West Texas Oasis

Last weekend we took the boys to visit my parents in Small Town USA.  What, pray-tell, is there to do in a small west Texas town?  I’m here to tell you…you play with the garden hose.

My parents have a well that waters their yard.  It’s a good thing too because they have quite a yard.

We did more than just play with the hose but quite a bit of time was spent getting wet.

No, the house is not on fire.  That is a mister system (thank goodness for that well.  Can you imagine the water bill without it?  Yikes).  You can’t be outside and not have the mister on.  It’s West Texas, during a heat wave, that has lasted for…ever.

Harry wasn’t really having anything to do with the slip-n-slide.  He was more into lounging in the wagon, being pulled around like he was some sort of king.  King Harry.

When you’re that dang cute I guess we have no choice but to pull you all over creation in your covered wagon.

Thomas hasn’t seen the light of day in a few years.  He was dusted off and after a quick battery charge he was chug, chug, chugging along.

Popcicles play a key role at Nana’s house.  I think this is what they had for breakfast one morning.

A few months ago my mom told me about the water park that their little town was building.  In my mind’s eye I pictured a small ‘splash pad’ similar to what Norman has.  Water fountains in a playground type setting.  Boy was I wrong.  The “Aquatic Center” opened just after Memorial Day and it is a seriously fun time.  Three large water slides, no-so-lazy river, play structure, diving pool…I was impressed.

They have one of those “toilet bowl” slides that I talked about in our Staycation.  Addison wouldn’t ride it but I sure as heck did.  Unlike the staycation toilet bowl slide where you were wisked down another tube at the bottom this one dropped out into a 8 foot pool.  It was a little disorienting after swirling around and around, arms and legs flailing, to be plunged into a whirlpool and try to find your bearings enough to swim to the steps.  As I was making my way out I couldn’t help but breathlessly exclaim “oh man.”  The 9 year old kid in front of me looked up and said, “first time huh?”

I forgot to bring my swim suit but thankfully my mom keeps everything.  She pulled out two retro swim suits that she wore in the 80’s.  Wicked.

There is more to do in this one-horse town than their giant, brand-spanking-new water park.  On Saturday we went to the local lunch counter for 99-cent hamburgers. (You can only get them for 99 cents on Saturday.  The rest of the week they are the regular price of $2.50)

Not many places will you find a breakfast/lunch counter at the back of a drug store.  This is the type of place where you find little old ladies with poofy, blue-grey hair and old men in coveralls next to a crowd of teenagers scarfing ’em down on their lunch hour.  Random factoid: one summer in high school I worked waiting tables at this very spot.

Later that evening we went to the owner’s house to feed the fish in his koi pond.

Some may say there isn’t anything to do in a small town.  To that I say you’re not using your imagination, especially if you know someone who waters their lawn with a well.