Evansville Visit...

Part of our recent vacation trip was a visit to Cathy's sister Margaret and husband Kevin in Evansville Indiana. Here's the sisters.

Kevin poses for his facebook profile shot.

Carl goofs with niece Addison. Don't let Coraline see me playing with another kid, she might be jealous.

Carl shows niece Grayson how to get kicked out of Gatti world. Remember folks, the lessons we learn young are the ones we keep all our lives.

C

My Aunt Winnie Lou Passes...

Sorry to report the passing of my Mom's sister in law Winnie Lou Wiley. She lived in Wilson Ar. This photo of Cathy, Winnie Lou and my Mom was taken at her house June 2008.

I remember the many good times and fun of meals she cooked and walks on the arrow straight streets lined with big trees of small town Arkansas all surrounded with flat fields of cotton and soybean. I recall the good hearted jesting of my childhood with her and Uncle Gilbert over old time South West Conference football when the Longhorns and the Razorbacks still played. Those are good memories, good times.

Visits to Family...

While on a driving trip that took us to Evansville, Indiana, Nashville, Tennessee, Matthews, Mo, Little Rock and Hot Springs Arkansas we stopped to see as much family as we could along the way.

Here's me with cousin Mary Ann in Matthews. She is a faithful blog reader, checking in each day to see what's new in the world of Carl.

Me, Mary Ann and Cathy take a self portrait. While in Matthews we drove over to Sikston to eat at the world famous home of the "Throwed Rolls" Lambert's Restaurant for some country style dining.

Good food, a good visit and the next morning we awoke to a cool 67 degrees, quite a difference from the heat we have been used to in Texas.

M

I have been away...

Here I am in Nashville at the Country Music Hall of Fame. No, not there for awards, just a tourist. More posts on the vacation next week.

The Drummer Sleeps...

Well I know it is just country music, and the pay was pretty low, but please don't sleep through our songs. Just looks bad, looks bad.

You know how it

is at these gigs, people crowd around to my side of the stage, looking up, making them googlie eyes and trying to steal my licks.

Back Porch Band at SpJST Lodge Dance...

Good turn out for the debut of a new project, The Back Porch Band at the SPJST Lodge dance. Lots of dancers and the band had fun. Played 60 plus songs, good long sets. look for us at a dance hall venue near you soon.

Here's the band, hard to get them in one photo. Roughly left to right, Runt, Mudbelly, Mary, Neil, Grif, Earl, Lanny and Dustin.

So How Do These Work...

The filling station where I trade always has ads for nifty products displayed so they can be browsed as you fuel. This looks to be an ear bud music listening device and as one who prefers sound to come from large box enclosures my imagination ran wild with fanciful uses for a product that makes such claims. Who wears it, you or the perpetrator? My wife wears something like this at night to counter act my snoring. Maybe I should be wearing it? Maybe the police department should issue these to get off my lawn types who advocate the death penalty for loud car stereos? The possibility for use just runs on and on...

Polka...!

Here is a cell phone photo I snapped on our recent visit to the Temple Tx Czech Museum. The exhibit commemorates Leo Majeck's Polka Orchestra. This orchestra has been in operation playing gigs in Texas since 1897.

I picked up a couple of their records, 60s vintage maybe, in a Temple thrift store last year. Could be possible some of these instruments were used on that recording. Those tubas look a lot like my horn, I would love to play in a band like this.

Here is a youtube clip from the 90s:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jph6ShWdJR8

Strat Kats Play Church Social...

Well the turn out for a church social and pot luck was not like a huge turn out, but all had a good time, folks that said they would dance to Strat Kat music came and the band played good.



Line dancers get it on.








Mudbelly, Mary and Chainey start a cunga line.

Check the face book page for a photo album of more pot luck fun.

Happy Birthday Morgan...

Morgan turns 24 years old today. This photo taken a couple of weekneds ago show him and girlfriend Ali having fun with the tube on a lake trip.

Happy Birthday son!

Happy Birthday Katie...

June 6th it is and here's a photo of Katie and fiancee Peter taken on Cathy's last visit to Chicago.

Have a good one!

Overheard Conversations...

"Did they leave us?"

"Maybe, coming back, you think?"

"Did you see the splash when the big guy fell off the tube?"

"It's hot, be glad when August gets here?"

"Tried these fresh water mussels?"

"No."

"Probably keep us both alive."

Ayish Bayou Catfish...

On our weekend visit to San Augustine Park we fished along Ayish Bayou, a stream that feeds into Sam Rayburn Lake. The Texas Historical Association says the tributary was named after the Ais Indians who lived along it's banks. Probably a good living until settlers started showing up in the area about 1820, but then that's always the story, there goes the neighborhood. Which is really ok, new neighbors that is by me as long as they let each other be. This photo is one of the few remaining wild Indians still living off the land in the area.

We sacked up a nice little bag of 10 catfish and threw back a bucket full of undersized. Here you see Mary with one of her river monsters.