Museum of South Texas History Book Hunt

It wasn't going to be a hunt. I kept telling myself I wouldn't look for books when we got there. See, Mother needed to find out some historical buildings - say in 100-year-old span, about as long as Edinburg, Texas has been a city (formerly known as Chapin when it first came to be). My mind was set to keep all other things out. No hunting books!

We get to the Museum of South Texas History, a tad out of breath from walking - we live close enough to walk, but we're extremely out of shape. She heads for the front desk and I zig zag toward the bookstore because all answers can be found within the pages of any book, right? Well, sort of. Barbara Stokes, the Senior Curator slash Archives lady wasn't in today. They had over her card and tell her that maybe the bookstore might have some information she's looking for. Already on it, amigos.

I turn up empty on my first try, mostly because I remember about an anthology that was recently released. Valleysong: An Anthology Echoing the Rhythm and Cadence of Life in the Rio Grande Valley compiled and written by the members of Texas Rio Writers. I'm not apart of the group and judging by the book's title, I probably wouldn't find a home within their world. While they focus on the everyday life, the good ol' tortilla-esque stories, I'm more of an in-your-face writer, one who loves to focus his attention on the depravity of the Rio Grande Valley. But what do you expect, right?

I find the book! Snag! $16.95 plus tax. Dang. My ad writing service hasn't paid me just yet, which means no money to afford it. Two of my friends are featured within the pages - Richard Sanchez and Anne Estevis, both of which I met through Amado Balderas who was the original gather of poets and short stories in Edinburg, Texas. I get the book anyway, because I have now added more money into my increasing debt - I'M A KEEPER!

Mother has no lucking finding any actual book on Edinburg history, indicating historical buildings that still stand erect or of major importance. There's always the original museum, but because the first one we thought of, we knew everyone jumped all over it. Fine. Moving on.

Because we weren't exactly sure how old the Southern Pacific Railroad Depot, she buys a few items of decoration just in case it's in our time line - it's not, by the way. While we were looking through the children's stuff, I saw from the corner of my eye, Chicken Foot Farm by Estevis. Where there's one book, there's the first, right? Indeed. I found a copy of Down Garrapata Road. Mother's been looking for it for some time and we can never find a decent copy to purchase. She doesn't pass it up. I don't attempt to talk her out of it, either.

We might not have accomplished the outing, but we did come home with two new books, which will be signed on 10 February 2010 at the Dustin Michael Sekula Memorial Library (also in Edinburg, Texas) for the year's first reading.

Until next time, happy huntin'!