Hotter 'n Pecos

These collected tales--some taller than others--offer revealing glimpses into how and why West Texans are different. Rugged enough to make the harshest of environments their own, this species thrives in hundred-degree-plus heat and near-zero humidity. Folks like the crop duster who nearly sets his plane down in the bed of a pickup, the "boll weevil" whose naivet is tested in the oil patch, and Frank the "Goofy Roofer," who enters a bullfight with nothing more than a denim jacket and a bottle of beer, are far from rare. All these yarns contain a grain of truth, and some of them actually happened just as related. Most of them have a humorous bent; some are reasonably serious; a few are totally outrageous. But all of them illustrate the character of this distinctive region of the Lone Star State. Whether they concern ranchers, farmers, or oilfield hands; weather, work, or play, all reflect the essential nature of West Texans. Weaver's lively anecdotes prove several truths about Texas west of the hundredth meridian: you may learn how not to haul hogs, ride in rodeos, conduct bullfights, or drill oil wells--and you may well meet petroleum promoters, coon hunters, chuck-wagon cooks, cotton farmers, and even college professors--but you won't encounter an uninteresting character where things get hotter than Pecos.