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Justin the Bubble Wizard Catches Commuters’ Attention

by Alice Robinson

Published December 12, 2024 at 10:57 AM CST

“If I made you holler, please help with a dollar.”

“I like big bubbles and I cannot lie.”

—Justin Gray’s messages to passing motorists (Dec. 2024)

Justin Gray, now 47, stands in the aisle of a Wal-Mart on Old Denton Tap Road in Carrollton, Texas. Shoppers meander around him, while assistants in blue vests stock shelves.  A colorful kids’ toy, full of blues, reds and purples, catches Gray’s eye. 

“I haven’t seen bubbles in thirty years,” runs through Gray’s mind. This Wal-Mart brand bubble set promises joy to play-seekers. On a whim, he buys the $6.00 package. What happens next leads to a change in his daily routine. 

Experiencing boredom while being stuck at a traffic light on the way home, Gray grabs a plastic bubble wand and waves it out of his maroon minivan’s window. “I just literally stuck it out the window, and some kid yells ‘bubbles!’ So I thought it was fun, and other people like it, so I just kept doing it at traffic lights,” he says, while outside on a chilly December day.     

Gray begins going regularly to street corners, bubbles in hand, and offering a free show. “I’d rather see someone blowing bubbles than holding out their hand,” he said on an overcast Saturday afternoon. 

For Gray, his activity accomplishes two things at once: raising a little bit of extra money from donations, and delighting motorists who are stuck in the relentless ebb and flow of traffic and their day. “I like making people happy,” he says. “If they’re mad I can most of the time turn them around.” He explains that he learned this skill partly from previous work in the customer service world.

For drivers hustling along the outlying crevices around Interstate 635 (also known as LBJ in honor of former president Lyndon Baines Johnson ), Gray is an eye-catching and often surprising sight. When the weather is cold Gray maintains an ominous yet cheerful appearance—a large hood covers his head, partially shrouding his face. He is thin and tall.

During his relatively short bubble spewing moments—he usually stays for less than two hours—Gray walks up and down the standard concrete median. He has to arrange where and when to stand outside, thus utilizing the wind as well as possible. “There’s good wind out here. I figured out it’s really about the science. If I can get people coming from the direction of which the wind is blowing [that’s a plus]. It’s gotta go right over their heads, they have to be able to see the bubbles. So I have to position myself accordingly and then, just hope they’re feeling giving.”

“I don’t have my hand out, like some people do in traffic, you know? I just have a sign, anything helps, and then,” he turns his cardboard sign to the other side, “if I made you holler, please help with a dollar.”

“I also made a sign that says, I like big bubbles and I cannot lie. That gets a lot of attention. And, I underlined the bubbles. If they know the song [Baby Got Back], they can make the association.”  The ditty Baby Got Back, by hip hop artist Sir Mix-A-Lot, was released in 1992.

Gray has been doing his bubble display for about a year and a half. Sometimes people stare, indifferently, through their car windows. When people don’t give, Gray still returns. Perhaps his resilience has always been in him. Standing in an empty lot near I-635, he explains that he was born during harsh weather conditions one Dallas winter. 

Gray came into the world on January 9, 1977, in the middle of a winter storm. “There was four inches of ice on the ground.” 

Contact the writer at: Alicerobinson07@gmail.com

Copyright 2024, Alice Robinson, alicerobinson.net, and Moon ‘O Courage Productions. No reproduction without permission.

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In their words: students at Lamar high school talk about safety

Jump to story on YouTube

Going to YouTube (link is above), you will find my video essay / video story from Nov. 2023. Students from Lamar High talk about what their school is like after a shooting. there is an accompanying story below.

No reproduction of any kind without permission, including still photos.

Questions or comments: alicerobinson07@gmail.com

Update -June 12, 2024: The boy, now 16, who was being held by Tarrant County Juvenile Justice for Lamar student Ja’Shawn Poirier’s slaying, was convicted. After the suspect’s conviction, he was given a sentence of 40 years. Arlington Police don’t release the names of people who committed crimes as minors. A request for the police report from this incident was declined.

Several students complain about safety at arlington’s Lamar High School, where Ja’Shawn Poirier was killed in March

 “After the shooting, you shouldn’t be able to do anything in that school. Security should be locked down, tight. It’s not,” says senior Amire DeBruce, 18.

