I doubt you have been to Friona.  Not many people have.  Friona is located in the Texas panhandle, almost on the New Mexico border and about an hour south/southwest of Amarillo.  You don’t pass through Friona to go anywhere, so if you find yourself in Friona, you are either lost or you want to be there.  If you are lost in Friona, you will no doubt try to find your way out of there as fast as you can.  If you want to be in Friona, you’ll probably change your mind not long after you get there.  But, if you have a little patience, and a head-cold, you could learn to enjoy Friona.  Well, enjoy might be a bit strong.  I’ve been to Friona, and I’m going back this Christmas.  Willingly.  Sort of.

Until five years ago, Amarillo was as close to Friona as I had ever been.  If you live in Dallas, as I do, and you like Santa Fe, you drive through Amarillo on your way to and from Santa Fe, at least when you are young and can’t afford to fly.  If you drive through Amarillo, you will not find many reasons to stop, except it’s another four hours to Santa Fe if you are headed to Santa Fe and another six hours to Dallas if your are headed back to Dallas.  I have spent a couple of nights in Amarillo, on purpose.  I enjoy hunting and fishing, almost any kind of hunting or fishing.  Some years ago a few of my hunting buddies invited me on a goose hunt based out of Amarillo.   I grew up in south Louisiana and squandered part of my youth hunting ducks (and the rest on hunting other animals, fishing, playing sports and trying hard to impress young ladies),  but I had never hunted geese (Louisiana is not in any geese fly-way).  So, I jumped on the invitation.  In retrospect, I do wish I had undertaken at least a modicum of research on geese hunting in the Texas panhandle. Continue reading Christmas in Friona, Texas →