Getting it together after Rita...

It has been quite the time this week what with Rita hitting and all. Just got power back yesterday so I am just now getting to the old blog.

First story is that what we thought were going to be 150 nursing home patients that would be coming to our church, St. Patrick's, turned into 800 people on buses and in cars. Me and Cathy along with Morgan and Mary, Rose, ( the kids really did great) who evacuated with he husband Juan from Lake Jackson and maybe about 50 to 100 other volunteers did their best to make these folks at home.

It was an experience, let's just say it was a good chance to live your faith. The people we housed were great, doing their best to keep the church, the halls and the grounds clean. Disaster leaves a lot of cardboard. Here is a picture of my truck after a visit to FEMA headquarters.

We had some distinguished visitors. The Lt. Governer of Texas (forget his name, I didn't vote for him) and a State legislators by the name of Todd Staples. As far as I know they just were there to get their picture made, they brought their own camera people and please correct me if I am wrong but they made no difference what so ever. I did notice they were a lot cleaner than everyone else. In the picture you see the Lt. Gov. and Mr. Staples with his back turned both dressed in blue shirts. I think my friends Nicie and Rosey are asking the hard question, Cowboys or Texans. Must have given the right answer as far as these ladies are concerned. Cowboys.

After five days at St Pat's the folks left for better facilities in Texerkana. It was heart breaking for some of them to still be on the road and moving further away from home.





Lost one sheet of roofing off my house and some flashing torn loose.

Also one cedar tree. Not good for fire wood, but between a big oak limb that fell at my mom's house and a tree on the side of the road I think I have enough fire wood to last the winter.

Also had three tests at school this week, made 88, 89 and a 90. Not bad for studying by flashlight.

If I have left anything out, well you just had to be there, I'll look for ya'll at the next disaster.

It is a rodeo here...

Lots of folks have come to St. Pat's church from Beaumont. Been up there all day helping out. Several hundred people there and I think other shelters in Lufkin are like that also.

Keep you readers posted as things develop here in East Texas.

Looks like a blow...

Rita looks like it might be coming this way. Town seems to be full of refugees. Rose and Juan are coming to our house today. We got a notification from church that they might need some help there. I also have three tests next week, I need to do some studying.

If you want to keep an eye on the coast here is a link to the Freeport surfcam. Maybe it will be up as the storm approaches.

http://66.132.136.171/surfcam/index_orig.shtml

Also a link to a surfcam at Galveston:
http://www.galvestonsurfcam.com/

Refugees coming...

Our daughter Rose and husband Juan are coming to East Texas in case Rita wants to do a number on the Lake Jackson/Freeport area where they live. Their house is in a lowlying area.

They will stay with me, but I saw a sign at the high school for evac sign ins. If I get tired of them I can always sent them to a local shelter. Or if they get tired of me, I'll be a refugee from refugees, works both ways. Nice to have options.

Seriously, hope this hurricane is not to bad.

The wife...

The wife found how to access the blog today. She said, "Glad you showed me, since you had invited everyone else."

She has been seeing the emails from my fans and was curious about the worldwide uproar I have created.

Busy...

Not much time to post.

Lufkin vs. Nac. Lufkin won, here is the band pictures:

The drumline, Mary is second cymbal from the right.

Below, the Panther Band comes across the field at half time.

Gig went good at the Trinity County Hurricane Relief Concert, I heard $3000 raised. I had fun.

Won a digital video camera at the Fiestas Partrice celebration raffle at church today. If I have been sending you email pictures, you might want to upgrade to some kind of faster internet connection so you will be ready for my videos. Download times are going to kill you other wise.

Man if my luck gets any better I don't know what I will do.

Are you ready for some football...

Oldest football rivalry in Texas tonight, Lufkin vs. Nacogdoches. Go Pack, beat Doches.