Last Updated July 3, 2023 at 10:43 AM Central Time

May 31, 2023 at 1:30 PM CDT

Published May 23, 2023 at 7:49 AM CDT

by Alice Robinson  

 ARLINGTON, Texas–On March 20, 16-year-old Ja’Shawn Poirier is killed outside of his high school.

Poirier is gunned down before school even starts. A juvenile suspect is currently being held at the Tarrant County Juvenile Detention Center.

Lamar High School, a typical facility whose cafeteria serves well-heated Tater Tots regularly, experiences a new environment after Poirier’s death. For some students, the task of learning and keeping up with class becomes difficult. Others keep up their guard, shaken that something so terrifying could happen at their own school.

The level of comfort with safety at Lamar varies, however, it is clear that some students do not feel safe at all—more than two months after Poirier’s March 20 slaying.

Fights are common, several students reported. A private Instagram account (@Lamar.got.dropped) that had 502 followers as of May 18, documents humiliation for everyone to see. Security is beefed up after the Poirier incident, but several students say that security at Lamar needs a lot of improvement.

Jade Dixon, 16, says that the shooting on school grounds made her sad. Now she is watchful of her own safety when she goes to school. “With the whole shooting thing, a bunch of people were very emotional and I feel like it was more terrifying. My mom and me are trying to make sure that nothing happens,” she said while sitting on a stoop outside of Lamar in April. “But with the whole security thing, it’s not working!”

Dixon loves music and says it helps her relax when she is stressed.

Andre Sepulveda-Hicks, 19, says that he is not pleased with Lamar; he says that kids who need help with learning do not receive enough focused help and that the quality of teaching leaves much to be desired. In addition, he says calmly, security at the school “sucks.”

“I think it’s terrible,” he says emphatically, from a restaurant close to Lamar.

“In this school,” Sepulveda-Hicks pauses. “It’s not safe around here at all.” Sepulveda-Hicks says he loves singing and rapping but for now plans to join the Navy as soon as he gets the chance.

Vanessa Eguasa, 16, who likes English the most out of her classes because she learns a lot, says the district and the school should do more to keep kids safe at Lamar. “They should have more security that’s actually aware. Like, actually check people around,” she pauses. “Not inside of the school, but actually outside of the school.”

“As far as outside of the school, it’s very lackluster,” Eguasa says of security efforts. “They don’t have as much.”

Eguasa says in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, students were still upset, and also nervous.  “It was just depressing. When people would come into school, they would just look behind their shoulder, look behind their back, [they would] turn around, make sure nobody’s watching, make sure nobody had any weapons on them. It was just like, terrible,” she shakes her head and some curls move along with her.

Eguasa emphasized that she still watches her back, while at school, even though the shooting was several weeks ago. “I always do that. To this day,” she says. “I have to look both ways, front, back, left, right. Before I even come inside the school, I make sure nobody has anything on them, because the person that shot that one boy, he was like out in the open. It was just honestly crazy to me. So I make sure I look very carefully, before I go inside the school.”

Senior Amire DeBruce, 18, who wants to pursue a job in trucking but also loves rapping (he goes by the moniker Kashmire), says, “there’s no rules. No rules at Lamar,” while shaking his head a little. “It’s too easy to just do whatever and get away with it.”

Standing in the parking lot of nearby Kroger supermarket on Lamar Boulevard, DeBruce shares he feels less safe since Poirier was killed.

“After the shooting, you shouldn’t be able to do anything in that school. Security should be locked down, tight. It’s not.” DeBruce says that too often not enough credence is given to online jokes about violence. “You can’t take jokes lightly no more. After actually having someone die in front of your school building, you can’t take jokes lightly. Because, I’m pretty sure that [the March 20 incident that killed Poirier] started off as a joke.”

Some students, such as senior Jada Eguasa, 18, say the school is bouncing back. Eguasa says things have calmed down since the shooting, though—“it was an experience and some of us are still adjusting, but I do think we’re moving forward pretty efficiently.”

 She has a positive view of the school’s security measures after the shooting incident.

Daniel Vasques, 16, is outside school on a cloudy April day, waiting for a ride. He says that increased vigilance from officials after the shooting has made Lamar’s environment feel safer. 

“They just like, made everything secure. Like even when you go out, and you come back in, they search you—or, they just metal-detect you and if it goes off, then they search you.” He says before the shooting, the school used a system of counting students in order to decide whom to search.

