Shave and a haircut....two bits!!!

Today we headed out even though it was quite foggy.  We guess correctly that the fog would only be near the ocean and we were heading inland so should run out of it.  A few mile up the road it lifted and we had clear sailing all day.

Our goal for today was a little camp area in the town of Junction Texas.  It is free and it is right by the Llano River.

The major city we travelled through today was San Antonio Texas.  We even looked up the song San Antonio Rose and played it on the bluetooth speaker.  I did catch Sue tapping her toe a couple times.

After stopping briefly at a rest stop on I-10 to dump tanks and refill water we headed into the town of Junction Texas.  On the way into town there is a truss bridge that I swore would be too low for us until I saw the sign.  It was really deceiving.  It made me ask myself if I should pay more attention to the low clearance app I have on my phone.

The South Llano and the North Llano River meet in Junction Texas, just below the dam in Junction City Park where we are camped.  I took the drone up for a quick look around.  The North and South Llano as well as the Main Llano Rivers have crystal clear water with a wide variety of depths that are good for fishing.  Our spot here reminds us of the spillway behind where we used to live in Rivers.

We are parked under a bunch of pecan trees for the night.  I met an old gentleman named Rusty who is 88 next week and he says this park is the prettiest in the world when the leaves are on the Pecan trees.  I know he wouldn't lie to me because as I was standing at his truck window I looked in and saw a bible on his seat.  So that is the honest truth I'm sure.

The park has some unique art carved on some of the trees they have had to cut down in the park.  Once again it was Rusty with the bible that told me that the picture with the bald eagle with wings spread took the guy 6 hours total to finish.  He said he had 4 different sized chainsaws with one only having a 6 or 8 inch bar.
He didn't have any information on the other carving.

Due to the fact that this is a quaint little Texas town, I decided to head down town to find a place to get my ears lowered.  Normally I would go to a hair salon and let some cute young thing style my locks, but today I couldn't find a hair salon but did find a Barber Shop. What the heck, I thought.  Where better to meet some towns folk and get a little gossip.  So into Wagner Stylist and Barber Shop I headed.  Now you will notice that the word "Stylist" is in really small writing in the picture.  I'm thinking  because this barbers styles are long out dated.

When I walked in the barber and owner, Wilford Wagner, was cutting a customers hair.  The customer was a true blue Texan with the long drawl and all.  He had a hat line on his head that was an inch deep from wearing that stetson too long.  He had brand new boots and was making sure that I saw they were new.  As I walked in Wilford the barber says to me, "sit down young man and we will fix you up in a bit".  Well there was no turning back now.  Wilford was in his mid 80's but still had a steady hand.  Good thing too because next thing I know he whips out the straight razor and slaps it a few times on the leather strap hanging from the barber chair.  He wipes it clean and pours hot water in a cup and with a shaving brush he whisks the mixture into a hot soapy brew and lathers it on to the neck and side burns of that gentleman in the chair.  With about six quick swipes he peels every stray hair off his neck and sideburns and even cleans up a few behind his ears.  After wiping the excess lather from his neck with a hot towel, the Texan drawls, "That feels so good that if I was a cat, I'd be a purrin!!!"  Its been a lot of years since I have watched someone work a straight razor with that amount of skill.  For any of you younger folk, google a straight razor.  It is a razor blade mounted on a long folding handle that if used poorly, could sever your neck with one quick slice right down to your juggler vain.  

A little clean up with the straight razor.

Soon it was my turn and yes I got the straight razor treatment as well.  As he cut my hair, Wilford told me about his 6 years as a barber in the Navy and about how when he came here 40 years ago his business was sometimes slow so he taught himself to play the fiddle.  He told about the contests he won and how he loves to play. He showed me the write up of him in the San Antonio Express News with pride. 

He told me about the hunting and fishing in the area and before you know it he whips the cover off me and says, "that will be 12 bucks young man".  Now you have to know that while he was cutting I wasn't brave enough to look in the mirror.  But as I rose from the chair, I couldn't help but see in the big mirror in front of me.  Yes I was right about the word "Stylist" being in small letters because this was certainly a mid 50's Navy cut if ever I saw one.  I will wear it with pride until I find another Barbershop to get a new story from.

 

I leave you tonight with the view out our window....AND

.....The view from a friends window in Winnipeg Manitoba.