Don't forget Trinity County Hurricane Relief Concert tomorrow. I'm playing harp with the Stonewall Rockers at 7:30.
http://www.stonewallstudio.com/Katrina_benefit_schedu.htm

I made the paper...

No not the obits, though there are those who think I am fading fast and not the police report, I am reformed thank you.

I made the current edition of the Kilgore College newspaper, The Flare. I have attended three institutions of higher learning in my life, Stephen F. Austin State U, Angelina College and now am a student at Kilgore College. I have had my picture in two out of three student newspapers, the SFA Pine Log and now in the Flare. I don't know how AC missed the boat.

This picture from the Pine Log is from some football season between 1975 and 1977. It was on the front page. I was honking on that thing. I still can.

New picture is of me taking a student poll on effect of gas prices. I'm getting 23 mpg if I take it easy. Not great, but if I drive 70 I get 18.




So there you have it, I not only report the news, I make it too.

In Henderson Texas...

In Henderson, TX today there was two guys on a street corner. One had a sign said, "No Fags in Heaven." I couldn't see the other guys sign good, I think it might have said "God Bless America." As I drove past it looked like the police were arriving.

I wondered if those two guys were together.

Also saw a letter to the Lufkin News. Find it at this link:
http://www.lufkindailynews.com/opin/content/news/opinion/stories/2005/09/08/20050908LDNletter_2.html
So when they get these people rounded up next lets get the blacks, the queers, the gypsies, the Jews, the hippies, the Catholics, HEY wait a minute, that's me. How did that happen?

Did somebody try this one time before? May be my good blog readers should all write this letter author, he is in Zavalla, Tx, I would think a general delivery letter would find him there, it's a small town. Don't bother to tell him what you think, just remind him of history. WWII vets could simply send any news clippings they saved announcing the wars end and just tell him, "I'm sure glad that's over, I don't really want to do it again, or see anybody else have to do it either."

Start a new week...

Monday morning, busy weekend what with a little volunteer time at the Salvation Army, went to the football game, ended up driving to Houston to buy a water bed mattress, (you can't buy a water bed anywhere but Tyler or Houston) also bought a new frame with shelves so this ended up switching around a bunch of house furniture.

Played at two churches Sunday.

Rose (oldest daughter) slipped and fell at work and broke her arm.

Glad the weekends over. Back to school.

From the football game...

Panther band, Mary is 3rd cymbal player from the left.

If everyone has so much stuff...

Just a question I have to ask after volunteering at the Salvation Army yesterday. People brought by such huge amounts of stuff to donate for hurricane victims. Way more than will every be needed. My son in law, Juan has been volunteering at the Astrodome and says they have to turn away trucks because there is so much stuff. I know I have seen people donate more clothes out of their home than I myself own.

If we as Americans have so much stuff, why are there ever people in the world that don't have anything? Why do people ever suffer. Why are they ever hungry people. Why does anyone ever feel they must go to war to get what someone else has? Why don't we take better care of our fellow man? Why does it take a diaster before we become compassionate? Why don't we educate everyone so their life is better?

Something aint right some where if you ask me.

Does this bull make our butts look big?

Had our pictures made today with Sancho, the worlds largest longhorn.

This took place on the busiest street corner in Lufkin so I am sure some of you readers were witness to this event.

More proof of why this blog is called the Older You will get...

Me and Cathy helped out at the Salvation Army sorting donations this morning. They have a ton of stuff with more arriving all the time. They really need manpower to get it all in a usable form. Where ever you are, donate you time as well as your treasure.

Off to see the Panthers in Port Arther, go band.

First test grade...

96. Not bad, I think I did ok on a test today also. Just got to get through a lab pratical on massage next week.

Hurricane Relief

Cathy plans on helping with the Red Cross today. I got a gig at a Hurricane benefit playing harp with the Stonewall Rockers on the 17th.
http://www.stonewallstudio.com/Katrina_benefit_info.htm

Have given some money, will give more.

