A Puppy, a Pumpkin and Various Weapons

While all around town, college kids have come home for fall break, there has been no sign of our daughter. She chose to travel west during her free time to what was described as a ranch.
I don’t know much about it, but I have seen the pictures. A couple of her roommates, another constant companion or two and a few wild card group members posed well-armed for a photo in front of the, um, ranch house?

I know most of these young people and they don’t need high-end lodging to have a good time. They are perfectly comfortable to, as my daughter puts it “just love each other and play.” I guess the availability of various weapons helped. I’m kind of afraid to ask questions after seeing the arsenal at their disposal. A slingshot is scary enough, particularly at close range.


If that didn’t have enough destructive potential, there was always archery.

And, of course, what would a days-long symposium on weaponry be without an opportunity to brandish a shotgun? I can’t say I’m comfortable with all this. I’m just glad it’s coming to light for me after the fact. Of all the things that remain unclear and unsettling, the central question remains: what was she shooting at? Also, did she get a proper and thorough safety briefing? Did she wear hearing protection? Is everybody okay? There was some four-wheelin’, too, from what I can tell. And based on what I’ve seen, this involved mud ridin’. I guess there might have been a hootenanny down at the barn, but who knows?

Knowing this crew, there was an abundance of tomfoolery to go along with tree climbing.



And the tire swinging.



Also involved in the shenanigans, somehow, were a puppy and a pumpkin.

I guess it was a healthy escape, a good ol’ down and dirty old fashioned good time out on the Texas plains. I can only imagine what the food was like. They probably got some fatback from the chuck wagon. Maybe they rustled up some venison along the way. Or, antelope chili? All that was left of whatever animal it was were the antlers.

And I’m guessing they had to be careful what they consumed on Saturday night, because out there in lawless country, there was just one iron-clad rule, which was conspicuously posted.


The best news, for me at least, is that everybody made it back to school in one piece. And today presumably they showered and shed all the mud and gunpowder residue.
If you can't mess with Texas, it's pretty clear you can manage to make a pretty big mess in Texas if you have all the right tools.

Sphere: Related Content