(Disclaimer: Since Erik is finishing up his last day at work and is not here to give his input, I should probably mention that, were he here, I'm positive that Shiner Bock beer would have shown up somewhere on this list.)
Ok, here we go:
10) Horny Toad Lizards - Oh, don't judge me. I needed ten items and these little devils are COOL! I haven't seen one in person since I was, what?, 10 years old and we all know how long ago that was. (Erik's cohorts, insert Shiner Bock beer here)
9) Birds A'Chirping - Look, I know I'm still reaching a bit but, seriously, the birds here are quite lovely. They serenade you everywhere you roam. Everyday I walk the dogs through fields of Meadowlarks and it's like having a live soundtrack playing around you. Chirps and trills and whistles and elaborate songs. I will definitely think fondly of the songbirds here in Clovis. Who knew?!
8) Peavey Grain Elevator - Alright, yes, another strange choice but this mammoth stood towering quietly over us every morning, every evening. With the smell of cooked cereal in the air, we'd watch the sun rise behind it, we'd watch the glorious glow of the setting sun reflect off of it and we watched that incredible full moon sail over it. It was our weather barometer as we watched it disappear in dense fog, be wrapped in a blanket of fresh snow, and glisten like marble in the spring sunshine with a backdrop of turquoise blue behind it. With no mountains to break the flat, brown, dusty horizon, I looked towards Peavey when I just needed a moment of escape. I'm going to miss that hulking mass.
7) Sunshine - With our northern brethren buried under FEET of snow and layers upon layers of dense storm clouds, number 7 can not be taken for granted. I might have had my nose almost freeze off my face, had our motorhome turn into a lump of ice and the freezing wind practically rip the hair out of my head, but while Clovis was dishing out the ass-whoopin', he did it under the smiling guise of sunshine. I'm pretty sure when we show up in Montana with a tan in April, our friends will want to gather around and stare in awe at our golden limbs.
6) Turquoise - Really, need I say more? Anywhere, everywhere is the most beautiful turquoise jewelry you have ever laid your eyes on. I don't know what it is about this stone but these New Mexican artists, old and new, have created an art form that is jaw-droppingly beautiful. Harry Winston, you can keep your diamonds, just load me up with turquoise...ummm, well, wait a sec....if Harry Winston is willing to give me diamonds, who am I to say no? I'm just sayin'...
(**Our friend, Emily Hale, sent us Flat Stanley for her school project and he is modeling the turquoise for me. Yes, I was too lazy to pull it back out to take another picture without him since it's already packed away)
5) Sunrise/Sunset - Erik did a great post on this subject so I will defer to his take on our love affair with the sun rising and setting as I believe he summed it up perfectly.
4) Ned Houk Park - Ned Houk saved our sanity. When I couldn't look at another rusted out junker or piece of blowing trash or smell the smell of piles of cow manure and when the dogs threatened to mutiny if they didn't get to run like maniacs...off we'd go to Ned Houk Park. About 10 miles out of town, it is far enough away to be out on the plains with nothing but the wind, prairie dogs and those singing birds to keep you company. A little slice of heaven on the Llano Estacado.
3) Taqueria Jalisco - C'mon, anyone who knows us also knows food will play a vital part in our top ten lists. Unfortunately, Clovis is not exactly a hotbed of haute cuisine. In fact, finding an edible restaurant option was, shall we say, a crapshoot. And being a vegetarian? Well, let's just say, I was mystified to find that, in a town full of ranchers and farmers, vegetables are persona non grati. Crazy talk, I know! But lucky for us, the lovely family that runs Taqueria Jalisco, welcomed us with open arms and the latest Mexican music bumping over the stereo. Homemade spicy salsa, guacamole made with, wait for it...REAL avocados, fresh pico de gallo, and authentic Mexican dishes, it was our saving grace when we just wanted to get out of the motorhome. And with the kitchen packed up and ready to roll, guess what we're having for dinner tonight?
2) Alice's Farm - My stepmom has a farm a little over an hour away in Littlefield, TX and getting to spend time with Dad and Alice was one of the true highlights of our stay. The home-cooked meals, the football games on the big screen tv, exploring the streets where they both grew up, stretching our legs running in the cotton fields and getting the chance to spend the holidays with them are truly memories that we will cherish forever.
And, our number one pick is......
1) Travelers World Campground - Rob and Donna, the owners of Travelers World, have to be two of the most kind individuals we have ever met. They took us in when the motorhome was broken down in Florida and put us up in one of their mobiles, went out of their way to make sure we had everything we needed to be comfortable until our motorhome arrived and always, always have a kind word and a smile on their faces. The dogs and I have done laps and laps around the property, watching the trains, staring at Peavey and listening to the birds sing. Clovis was rough on us but our spot at Travelers World became our little oasis. Thank you so much, Rob and Donna, for making us feel like family!
Wait! Stop the presses! I actually have one more item to add. Since I don't have time to rework the list, here is our Clovis Honorable Mention:
Trains - Day and night, night and day they rumbled, clanged and whistled by. We fell asleep listening to the cars being disconnected and reattached, we would wake to find a snake of metal curving around Peavey, then hours later it would be gone. On our laps around the campground, we'd watch the engines whizzing by and wonder what they were hauling. Other days, we'd walk out to wander along the tracks with parked cargo containers waiting patiently for their turn to be hooked up and hauled away. We chased them across the plains, we waited patiently at railroad crossings while they chugged through town and we marked our time in Clovis with their coming and going. I think it will be hard to hear a train whistle without thinking back to our time in Clovis. Choo, choo!