Vasques, who says he spends his free time playing video games including Grand Theft Auto, says that he does not feel weird seeing metal detectors when he goes into his school. “Because they were always there…” he says. “It kind of feels normal now.”

Vasques has seen Arlington Police Department Resource Officers during lunch and also at other times of day. He says he is fine with them being there. “I guess it makes you feel safer. We’ve always had them, but yeah, it’s cool.”

David Stevens, security director for the Arlington Independent School District, says that after Poirier’s death, security staff were moved around to create more overlap at certain times of day.

“The measures [that were in place before] are primarily the same measures. Now what we have done, is increase the usage of some of the items that are there. We’ve restructured some of the staffing placements and time frames so that we try to help overlap some of the coverage,” he says.

 Stevens says the district is trying to address the needs of everyone. “We understand that this was a very traumatic event not only for the students, obviously the victim, but also for our staff. And so we’re trying to help them, everybody on campus … we’re trying to put people not just for security measures, but also for mental well-being; to put measures in place for everybody. This is unfortunately a tragedy that occurred and the impact was very widespread.” 

On its Security Department page, AISD’s website states, “the Arlington ISD Security Department is dedicated to enhancing a safe and secure environment by protecting and serving the needs of our students, parents, staff, citizens, and property.”

Lamar Principal Andy Hagman could not be reached for comment at press time.

Dd Mems, 15, says that she does not feel safe going to school at Lamar because “a lot of things can happen. A lot of things can happen.”

Mems, who likes art and also enjoys wrestling, says the metal detectors do not catch everything, because people might sneak items through additional doors where there are no metal detectors.

 

Mems says that she feels sadness about Poirier and wants to share some words with him. “Rest in peace, because he didn’t deserve to die like that. And—I hope whoever shot him gets what they deserve.”

Dixon, the girl who loves music, says she also feels sad and says people have made hurtful assumptions about Poirier.

For example, “… people assume he was in gangs and all that stuff—” she pauses in order to find the right words. “I knew him. He was a very good kid. He was very smart. He was nice. He was never in that type of stuff. And then just the fact that the person who killed him wasn’t in school. So it’s not like the metal detectors are helping, and stuff like that.” 

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Contact the writer at: Alicerobinson07@gmail.com

Copyright 2023 Alice Robinson and alicerobinson.net All Rights Reserved

Workers repair 55-foot Jack London Square Christmas tree after small fire

annual tree lighting ceremony caps busy week

Last updated Dec. 26, 2021 at 5:43 p.m. PST

Dec. 21, 2021, at 5:07 p.m. PST

By Alice Robinson
#oaklandca #jacklondonsquare
Key takeaways :

• Four workers traveled to Oakland, California from Burney, California to repair the Jack London Square Christmas tree. The tree is now fully restored.

• A small fire damaged the tree Dec. 6, 2021 just before 1:30 a.m. The incident is still under investigation. Call Oakland Police Department’s General Crimes Unit at (510) 238-3728 if you have any information.

• People walking through Oakland’s Jack London Square took an interest in the work being done. A few of them suddenly said, “Thank you,” to a group of workers from Carlton Christmas Trees.

OAKLAND, Calif.—Around 3:20 p.m. on Tuesday Dec. 7, Shawn Lemmon stood in front of Oakland’s Jack London Square Christmas tree. “So what did they do to my tree?” he asked, his voice displaying care and concern spliced with urgency. Lemmon was the first tree worker to witness the tree. Before that moment, he ran up to the tree in a quick burst after exiting his vehicle. Jack London Square was experiencing an afternoon lull before its customary evening strollers and dog-walkers.  

Lemmon, one of the Christmas tree’s architect-builders, has an animated personality and wears his brown-gray hair shaggy. He had helped set up the 55-foot tree about ten days earlier, before a small fire damaged it. The tree’s home is at Broadway and Water Street between Plank Entertainment Center and a vacant storefront currently used to house the tree’s extra ornaments.

The tree’s lights and ornaments were charred after the Dec. 6 fire. (The tree was plucked off Mount Shasta in early November.) Oakland Police said in a statement they think the fire, which began just before 1:30 a.m., was intentionally set. Oakland firefighters from nearby 47 Clay Street station quickly responded to the incident. Michael Hunt, spokesperson and chief of staff for the Oakland Fire Department, could not confirm the ignition source used on the greenery. He said property management has shared video surveillance with authorities. The 47 Clay Street station, which contains Fire Engine Two, is open temporarily while other fire stations are being renovated. Hunt said the tree likely would have burned to the ground if the Clay Street station was not open right now.   

