What I Miss about West Texas

I grew up in the South Plains, went to college in the Big Country, and started my career in the Panhandle.  I spent over half my life in the Western portion of the state of Texas and I have many fond memories of my life there.  Growing up there had a major influence on my life.  Although I love living in McKinney and love the job I have, there are many things that I miss about West Texas.  In no particular order, this blog post will highlight the top 4 things I miss about West Texas.

 Texas Tech Football

Growing up about 15 miles outside of Lubbock, my dad took me to many Texas Tech football and basketball games as a kid.  Every male in my family loved Texas Tech Football and the Dallas Cowboys.  I really enjoyed watching the games in person and can remember a time when you could get $5 tickets and sit in the grass on the North end zone. 

Family trip to the 2009 Cotton Bowl

When it came time for me to choose a college, I decided fifteen miles from home was a little too close to home.  I ultimately chose McMurry University in Abilene which seemed like a great distance away at the time.  It took me about two and half hours to drive from Lorenzo to Abilene, which seemed like the perfect distance to me.  Far enough for me to get away and gain some experiences on my own but close enough where I could drive home when I wanted to.  Even while going to college at McMurry, I always made it back to Lubbock for at least a game or two each season.

My brother and I at the Cotton Bowl

As a life-long Tech fan, I am excited about the Kliff Kingsbury era.  I always enjoyed watching the Tech games when both Spike Dykes and Mike Leach were at the helm, but I quit going to games during the Tommy Tuberville era and have not attended a game since 2010.  I still watched all the games I could on TV, I just refused to buy a ticket that went towards Tuberville's salary.  Although it was probably time for Leach to go, I did not enjoy the product Tuberville put on the field.   That being said, I am looking forward to the 2013 season.

West Texas Restaurants

The say that distance makes the heart grow fonder.  This couldn’t be more true when it comes to my favorite eats in the region.  Any time that my wife and kids go home to visit my mom and grandmother, we always make sure we eat at Taco Villa.  Not only do we eat there, but we have been known to take burritos home with us and freeze them to eat later.  It is fast food at its finest.  What other Mexican fast food chain can you get both taco burgers and curly fries?  We used to really enjoy eating at Rosa’s Cantina too, but a couple of years ago one opened up in Frisco just two miles from my house.  We couldn't have been more excited.  Now if we could just get a Taco Villa in McKinney.  Other restaurants I really miss in the region are listed as follows:

Lubbock area -Taco Villa, Gardski’s, Cagle Steaks, Dimba’s Chicken and Seafood, and One Guy from Italy

A high quality meal at Taco Villa.  Tacos, Taco Burger, Burrito, and Mexi-curls

Abilene area- Perini Ranch Steakhouse (located in Buffalo Gap), Alfredo’s, Harold’s BBQ (recently closed down, but made one final trip there the month before it closed).

My wife and I took one last trip to Harold's before they closed the doors for good

Amarillo area- Coyote Bluff Cafe, Taco’s Garcia, and Feldman’s Wrong Way Diner (located in Canyon).

Coyote Bluff has fantastic burgers and fries

Hunting the Region

Growing up on a farm, I had plenty of opportunity to hunt as a kid.  I started out hunting pigeons with a pellet gun and later moved on to hunting the dangerous prairie dogs and jack rabbits.  As I got older, I was able to hunt dove, quail, and pheasant with my dad and maternal grandfather.  Later still, I was able to be included on a deer lease with my dad and grandfather.  As I mentioned in a previous post, there are few memories that are more enjoyable than those spent outdoors with my family.

My first whitetail buck that I killed in Dickens County

The ranch land of the area has some of the best deer hunting in the state.  Many counties in the region offer hunting for both Whitetail and Mule Deer.  Although Whitetails are much more numerous, I actually enjoy hunting Mule Deer better.  Even the farmland of the region offers a wide variety of wing shooting, including dove, quail, and pheasant.  The current drought and predators have taken their toll on quail and pheasant, but they are still there if you know where to look.  I am not especially fond of eating duck or geese, but there are plenty of opportunities to hunt them as well.  Many playa lakes dot the area, which means it could also be a paradise for waterfowl hunting if you know the right people and have access to the right water or fields.  Ducks, geese, and Sandhill cranes (ribeye in the sky) are abundant in the region.

My 151 inch Mule Deer buck I killed in Randall County

The People

In my opinion, you will not find better people than West Texans.   I still have a lot of friends and family in the region and we don’t get to see them near as often as we would like.  Now that I have children, we tend to focus on them more during our trips, which doesn’t leave much time for us to visit with old friends.  I especially enjoy my visits to my hometown when we visit my mother and grandmother.  Most everyone in West Texas always seems willing to lift a hand and help their neighbor when needed.  Although we have made some great friends here in the Metromess, the people as a whole are much friendlier in West Texas.

My oldest daughter on the Polar Express with my mom

My grandmother holding my youngest daughter