Author: William Douthwaite

Posted in Travel

More pumpkins, with a splash (of color)

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Today’s adventure took the grandkids and us to the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. We’ve been there before. But this is pumpkin season, and that means thousands of pumpkins and gourds will join the gorgeous flower gardens throughout the park.

The day lived up to every expectation. After a long summer growing season, every flower bed was overflowing with color. Gorgeous purple chrysanthemums sat among beds of star pentas, canna lilies, golden shrimp plants, multi-hued crotons. Long lines of pumpkins and gourds ran along every walking path, leading us to the Pumpkin Village.

Pumpkin village was a community of houses made out of pumpkins amid piles and plies of pumpkins where kids could run, climb, and pose for endless pictures. At the center of it all was the Great Pumpkin. Most of the kids there had no clue what the Great Pumpkin is, but they certainly loved the giant-est of all the pumpkins.

The arboretum was full of field trip groups, senior center outings, strollers full of babies, and so many folks slowly wandering through the amazing paths, ponds, and gardens. Just like them, I would so spend a day here each week, watching seasons pass, the visitors to the gardens, and the vibrant palette of color.

Of course, with each step part of me wonders, “How come my flower beds don’t look like this?” I know, I don’t invest the same resources into my gardens. And I don’t have much of a staff to help me out. But a day here inspires me to plant, fertilize, and enjoy my own gardens a little it more.

Posted in Life, memories

The joy of pumpkins

Posted on by William Douthwaite

There wasn’t much the grands didn’t enjoy about the pumpkin farm yesterday. But they were super excited to pick out and purchase a pumpkin to bring home. While gourds of every size, shape, and color were available, their dad let them choose one from the $1 mini-pumpkin pile.

It’s harder to pick one out than you think. Each grandchild changed their mind several times as they sorted through the huge pile. When they made their final decision, only the youngest actually chose a traditional orange pumpkin, about three inches in diameter. The others found oddly shaped multi-colored gourds covered in “pimples.” Each promptly named their pumpkin. We brought home Ice Cream Cone, Sunshine Pimpleberry, and Little Pumpkin. On our way out of the farm, no one let go of their pumpkin, carefully taking it along for one last tractor ride and time on a big wooden swing. The ride home was filled with conversation about each pumpkin, its adventures, and future plans. Once we got home, the oldest carefully arranged them all to create a photo spot in the front yard.

Why are kids so excited about pumpkins? What makes them so fascinating? I suppose that the traditional Halloween sight of a jack-o-lantern gives them personality. So we display them proudly inside and outside our homes. For a few weeks, we treat them like a pet before they are forgotten in Thanksgiving and Christmas preparations.

My college fraternity boasted an annual pumpkin raid each fall. After a few beers, brothers and pledges would pile into cars and caravan out into the central Pennsylvania farm country. In complete darkness, we would stop by a patch to abscond with what we hoped would be decent looking pumpkins. Back at the house, after a few more beers, most of the fruit ended up being tossed from the roof onto the street below. It seems silly now, but at the time it was great fun.

I read that a pumpkin farmer can net $240,000 a year from a well run fall festival and sales to processing plants. Not too shabby. From the prices charged for pumpkins these days, I can understand how they do very well.

Posted in Moments of grace, Travel

A great day at the pumpkin farm

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Today I took a trip to the Shadow Creek Pumpkin Farm in Midlothien, Texas. Every weekend in October (and a few Mondays and Fridays) they hold their annual pumpkin festival. It’s pricey but worth it. It’s the real deal.

The festival is a whole lot more than pumpkins. As soon as we arrived, the grandkids jumped on the seesaws, large wooden swings hanging from the trees, and a whole bunch of little bouncy pigs, horses, and cows. Everyone took a turn riding down a huge hillside slide. It was pretty chilly so we stopped at a huge fire pit to warm up.

The petting zoo was next. We held chicks and ducklings, petted the alpaca, watched the pigs gorging on pumpkins, fed calves with huge bottles of milk and goats with ice cream cones full of feed. We spent nearly an hour there.

From there we took a tractor ride through the fields, navigated a corn maze, and bounced on flat orange bounce pads. Once we burnt off some energy, it was time for lunch.

A row of food trucks offered barbecue, Mac and cheese, street tacos, nachos, hot dogs, kettle corn, cider, and pumpkin pie. The brisket was delicious on a roll, in a tortilla, or on mac and cheese.

