a man of steel, hoss and jackie too

That's a house.  Really.  Robert Bruno's been building it since 1973 on the rim of Ransom Canyon a few miles outside outside Lubbock.  He's got a degree in sculpture, but no experience at construction.  So he's taught himself, and learned to solve the kinds of problems that occur when you're making something no one's ever seen before.

Is it a bird, plane. cow or something futuristic?  Not really.  Just something he felt compelled to do.   And the house has shifted in form constantly, he says, with beams getting moved, windows reshaped, curves flattened and so on, as he feels the urge.  But this year, something dramatic did happen to Robert.  He moved in.  Only to find that the only real difference is that instead of leaving at midnight or so, he stays!

We left long before midnight, to pay more homage to an icon of our youth whose Texas roots ran deep--Dan Blocker.  We'd seen Hoss' grave in DeKalb, but O'Donnell claims him as their own because he basically grew up there.  A nice Hoss head in a small park, and a museum with a pair of the lad's pants (from age 11) tell you this is the kind of place where a Bonanaza lunchbox like the one Don brought along would be admired.  It was, and Don (whose birthday is the same as Dan's) even offered his as a backup should calamity ever claim the museum's.

Lamesas is just a little further down Highway 87, and home to another notable piece of the past--a Uniroyal Gal aka a Muffler Jackie.  This one's been transformed into a cheerleader for the hometown Golden Tornadoes.  Her footwear's wildly inappropriate for sideline activity, and maybe it's just Texas, but her uh, balcony seemed bigger than other Jackies we've seen before. 

Last stop o' the day was Snyder, a town where a Gold Delorean once graced the bank lobby.  It's gone, but a house on the edge of town has Mr. Peanut, a Champion Spark Plug, a coffee pot, hammer and other random sculptures sprinkled around the yard.  I managed to leave my Starbucks travel mug at the gas station, but otherwise escaped Snyder safely.

Music In the Van * Addendum from Yesterday -- Tree Frog "Live At Liberty Hall" James McMurtry "Live In Aught Three"  (we heard Levelland right as we passsed by the town)

Today--"Dixie Chicks "Home", Mark O'Connor "Heroes", Wilco "Sky Blue Sky"

routinely, he says, rusting and reacting with the elements.