Anyway thanks to more bureaucratic BS down here the Grub Shack is temporarily closed because they will have to have a new septic system put in. Remember when that happened to the Legion? I'd heard that they were going to have to get a septic system installed or close, but figured they would at least have some time to get it done, but when I talked to Jerry this morning he said they had to close it down now. He did say that they will get one, but he doesn't know how long it will take. Now... since the legion no longer serves food, Susy's Snack Shack is closed, The Grub Shack is closed and Tivo's only opens in the late afternoon (If then) that just about means a trip in to Study Butte if you want to eat out. Not only that, but the GS is a local gathering place for folks in this area to hang out and visit plus wait for the mail to be put in the boxes, a place to get Ice and so on. What a BUMMER this is!
And on another note the FLY problem here is worse than I've seen it since I've been down here. It did get pretty bad last year at one time, but nothing as bad as it is now. I made a trip down south yesterday to do laundry and a woman in the laundry may have come up with the reason for the fly problem. She said that the flies were moving away from all of the fires and wound up down here. Perhaps that is true? I don't know what else would have caused it, but they are BAD everywhere down here including at Terlingua Ghost Town and Study Butte.
And on another... nother note... I think I've been had! I had bought some new T-Shirts on the last trip to Alpine and more on the trip to Odessa because my old ones are just about worn out. Yesterday when I was doing laundry I dried them on the Wash and Wear setting like I always have with the old ones and what happens? Well the new shirts will likely wind up at the Legion for people to take or at the Study Butte bench one. It seems that what were LARGE t-shirts might now fit a 6 year old. Never had that problem with the old t-shirts even with the first drying, but the new ones are really flimsy compared to the old ones.
Bummer about the Grub Shack...
ReplyDeleteClothing like that is generally from China - we have a lot of it here too.
Yep Dani, I'm sure it is Chinese crap. I'd about decided to use my old shirts for rags, but it looks like I better try to get more use out of them. ;) I might have to resort to wearing the pocket-less Field Lab shirt. :O
ReplyDeleteHey David, carry your cigs in a rolled up sleeve of the FL T-shirt like they did back in the '50's.
ReplyDeleteThat sure is bad news about the Grub Shack. Only ate there once, but it was sure good. Hope they get open soon.
DD, I've done the cigs in the sleeve thing a few times in the past when I didn't have pockets, BUT what about the pens, and other junk I usually have in the pocket? A shirt isn't a shirt if it doesn't have at least one pocket. I figure the more pockets the better. Besides John would think it was cool if I wore TFL t-shirt. He's getting enough publicity as it is. ;)
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking about your flies and believe they are Damn Yankee flies coming down from up north somewhere with the north winds blowing in from these fronts coming down once a week or so. It would really be nice if one of those fronts brought a little rain every now and then!
ReplyDeleteIt really p*sses me off when I hear stories about mom 'n pop enterprises like GS getting screwed by gov't. In a small community like yall's, these guys aren't making million$, yet they pay their sales taxes and pay for permits yet get hassled.
They probably couldn't even get by with a port-a-potty til the new line gets dug.
I smell something rotten in the politics in So. Brewster Cty. Hope it all gets fixed soon!
There are guys that eat there everyday..they will starve!! Sorry about the t-shirts it is hard to find quality without breaking the bank.
ReplyDeletemo gov cheese
ReplyDeleteI went to Texas once, back in 76, when I was 16.
ReplyDeleteBlack flies? Holy shit!Oh, you will love this story.
Didn't know these people from Adam.
Some kind of relative to my Grandfather.
We had been in this Ford Van with no A/C for days, coming from the Coast in Oregon, literally.
Went to the Grand Canyon, froze our asses off and then took off again
New Mexico can kiss my ass. Wound up in some little burgh in Texas, was being on my best behavior and the Black flies were huge and innumerable.
Went inside to have supper at a table with twelve people, they went all out. Ninety five fucking degrees to boot. I was sitting at the table, long haired hippy freak and staying quiet.
All of a sudden, I have this full sized Poodle humping my leg, I kid you not it even had the red ribbon around it's miserable neck.
I sat there, trying to shake that fucking bastard off my leg for a good ten minutes and finally lost it. I swung my leg up, with that fucking dog attached and slammed that dirty sonofabitch into the bottom of the table with everything I had. Every water glass got knocked over, the plates came off the table and that little bastard dog let out a yelp I can hear to this day.
