We drove about two hundred miles today to get here. A lot of the way I was thinking about how today contrasts so much with a hundred or so years ago. Today I drove my 40 foot home along paved roads at 50 to 60 miles an hour being pushed by 350 horses. There were only small potholes in the road and there was no dust to of which to speak. Every stream and gully had a bridge across it that did not even slow me down. My home had AC and a heater to adjust the temp to whatever I wanted it to be. I had entertainment at the touch of a switch that I could change as I wished. At anytime I could stop and have a meal that could either be hot or cold or a combination of both. I carried fresh clean water with me to drink or wash or anything else I could think to do with it. Part of that water was frozen into ice cubes. I had with me phones that would summons help for any problem that I might have had. I had at least three devices that would tell me exactly where I was and where I needed to go, I only used one but I had three. There was not one time that I felt there was any danger from any other human being and I was not concerned about what the weather was like.
When the country was still being settled things were very different. The homes, if they could be called that, were maybe ten foot long and were pulled by two horses or often by two ox. If they had a good day ten miles might be covered. On days that things did not go so well, perhaps with mud mired to the axles, a half mile might be all that covered. There were holes and rocks in some places that could break wagon axles or the legs of draft animals. When the days were dry the dust would get into every part of wagon and into the lungs of all the people. Every stream and gully could spell disaster or loss of property. The people were subjected to high heat, freezing cold, driving rains, snow, wind, insects and hardships that the modern person does not even think about. The food they had was subject to spoilage and would be called coarse today. They carried water in a barrel that at best would be warm. When water was found it was often or usually muddy and many places there were days between refills. If there were problems the people had to solve themselves or perhaps die. At any time it might be a guess as to the location where they were and where they needed to go was by landmarks. During certain times and in certain areas there was danger from Confederate or Union soldiers, Indians, bandits or highway robbers. And of course the weather was always a danger along with disease and accidents.
I have often heard some comment about life in the past being good and in a lot of respects that is right. I think it mostly is a matter of comparison. Do you compare today to then or should you compare then to another area of the country at the same time. I believe that the latter makes more sense than the former. We really do not know what it was in another time unless we have lived in that time. But we can imagine a lot of it must have been. Between what I know of today and what I imagine of times past I am glad that I live in these times. I wish that I could experience other times so that I could know more of those times.
I am hoping that Bentsen Grove does not have mosquitoes like we left in Rockport. With the exception of Mosquito Pass in Colorado I have never been around as many mosquitoes as there were around where we were parked in the campground. I know that it was just the fact that the weather condition were perfect for breeding, because in past visits and areas a mile or so away this year there were a lot less of the critters. I know that there are several varieties of mosquitoes and we saw at least three different size in the past weeks. As you know Texas people always brag about the size of everything. No matter what it is Texas is supposed to have the biggest. That was especially true before Alaska became a state. I can assure you that I am glad there were not a lot of mosquitoes the size of this one that I found trying to make a hole into the side of the Vectra. If it had gotten inside it might have carried both the wife and myself off in the woods for private consumption.
TEXAS SIZED MOSQUITO
We always have fun feeding the seagulls in Rockport. As one of the last things we did there before we left was to have a final feeding to get rid of the last of the gull food. The place we picked was near a kids playground where a little five year old girl and her grandmother was playing on the swing. Erma asked the girl if she would like to feed the gulls. She was eager to feed them as long as she was close to Erma. There were times that she hung on to Erma's arm with one hand and tossed food with her other hand. Also she would lean against Erma's leg whenever the gulls got to close and when Erma moved back a step she would move closer too. As I have said months ago "If you want to increase your pleasure share it with a small child." This little girl was a great delight to us.
FEEDING SEAGULLS BY THE BAY
Till later this is Uncle Duck
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