State School Band Gets Award...

Here's the shot they used on the slide show when our little State School Band got an award in Austin from the Department of Aging and Disability in the Wellness category. The DADs web site has this to say about the Wellness Category and award:

"An annual recognition award honoring a volunteer or a volunteer group demonstrating exceptional community service through their understanding of healthy living issues specific to their community."

Here is l to r, Runt, Dan and me with the award. Larry (he makes our ears ring) is not present to accept the award, his mom was sick. I am a relative newcomer as a volunteer, 9 years at this for me, 24 for Dan and 20 plus as far as I know for Runt.

I think if you scroll on down this web page I am wearing this same shirt in other recent photos. That's ok, it travels well, resist wrinkles, looks good even after several wearings which is sure to resonate with other readers here.

Here's a shot of all Vision Award winners, some group, some individual, honored for their service at the ceremony.

I guess when I started at music years ago I had no clear idea what I was going to do with it. Now looking in hind site it seems my mission has been to put music in places it would not be if I was not around. You could have a gig at the local bar, they would be just as happy to play the radio. At the State school they are always glad to see the band and request tunes such as Wipeout and all Runt's songs.

Lufkin High School Band Alumni Concert...

In this photo me and Mary take part in a historical re-enactment of a situation you may not be aware of. Post Civil War, when the occupying armies withdrew from New Orleans, like a lot of occupying armies they left stuff behind. In this case it included the instruments used by military brass bands. These instruments fell into the hands of former slaves and pop music as we know it was born.

No, really it's the Lufkin High School Band Alumni Concert, a day of visiting, rehearsing and an evening of playing a concert. Look at the picture. Is that person barely in the picture holding their ears? I like to think may be just answering a cell phone call, hard to tell. Standing right there with tuba and cymbals blasting away must have been set to vibrate.

Grand old man of Lufkin Bands, Waymon Bullock. One of the top music educators, band directors, and just great guys in the world. My high school band director, he puts the band through the paces at rehearsal.






One of the photos from the historical display, donated by Lowell Clark, another band director product of Lufkin taken at Lowell's 2003 birthday. It's a reunion of 1953-54 Lufkin band students including my late Uncle Bill Wallace standing next to Bullock on the right. Lowell is on the left, he played at the reunion concert. One of the things folks stressed again and again yesterday was the family and friend connections made through participation in band.

One of my old high school buddies, Ken (no last names he recently moved to a new job, don't want to mess him up with the new boss if he gets the old Google) we hung out a lot and he told me he has been visiting this site. We were together before the word bromance was coined. Ken, you know about the $39,000 fee, correct? Not for bromancing, for getting your picture here. Ken's dad was there last night with many stories to tell of our mischievous high school days. My mom was there also and she said she don't remember us hanging out together. Get your stories straight guys, we did.

Anyway, it was a great time and I'll get some more pictures up later. I already have Face book emails of of a couple of shots I am tagged in this morning so if you do that thing, check it out.

Worlds 2009...

No glory for Carl yesterday at the 2009 American Taekwondo Association World Championships in Little Rock. I qualified in the Top Ten in the world in my age division for forms. Here I do my form. I guess I have to be content with the achievement of getting there, I did not go to many tournaments this year, but placed well in the ones I attended. Tall guy standing to my right, hands on hips took world champ forms and sparring.

Does standing on one leg like this make my butt look big? I may have to stop doing that. I did have enough points to win Texas State Champ for the second year in a row. Flags on the back wall in addition to the U.S. and Korean are from the ATA, WTTU and STF, the various ways our association is known around the world.

Two more students from our school qualified for Top Ten, Mrs. Willis and Miss Rowjee, but no place for them either. People ask me about our school and I tell them that the instruction is good enough to get you to the big show.


If you don't place you get a nice little ribbon, kind of like a military decoration that if you go on and spent a couple of thousand on instructor camps you can then get a blue suit like Senior Master Lee has on here as I shake his hand and wear the ribbons to let folks know your story.

