Where the quiet coloured end of evening smiles....

 7 inch by 7 inch

 'plein air' watercolor

  Langford store

 Hotsprings, Tx.

Today it is considered a ruin...

a building that has fallen into decay.

It once had a low tin roof, plastered interior walls, and casement windows.

  It sits on the river in the

Texas Big Bend National Park.

You can't go inside now,

but through the wire of this main bulding and the back buildings,

you can still see the murals on the wall.

The store was also a post office, in it's first days.

The building was made of native flagstone, typical of the area.

A few cacti and native grasses are in front,

along with a large palm.

Large round river stones used to be at the main entrance.

Excerpt from the book

Lizards on the Mantle, Burros at the Door

by Etta Koch....

The stock ranged from Baby Percy cough syrup to sardines, from cones (pilones)

of raw brown sugar to bandana handkerchiefs.  There were huge jars of candies (dulces) and chewing gum (chicles)., stacks of shoestrings and socks, tins of tobacco and baking powder, sacks of flour and cornmeal, and of course a goodly supply of pinto beans which Maggy sold for eight cents a pound or 'three pounds for a quarter' in spite of customer objection.  There was also a fair assortment of handmade articles the Mexicans brought in for trade: braided leather quirts, ropes and morrales (nosebags) woven of twisted agave fiber. 

There are actually hot springs about 1/2 mile down the river from the store.

I didn't get a photo of that

as many people were enjoying the 'healing' 105 degree water

in the old 20 foot square rock 'tub',

all that remains of the old bathhouse.

We will enjoy it another day.

Gene and I had lunch under a very large stand of about 8 palms,

down the river, in front of the old store.

We both enjoyed sitting under their spreading fronds

which gave us much welcomed shade.

Where the quiet-coloured end of evening smiles...

Those are the words that came to mind while I was having our picnic.

I just love that line!

It is the first line in the poem

Love Among the Ruins

by Robert Browning.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne