Yesterday, the Don-Wes Flea Market that sits on the border of Donna and Weslaco Texas, burned to the ground.

I was horrified and saddened as I saw the news reports and videos posted to my Facebook news feed.

There are many Flea Markets in the RGV, but this one, less than a 15 minute drive from our park, was our favourite. It was clean, the variety of goods was impressive, the entertainment was always excellent, the food was scrumptious, and the people (both the vendors and the customers) were always happy and friendly. We spent many afternoons and made many memories there during our two winters in South Texas.

There was a greater loss than that of Winter Texans for their favourite hang-out spot. The many market businesses were the sole source of income for the families who operated them. The economic impact on Donna, TX and Weslaco, TX will be huge, because a stop at the market, often meant checking out the shops and restaurants in these two small Texas cities.

It’s so very hot and dry in South Texas this summer, that the entire area is a tinder box. One reporter at the fire, picked up some grass and showed how dry it was – you could hear it crackling and rustling into his microphone.

I certainly hope that this wonderful market will be rebuilt so the tenant businesses like the one in my feature photo can continue to earn a living and I’m hoping and praying that this will be the last fire of its kind this summer.

Photo Note: Yesterday my photo note was about setting focus and exposure before taking a phone photo. I didn’t do that with my feature photo, and as a result, the phone camera lens had difficulty sorting out the focal point of the photo. This resulted in a overly busy, grainy-looking photo.

“Fire is the test of gold; adversity, of strong men.”

Martha Graham