Bakers' Blessings: Daddy’s nephew

It’s finally Monday, June 14…. the day that Don and I are going to Uvalde, Texas, to visit Bobby DeRusha, my cousin. Bobby’s dad is my Uncle Ed and my dad’s brother. What makes this reunion so special is that it re-connects me with my daddy’s side of the family. I have only seen Bobby one time in my life and that was before my daddy went home to be with the Lord. After Mama Trudy re-married, we lost contact with our west Texas DeRusha’s. So it’s means the world to me to get to know my cousin and some of his family.

So flashing back to this morning, I must voice my gratitude to Don for going with me and being a part of this special reconnection. Don has taken me to see several of my relatives that I would never probably see.

To help pass the time on our one hour road trip, I took pictures. (Have you met me????)

This reminded us of our motorcycle riding friends. You all would have loved riding on this road.

There’s a old mission behind those trees.

How lush and green this looks! It’s deceiving. It has not rained here since last September! This drought is serious.

We wanted to asked the driver if his name is Jesus. Get it?

We are getting pretty close to our turn. I’m so excited.

It’s dry. No green grass along the high off the main highway.

We are almost to the DeRusha High S Ranch.

I can’t believe I didn’t take a picture of the gate. We were there for a few minutes trying to figure out how to get it open. We thought about climbing over the metal gate and walking, but we couldn’t see the house, so we didn’t know how far it was and it’s HOT!! OK, I’ll call Dee and let her know we’re at the gate. What? No signal? Well, we got in the truck and started toward Uvalde to call them and have them meet us in town for lunch. About a mile down the road, we were elevated a little more and I had two bars, so Don pulled over and I called. When Bobby answered the phone, he sounded just like my brother. I giggled. Bobby gave us gate opening instructions, so we turned around and went back and pushed the little button right there in plain sight. The gate opened… imagine that.

My excitement is mounting. I’m wondering many things.

Introductions were easy and natural and the questions just flowed. Bobby said, “The last time I saw you, you were a skinny little dark haired kid.” Wish I could remember that. I was about three and he was about thirteen.

Bobby and Dee’s home is beautiful! Bobby designed and built most of it himself. Don and I both just loved the western flavor of it.

Bobby was very proud of a picture hanging on the living room wall that he had recently been given by another cousin. I tried to get a picture of the picture, but it being behind glass presented quite a challenge, but I managed to get a pretty good shot. This is our paternal grandparents, Charles Lewis and Julia Ann Owen DeRusha. My daddy sure favors his daddy and I’m trying to decide who in our family favors grandmother.

I found this picture online! They are buried in the same cemetery as my daddy.

Side note: Found while searching for pictures – Daddy had a half sister who died shortly after birth and her mother died in child birth. He also had two half brothers, Roy and Henry Clay. Julia Ann Owen, daddy’s mother, was Charles Lewis’s second wife. Julia was first married to Mr. Welch and I have no knowledge of what happened to him.

After visiting for a while Dee announced, “I’m hungry!” So we went to Uvalde for lunch at the Oasis Outback.

Next we stopped at their son’s computer store. And I instantly fell in love with this family. Cody, Kim, and Dustin… so personable and loving. Dustin is so tall, reminding me of my LaNae. Leslie and LaNae would love these relatives! And then there is my cousin Bobby.

How do I describe this cowboy? Just look at that cap, chaw(chewing tobacco tucked into his cheek), toothpick in the corner of his mouth, that easy grin, twinkle in his eye. That’s MY cousin. I’m a little sad that we are just now getting to know each other. I think we would have been so close.

Another family shot.

DeRusha. ‘Nuff said.

Cody and Dustin, both, have the sweetest spirits. We just enjoyed meeting them so much and can not wait for them to visit us here at Johnson Creek.

Ok, I admit it. I could not get enough of this tall, handsome young’un. He’s just precious, I’m not kidding.

Ok, it’s time for Bobby to get rid of the chaw… we’re going to see his mama, my Aunt Lillie Mae, wife of my late Uncle Ed, daddy’s brother. It’s funny that I didn’t realize the tobacco was gone until I saw this picture.

I was thrilled to see how good Aunt Lillie Mae looks and sounds. She’s sharp as a tack, just like Mama Trudy. In fact, she told me that Trudy was her favorite sister-in-law and she always teased Bill (my dad) that he didn’t deserve her. She also said she would never have recognized me. I can’t imagine why. I don’t remember what she looked like either, though. I’ve just heard Mama Trudy speak kindly of her all my life and they still write each other.

Isn’t she beautiful?!

She’s listening to her son, Bobby, in this picture.

I almost cried when we left Aunt Lillie Mae, but I kept telling myself, “It’s only a hour from Johnson Creek RV Park to Uvalde, I’ll see her again.” Next time I will ask her to tell me everything she remembers about my daddy.

After stopping at the post office and the feed store… of course, we stopped at the feed store, Bobby has horses to feed.

Horses?!!!! Yesss! A beautiful palomino and paint quarter horses.

Bobby also has a registered cutting horse stud, sorrel color, that was in a pen behind a high fence that prevented me from getting a good picture, but he was gorgeous.

Bobby also showed us his small herd of Corrientes, a Mexican breed of cattle. Usually, when Bobby buys them, they are very thin and he feeds them well and gets them healthy again.

The view from Bobby and Dee’s front yard is beautiful.

At one time, Bobby raised quail for sale, but for reasons I don’t remember, he released them and many still stay around in the brush surrounding their house.

After visiting a little more, it was time for us to go. I have Bible study tonight. Good-byes were short and sweet and no big deal because we fully intend to see each other again. But still.

Not far from Bobby and Dee’s this doe frantically ran across the highway in front of us. Don slowed way down for fear it would dart back in front of us because the fence was so high, she wouldn’t try to jump it. But she stayed put.