On Halloween night, 2010, Dusty and I were set for trick-or-treaters in our cul-de-sac home in Kempner, Texas. Brickhead was only nine months old then, and dressed as the cutest little froggy, ready to help hand out candy. We waited and waited for a good 45 minutes, perched on our hilltop watching very sparse groups of costumed little ones pass our street without a thought. That's when we decided that if trick-or-treaters wouldn't come to us, we would go to them! We walked around our neighborhood and soon found out that every street was dead! No one was out! Suddenly, a woman came running from her porch, waving her arms, followed by her husband, both welcoming us to come over and take all their candy because they had also anticipated a larger crowd. We talked to the man and woman for over an hour, getting to know each other. They immediately adopted us as their children (since our own family was far away), and from that trick-or-treating night, a family was born. Grandma Mary and Grandpa Gary truly did become our family away from home during our four years stationed at Ft. Hood. Looking back, there wasn't much of our lives that they weren't involved in. They got to know all our family and friends and we knew theirs. We had Papa Murphy's Pizza parties every Monday together. Gary strummed "happy birthday" on his guitar for Brickhead's first birthday. They were at the hospital soon after Banana was born. The stepping stone with the kids' footprints still sits in Mary's garden, and the family quilt that Mary made for Banana still hangs on her bedroom wall (well, when we have a house anyway). In the last ten years, Dusty has been able to stop in a few times when he's been in the area for work, but the kids and I haven't been back to their birth state since we left in 2012. Being in the American Southwest meant we had better make a stop to central Texas and see Grandma Mary and Grandpa Gary! Watching her swing open that front door and yell, "get your butt in here," was the best greeting ever! For three days, we enjoyed dinners together, including Papa Murphy's pizza night. Grandma's desserts solidified that, if the kids didn't remember her before, they'll certainly remember her now! Being there felt so good; Like no time had passed--aside from the children being much bigger. Waco Mammoth National MonumentDuring our stay, we revisited the Waco Mammoth Site, which became a National Monument in 2015. In 1978, two men noticed huge bones in the river bed and reported it to Baylor University. Since then, Baylor, the City of Waco, the Waco Mammoth Foundation, and now the National Parks Service have worked to study and preserve the bones of approximately 20 Columbian Mammoths. About 65,000 years ago, a nursery herd (females and multiple juveniles) mysteriously died here, followed by at least three more mammoths, including a male, 51,000 years ago. This is one of the top research sites in the United States for these extinct animals. I was surprised that not much had changed in the last ten years, aside from differing ideas on how the animals died. For a long time, it was hypothesized that these animals died in a flash flood, but as soil samples have been analyzed, it seems the cause of death may have aligned more with drought--possibly poison from drinking water with algae. A paleontologist has recently been hired for the site, so I'm interested to find out what new discoveries can be made. The site is a reminder that you can't rush science, and I respect that they've halted excavation until science can catch up to the needs of the discovery. If you haven't been, and you are near the area, I highly recommend going. I remember being completely in awe the first time we went. There is another mammoth site in Hot Springs, South Dakota with even more mammoth fossils. I desperately wanted to go during our time in the Black Hills, but since we got COVID, we missed it. (Another excuse to make it out west another time!) On the way back we stopped at Buc-ee's, which I was not aware was a "thing." Apparently the awesomeness of Buc-ee's is all over the internet and I have completely missed it. We had a little fun at this super-sized gas station and convenience store. (My husband is hilarious, BTW.) One thing is for sure: a lot in Central Texas has changed. Copperas Cove now has a bypass and loads more commerce has come into the once sleepy little town. Neighborhoods have popped up; nice neighborhoods have gone down. Being back in our old neighborhood was a little surreal for me. Our old house now has a barn and a bunch of chickens in the backyard, but the split rail fence that was Dusty's pride and joy is gone. We were only away for a decade, but I hardly recognized the place. Change is inevitable, but it's nice to know that some relationships stay constant. Thank you to Mary and Gary for such a wonderful visit! We hope that our next time together isn't such a long time away!
1 Comment
11/19/2022 05:59:36 pm
What a wonderful story. Made me feel so good to know you had some awesome adopted family . Keepers.
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