The Oakland Police media representatives said “this is an ongoing investigation” and that no arrests have been made as of Friday Dec. 10. OPD requests anyone with information to call the General Crimes Unit at (510) 238-3728.

Damage was limited but the brief blaze left the tree bare from top to bottom on one of its sides. Many of the gold, silver and red ornaments were misshapen.

But help for the weary-looking tree was not far behind. An industrious crew of four including Lemmon made the five-hour journey from Burney in Shasta County to Jack London Square. John Russom said the group came down to Oakland in order to implement damage control. “We [had to] come down and try to fix it as best we can—and hopefully, make it done on time,”  Russom said, standing near the tree on the day all workers arrived. “I’m thinking we will. We’ll make it look good for you guys again.” he said from behind a brown beard.

In essentially a four-full-day spurt, Russom, Lemmon, Renee Hanan and Carlton Christmas Trees owner James Carlton revived the tree until it looked bright and merry. Fifty fresh tree limbs, which Lemmon said are known as “plug limbs,” were trucked in to help reshape the masterpiece—the crew cut off the damaged limbs and replaced them with new appendages. “We have these brackets that we put hose clamps around, and then we nail them to the tree,” Russom said, explaining their process for attaching additional limbs.

The Carlton team spent their first full day of work attaching limbs and trimming off dead needles. The team brought in a Genie Z60/34 Lift to access the tree. The next day, the tree fixers added ornaments and a few white-bulb lights. Finally, the day before the lighting ceremony, the team placed additional ornaments, lights, and, tiny strobe lights—a finishing touch.

During the process of gussying up the tree, Jack London Square visitors’ interest was piqued by activity near the tree. Many stopped a journey through the square to gaze at the tree being transformed. Some even thanked the workers. “You’ve done a great job,” said Bill, a Jack London Square tenant with purposeful stride, to tree architect Lemmon. Bill asked to go by his first name only.

Others just watched the visiting workers intently. Some asked the crew questions about the tree and the fire.

For worker Renee Hanan, a pro with many polished trees behind her, the Jack London Square tree has special meaning. She even felt emotion rising up while she looked at the burned tree. “My grandson actually got to come down and decorate it,” she said, standing in front of the damaged tree zone. Hanan said her 17-year-old grandson’s name is Hayden.

A lot of work was put into the tree’s original adornment, Hanan said. “It took us four days to put the lights on.” The original lights were done back home—before the tree was shipped to Oakland, Hanan said.

About a week after the blaze, a half-moon decorated the sky. Temperatures dipped into the low fifties. Organizers presented the 2021 Jack London Square Tree Lighting event as nature supplied the ambience. At 6:23 p.m., in front of a substantial crowd, the mighty tree lit up in endless white bulbs as if to say, ‘I’m still here.’

People held up smartphones in an attempt at immortalizing the glowing tree. All ages came to the event. Kids toted flashing balloons. But, the Carlton Christmas Tree employees preferred to stay in the background and let their work speak for itself. The group said they planned to be on their way to Shasta County on the day of the lighting. Russom said he was looking forward to doing Christmas shopping for his boys.

Even though the tree team was gone, their work and the tree served as a continuous symbol. Their plug limbs fixed the grand tree, but, they also plugged a space brought on by the damaged tree in Oaklanders’ hearts. “Thank you. Thank you for repairing the tree!” said Joycelynn and her friend Rosalyn two days after the fire, as they walked through the square after enjoying their day. The women asked that their last names be withheld in the story. The friends said they were happy the tree was being restructured. For them, the tree was a strong symbol of goodwill and a positive holiday spirit—and they took photos for posterity.

Contact the writer at: Alicerobinson07@gmail.com

Copyright 2021 Alice Robinson and alicerobinson.net. All Rights Reserved.

Oakland’s Jack London Square stops for two hours before police clear “general area” near Plank restaurant of potential explosive device

Last updated August 11, 2021 5:34 PM PDT

By Alice Robinson

The steady cacophony of trains stopped. Delivery vans and cars stayed away. And, flashing squad cars dominated rusty train tracks as life in Oakland, California’s Jack London Square stopped cold for about two hours in the afternoon on Thursday, August 5.    

