It's a little early this year. The heat, that is. My car thermometer has read 100 degrees several times during the afternoon commute home. I fear we are in for one hot August. You will never hear me complain about the spring rains, because I have 50+ years experience with August in Texas.
But--despite the heat--you have to appreciate the wonderful blue Texas skies in weather like this. I feel a real satisfaction driving through the countryside with those azure skies and puffy white clouds as far as you can see. I am a Texan and the heat and the blue skies are a part of me I wouldn't give up.
Now for Cemetery Update 2. I made a quick trip out to the Oak Hill Cemetery near McDade on Saturday to pick up a newly updated burial listing from the cemetery association. They were having their annual picnic and business meeting and folks were busy visiting and setting up the food tables. Unfortunately I was not able to stay for the meal, but I did stay long enough to check out the improvements they've made to the cemetery since last year. The primary accomplishment for the year was removing the fencing that has long separated the "white" and "black" sections and clearing the black section for the first time since I've been going out there. I had no idea how many more graves were there until now.
Oak Hill is one of my favorite examples of a scraped grave cemetery, where all the graves are mounded dirt and the only plants are trees and bushes. No grass to be mowed, which makes maintenance much easier. Not to mention that the snakes are easier to spot.
With the work done to incorporate the long neglected graves into the main cemetery, and it had to have been a lot of work, the cemetery has almost doubled in area.
The community of Oak Hill died when the government confiscated the land for the creation of Camp Swift in WWII. The descendants of those who lived there are still around and they have done a great job taking care of their ancestors who rest here.
But--despite the heat--you have to appreciate the wonderful blue Texas skies in weather like this. I feel a real satisfaction driving through the countryside with those azure skies and puffy white clouds as far as you can see. I am a Texan and the heat and the blue skies are a part of me I wouldn't give up.
Now for Cemetery Update 2. I made a quick trip out to the Oak Hill Cemetery near McDade on Saturday to pick up a newly updated burial listing from the cemetery association. They were having their annual picnic and business meeting and folks were busy visiting and setting up the food tables. Unfortunately I was not able to stay for the meal, but I did stay long enough to check out the improvements they've made to the cemetery since last year. The primary accomplishment for the year was removing the fencing that has long separated the "white" and "black" sections and clearing the black section for the first time since I've been going out there. I had no idea how many more graves were there until now.
Oak Hill is one of my favorite examples of a scraped grave cemetery, where all the graves are mounded dirt and the only plants are trees and bushes. No grass to be mowed, which makes maintenance much easier. Not to mention that the snakes are easier to spot.
With the work done to incorporate the long neglected graves into the main cemetery, and it had to have been a lot of work, the cemetery has almost doubled in area.
The community of Oak Hill died when the government confiscated the land for the creation of Camp Swift in WWII. The descendants of those who lived there are still around and they have done a great job taking care of their ancestors who rest here.
Our own Uncle "Mac", Hezekiah Madison Mobley, and his wife Sarah and several of their children and grandchildren are buried at Oak Hill. We also have many Dunkin relatives at rest here. True Texas pioneers, they came to Bastrop County in the 1870s to leave behind the losses they suffered in Georgia during the Civil War. Thanks to Uncle Mac and his brother, my gg-grandfather Joseph, I am privileged to live in Texas. And it is a privilege. Even in August.
LSW
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