Hardwired
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Reminiscing, Sharing
Lighthouse Trail at Palo Duro Canyon
As 2025 comes to a close, I’m sitting at my computer and reminiscing about the year. My mind wanders from one memory to another, settles on a collage of thoughts, and quickly jumps from Vicki Wilmarth’s blog to Nancy L. Whitlock’s website. The common thread between the two is Texas and New Mexico.
Vicki
I stumbled upon Vicki’s blog while doing research for my post on Palo Duro Canyon. There was a certain magic with my first visit to the state park, and I wanted to dive deeper into the subject as well as explore the wildlife in the area. There wasn’t much time to do so during our two-day, overnight stop. That’s when I came across Vicki’s website and immediately subscribed. I’ve been a fan for three years and her blog posts never disappoint. I’m hooked. https://www.texaspanhandlebirdnerd.com
Nancy
I first met Nancy in Taos, NM, many years ago. She later moved to Alpine, TX, and continued her career as an artist. Not only do I admire her art, but I love what inspires her to paint: Big Bend National Park, the Rio Grande River, and the flora and fauna of the region. I’m sure you’ll be as captivated as I am. While you’re on her website, https://nancywhitlockart.com/don’t miss her great video—Chihuahuan Desert Walks.
Talking Animals Books
From blog posts, my thoughts skipped to a recent lunch engagement in Historic Downtown Grapevine. The Original Texas Bowl of Red was, as always, delicious at Tolbert’s Restaurant and Chili Parlor. After lunch we made the short jaunt from Tolbert’s to Talking Animals Books, a small community bookstore co-owned by Valerie Walizadeh and Katy Lemieux, and the first and only independent bookstore in Grapevine. And there’s great news. They now have two locations: 103 W. Worth Street and 909 S. Main Street. If you’re visiting the DFW Metroplex, do check them out. If not in person, then take a virtual tour. https://www.talkinganimalsbooks.com/
Not only do I love bookstores, but Talking Animals Books has a Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker connection. The bookstore’s Worth Street location is in the back of the building that, from 1918 until 1933, housed the Grapevine Home Bank. Although the notorious couple did not personally rob the Grapevine Home Bank in 1932, two members of their gang did. To read more about the famous duo click on this link to one of my earlier blog posts. https://patkrapf.com/?s=bonnie+and+clyde
Christmas Capital of Texas
On a final note, what better time to visit Grapevine, The Christmas Capital of Texas, than December? You can’t visit? Then follow this link and enjoy. https://dallas.culturemap.com/news/entertainment/grapevine-christmas-events/
The Goat Whisperer
Photo taken by the owner.
The title is tongue in cheek, because by no means do I consider myself a goat whisperer anymore than I consider myself Cesar Millan, the dog whisperer. The closest I’ve ever come to owning a goat was through my youngest brother, who raised one as a pet. The goat used to stand upright on his hind legs and box with my brother. I have a healthy respect for wild animals and quite a few domestic ones as well, especially if they’re not my own.
In late August, in the muggy Texas heat, a neighbor spotted a goat roaming our neighborhood. The hardy, domesticated creature was healthy and appeared to be well-fed, and some speculated, pregnant. She was white and brown and had backward curved horns.
Through word of mouth the news soon spread that someone had been cruising our neighborhood inquiring about a goat, and the owner had also posted on Nextdoor to be on the outlook for the renegade ruminant. I checked Nextdoor to get an idea of where the goat had been spotted and learned there had been several sightings near our home.
The following morning I saw the goat, and as the owner had stated, she was indeed a runner for she took off at breakneck speed as soon as she caught sight of our dog. Thankfully, a tall fence separated the two.
The next day, I spotted her again. This time she held her ground when she saw me, but the minute I started to dial the owner, she disappeared down the road and into some brush.
The sightings continued but no one could sequester her until days later when a contractor working at our house texted us. “Hey, when did you start raising goats?”
His question spurred us into action. It was easy to confirm our contractor’s report. She was planted in front of his truck staring at it as though a strange animal was blocking her path.
I immediately closed our gates, trapping her on the property, and called the owner. He showed up within minutes, hauling an animal trailer. And he brought reinforcements: a herding dog and a sturdy, plastic lasso. This I had to see.
True to form, the frisky goat bolted but soon discovered she couldn’t escape the yard. However, that didn’t deter her. She evaded the owner at every chance until three of his friends pulled up at our house.
Between the herding dog, the owner, and his three helpers, the goat was finally corralled in a corner of the yard and lassoed. Surprisingly, she didn’t fight the noose, but walked willingly, although at a snail’s pace, to the parked animal trailer. Once she was safely onboard, the owner and his friends thanked us profusely for “rescuing” the feisty ruminant, and she was soon on her way home.
Gardenia Transplanted
Next on my must read list is Gardenia Transplanted by Faye Christopher Fuller and Dwain Gordon Fuller. I first met Dr. Dwain Fuller, a Dallas retinal surgeon, when I worked for CooperVision Surgical Inc. an ophthalmic company in Irvine, California. At the time, I was Product Manager for the vitreoretinal product line. Over the years, while working in the eye care field, I crossed paths with Dr. Fuller on many occasions.
In 2020, I was sad to learn of his retirement from Texas Retina Associates where he had been an integral part of the practice since 1977. His medical career had spanned 58 years with 50 of those in ophthalmology. When I asked him what his retirement plans were, our conversation led to a mutual interest: writing.
Dr. Fuller was a creative writer in college, and he planned to resuscitate a novel his mother, Faye C. Fuller, had labored over for a long time without finding a publisher. The setting – the Texas Panhandle in the late 1800s and early 1900s – immediately grabbed my attention, for I had fallen in love with my adopted state after relocating from California to Texas.
Synopsis: “Gardenia Transplanted is a carefully researched historical novel that tells the compelling story of an Alabama Southern belle, Lorinda Parker, who falls in love with a handsome young farmer struggling to survive along with his sister, Kate, in the harsh Texas Panhandle in the late 1800s. Both brother and sister have a troubled past that they would rather forget. Kate initially despises her new sister-in-law, whom she considers a parasite, until they’re both confronted with a throat-slashing rapist. Lorinda hates the primitive life on the prairie but is held captive by the love for her husband. She often wonders if God consigns sinners to live in the Panhandle as a foretaste of Hell.
The story records the dramatic evolution of the Texas Panhandle from buffalo slaughter fields to large cattle ranches that slowly morph into huge grain fields, soon to be spotted with oil derricks. The story graphically depicts tornadoes, blinding dust storms, stampedes, deadly prairie fires, a bizarre murder, and raw human emotions. This page-turner is hard to put down as the story speeds along to a shocking conclusion.”
Just the mention of the Texas Panhandle sparked memories of my first road trip from Alabama to Oregon to attend college in Eugene. The route we chose took us through the southern part of the US, where I caught my first glimpse of the Texas Panhandle. Then, we drove through New Mexico and Arizona. These stark terrains spoke to me and I fell in love.
Much later in life, I had the same soul-stirring reaction when I first set eyes on the Caprock Escarpment of Palo Duro Canyon. The experience rekindled fond memories of hiking the Mighty Five in Utah, as well as the red sandstone regions of Arizona and New Mexico, building on my fascination with barren landscapes. In so many ways, these arid but beautiful topographies reminded me of Namibia in southwest Africa where I had lived as a young adult.