Faces of Texas

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. . ."We'll just turn you over to the Lord. He'll take care of you."
- John Hodkinson's parting words to me as he and spouse JoAn dropped me off outside of Henderson, where they had picked me up. I stayed with John, JoAn, and their grandson James for two days and three nights. I first met the Hodkinsons in Corpus Christi when we went to the same church together. I was 1.
Henderson, TX
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"That place is half the house I grew up in."
- Richard Hollingsworth, describing his childhood home in Fort Worth which was a few doors down from where my father grew up. When their street was widened by the city, Richard's father took a chainsaw to the home, literally cutting it in half. He sold half to a friend, and the family lived in the rest. My father's friend for over 65 years, Richard invited me to stay with him for a few days.
Longview, TX
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"I get to meet the most fascinating people. Everybody has a story that's worth telling. [My work] clues you in on how we're all connected [and] I like finding that connection."
- Cass County Life Interviewer Michelle Williams after spending an hour chatting with me about my hike. Michelle was the best person to that day, and when I started asking her about her work, she was vibrant, passionate, articulate. It was a real pleasure talking with her.
Queen City, TX
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"We're guys. That's what we do."
- Couchsurfing Host Michael Boyd, pictured with girlfriend Alicia, commenting on my story of making a bad mistake in a relationship. Michael was an amazing host and let me surf his couch for three days. Later on after making the above comment, Michael was sent to the grocery store with a detailed list Alicia made which consisted of two items. Michael picked up one, then checked out the movie rack, subsequently forgetting about the second item. He had to make a second trip to the store.
Texarkana, TX
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"I know she's too good for me. That's my one redemption. The fact that I know."
- "Clipper" Smith on his wife Claire. For five years, Clipper worked at the Disney Land in Paris as the stagecoach driver in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. That's where he met Claire, a Parisian, and knew he could not live without her. When Clipper next asked her to move from Paris, France to Texarkana, Claire said 'yes.'
Texarkana, TX
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"God knocked on the door three times, and they turned him away. So I wondered 'Is he Jesus?' I didn't want to turn him away just in case."
- Charles Son, right, pictured with friend Max Atchley, on taking in a Finnish traveler some time back. The man was crossing the USA and was looking for a place to camp when he knocked on Charles's door. Instead, Charles and his wife gave him a dinner, breakfast, and warm bed in between.
Shell Station on Highway 82, west of New Boston, TX
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"I used to do it all the time, and that was the only time I felt uncomfortable."
- Jackie Hazelwood on offering rides to hitchhikers. I met Jackie at the post office in DeKalb, and though I don't take rides along the perimeter (I do to leave the perimeter, of course), Jackie was reminded of a sketchy ride she gave a man several years ago. The man contradicted himself in the course of asking to be dropped off in a certain location, and after leaving him somewhere else, Jackie thought she probably shouldn't give rides anymore.
DeKalb, TX
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"Around here, if it snows, everything shuts down."
- Paris News Reporter Krista Goerte on the local response to winter weather. After the interview, Krista and I chatted about North Texas weather and what I'm going to do in the Panhandle.
Paris, TX
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"I think I got reincarnated this life just to have a good time."
- Jeffrey Varnado, owner of The Book Center, on why he's here. As I was leaving Paris, I stumbled upon Jeffrey's store. Books and magazines were everywhere, but Jeffrey is still slowly getting the store together. We had a great conversation. At the end of it, I traded him a Toni Morrison book for Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.
Paris, TX
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"We sacrificed so much to come here. I try to tell the boys,
'Do you realize how much we've given up?'
And they're like, 'Uh... are you going to make something for lunch?'"
- Liza Smith (not pictured) on her and her husband Norm's decision to move from Tucson, AZ to Direct, TX. While we talked, the boys (from left to right: Joel, Joshua, Reuben, and Zachary) played in the dirt and mud.
Direct, TX
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