HARPER ’ S
Hardware
tools • plumbing supplies • home & garden
Monday - Saturday 7:30 am to 6 pm
701 O’Reilly Street • Presidio • 432-229-3256
QUETZAL
International
Beauty Salon
& Barber Shop
Graves and outbuildings in the old Shafter Cemetery,Watercolor on paper 11 inches by 17 inches
of candy.” At Willis’ you got
sat down and had homemade
donuts and hot chocolate. At
Monk Adams’ you had some
kind of special cake. Always
good. And we probably visited
30 or 45 minutes at each
house. The evening would be
getting on! (Our neighbor)
Amparo was always upset with
us, because we’d wait and
come to her the next day. Josh
got to be 9, and people in
Shafter were still expecting
him. We were living in
Presidio and Josh said, “Do we
go trick or treating this year?”
And I said, “Son, we have to.”
So he put on a sheet, because
if you’re going to a ghost
town, you’ve got to be a ghost.
Ken: Shafter ghost town.
Patt: I hate that. Ghost
town. Everybody in Shafter
hates that. Because it has some
implications you don’t nor-
mally think of. Like there was
a big flood coming down the
creek. Well nobody let us
know because it’s a ghost
town. If you knew it was com-
ing, you could have called
somebody. But no, it’s a ghost
town. Can’t call ghosts. Great.
Ken: That (ghost town) sign’s
always been up on the high-
way.
Patt: No, we’ve taken it
down occasionally. A lot of
people have taken it down.
Doesn’t do any good. People
come through, see that and
think they can help themselves
to things.
Ken: I guess it just looked
like a ghost town. Somebody’s
idea of a ghost town.
Patt: I guess.
Ken: There used to be one
little store here...
Patt: ...two stores. Where
Madelyn lives was a very little
store.
Ken: They’ve been closed
for years.
Patt: So we had limited sup-
plies and one small gas station.
The other one at some point
was a gas station, but they
weren’t open when we came.
Ken: We used to have a post
office.
Patt: They had lost the keys
to the boxes. I don’t remember
when they did that. So it
would be “Patt Sims, Shafter,
Texas 798...” That’s what was
on your driver’s license. So I
would go to Austin, and I’d
say, “Well can I pay with a
check?” “Yeah, if you have
ID.” So I give ‘em my ID.
“Um, do you have a street?”
“Well, we’ve got streets, but
they’re not paved, nor are they
named.” “Mm, is it general
delivery?” “No, it’s not general
delivery.” And I’d say, “See
this department? There are
more people in this depart-
ment than in my town.” And
boy, they would remember
you. Next time you were there
and you pulled that ID out –
“Oh, I remember you!” We
really liked that. So I was upset
when they got rid of the post
office and actually gave us
boxes.
Ken: It’s been quite a few
years. Ten years maybe?
Patt: I miss that.
Ken: At one time Shafter
had its own zip code.
Patt: Doesn’t any more.
Ken: Not now. Our mail is
addressed out of Marfa actu-
ally.
Patt: Which is very amusing.
Marfa? Well okay, we live 40
miles south of Marfa. Twenty
miles north of Presidio...
Ken: They actually accept
either. I guess it makes a differ-
ence as to what UPS driver
gets a hold of it, if it’s Marfa
or Shafter.
Patt: We’ve got to have the
right UPS driver. I was talking
to somebody one time, this
was years ago. They said,
“Well we need a street
address.” I said, “Well make
something up. Believe me –
our UPS driver knows where
we work, where we live, what
bicycle we’re riding, what car
we’re driving.”
Ken: It’s been quite awhile.
They know us. It could be
addressed to Marfa or Shafter.
We’ll get it.
Patt: Yeah, we’ve enjoyed
DUMITRESCU GALLERY
108 N. FIFTH STREET
DOWNTOWN ALPINE
432-294-9224
www.onlineavram.com
905-A W HWY 90 • Marfa
432.295.0025
Mon- Sat • 1 - 7 p.m.
Call for morning appointments
MIKE GREEN
AIA , LEED AP
Phone/Fax: (432) 729-3984 Cell: 646 256-8112
Email: greentone@earthlink.net
Mail: P.O. Box 97
Marfa,TX 79843
Mexican
and
American
Food
Famous Beef & Chicken Fajitas • Ice Cream • Clean, Fast Service
continued on page 23
Cenizo
Rene & Maria Franco, Owners
513 O’Reilly Street • Downtown Presidio
432.229.4409
Third Quarter 2009
13