One of my TKD friends from the Midland school joked that the Top Ten ribbon cost him $10,000. I hate to hear that because through the years Cathy was Top Ten Forms and sparring, Morgan was Top Ten (placed second sparring at worlds) Mary has been Top Ten twice and now me. That's a lot of late night driving, bad sleeping on hard hotel beds, fast food, getting up early, staying late, judging rings, and so on on a tournament trail that has lead from Orlando to Las Vegas through Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas.

I guess you have to take the journey in perspective. First time I went to worlds as a 1st degree black belt I thought I was ready. Got my hat handed to me, nothing. Since then I have continued to progress and work as I have been able to be competitive at world and national tournaments. May be by the time I hit that 60-69 ring I will be hitting my prime. You know how it goes, the older you will get...

Happy Wedding Anniversary To Us...

June 24th is our wedding anniversary. We have been married 20 years.

I guess it shows in the fact that the most recent picture I could find of us together, just us that is, was made last winter on a fishing trip.

Don't worry though, we are still fishing together.

Happy Father's Day...

Here's a couple of dads, me and Quince at Mary's graduation a few weeks ago. We continue our 30 year bromance at every opportunity we get. May be we will make one of those movies, no not one of those movies but one of those new bromance movies.

There are some upcoming movies to be made this week. Our little state school band, we play a dance once a month for the residents there, gets an award, Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) Vision Award in the Wellness category. I have been doing this for about 9 years, thanks to Dan and Runt, who have been doing it for 20 odd for having me along.

I am currently ranked 9th in the world, American Taekwondo Association, (my age bracket) for forms. I get to compete for world champ in Little Rock on Friday.

Saturday is The Lufkin High School Alumni Band Concert. I'll play tuba. Proceeds benefit the scholarship fund.

Mary Studies...

Sneaked this photo of Mary studying for a test the other night. She is taking a nurse aide course at the local JC. Her clinical rotation will be at a local nursing home/rehab facility where some of my patients go on discharge from the hospital. Should I help out here? Maybe give Mary some tips or tell the patients to watch out for her? Hard to decide whose side to be on, might have to go with the patients on this one.

Anyway seeing her study brought back some memories from my days at school. I just renewed my licence, already been two years since I graduated. As I reminisced back and and she studied I thought about some of those blogs I wrote about night screaming. There were folks who got a real kick out of that. They thought I was being funny. I don't think they knew it was real. I was scared. After my job layoff I was close to being nothing.

I haven't had to write about night screaming in a long time.

At the Lake...

Hot weather, big sun hat, cool off with a swim, what's not to like about Texas summer time?
On the map this is called Bird Island.
Cattle egrets in the trees. There were hundreds, maybe thousands of birds nested here.
Cormorants on the nest. Wish these overhung the water. The cats would be underneath eating baby birds and other personal bird stuff that falls or gets dropped in the water.

I got another good egrets on the nest photo, but I am at the size limit for today.

More Fish Fry...

At the fish fry we held one of those relationship training courses. Notice how the teams were arranged. Rose and Miguel on one team, Mary and Juan on the other. The lesson? When it comes to spiking the ball, your significant other usually does not need your help and if he does, well that's another course.


Juan spikes. He is currently enrolled in the Texas Department of Public Safety Academy. He's off this week on break and for vacation he and Rose head to New Orleans. Remember, I get that father in law no speed limit pass. It's a sign on a little handle like a fly swatter, when the lights come on behind you, you stick it out the window and they turn the lights off and you proceeded on your happy way.

I work with these guys, they are also PTAs.













I guess it was a good party. Lots of hot sauce, I found two pairs of flip flops left behind, Where were those people going without shoes? Almost all paper plates were used, but hardly any napkins. Figure that one out.

Hot Fish Fry...

Temps in the high 90s did not prevent me and Runt from slaving over hot fish cookers Saturday afternoon. Here the boys cross swords.
The big fish photo op set up was a big success.
Even folks allergic to fish posed for the glory.














