Home Sweet Home

     I don't know about you, but for me there is just something about going home that is comforting. But, the question is, where is home exactly? I've lived in my current home for just about 23 years. I call it home, but something about the place where I was raised has always brought a warm feeling to my heart and it will always be HOME. My childhood memories lie there.

     I was born and raised in Georgetown, Texas. Yes, I am a Texas girl. Although I don't live in Texas anymore, I will always and forever be, a Texas girl. Georgetown is about thirty miles north of Austin. Growing up, it was an eclectic mash of the hippies of Austin and the down home goodness of the cowboys and farmers. It wasn't quite either, but to me, it was that mix that gave it it's perfect charm.
     It was the county seat of Williamson County and the courthouse sat dead center in the town.

     The downtown was filled with old historic building that made up the square around the courthouse with a sign that designated where the Chisholm Trail passed through. During the summer there was a parade that traveled through the square to signify the start of Rodeo week. I don't think they host rodeos anymore but there is still a parade of sorts.

    Of course, Georgetown has changed some since I lived there. When I was growing up in Georgetown, we could ride our bikes everywhere. It definitely had a small town atmosphere. Now days, it is a bustling little city. It has officially become one of the bedroom communities of Austin and is a favorite place to live for the over 55 group. 

     But for all that has changed, there is quite a bit that hasn't. Georgetown is home to San Gabriel Park and Blue Hole. The San Gabriel River cuts a path through Georgetown and provides picturesque scenery but also great swimming and fishing locations.

 I can remember playing underneath the falls and swinging off the rope swing at the park and jumping from the cliffs at Blue Hole. That still happens and now there are trails around the river for the running enthusiast or just to walk your dog.

     If you aren't really into the water sports, there are other things that are fun to do in Georgetown. The Palace Theater used to be where we would go see the latest movie releases. Now it is home to some great off Broadway shows.

Georgetown is also where you will find one of the best Caverns around. Inner Space is a living cavern, it's formations are still growing!

      There is also something they call Second Saturday. On the second Saturday of the month around the square vendors come out... well... to sell their goods. You never know what you will discover at Second Saturday, but trust me there is something there that you have always wanted.  There might even be some live music.

   
     But some of the best memories I have of Georgetown was at Christmas time. Through downtown and some of the main streets, there would be decorations of garland with twinkly lights draped across the road. It was breathtaking. But no words could describe how pretty the downtown was this past Christmas. There is something about old buildings lit up with the twinkly lights that put you in the Christmas mood.

   
                                             This is the place I LOVE to call HOME.

My Dream of Sweden

     Bucket Lists. Just about everyone I've talked to for any length of time has a bucket list. Places they want to go. Things they want to do. I am pretty sure everyone has at least one thing in life they have always wanted to do, but haven't. Mine? I want to visit Sweden.

I have for as long as I can remember. I would like to visit many places outside the U.S. but first and foremost, Sweden. Why you might ask? My grandpa.

It's hard to put into words the effect this wonderful man had on my life.  I can not recall a time I didn't see a smile on his face. I spent my childhood learning about life from him. He was a giver. Any time anyone had a need, he was there for them. No matter what. He was creative. He liked to go to the junkyard and get the old bicycle parts and rebuild bikes and then sell them. I can remember many days helping him put the bikes together. If we weren't doing that, we were building birdhouses. I can still see the front of his house with several birdhouses and bikes in the front ready for someone to purchase. He was never opposed to hard work and always liked being outside tinkering with something. 

He is the reason I want to go to Sweden. His family came from there. He still held the thick Swedish accent and I loved it every time he said my name. As a child I can remember him singing Swedish songs and trying to teach me the language.

So where exactly is Sweden?

It's nestled between Norway and Finland. It is a Unitary Parliamentary Monarch. King Carl XVI Gustaf  has held the throne since 1973. It's capital is Stockholm. I don't know much about Sweden so I looked up some fun facts.

1. The Nobel Prize has been awarded in Stockhom Sweden since 1901

2. The current 3 point seat belt for our cars was invented in Sweden

3. Speaking of inventions, the pacemaker, ultrasound, refrigerator and computer mouse all were invented in Sweden. The Volvo automobile and IKEA furniture are from Sweden.

4. Sweden is the third largest country in the European Union.

5. There are 260000 reindeer in Sweden

6. Soccer is the largest organized sport in Sweden

7. The Swedish company King is behind the game CANDY CRUSH

8. Sweden has one of the highest life expectancy rates in the world with 74 for men and 80 for women.

9. Sweden also has the highest number of McDonalds with 227 per capita in Europe. 

10. The worlds first ice hotel was build in Jukkasjarvi in the 1980s. It has 60 rooms and was built out of 4000 tons of densly packed snow and ice. It rents rooms between December and April. Residents are issued special gear when they stay to withstand the temperatures as low as -8 degrees.

I guess I better bring some warm clothes when I go.

WILD HORSES

     I have always been fascinated by horses. I've never owned one unfortunately, but I have had the opportunity to ride a few and even fallen off of one. I've never been known for my grace, but that is a whole other story. There is nothing quite like riding a horse. One of the items on my bucket list is riding a horse on the beach.

How romantic. What can I say, I write romance novels. But for me riding a horse or just watching them is a thrill. There is just something about them, when they run, that is just breathtaking. Watching the movement of their muscles and the flow of their mane just stirs something within me. I've had the opportunity to see that up close a time or two.

     Since the old wild west is long gone, it is hard to believe there are such things as wild horses. Today there are only about 60,000 free roaming wild horses in the US and Canada. Nevada(Reno area) is home to nearly half the population while places in North Dakota(Theodore Roosevelt National Park), Wyoming, Montana(Pryor Mountain, Bighorn Canyon), Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina have smaller herds.
   
     Sable Island, off the coast of Nova Scotia is the home to several hundred wild horses. It can only be reached by boat or plane and is considered one of the most remote locations of wild horses in North America.

     With the population dwindling, due to urbanization of their land and destruction of their habitat, several of the locations have become protected and many rescues and sanctuaries have been established.

   Where did I have my first encounter with wild mustangs? Oklahoma. The Hughes Ranch to be exact. The 12000 acre ranch, outside of Bartlesville Oklahoma is a refuge to over 2000 wild horses. Since 1988 it has served as part of the Prairie National Wild Horse Refuge. It was even used as the backdrop to the Terrence Malick movie "To the Wonder."

   It was the fall of 2010 just about dusk. We were driving down the back roads of eastern Oklahoma when the car slowed. Off to my left I saw it. A large herd of wild horses cresting a hill, running a full speed. I could almost hear their hooves thunder against the ground. 

If you like to read westerns and have a fondness for horses as I do, you might want to pick up "Tales From Big Country." https://www.talesfrombigcountry.com/

proceeds from the sale of this collection goes to The American Wild Horse Campaign.