However, the mild, brightly-painted afternoon seemed more in line with scenes of fun outdoor gatherings than what was actually taking place.  

Police officers coordinated this sudden halt of activity because an “anonymous individual” called Oakland Police dispatch and “stated that they had placed a bomb down here in Jack London Square,” said Johnna Watson, public information officer for the Oakland Police Department (OPD). Watson was wearing black-rimmed glasses and fielding calls from her Watch Commander around 4:30 p.m.  

Watson said the suspicious item was in the “general area” of the garage below Plank entertainment center (98 Broadway). She said that the Alameda County Bomb Squad, which took about 30 minutes to arrive, investigated the purported explosive using their robot. “That robot does a lot of the work,” Watson said of the explosive-detecting device used by officials. (A photo of the Alameda County Bomb Squad’s 2016 robot can be found here on their facebook page.)

A five-block stretch was evacuated, from Webster Street to Clay Street, along Embarcadero West near the Oakland Estuary. On August 9, Watson said police could not provide any more information about the August 5 event, including explaining how police chose to cordon off the 5-block stretch. “The incident is still under investigation.”

People who had to leave their workplace waited anxiously outside or spent time talking to others. Two chefs in their tall hats sat in the decorative, steel chairs of Jack London Square, making small talk. A scattering of people milled close to the intersection of Webster St. and Embarcadero West, taking in the foreboding scene of police tape and SUVs, around 4 p.m. Around 5 p.m., police finished their work and deemed the area safe—no bomb had been found.

Alvin Sims, 38, who moved here a month ago from Atlanta, had to rearrange his plans due to the day’s events.  

Sims said he came down to Jack London Square because he felt like bowling. He was going to “grab maybe a burger and something to drink, and go back home.” Instead, Sims waited outside near Arturo Morones, a worker from nearby Miette bakery, who said he is a janitor but does “everything” including baking at times.

Gam S., 29, who was wearing a festive shirt, gestured to her workplace, the restaurant Farmhouse Kitchen, saying “we’re closed for now.” She was waiting around with a coworker and wondering about her car. Her vehicle was in the parking garage that was being searched. Gam did not wish to give her full last name.

 A few blocks down the road at the Jack London Square Amtrak station, it was just a regular day for Carl, a front-desk employee who declined to provide his last name. He was unmoved by the potential danger nearby, giving off a calm vibe. Carl said trains don’t get stopped often, but “a lot of things happen on the tracks.”

Johnna Watson, the spokesperson for OPD, emphasized the need to protect innocent folks during the event. She said, “our visitors, our workers, anyone who lives in the area, as well as our officers that are out here,” needed to be safe, and that was a primary concern of the OPD.   

About 45 minutes later, the bomb squad completed their work and all caution tape in Jack London Square was removed. For a few moments, the ‘Square was eerily quiet.

Then, after a bit–“Toot!”—an Amtrak train roared by about 5:43 p.m.

The cacophony was back in business.

Contact the writer at: alicerobinson07@gmail.com

Copyright 2021 Alice Robinson and alicerobinson.net

Texas: Rural farming community takes on Covid

Groups join effort to help elderly

Last update May 16, 2021 at 4:53 PM PST

May 9, 2021

April 30, 2021

By Alice Robinson

In this cotton-growing region, 90 miles from the closest big city, residents have had to experience blows from Covid–without fighting back as hard as communities with easier access to resources. There are no doctors practicing in this county, which is home to about 3,100 residents. The last remaining doctor passed away about a year ago, and now not even a physician’s assistant remains.

Being tucked away does not protect Hall County dwellers from Covid, though the brand-new virus takes its time to sprout up here. The first case pops up in May 2020, well after much of the state is struggling. (“We knew it would get here” says Daniel Downey, pastor of First Baptist Church on South Eighth Street, saying that he knew it was just a matter of time. He also says he thinks the local truck stop is the main entry point because of the number of visitors it gets.) After that, cases crop up reliably, but the spike was in the fall. There have been 437 total coronavirus cases since the pandemic began. Twenty-five people have died in Hall County.

