Happy Hallween Birthdays....

Halloween is a big day around here. This past weekend at Pop's birthday party I had a chance to make current pictures of some of those we celebrate today.

My daughter Rose and her Uncle John, both born today.

It is also Rose's husband Juan's birthday. Pretty spooky.

Here is Rose, Juan, and Coraline with Mary and Miguel.

Halloween is also was Granny Wallace's birthday.

On a side note I also asked Cathy to marry me on Halloween. Cute and sensitive stuff, easy to remember.

Pop's 80th Birthday Party...

Ok, so his Birthday is really not till Tuesday but we let Bill have his party on Saturday. Lots of people in attendance, lots of food, fun and music. Check out the dancing and singing by Coraline.

Full band shot here with Geneva's great grand daughter taking a solo on recorder.

Coraline Visits...

Coraline and Slim Shady pose with Grandpa in the back yard.

We got some really great pictures fooling around one afternoon this past week but most show a smiling laughing pretty granddaughter with a very soiled dress front from some good eats at Grandma's house. This is one photo that makes it look like we did not get the baby so dirty.

Open Mike at the Standpipe Coffee House...

Had fun this weekend playing open mike at the Standpipe Coffee House. My set was very well received by the crowd although no one laughed at my Rick Perry jokes. You can see that folks crowded right up to the front trying to steal my licks and make those googly eyes at me while I am playing.

I sang my most soul baring sensitive emo material. The subject matter was a kind of a song cycle that dealt with the self discoveries that boy genius made one morning when he woke up and looked in the mirror and noted that he was not all that smart. He also noted that he was not really a boy anymore.

Big Slough Photo...

This photo, taken on our hunting trip last weekend looks up the Big Slough. I was surprised that there was a decent amount of water slowly flowing but not enough to fill the little branch of intermittent puddles and hog wallows I crossed to make this picture.

This is a pretty good spot to shoot some ducks. It is a hard spot to retrieve those that you have killed, usually the water is high, and as I sat and studied the lay of the land it would still take some care on a cold winter morning even if the drought is not relieved. I did not test the water depth, but sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas I'll let you know.

Otober is Cat Fest Month...

Me and GW, along with Cathy put 61 cats in the boat yesterday. No huge size, but all solid keepers and many undersized fish thrown back.

With the fishing hot and I am expecting the size of the fish to pick up with the cooling of the season one

ramp at Hank's Creek is closed due to low water. Hopefully the other one stays open, be a shame for all these fish to be out there dying of old age if we can't get a boat launched.

Some One Shot an Arrow in the Air...

My roof. Some one else's arrow. I am kind of feeling like Custer this morning, without the long blond hair of course.

Cathy noticed this on Saturday. An arrow embedded in our roof. Fortunately penetration was limited by the metal roof, the old layer of singles underneath and thick rich lighter pine boards that put the capital "R" in roof.

Don't really have any good clues where this came from. There are neighbor kids down the road, possible suspects, but all pretty skinny and one currently has a broken arm, kind of hard to imagine one of them having the power for a shot traveling this distance with the appropriate elevation to end up at this angle of impact.

Of course I am old and the last bow and arrow I had my hands on was one I made from the switch cane in my parent's neighbors yard when I was a kid so like most modern devices there may be developments in bow and arrow technology that multiplies power with miniaturization that makes this possible at a price point all can enjoy.

Hunting/Fishing Weekend...

Morgan was in for a visit this weekend so we made a trip over to Big Slough for some squirrel hunting. No luck, saw quite a few and since deer season is not open I just chased a few of them around. I am right behind this one, almost snuck up close enough to jump on it's back and ride before it took off like a bolt of lightening.

Here is Cathy

and Morgan with some fast catfish action catching a double. Total for the day is 18 cats. We fried them up with my Mom, brother and Mary coming to eat.

Here's Cathy with big fish of the day.

Tried This to Make it Rain...

Seems what little wetness has fallen from the sky around here has just dampened the roof. I don't know how to rain dance or any other dance for that matter so I tried to make it rain by leaving my little transistor radio outdoors on accident for several days.

Usually that kind of thing does it. You get out of good habits for what ever reason, such as putting your stuff up and it bites you in the butt. Not so this case. I left it out on a Friday evening while sitting in the dark, in the hot tube catching up on high school football scores. I laid it down and forgot it. Several days past before I was on the deck in the daylight and noticed my mistake. We need the rain but I was glad my radio was not ruined.

This has been a great little radio. It's not the fable silver plastic nine volt heart sung about by Dave Alvin and the Iguanas on their respective recordings but just a black Radio Shack three battery double A job. I keep track of the sports with it even though the cable networks are making it harder and harder for the little guy without the big cable package to listen to his or her favorite games. I use this radio while beach front fishing. Nothing says fun like sitting on a sandy Texas beach with your big surf rod out listening to the dirty white boy rock station and just to show I can change with the times I sometimes listen to the Spanish electronic tuba station.

I don't know what the replacement for this radio would be. If I judge from the apparatuses on a new Ford F-150 truck a radio these days probably gets (for a fee of course) satellite stations, plays MP3s, makes phone calls, does your taxes all while making you a sandwich. To get a radio like the one pictured I suspect you might have to go to Mexico and I am not talking right across the border, I am thinking may be some where deep down in the interior where the lights are not so bright, where the static is a bit more troublesome and there are not so many choices.

New Truck Day...

Cathy poses in the garage last night after a truck buying trip to Houston. It's a Ford F-150. Really a pretty plain truck but has a lot of nice features. I usually joke that my cars are air conditioners and stereos on wheels, I think this one is actually a phone on wheels.

Traded in the old Mazda, goodbye to a truck we have drove 10 years, hope this one lasts that long also.

Good Picture of Us...

Good picture of us with interesting case study in the background. Little girl, large beer.

Things will get interesting when she stands up to go pee.

Guess Where Grandpa Took Me...

Can't tell you how much I enjoy doing stuff with the Grandchild...

Scattered Weekend Thoughts...

Been reading a book of short essays on living in New Orleans. Guess that's what brings these things on.

It started Saturday. I'm at the Monastery Bazaar. I do go to other things as well as parties where all take of their shirts off and as I sign up to have a copy of the Nun's newsletter, The Monastery Bells, mailed to my home. I note that the name above mine on the list is Suzi's, who with coincidentally I have some New Orleans connection. Spelled the same, first and last. Just has a Lufkin address. When did she move?

Later on Saturday night I am listening to WWOZ, the New Orleans Public Radio Guardians of the Groove streaming over the internet waves and the announcer says "Waiting to take your calls and pledges are John and Matt." That's, Cathy's brothers. What are they doing in New Orleans, take me with you guys.

I guess it's Biblical, Time for a road trip.