Extended Stay

Staying in hotels can be fun. But when you run out of underwear, well, that gets serious.

Fortunately, I haven't run out of underwear.

I've been on the road since Nov. 26. I drove home for Thanksgiving, where I reunited with family and friends, gave thanks and ate pie. Along the way, I drove by camels roaming in a field.
Does this seem a little out of the ordinary to any of you?
While at home, I put Christmas lights up on my house. Actually, I had help this year and a gracious volunteer put them up for me.

From there, I drove here to Amarillo on Nov. 30. Along the way, I drove by the most immaculate rest stop in the history of the world. On both sides of I-40 there rises an oasis from the prairie, complete with free wireless Internet, a museum, and of course, a place to rest.
At the corn and peanut office, we've been planning for months for the Texas Commodity Symposium. It's an event that five Texas commodity groups produce during the Amarillo Farm and Ranch Show. We have a politician or two come in, a few NRCS and FSA lead personnel, and sometimes an economist, to address an audience of 200-300 people about what's going on in agriculture - more specifically, what's going on that will affect Texas commodity producers.

It's a lot of work to produce such an event. We kick it off the night before with a reception. This year, we were able to have U.S. Congressman Mike Conaway speak at the TCS. He also came to the reception. After taking his picture many times with various board members, I decided I might try being on the other side of the camera.

He's a nice man and he seems to genuinely care about agriculture. Thanks for representing the 11th district of Texas Congressman Conaway.

It's been a long week at the Amarillo Farm & Ranch Show. Tonight will be my fifth night in the Ambassador Hotel. It's starting to feel like home, and the staff now knows me by name. I think it's time to move on.

Tomorrow, my journey will continue by plane further west.