A big jam session was followed up with with the great water melon debate which as you can see got physical. when it comes to hot summer time and melon, everyone wants a piece.

Size Does Matter...

At least that's what these two old boys who were recently sighted driving down Timberland Dr. cuddled up in the cab of a skinned up Chevy think.

Chevys may not be around too many more years, at least in the form we know know them, although I am sure there will be some favored brand that survives to be skinned on the back roads and hog trails in these parts. One thing I am sure will be around is the relationship between men that to judge from popular movies is becoming more and more common, the bromance.

To define bromance, it's the complicated relationship of love and affection shared by two straight males. Now the movies would have you to think this is a pretty new thing, but us artsy types that hang out on blogs and in other similar locations know that art precedes print, music and movies in being a front runner of social change by a long shot. In fact I bet bromances have been depicted in art for two or three hundred years at least. I just can't think of any right now. Maybe I'll call Miguel, he might know some.

Meanwhile there is the school of thought out there that has been put forth that I will get skinned myself one day for making pictures of bromances. I did say bromances were complicated.

Another Birthday...

Happy Birthday Morgan!

Here you see him beginning the birthday season.

He's having a party this weeknd in College Station. If all the poeple who read this blog show up it will make it extra memorable.

My Dad's Birthday...

Today is my dad's birthday. I'll remember him with this old photo, must be from the early to mid 50s, before my birth.

That's him on your right and I think maybe it's his dad leaning on the sign and one of his brothers on the left with back turned. Looks like a little family outing to the Indian Reservation. This photo might might make an interesting study of cross generational dress. Note hats, caps, long sleeves, short sleeves, bright colors vs plain and what appears to be a suit. Maybe the next time I am together with my children I will stage a picture like this, might not can pull it off, they all know that any activity may appear misrepresented here on the blog.

I wish I had that shirt of my dad's to wear for upcoming summer fun. I will also be glad when it's funky and cool to wear your trousers pulled up high like that once more.

It's Time for a Birthday...

Happy birthday Katie! 26 years old today. She is pictured with her birthday fish.

Fish, where you going with that girl?

Remember That Picture Where WE Were Kicking Mary...

We were kicking Mary out after graduation a few posts back?

Here's her stuff loaded into the truck and trailer.

Actually it's metal scrap from a barn clean out. Her room is kind of full of similar looking items come to think of it and the barn is sure neater than the room at this moment.

I sold this stuff at the recycle place for $20. Going down the road most people viewed this as some R.E.D. Neck Business I am sure. They said " He will have some beer money today." I have not bought beer in so long I do not know how much $20 will buy anymore.

Fish Eagle...

Usually you see these osprey nests way up in old dead trees. May be there are not that many tall dead trees left sticking up in the lake any more or may be 6 weeks ago before spring rains this might have been sticking up a little higher.

I guess it has it's advantages, I have seen these birds laboring mightily, flying big circles holding long sticks or big fish, big heavy weights needed for construction of home and growth of babies.




Speaking of babies, what about this camouflage job? They lay very still as we approached no movement to give them away. There are at least three in the nest, I can pick out one eye glaring.

We have see some great bald eagles in flight, magnificent birds but have yet to capture a good image.

Dance...

Went to a dance recital yesterday. Here you see Morgan's girlfriend, Ali, who danced a solo as an alumni of the school hosting the event. Held at San Jacinto College South this piece was called "Black Swan."
Many styles of dance represented with groups, solos and guest performers all ages.

You have to be content of the pictures I made of Ali standing still, lots of action caused lots of blurring in other photos I made.




I enjoy the hip hop style of dancing. Regardless of what you other geezers think of this kind of music and culture is here to stay and will be coming to your living room sooner or later. In fact brave pioneers are out there right now thinking how to sell you some. Recently I encountered a person listening to the country and western TV channel. The song playing, in my judgment had some definite rap/hip hop influences and I made a comment to that effect to the listener. The listener said "it's supposed to be the country channel."

Got to watch out for that subversive stuff, the old bait and switch.