Parts and Giggles

Last night was a lot of fun, grilling out steaks, sipping diet coke with Jack and friends. Watching the dog chase the two cats around and talking about West Texas life. It was a welcomed distraction from the motorcycle part search.

"How many Texas Techs does it take to catch a minnow?"

We'll get to that answer a bit later...

Mesquite wood on the grill is just a wonderful thing! Adding a few thick steaks on the steel grate to absorb the smokieness makes life worth living, again.

As the clouds moved in from the north west and the skies darkened a little, I was reminded of the first night in this county...alone, in a rain storm. I had no idea on Monday night that I would meet so many wonderful people in this small town in West Texas.

Back to the cookout:
A white extended cab truck with a fiberglass topper on the bed pulls up and three guys step out and proceed to carry their bags of clothes, boxes of test equipment and assorted computer gear into the "Bunk Room". The tailgate will soon serve as a kitchen counter, complete with cook stove, a saucepan and a can of Hormels Chili, simmering until they can't stand it any longer. Each of their doubled-up paper plates holds two hotdogs in buns and the chilli with complete the meal. Two cats are trolling the scene in hopes of a handout. The dog knows his place is near the grill and steaks.

A history lesson:
The longest river in Texas was originally called Rio de los Brazos de Dios. Translated to "The River of the Arms of God".

Now for a few facts:
1) There are two endangered species of tiny fish which swim in the Brazos River.
2) The Brazos River is running dry.
3) Smalleye and Sharpnose minnows must be difficult to catch, since Texas Tech sent three burley men on this mission.

In my youth, I've had great success in catching minnows in Florida. Perhaps, Texas minnows are more elusive.

Maybe Bob and I had too much time on our hands last night and I felt the need to examine the upcoming scene on the Brazos River.

Once the team arrives on the receeding banks of the river and take their planned positions with their assigned gear, the hunt will begin as follows:

Team member #1 has the eyesight of a eagle. His Rayban polarized glasses will block the vertically reflected rays of the sun, allowing him to spot the elusive fish in it's natural habitat.

Team member #2 is known far and wide as the steadiest hand in the West. His bucket-handling skills are superior to most, plus his post-grad dedication to saving a minnow or two is inspiring.

The minnow has been spotted and the bucket is placed directly in the path of the Smalleye, who is swimming his fins off, in search of love and reproduction, upstream.

Enter Team member #3...

This man was once the envy of every cowboy in Throckmorton, Texas for his herding skills during the annual roundup. His keen roping and relentless handsfree whistling has proved, over the years, to lure many-a-minnow into the bucket. The defenseless Smalleye Minnow is forced, against his will to live, into a plastic bucket and soon will be wisked away to the Possum Kingdom Hatchery to live out his final years.

Ok, you would have had to been there....

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