Visit with Edgar in Brownfield, Texas
May 18-22, 2007
 | On May 18 Brenda and Rod flew to Fort Worth and rented a car to drive to Brownfield, Texas where Edgar lives, as well as his daughter Janet. At left we are leaving the hazy skies of Atlanta on an early flight.
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Click on the small images for different parts of the Carlsbad trip.
 | Edgar had consistently joked with us that there was nothing to see around Brownfield, but we found the open country very refreshing. We were fortunate to be going in the springtime, which is the greenest time, and there had been more rain than usual. So instead of the dry desert country that we expected, this part of west Texas was very lush looking and very pleasant. The view above is on the road westward from Post toward Brownfield. Both the yellow and the red wildflowers are apparently common native plants. |
| In the area south of Post, where this picture was taken, and also around Brownfield, the slowly reciprocating oil pumps were a common sight. They were often sited in vast plowed fields waiting for spring planting. |  |
 | Reaching Brownfield, we found Edgar at 1012 E. Harris Street in the south part of town, the home of his friend and dancing partner, Phyllis Harbison. At 78 and 84, they must make quite a pair on the dance floor.
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| We felt fortunate to be in Texas in the spring when the wildflowers were in bloom. Above left is a tiny violet flower about a half inch across that was down in the grass. Above right is the most common flower, turning whole fields a bright yellow. The purple flower at right had a thin crinkled texture to its bloom. All were abundant in the vacant lots adjacent to Phyllis' house. |  |
We drove out a few miles east of Brownfield to visit with Phyllis' daughter and her family in the agricultural land. We saw the big irrigation rigs that make a big irrigated circle and the tractors with multirow planters ready to put out cotton or peanuts, the main crops of the area. Phyllis' son-in-law works with an oil company. He told us they had wells from 3000 to 23000 feet, the deeper ones being natural gas wells.
 | Across from Phyllis' house was a seasonal pond with a walking track around it. Around it was vacant land where I found a lot of wildflowers. Note that S. Elm Street is a dirt street a this point. |
 |  At left is the flower of the tumbleweed plant. The plant was spindly and green, but dries up and makes a ball late in the season. Breaking loose from its stem, it rolls around the open fields. Edgar mentioned seeing piles of them stacked up against fences. They blow into the yard, but they try to remove them to keep them out of the lawn. The flower above had a subtle pink tint - it was close to the pond. |
 |  Both of these flower species were abundant. We saw whole fields of them. |
 | Janet's house is on North Elm street - same street as Phyllis except on the other end of town. Janet was sick for the first part of our visit, but we got to visit with her at her office on Monday before we left. |
 | At the north end of town we got a close look at one of the big irrigation rigs that make a circle and produce the pattern of growth shown on the satellite picture at left. The view above at planting time might be the origin of the town's name.  |
On Sunday morning we took off for Carlsbad Caverns. This is typical of the country as we entered New Mexico, more range land than agricultural land. Windmills, barbed wire fences, electric lines crisscrossing the open areas to power oil pumps.  |  |
 | I was looking for views to characterize the country in New Mexico west of Hobbs. The open range was pleasantly green at this time. The railroad paralleled the highway. |
I continued to marvel at the greenness and variety in what I thought would be a desert area. There were a variety of flowering plants.  |  |
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Index
2007 |
