OVERALL SUMMARY: Well, with only 5 weeks until retirement we're off on another trip. This time we went to Rooster Poot and Siloam Springs in Arkansas to visit the Noahs. Then we went to Groesbeck and Cleburne in Texas to visit Carl's mother's side of the family (see the 2005-10 Texas album).

As a side note, there are ditches along many of the roads. In Texas they are called "bar ditches". Carl has always wondered where this term comes from and he asked a lot of Texans if they knew what it was. Well, when we got home, he looked it up on the Internet and this is what we found out.

Where does the 'Texanism' 'bar ditch' come from? I've heard it all my life, and as a Texas Native, have never found a bar in a ditch. Preceding the noun, I expect it to be an adjective... or is it a compound noun? It's not a verb, as in 'Katy bar the...' so that's out. While Googling, I found the following:

'The term bar ditch is actually "borrow" ditch. During the construction of levees, dirt was " borrowed" from the ditch to construct the levee.'

Ok, fine... but we don't have levees in West Texas. No need since there's no water to hold back. Inquiring minds want to know.

I've been told it actually comes from "barrow." With the advent of motor vehicles, wagons (barrows) and slower traffic were relegated to the side of the road hence bar ditch.

And I'll tell you one thing, it's dangerous as hell for a Texan used to bar ditches to drive elsewhere in this fine country. Ask R. sometime about me trying to turn that Lexus of hers around on a road out on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. I high centered that sucker on the side of the road because where I expected there to be a bar ditch there wasn't one.

Damn sheriff's department had to call a tow truck to get us out. I was not a happy camper.