Farmer Pa.

"I think having land and not ruining it is the most beautiful art that anybody could ever want to own."
                                                                                              -Andy Warhol

When we were on our break, we visited my dad's land out in east Texas.  It's near the historic marker for Muddig, which I have attempted to do some quick internet research on and wasn't able to find much.  All I could find was a flickr member's description that includes, "This road is gravel now, but the thick sticky blackland mud roads out here can stop an average driver in a 4 wheel drive vehicle in less than a hundred yards. If you can drive a two wheel drive vehicle down one of these roads when it's muddy, you are one hell of a driver."  My dad does this on the black, sticky mud - at about 40 mph.

One morning I woke up early and took some photos while Graham slept in.  It was an absolutely beautiful morning and fell in love with the property.  He has 40 acres and is attempting to encourage the regrowth of Texas Native Grasses.  They typically hold on to a continued existence by surviving along the fences that separate the lands into farming plots.  My dad has cleared out a lot of the brush and crowded trees to provide space.  He mows once a year - in every August - to provide the grasses with their best growth chances during the fall months.

There are a couple of ponds, one that was there and one that has been added, and a little A-frame cabin that my dad has put extensive work into.  He has taken it from an almost bare (and what was there was often rotten) cabin to a fully livable (or almost) home.  He has raised the whole thing approx. 10 ft, added a bathroom (with a fully working toilet and soon shower), and currently is adding a kitchen sink.  The whole thing is heated by a wood burning stove and kept cool by opening the windows, which isn't technically that cool in the Texas heat. 

I will admit that the cabin and land was a sore subject with me for a while; however, I can see how happy it makes my dad.  After my experiences (and my alterations in priorities), I can understand why.  It's nice to be able to have a place that you call yours that isn't surrounded by everybody else's zooming around.  I'm proud of my dad's land and the solitude and happiness provided to him.