By about 4 that afternoon I rode into Albany, the county seat of Shackelford County and "The Home of the Hereford." I quickly found the Ole Nail House Inn, where I was to spend the night and was greated by the wonderfully friendly and kind hosts, the Parsons. Built in 1914, this prairie style house is located across the street from the historic and courthouse in downtown. I quickly unloaded the Futura and went out for a walk.
I have a weakeness for old gas stations, always dreaming of buying one and turning it into a home, so I was thrilled to see this perfect example just across the street from the Inn. And wouldn't you know it, it was for sale. Well, maybe in a few years. Walking down the street of this wonderful town, you find evidence that we still like things big in Texas, even in small places, and that we do love our stars. I walked into the old fashioned pharmacy here, where my hosts had indicated I could get an old fashion ice cream soda too. Well, what was even better was that, would I had had the need, I would have been able to buy myself some bullets if I needed to.
After sitting in front of the pharmacy and chilling down a bit, I came across an old train car with the Fort Griffin Fandangle thing painted on it. As it turns out, The Fort Griffin Fandangle is an outdoor theater production of local history that originated in 1938, is presented during the last two weekends in June. A bit further up, you can see the football field for the local high school, the Albany Lions. I love the fact that you can see the court house from the stands. Just a few yards away from there, I found an old, busted baseball. I do not know why, but there was something about being able to walk down a street and find an abandoned baseball that spoke to me about goodness and peace.
