Left Luckenbach and sauntered to San Angelo, the most western point on our trip. We never would have experienced Luckenbach if we had not made a committment to have a coffee with Bill Nance in San Angelo, Bill was an exchange aircrew US Navy type back in the seventies and eighties at Greenwood and Summerside, twenty-six years in the USN and retired in San Angelo!
Paul had never met Bill while he served in Canada but had e-mailed him through a contact group that all Maritime Air Patrol personnel have created. Bill met us at an air force campground on a lake and sponsered our stay for a few days. We had more than that coffee, the Budweiser and bullshit between Paul and Bill was great, they knew many people in common, even though Paul had never flown in Argus, many of his old navy friends from Shearwater had gone on to Argus and Aurora"s. Trish got a word in edgewise sometimes, because her father and ex-husband were navy, her father was a shitter-fitter, she would also mention her two sons in the army and air force, we would remind her ,this was a navy reunion! After a few beers it was off to the Panhandle BBQ, we told Bill we would eat whatever he ordered for us, large pork ribs, various saugages, beef chips, onion rigs with ranch dressing ,potatoe salad with mustard, we stuffed ourselves! Then back to the campgound for a nightcap and Carolans! Bill turned out to be a really nice guy, so nice that when he left the park the first night, instead of disturbing us for the code,as we crawled into bed, he went and woke up the host campground family to let him out the gate!
Bill was back the next morning, he and Paul could trade stories forever if given the chance!
We just chilled out in this beautiful place,all on a lake, tomorrow the plan is to rise early, leave before breakfast and drive East, towards home, we hope to watch the sun rise over the Republic of Texas hill country!