April 14, 2005
Portales, New Mexico
As always VR’s Church was inspirational. The folks there are so friendly and warm and it’s good fellowship. Had time for lunch with VR and Jean and then it was back to Houston and North West to Heather. Returned up 87 and enjoyed the route immensely. Drove through Comfort, Texas and caught sight of an old Spartan Mansion Trailer flying the Confederate Colors. (trailer below is not the Spartan) The front yard (really a field) was full of Rooster houses with the Roosters tethered on short leads by each house. Had to stop. As I walked over to the gate Benny Barron of B.B. Mules came out of another trailer to greet me.
Turns out his Grandson and friends live in the Spartan. Benny and I had a fine time sitting on a Rooster house and talking about the weather, how things had been and how things were now in the Hill County of Texas. Benny’s been living there about 40 years and runs a mule and rooster business. If you need fighting cocks or any mule skinning down in the area he’s the man to call. Takes his Mules up to Colorado for the hunting season as well. You can reach him at B.B. Mules 830-995-2033. US HWY 7 Comfort, Texas 78013. After photographing the trailer I was able to do a portrait of Benny and the back on the road.. Quite a good morning. Stopped in Mason again and look at some real estate, one house and one warehouse. Both interesting places and priced right. Could be a good place to come back to when it’s time to settle down but that seems a long time coming.
Pulled through Muleshoe Texas about midnight. It’s always disappointed me when I travel through Muleshoe. With a name like Muleshoe you come to expect something but it’s really just a typical small West Texas town. Somehow the name conjures up the 1800’s and I expect to see more of the old west then there is there.
But this trip I discovered the grain elevators just south of town. It was midnight and they were lit by huge tungsten lamps. Quite beautiful so Henry and I stopped long exposures and lots of fright trains but I think it is going to be a good image. Then on through Muleshoe and into New Mexico.
VR after Church
Benny Barron and DMK Comfort, Texas
