Small Town Wonders

I had to take a short business trip today; short by Texas standards that is. I drove to Bay City, Texas, a small town about 100 miles southwest of Houston and not too far from the Gulf coast. I really enjoy driving these back roads and taking in the sights and sounds of communities far from Houston with its traffic and noise. Bay City was nice enough with its refurbished downtown area surrounding the '50s style block granite county courthouse. The people were friendly and the pace was so laid back. But it was on my return trip home that the real taste of Texas began. Thirtysomething miles from Bay City is the town of Wharton. Like so many other communities outside of Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin, Wharton is a grassroots piece of Texan culture with strong moral values and a simpler, homespun lifestyle. I stopped at McDonald's to treat myself to the first Quarter Pounder with cheese that I've had in years. The burger was good, the fries were great and the decor as perfect. The golden arched walls of this American icon were covered with finely drawn black and white caricatures of town celebrities. There was a wall of fame for special employees of this particular McDonald's location. There were drawings of city councilmen and other political figures. There was even one of Officer Steve, the D.A.R.E. coordinator for Wharton. But, the best were drawings of staff members from Dawson Elementary School. The founders of this part of Texas were of German and Polish descent, so the names still reflect that bit of history. There was a caricature of Mrs. Fucik with a cartoon-style voice bubble above her head that read, "It's foo-check you smart aleck!" There was the drawing of 5th grade math teacher, Pat Kovar that read, "commence cipherin' ", and Liz Chilek's drawing with, "There's no crying in the 4th grade!" written below. Ms. Jubenak and Ms. Konvick's caricatures had drawings of young boys with glazed eyes and hearts floating above their heads. But the best cartoon image was of assistant principal, Ms. Kallina with the boldly written heading, "Fear This Office!" From Wharton I passed through mattress central: Sealy, Texas. Really. That Sealy . . . the Sealy Mattress Company. Just beyond there is where if found a folk art commemoration to the long forgotten prehistoric creature, Tywheelosaurus. Tywheelosaurus was a massive predator of the NASCARassic era with a skeletal structure made entirely of tire wheels. In a pasture filled with grazing cattle, this imposing sculpture was mounted atop a full size tractor trailer along I-10 for lovers of bizarre stuff to stop and see. I stopped, I saw, and I delighted in another great day on the Lone Star backroads.