I heard my boss got canned at work. I hate that, he gave me a chance to get started in Physical Therapy when he hired me at the tech position. I am grateful that he believed in me.

Another day in the life...

So pretty good day today, Angela called, test look ok for her, no cancer, but there are more to be run. Got an email from Nancy in New Orleans, I guess they are ok, the email was a raging political missive forwarded to all on the list.

Took first major test at school today, if the score is good I'll post it maybe tomorrow. If you don't see it, well, don't ask.

Nobody wants a picture of Jerry Lee?

If Elvis gets a picture...

So does Jerry Lee Lewis. I have always been more of a Jerry Lee/Carl Perkins/Johnny Cash kind of guy I thought this was a really cool picture. Jerry Lee takes a break from the piano to play a little guitar. Cool Fender amp in the background.

I think I will start a little Jerry Lee picture collection. I have two pictures right now, one I will not post here because I am trying to keep this a family site and the picture shows Jerry making an obscene gesture understood around the world using BOTH HANDS. If you need a copy email me.

I have seen Jerry Lee in concert once. Scared me. Aren't you glad his parents did not know about Ritlan. Would have missed out on some great music.

Happy Labor Day. Take time out for the guys at Boeing now on strike. Unions have made some mistakes, I know I was Union for 25 years. These guys are standing up because they are tired of big CEO pay packages, jobs going else where, getting screwed on the health care and benefits. To heck with a raise, we just want our job and to be taken care of when sick and when we get old.

Union or not, if you were off this weekend remember, it was their idea, not the big boss mans.

Happy birthday to my brother Glenn...

9/3/05 Glenn has a birthday. I gave him a picture of Elvis, really 70s kind of Elvis, jumpsuited and varnshed on a piece of wood. Would have been perfect in the Jungle Room at Graceland.

I hit a motherlode of Elvis pictures at a garage sale. I bought three of them. One is a small 70s Elvis 5x7 frame, perfect for my CD and stereo room, but here is the other one. It is about 3 feet tall. It kind of makes you uncomfortable if you are dressing in the same room with it.

Beware if you have a birthday, wedding, what ever approaching, I have your gift already.

Here is a New York Times link to how the French Quarter is fairing in the storm aftermath.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/04/national/nationalspecial/04quarter.html

High school football opens with a bang...

Panthers win 51 to nothing. I did not get to see it, worked the concession stand for the band boosters. Slung chili and cheese.

Best I can tell from New Orleans reports is that Mandeville where our friend Nancy lives is doing OK. Reports have French Quarter in pretty good shape at 3 ft. above sea level.

Panther Band and Government Funny Business...

No I don't mean the government is tampering with the Panther Band. There are those though that would advance far reaching conspiracy theories after the recent band director controversy.

Here are some pictures of the Lufkin High School Panther Band featuring Mary Wallace on cymbals and percussion. at their beginning of the year pep rally.

Here is the drumline doing a feature at the pep rally.




For some reason as soon as Mary entered high school she stopped talking around the house and runs away if her parents come to the same event as she.

















Ok the government funny business part. My daughter Katie emails me this:

"Dad,
I was wondering if you would go to the website and read it... http://www.rense.com/general4/fre.htm I wanted to know what you think about this and I think it would be an interesting topic for your blog. Travis thinks the government, while lacking the ability to control the weather, can intensify a storm that is already occurring. I think that if they have the power to intensify storms it will not be long before we start killing people off by natural disaster. Ever heard of environmental genocide. Can't wait to read the blog.
Much Love,
Katie"

Now I don't know if this is true, but this is not the first time I have heard it. I throw it out here because we live in a Democracy, if you have suspisions ask questions, research information. It is your right.

I have no doubt that there are men so power hungry, so greedy that the rest of us cannot even begin to consider their level of uncaring. If they really cared why would not we rescue more people around the world from their tragic plight instead of spending so much money on war and destruction?

Being a Christian American citizen I have to ask these things. Something don't seem right about the world right now.