We weren’t done yet. Each of the kids picked out a pumpkin to take home, perched on old tractors for pictures, and took a ride in little pumpkin cars pulled by another tractor. After one last ride on swings, we headed home.

It was a great morning and part of the afternoon. Since pumpkin farms make all their money in the fall, I’m not surprised that these festivals aren’t cheap. $17 admission, $8 cider, $12 kettle corn, $5 pickle, $12 brisket sandwich, $37 pumpkin pie! Only the Texas state fair costs more.

I had a great time and got great pictures. I’ll bet we’ll be back next year.

Posted in Life

A visit to a presidential library

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I got to visit my second presidential library this afternoon. My wife and I took a granddaughter and grandson to the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas. My first was the Harry Truman Presidential Library in Independence, Missouri.

This library has a much different flavor. I enjoyed the history preserved in the Truman library. I lived the history in the Bush center.

The center included Bush’s family background, the 2020 presidential election, 9/11 and subsequent war on terrorism, and a commitment to world environmental and health issues. Memories of those years flooded back as I looked at videos, letters, photographs, memorabilia.

Both of the grandkids posed for a photo in the replica Oval Office. They loved learning about the president’s dogs, the First Lady’s dresses, and what is happening in oceans all around the world. Someday they’ll understand how their world was shaped by those eight years.

The center is beautiful and well done. It’s not free, but not too expensive, either. It’s a whole lot better than just reading a history book.

Posted in Life, Stories

The case of the missing package

Posted on by William Douthwaite

The message caught me completely by surprise. “Have not received. Tracking shows still in Florida.”

I sold a used Diaper Genie with a few extra supplies on eBay. I had packed it up and shipped it out on a Thursday with the promise of delivery to the buyer in South Carolina by Monday.

When I checked the tracking number, sure enough, the package had been sitting in Jacksonville for a week. How could that be?

I used a third party shipper, so I went to their website to see if I could get more information. Sure enough, I found this gem of a notification.

How does that happen? How does merchandise just disappear from a box in a truck? Was this an inside job? But then, why would anyone steal a used diaper bucket?

Here’s what I think happened. I think someone tossed the box a little too aggressively, it hit the ground and broke open, spilling the contents. No one wanted to repack it, so they just threw it in the trash and reported it missing. Problem solved. Let insurance handle it.

I will be able to file a claim and get my money back. I just have to send a bunch of info to my shipper.

The Diaper Genie had been sitting in the back of a closet for over a year. No one in my family wanted it, so I asked and got twenty bucks for it. When I went to pack it up, I discovered it still had some used diapers in it! Yes, I wrapped them up and threw them away. But if I knew someone was going to steal it, I would have left them in there!

Posted in Life

Is that guy in a wheelchair?

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Gabe Pierce on Unsplash.com

We were walking back to our economy Quality Inn motel room in Clinton, Mississippi after an average supper at a little place called Froghead Grill.

“Is that a guy in a wheelchair?”

Sure enough, a man was pushing himself down the middle of the street in a wheelchair. This street ran through a maze of even economy-er motels and ho-hum chain restaurants. The cars didn’t slow down much as he took cruised along the middle turn lane.

Every ten feet or so he would stop to take a break, and then start pushing again. As he neared the entrance of a convenience store, i could see he was a double amputee. I wondered out loud, “Do you think I should offer to help him?” Some are offended by such an offer. Others are grateful.

“He’ll probably want a handout.”

Good point. Naturally I had no cash. I know I should keep a few bucks in my pocket.

We barely made it across several busy streets to get back to our motel. This guy didn’t even flinch in the face of oncoming traffic.

Brave? Foolish? Determined? Fearless? Didn’t care? I’d guess all of the above.

Posted in Moments of grace

I slept through another tornado last night

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Shane on Unsplash

My phone lit up about 6:30 this morning. It was a text from my daughter. “Hey, are you and mom okay? I saw that a tornado touched down just a couple streets from you. Hope you all are okay and safe.”

Okay, heard the rain last night. And at one point, I heard sirens off in the distance. I checked some news apps and sure enough, an F2 tornado touched down less than a mile from our house, blowing away fences, damaging roofs, and leaving a ton of debris in its wake.