My grand parents instantly looked at me because they just knew I was some how going to make a scene, even though I was for the life of me trying to be on my best behavior.
True story.
Some day, I will have to tell you the story when we finally got to Tennessee and saw my cousin get arrested at the pizza parlor and the one when we went to my great uncles and I got to meet a cotton mouth up close and personal.
Tffnguy
ReplyDeleteThe Brewster county entities want more money. Its called 'Revenue Generation". They come up with all kinds of stuff to make money.
One thought came up. Roach Wagons.
Roach wagons are those portable restourants that go to construction sites selling burritoes and everything else. They dont have septic systems.
Tell the Grub Shack owners to buy a used roach wagon, fix it up, get permits and park it in a different spot everyday (move it about two feet a day, back and forth) and open for business.
You gotta be smarter than the idiot beaurocrat your dealing with.
Does that mean that Kathy's Kosmic Kowgirl Kafe will also close until Kathy can get a septic tank installed? Both the Grub Shack and Quad-K consist of a trailer from which food is cooked and served, with shaded outdoor picnic tables for patrons to sit outside. Why do they need a septic system?
ReplyDeleteThat's my question Just Me. Why do they need a septic system? There aren't restrooms - it doesn't make sense.
ReplyDeleteI think that's horrible news. And on a side note the flies have been bad lately.
ReplyDeleteThe GS does have a restroom in the trailer out back and I assume they use one of the portable septic tanks to empty it occasionally. I don't see a problem with that, but evidently some bureaucrat does.
ReplyDeleteI just got back from down south at an estate auction and when I came back and stopped at the mail box there were a bunch of vehicles around the GS that I didn't recognize. I was in a hurry to get home so didn't stop to see what was going on. Maybe I'll find out Monday when I go get mail again.
I think what brought all of this about (from what I hear) Eva went to apply for a food handler's license or something along those lines and they said they would have to inspect the place. When they did and found out there wasn't a septic system then the poop hit the fan. Also from what I understand is IF they didn't have tables and places to sit they could have stayed open, but not when they have facilities for people to eat there. I told Jerry they should remove all the tables and tell people to bring their own fold up chairs, but it was then when he told me that they were going to get a septic system. Personally I think its just more government BS.
That's a sad shame about the Grub Shack. Up here we find ways around that kind of crap. Like continue to do business as usual EXCEPT do not charge for the food. Put up a donation jar and since it's mostly locals, everybody's pretty honest and then some. It's just friends getting together for meal :o) And you might tell them if they call it a "Fund Raiser" for their new septic and accept donations for their food...nothing the gov can do.
ReplyDeleteJust had another thought...who called authorities and caused this problem for the Grub Shack? Does it have anything to do with the newer group running the ranch? Usually you can figure out cuz somebody wants the business to come their way instead. We have a nearby mom and pop bar who make the BEST homemade pizza I've ever had. The bar next door reported them for not having a food license because they have a full restaurant and crappy pizza that nobody will buy. Anyway, to get around it, now we all just go in and order a can of soda for $11...he throws in a free pizza and there's nothing they can do cuz he's not selling the pizza :D
ReplyDeleteezrablu, I'll pass that on the next time I see Jerry or Eva. Sounds like a plan to me. I don't know that anyone turned them in, but it wouldn't be the first time something like that happened around here. There are some sorry people down here that do things like that.
ReplyDeleteVirgil the poop cop says that kitchen waste such as food parts is considered Black water, not Grey water, therefore they want them to have a proper septic tank. Also someone had complained about a smell. You could drive to the ranch lodge restaurant, but you can drive to town just as quick. India's or Kathy's, take your pick there on the hit list too.
ReplyDeleteThe flies, well hell they heard everybody was getting new shit tanks and they just wanted to check it out.
Sounds like someone or some people would like to make the ranch restaurant the only option. I'd head for Alpine before I'd go to the ranch. Of course there's always BBMI, the Chili Pepper and a few other options down south though. Just a pain in the butt to go that far to get something to eat.
ReplyDeleteIt was looking real bleak for a while there as to whether the GS would be able to reopen at all. However, Nick stopped by a while ago headed for the Foot's place and said that Jerry And Eva have bought the septic tank and the system will be installed and they will reopen. I don't know how long that will take, but I'll post about it when it reopens. Can't be soon enough to suit me!
ReplyDelete