Windthorst and Archer City

Between Fort Worth and Wichita Falls we made two small side trips. I made a point of going through Jacksboro, one of the two routes we frequently use when going to Fort Worth.

One of our favorite places to eat back when we were driving mother to the doctor in Dallas was at the Green Frog in Jacksboro. That is not a route that I frequently take anymore because the other route is divided highway and much faster. This time I was not in that much of a hurry and I wanted to eat at the Green Frog once more. Unfortunately we hit at a slack time. I much prefer being there with the locals. However we did get to see the Jacksboro Rodeo Parade--Alcy took photographs; I ate.

We next stopped in the very small community of Windthorst, a small German community a few miles southeast of Wichita Falls. St Mary's Catholic Church sits on what for that area is a very tall hill. In front of the church is a grotto. Now do not ask why a good Baptist family frequently pulled off the road and drove up the hill to see the grotto as we went through but we did. I suspect that has something to do with my fascination with religious artifacts. We walked around the grounds and took a number of photographs, something we never did when I was young.

  

After Windthorst we made a run over to the small town of Archer City. I take all my Yankee friends there because it is the home of author Larry McMurtry and the sitting for the movie from his book The Last Picture Show. Most are familiar with the movie and it has a lot of the flavor of living in a small North Texas town. There is not much left but the facade of the Royal Theater that played a big roll in the movie.