My wife poked her head in where I was sitting and said, “I just got a text about a tornado in our neighborhood.” We opened the blinds and looked out the front window. Not one tree branch in our yard. Plenty of rain in the swale, though. We both breathed a sign of relief.

This is not the first tornado I’ve slept through. Ten years ago, another touched down about a mile away, damaging many more homes.

I don’t always sleep through the night, but the sounds of rain and wind can be so soothing and relaxing that I’ll miss all the excitement. That is, unless tree branches torn loose by storm winds are hitting my roof. Then I lie awake wondering what in the world is going on out there. I also wonder how much I’m going to have to clean up the next day.

While we know a hurricane is headed our way a week in advance, tornadoes drop in unexpectedly. One minute you’re sound asleep. The next, your roof is gone or there’s a tree in your bedroom. You don’t know when it’s going to hit.

Around lunch time, I took my dog for a walk and we headed in that direction to see what there was to see. The closer we got, the more debris we saw in yards. We saw the remains of fences. And we saw a whole bunch of traffic trying to drive through the affected neighborhood, so we walked back the way we came.

I read somewhere that “sometimes the most faithful thing you can do is crawl into bed, close your eyes, and sleep.” There’s not much I can do about the storm. I guess I’ll just have to trust the one who can.

Posted in dogs, Life, Stories

A double-dog dare

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Image by Yama Zsuzsanna Márkus from Pixabay

The sun was just peeking over the trees to the east as my dog and I walked along Bassett Lane. It’s quiet, earlier than most people leave for work or school. As we pass one of the most rundown houses in the neighborhood, two German shepherds come bounding down the street towards us.

The little guy on my leash is twenty pounds of curiosity and energy, ready to make friends with any person or beast. But I’m not so sure about these two, both about a hundred pounds. I’m rarely frightened by dogs, big or small, but this morning, I was worried.

I stopped to face them as Winston, my Westie, automatically sat. His tail wagged furiously as he anticipated meeting new buddies. I stood my ground and yelled, “Hey!” making the two shepherds pause. They only stopped for a moment before continuing their approach.

I figured they were in front of their house, so I repeated, “Hey!” and added, “Go home!” One of the shepherds turned and loped back towards the house. The other kept moving towards us.

I tried a different strategy. I commanded, “Sit!” And he (she?) sat. Relieved, I added, “Stay!” as we added a few steps of distance between us. I thought I was in the clear, but the dog got up and began to follow us down the street. If I stood still, he paused. If I began to walk, he wanted to come along.

This could take a while. Suddenly, I heard another voice saying, “Go home!” I had an ally, another dog walker thirty yards behind. Once the odds were on our side, the German shepherd trotted off towards the house. The other guy added, to no one in particular, “Keep your d*** dog on a leash!”

I waved as we turned to head home. I’ve never seen those two dogs again. But inside I’ll be at Defcon 5 whenever we’re walking on Bassett Lane.

Posted in Life

Be in the picture

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash

Last night I went to my grandson’s baseball game at which another spectator captured most of the game on her phone. There were very few minutes when she wasn’t taking a picture or video of a player on the field.

I’ve begun intentionally limiting the number of pictures and videos I take with my iPhone. I realized that when I’m focused on a screen, I am missing the moment. When you’re focused on the tech, you’re missing out on the experience.

I’ve pondered this before in “Seeing with our eyes.” While my phone was in my pocket, here are a few things I observed at the game last night:

  • The gorgeous colors of an October sunset off in the distance. It’s only visible for a moment, and then it’s gone.
  • The catcher was busy making tiny sandcastles in the dirt behind home plate, not all that interested in the game. It’s a good thing he was well-padded, since most of the pitches from the machine hit him right in the chest protector and mask.
  • The other players on the team have really improved their hitting and fielding skills. The games become much more exciting as they move through the season.
  • An assortment of cute babies and toddlers come along to watch older siblings play the game. They are fun to watch as they eat snacks, climb fences, run around, and eat more snacks.
  • I saw a couple of herons soaring far overhead, making their way from one pond to the next. They fly in a perfectly straight line.
  • A number of people around me in the bleachers weren’t watching the game at all. They were shopping on their phones. I understand. After all, the holidays are approaching and the best deals don’t last long.

There’s a balance. Of course you want to take a few photos. Capture the moment. But be in the moment, too. Be in the picture. Experience the performance and the people. Listen and laugh. Enjoy.