A Little Comic Relief

Occasionally my children have school-related activities that result in our driving home rather late at night on back-country roads. Several times when we were heading northwest from Blanco, we noticed a strange glow in the sky that could be seen from miles away and was so striking that it was impossible to miss. Each time when we reached the source, it was the same: an extremely large complex of barns (covering at least an acre and possibly more) that were brilliantly lit from inside, even after midnight.
Eventually, we made a mental note to ourselves about how locate this place in the daytime, and the next time we drove that stretch of road, we did manage to locate the barns. We discovered that they were on what a sign out front said was a "Llama Ranch". We also immediately noticed that there was a private airstrip directly across the road from this complex, a fact which tends to have special meaning to anyone who has lived for any length of time in South or Central Texas.
Later I was surprised to hear that this ranch is owned by a couple I once knew. I particularly remember meeting this couple for the first time years ago when my (now former) in-laws introduced me to them while we were at a local garage; I never forgot this meeting because the wife was wearing sunglasses indoors in a futile attempt to hide an enormous black eye! (I was concerned about her and tried to talk to her alone, but I was prevented from doing this.)
If you attend any of the local parades around here (County Fair, Christmas, July 4th, etc.), you will see llamas paraded up and down Main Street. If you see any of the spectators giggling when they pass, you will know they are "insiders".