Thankful for the Memories

One of the ladies in this photo asked me if I still had it. She wanted to share this photo with the other lady’s son. 

First, let me say it is a miracle I found the photograph folder this image was in. Second, the memories it brought back are priceless. 

I remember riding in a brand-new red truck to remote locations in Bailey County on a chilly October day. I saw old homesteads long abandoned. The characters of those old houses standing against the barren landscape amazed me. It was hard to imagine living on the land so far from anyone. What I remember most of all was the chimneys – from a skinny red chimney to a chimney that faced the outside towards the open prairie.

We hiked to a reported cave that it was said Billy the Kid used as a hideout to escape being captured. Along the way, I was introduced to velvet white horehound and the upward-reaching skyward limbs of my first black willow trees. I chased a toad as we climbed back down from Billy’s cave. 

As I stopped to look back up at how high we had climbed I was amazed that a late 70-year-old lady made that climb, let alone me. 

The gem of the day was seeing a North American porcupine running across the road in front of the truck. To say they are slow runners is not entirely accurate. To see them living in this area is amazing in itself because they need trees to survive – not only for food but for protection as they sleep. 

Love memories like this one. That reminds you of days with friends, exploring, smiles, and laughter. Not once during our explorations did we ever give thought to snakes peaking out from under old boards or rocks. 

The smiles of these two ladies were cemented in a quick, shaky photo. 

The older lady’s exploration days are long past. And now the younger lady visits her faithfully in a nursing home in Muleshoe. Time is not gentle for many. Minds are robbed of memories. All that is left is the memories of those who care for them.

Thank you, Sammie, for a fabulous day of exploring long-forgotten places, hidden hideouts, and new plants. Thank you for the memories.