Recently I visited Hico, TX, which isn't far away from my college in Stephenville, TX. Now you're probably asking "A.J, why the heck would you visit a small town like Hico where the main coffee shop was once a gathering place for the KKK?" (not sure about that last bit) Actually I stopped there for a few reasons (or rather my parents and I did), the main reason being this:
Yep, it's a Billy the Kid museum. Now according to legend, The Kid was shot and killed in 1881 while fleeing the law. Well that may be accepted by most people, but certainly not by the good people of Hico. They believe that this guy:
Is actually Billy the Kid. Ollie "Brushy Bill" Roberts is supposedly the Kid, who escaped death and went on to live in secrecy. He lived in Hico for a while and died there as well...he is featured in the Billy the Kid Museum in Hico. You should definitely go check it out if you're a conspiracy theorist, since they actually have quite a bit of decent evidence to promote the fact that Billy lived and the sheriff, in fact, shot the wrong guy. Anyways, moving on. We left the Billy the Kid museum sporting a six-pack of Dublin Dr. Pepper and a shot glass, and proceeded to roam the streets until we found a lovely little antique shop.
When we went in we found the most interesting gadgets...I found a few old rotary-dial phones (and I now want one in my apartment when I get one...), a typewriter (that actually worked well, though a few of the keys were sticky), and a very, VERY old crank-dial phone. It was way cool.
We then stopped at another antique shop which didn't measure up AT ALL to the last shop we visited. However, I did find this:
Yes, the man in the picture is a matador who has just slain the bull he has fought. I don't know who the artist was, but had I had enough money I would have purchased that painting. Something about the man's expression struck me harder than any other painting (ink, watercolor, or otherwise) that I'd seen to that day. Is it exhaustion? Maybe weariness of the same thing over and over again? We may never know...I just hope when I go back to that shop that this picture will still be there.
We also stopped by the Hico Popcorn Shop, which, aside from Wisemanhouse Chocolates, is really an interesting food place in Hico. They make their own popcorn and add some of the strangest flavorings to the popcorn as well...Ranch, garlic parmesan (pretty good, salty!), peppermint, cinnamon, dill pickle, and vanilla just to name a few.
As we stepped back out onto the streets I got a chance to get a few pictures of the old buildings as well, and began to wonder...what was it like?
The opera house has been converted into a furniture shop, but I stood and wondered at this place, as well as the ones in Stephenville and other old places...what was it like in its hayday? Before cars and major roads left it as a tiny dot on the map, a tourist attraction to be known just for its chocolates and history with Billy the Kid. Imagine being a citizen here a hundred or so years ago. You'd get up in the morning and get some "Bright and Early" coffee or tea before heading out to work on the farm or in the local general store...then stop by the opera house for a night of music and fun.
Personally I think it's kind of fun to think about that kind of stuff.
The final thing I had to say about this was a wonderful story about reuniting a baby goat with its mum. As we were driving back to Stephenville, my mum spied a puppy-sized baby goat running about near the highway. She called out for my dad to stop, turn around, and check it out. Sure enough, the baby had worked its way out of the fence surrounding the pasture its mum, dad, and two siblings were in. So after a few failed attempts to get in touch with the owners of the place, my dad, mum, and I were forced to corral the little goat and put it over the fence back into the field. It would occasionally call out to its mom and siblings and, according to my dad, its "entire little body would convulse as it bleated". We finally reunited the family and headed off on our way.
In a way it was kind of sad, since I realized my parents would leave the next day to return home, and just as we reunited their family we ourselves would break and go our separate ways. But I wasn't thinking about it that night. I was wondering to myself...
Did I get goat poop on my shirt?
Good night everyone :)
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