, and damn sure I’ll never go back to that restaurant.
Then, across and up Illinois to Romeoville, which is a suburb of Chicago, I think.
South of Chicago, the state is pretty much unoccupied. And, unlike Chicago, pretty redneck. I saw a bunch of “America First” and Trump signs… not sure what for. It’s like he and his followers still can’t believe he actually successfully stole the election.
I’m still not used to the trees turning colors… wondering if there’s something wrong with them. Are they ok?
As I approached Peoria (singing B.B. King: “she said she gonna leave me in Peoria Illinois…) the traffic got thick and dangerous. Going the speed limit just pissed ’em off.
And, for the 4th day in a row, as the sun started to go down a greasy drizzle pizzled on my 4runner, streaking the windshield and making the road slick.
Could be a sign.
Tomorrow, Chicago.
(Don’t) Meet Me In St. Louis, Louie
I got to Tulsa way after dark last night… Hey Tulsa, turn on the damn street light. It was dark and rainy, and the hotel was hidden two blocks off the street.
This morning I woke up to a sunny day and looked around Tulsa.
Tulsa is Dallas, is North Austin, is Houston, etc. Same ol’ big box stores, chains, chain restaurants…
Had breakfast at a Hungry Bear, which is a chain I’d never heard of… pretty good breakfast, great service. Then, on the road. Continue reading “(Don’t) Meet Me In St. Louis, Louie”
Tulsa Time
Left Snyder- cranked out cowboys in hopped up dodge pickups. Oil country. Cotton.
Toll roads all the way to Tulsa. Fall in Oklahoma. No dust bowl here- trees turning red, yellow, orange… and the dirt really is red.
Construction. Rain. Driving in Tulsa is like driving in Dallas.
Finally found the motel… two blocks off the main drag.
Deep breath. Exhale.
Terlingua to Snyder
We drug our feet leaving Terlingua… we don’t want to leave.
On the porch we hugged. LaRoja told me, “we’ll get through this together.”
The drive to Fort Stockton was gorgeous. Turquoise skies, puffy clouds, cool and sunny… the irony that weather cleared up after over a week of rain on the very day I leave is not lost on me.
From Stockton to Monahans was a little less fun. Oil field country. Cranked out punks with semi trucks and a bad attitude.
From Monahans to Snyder was hell. I-20 is riddled with construction, and as dangerous as the Stockton to Monahans leg of the journey but with 10 times more traffic. I can’t imagine why anybody would be in a hurry to get to Odessa, Texas, but I huddled the right side of the road going the speed limit (75) while jacked-up pickups and semis tail gated each other, cut each other off… Continue reading “Terlingua to Snyder”
Winter Walkabout
I’ll be leaving tomorrow for Chicago.
For now, let’s call it a Winter Walkabout.
Earlier this summer I went on a walkabout: Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, 3 weeks in Chicago, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and back.
I had to go to Chicago for family stuff, and when it came time to go home I discovered I was near the top of the map and had never seen that part of the country.
It was an adventure. Utah won, with its amazing natural scenery, but everywhere I travelled had a story and a vibe.
Now, I’m going back again for more family stuff. Continue reading “Winter Walkabout”
A Portable Lifestyle?
(I’m just going to put this out there because it will make me actually get off my ass and do this thing. feel free to rag me about it.)
To quote Billy Joel, “You may be right. I may be crazy.” But, like Willie Nelson said, “If you ain’t a little bit crazy there’s something wrong with you.”
I’m probably not irretrievably out where the buses don’t run, but I am in the mood for some changes. I just kinda looked up and most of my friends have taken dead or are absent. Stuff that used to matter a lot doesn’t any more and it may be getting towards that time where if I’m gonna check off any more items on my bucket list I’d best get to moving.
As far as I know, I’m in good health. But, I do notice that I see obits for people who have moved on that are younger than I am- and nobody’s saying they died tragically young. Not being morbid, here, just looking at it. Continue reading “A Portable Lifestyle?”