Western Artists In Corsicana, Texas

January 31, 2011

Back from a long weekend in Corsicana, Texas. Attended the tenth anniversary of the Western Artists of America Art Show in the Pearce Museum at the Navarro Community College. I was the Master of Ceremonies at the awards banquet on Saturday night and we had a grand time. Met a bunch of great artists and enjoyed some very fine artwork.

Also, learned some Texican slang. A retired policeman from Houston, Tim Vanya, was telling me about herding cattle near College Station, Texas when his horse "Indian," hit a bog in the center of a stream and "yard darted" him into a river bank and broke his collarbone. Excuse me, I said, it sounded like you said the horse "yard darted" you? And he laughed and said, "Yessirree, that hoss yard darted me right into that river bank." Never heard that one before. But the funniest part was when he told me he rolled over, saw his hat floating away and said, "Doc, git my hat."

Priorities. Get my hat, then we'll deal with this broken bone. Ha.

Learned some other tidbits about Texas: they have no Indian casinos because they have no Indian reservations because they killed 'em all. Ha. Pus they have no state income tax and they pronounce Navarro as Nav-er-ough, instead of Na-VAR-oh. One old boy told me, up in Dallas they pronounce it as Never-ough. Gotta love those Texans and the colorful English they seem to occasionally speak.

Got home yesterday afternoon. Got up this morning and finished a scene of Mickey Free crossing an ancient sea bed. Call this one Dry Lake Rider:

"It's the 'might-as-wells' that kill ya'."

—Oliver Albrittan, president of the Navarro College Foundation describing the expanding cost projections that come from the tendency to say, "Well, since we are building this, we might as well. . ."