After experiencing economic hits and restaurant closures, a halt to gatherings and fewer hugs and personal connections, neighbors in county seat Memphis, a rustic city with old brick roads, can now access vaccines with relative ease. Currently there are several locations where Hall County-ites can get a vaccine to protect themselves during the pandemic’s longer-than-expected rein. For example, folks can go to Memphis Drug or visit United Supermarket or Wal-Mart in Childress, a nearby city, for a jab. (Check with the locations first about their registration procedures.)

While many people are getting vaccines, state officials are making a push for more citizens to get on board. A regional hub of Texas’ state health agency sent a letter to regional county judges last month, asking them to keep spreading the word about the importance of Covid vaccines. The letter from a Department of State Health Services (DSHS) official reminds local leaders that military teams, as well as “vendor teams,” are standing by ready to help get people vaccinated. Inoculating more rural residents is critical to minimizing the spread of variants, the letter-writer emphasizes.

By now, there have been five vaccine clinics in Memphis (the town is 90 miles from Amarillo), including a five-hour shot clinic, April 12, for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Before February 2021, the scene is pretty much the opposite—most of the vaccine supply in Texas has not been assigned for delivery to outlying regions. But, a unique vaccine clinic in February heralds a pathway to a more normal life, one where the people proud to be from the cotton capital of Texas join hands to harvest a healthier community.

On February 6, the state health agency’s regional staff drive to Pastor Downey’s church, First Baptist Church, with mobile refrigerated units containing enough Moderna vaccine doses for 210 people. In the week leading up to the event, Linda Carroll, the church secretary, monitors active phone lines. “We’re all filled up,” she says, from behind a desk of carefully-controlled chaos two days before the first vaccine event takes place. The church secretary and retired teacher says all slots have been taken in less than 24 hours. Interest from people that live in the area is nonstop. “Some of the people who have lived here all their lives, they’ve showed up at the door [on Tuesday Feb 2], saying can you put us on the list?” Carroll says.

Around the end of January, Pastor Downey talks to the County Judge and top emergency management official. The pastor says there are a lot of elderly folks in Hall County that “can’t get to Amarillo,” and Childress, where vaccines are being given out at the time. Pastor Downey proposes a vaccine clinic in town. Soon, County Judge Ray Powell brings together Pastor Downey; Emergency Management Coordinator James Edwards; and officials from the state health organization’s regional hub, known as Region 1, for a phone meeting. Five days after the phone conference, the vaccine clinic is actively underway. Pastor Downey’s church hosts the carefully planned shot clinic.

A recently renovated $2.6 million Baptist Education Center serves as one of the main staging areas during the county’s first vaccine clinic. The education building, normally reserved for boosting the bible’s teachings, is now a place for visitors to boost their immune systems. Several groups come together, pitching in for the vials. Police work side-by-side with church volunteers and the Memphis Lions Club members; Fat and Happy BBQ on South Boykin Drive donates a brisket; other local businesses offer goodies for the workers.     

For seniors and the elderly, the hullabaloo is without a doubt warranted. Before the clinic, Carroll, the church staffer, says that seniors calling to register are saying, “we are so excited about this because we haven’t been able to go anywhere and do things for months. This is the best thing that has happened in Memphis in a long time.”  

Kelly Northcott, the deputy regional director for the DSHS’ regional office based in Lubbock (Region 1), says a lot of vaccine recipients are pleased about getting a shot. A day after the initial clinic, Northcott, speaking from his home, says that those who get jabs are “pleasantly surprised” that officials have chosen their community to help out during a time of crisis.   

Northcott travels from Lubbock, about two hours away, early on the morning of February 6 for the event. Region 1 provides public health services to Hall County, and also to populations of 40 other counties in the panhandle and South Plains of Texas. Northcott says 30 public health workers, including some contractors, come into town to put on the clinic, traveling from the cities of Lubbock, Amarillo, Dumas, Hereford and Pampa.

James Edwards, the emergency management coordinator for Hall County, says there are currently no additional Memphis vaccine clinics on the horizon. Edwards thinks that the vaccines’ arrival in Memphis is a positive development, and he encourages residents to get the shot, and not to be too fussy. “It’s a good deal. Any shot, I believe, is going to help anybody,” he says.  

Edwards says he can’t say for sure if the next couple of years will bring a full return back to normal. But, “we’re trying to do everything we can.”

Part of that effort, Edwards says, is influenced by a desire for normalcy in this patch of Texas. “We’re ready to get the pandemic over [with], and to get everybody feeling well.”

Copyright 2021 Alice Robinson and alicerobinson.net