For the first time in hundreds of miles, I’ll spend days completely away from the freeway, walking Texas’ Hill Country highways. Today took me 17 miles into Clyde. Two lane country highways are SUCH a refreshing, welcome change from featureless freeways. The people are nicer, traffic is calmer, air breathes cleaner, and I’m blessed with many spaces of silence . Next medium size town: Brownwood, 80 miles (four days) from Abilene.
Texas patriotism everywhere! 
- Today’s horse fix
‘Tis the season for these roadside treasures to be springing up and smiling at me by the thousands…
- Happiness…
Rowden Baptist Church.
I’d hoped to make it on foot to Cross Plains today, but as my muscles were already tired before beginning the day, this unexpected Baptist church beamed like an oasis for a tired pilgrim still hours from his destination. I first settled in for a cozy late afternoon snooze, but 90 minutes later, upon awakening, not only did I know I would NOT be reaching Cross Plains before dark, thunderstorms were also rising up around me. This church seemed to be inviting me in for the night. I found a # for the former pastor, 45 miles away, who told me it should be OK for me to camp here tonight. He said he’d contact other church members, and as I’ve heard nothing back, no news is good news, I figure.
Beloved cousins Mike & Tia, just over 30 miles away in Abilene, checked up on me an hour ago to ensure I had adequate shelter. More T-storms and the potential for tornadoes, Mike told me (they would help me in a heartbeat, even if that meant they had to drive hours to do so). T-storms I’m sheltered enough to handle, even those of yesterday’s magnitude, which almost showered ping pong ball size hail over me in Clyde, TX. Tornadoes are a different beast. I found the sky relatively clear above me and to the east, but dark and imposing to the immediate west. I asked Mike for more info on the twister potential, and he told me they were north of me. They shouldn’t affect me here. I may get 20mph winds tonight, but no tornadoes are expected.
Tonight’s low is supposed to be nearly 67 degrees, a perfect night to spend outside the tent, I’d figured.
Not so fast: I’ve found a variety of spiders crawling up out of this porch’s woodwork, all of them unfamiliar to me, and some looking pretty scary. There are black widows and other poisonous spiders around, in addition to a number of other night critters here, so my tent is now up, and I’ll soon be inside, peaking out through the wide, bug-proof screen.
Signing off, livin’ & lovin’ it… 
