Spring Camping for Two...

It's been a busy time. There was a couple of gigs and we played for a Mass in addition to the usual babysitting and what not. We decided to slip off down the road about 15 miles to Hanks Creek, our favorite fishing launch on Lake Sam Rayburn. The decision was made to travel light carrying the canoe instead of the big boat. 

It was also a bit of an experiment to see if we could haul camper and canoe and it was successful. An added hitch extension with a horizonal mounted receiver allowed my bed extender that supports the canoe when hauled in he pickup bed to be reconfigured to over the truck with plenty of room for camping gear. I have hauled the canoe on top before but never had this capability to haul a boat or camper also.  

Here's another new piece of gear that we spent a couple of Christmas gift cards on. It's Ukiah Tailgater propane camp fire. Ukiah makes a lot of products like this that have a bluetooth speaker so you can connect up the phone but we did not get that feature since being in the woods is kind of getting away from all that. We also got the cast iron cooktop so we have heat on cool nights and something to cook on when we get hungry. This was a splurge on our part as we generally cook on an old gas grill or propane stove but probably no more expensive that a top of the line camping griddle. 

Note the water line on these trees around our camp site. That's how high the lake was in 2021. This park was closed and one camping loop that was totally flooded is still closed with repairs progressing slowly. Seems that when a park floods and we saw this on Lake Sommerville during a camping trip a few years ago anything sitting on a concrete slab such as picnic tables, bathrooms or water and sewer pumping stations is not treated kindly by the high water. That concrete that seems so solid is undermined and breaks up.   

One reason we brought the canoe was that just feeding the two of us we figure we could catch enough fish close at hand. I think final total was about 15 fish composed of a mix of bream, largemouth bass, crappie and catfish. We ate about seven of the fish we caught.  

Here's the cooktop in action. That's bass and crappie fillets and three whole bream with a side of grilled squash. Our other big meal was steak and cheesy eggplant. I wouldn't try to cook for a large group but for two to four people it does great.  

An osprey watches the nest. The next day a bit cooler they were very busy adding to this structure.  

Great blue heron right outside our camp. Remember this if nothing else: fish the birds.  

I think I may have hit on a good summer pattern. Reserve the campsites after the weekend into the early part of the week. It's quieter, easy to get a good spot and seemed to be nothing but fishermen around.  

Our next trip is not fishing but we will stay at McKinny Falls State Park outside Austin and go into the city for HonkTx a free festival of community street bands. 

 

Playing With The Old Town Brass...

Last Thursday I got a call right before lunch. The tuba player for The Old Town Brass Band was sick and couldn't make the gig Friday night. Could I fill in? My son Morgan plays drums in the Brass which are a New Orleans style traditional jazz band so I said sure. 

The band leader, Max sent a google drive file and I got to work printing a book, listening to recordings on YouTube and playing along. Probably about 30 hours to get familiar with 35 or so tunes to play for Swing in the Streets, an event in downtown Nacogdoches, Tx with the brass band playing and Nacogdoches Swing Dance giving dance lessons. 

The Old Town Brass was a great group of guys and girls. They made me feel right at home. I can't say I played every tune perfect but I kept up and the holes were at least as strong as the beats. I felt pretty good about the gig afterwards and nothing is as priceless as playing music with your kids in a band. If you recall me and Mary were the rhythm section for the old Back Porch country band together when she was in college. 

My view for the Swing in the Streets.  

Morgan on drums and band leader and trumpet Max setting up for the gig.  

I stole this photo from the Nac Swing Dance facebook page. You can see about half the band and the dancers. Always good to have dancers. 

Thanks to the Old Town Brass for letting an old guy sit in. I had fun. 

Here's the folks I played with. Connect on facebook to keep up with their shows. 

 

Ricky Skaggs at Temple Theater...

Well I've seen Billy Strings but I never saw Ralph Stanley or Flatt and Scruggs but after seeing Ricky Skaggs and band at Temple Theater in Lufkin, Tx. last night it's bound to be pretty close. It was a hot show.   

Ricky has had a pile of #1 hits, played with all kind of country music royalty from a young age and has not been afraid to experiment with various rock musicians including Phish and one of my favorites, Jack White.   

Skaggs and band did not mind talking about their Christian faith and they played all those old songs like I like with the imagery about crossing over the river, the golden city on the hill and those that have gone on before and are waiting for us. Ricky has had a pretty recent heart bypass surgery and complained about his torn rotator cuff at this show. When stuff like that happens it will make you go a little deeper into things.   

The musicians in the band were those aliens from another planet that rip off blazing fast solos without taking a breath or flubbing a note. 

That banjo player, in addition to his skills seemed to be on stage without a tuner. I know I don't let my 98 year old B&D Super Banjo out of sight of a tuner.  

The band allowed how this was a great stage and they hoped to be back next year. Whatever the Angelina Arts Alliance is doing they are doing it right bringing in great shows. It is our second year of season tickets and while this was certainly world class I hope they continue to be creative in their programing with new things all the time.  

 

Angelina Civic Band in Concert...

 On March 21st The Angelina Civic Band combined with The Angelina College Symphonic Band played a movie soundtrack themed concert called what else but "A Night at the Movies." It went very well and I think we have had a great sounding group composed of old guys like me, volunteers from the community, retired band directors, folks that are currently band directors, high school students, current Angelina College band students and faculty. It's been under the direction of interim director Jimmy Battle, whom I have known since I was in the Lumberjack Band at Stephen F. Austin State University. A new full time director, who will be taking the reins soon has been hired. Paul Berler, a sax player joined that section for the performance and will direct some of the tunes at the British Invasion Concert on April 30th at 2:30 in the Temple Theater. 

I used my new to me King 1135 upright bell horn for this concert. It had a great sound on the Temple Theater stage. I miss using my 1936 old bell front King 1240. People tell me it's part of my image and personality and they are not quite used to not seeing me with it but the new horn at approximately 50 years old is vintage enough to suit me and it's a small size that while meant for the student player is easy for the aging player to handle and very free blowing. My old horn did not have a case. This one does so walking into a gig carry a case kind of makes me feel like a professional rather than someone with a terminal case of imposter syndrome

Speaking of imposters I notice that tribute bands are all the rage. From the Eagles to Journey to Prince to long dead 50s rock & rollers to the Grateful Dead there's somebody out there playing the old music and dressing the part. Maybe with my old horn I could get in a Bunk Johnson Tribute Band. 

We won't play bunk at the next concert but there will be old tunes by the likes of the Beatles, Elton John and Queen. 

In the meantime enjoy the Henry Mancini tune from the movie Breakfast at Tiffaney's Something for Cat arranged and with trombone solo by Jimmy Battle.   

If you can put together a horn you are welcome to join the Civic Band. Rehearsals at Tuesday at 6:30 in the Angelina College Band Hall. 

    

 

Camping and Fishing Report...

Spring break camping at Hanks Creek is in the books. Me and Cathy camped with Geneva, most of the kids and 6 out of 8 grandkids for 3 nights. For the fishing report we boated 40 catfish, 8 bass, 1 gasper gou and two turtles. 

Parker takes big fish honors with a 3.5 pound bass. Like all good bass fishermen her comment on first hooking it was, "I'm hung." Her dad, Morgan was casting open face reels with great authority by the time he was 6 or 8 years old. Park might advance faster than that and it's hard to believe she is just 4 years old sometimes. 

Warren lands a big gasper gou or a freshwater drum. These are good eating if you prepare according to directions I once read in a Paul Prudhomme cook book, "always fresh never more than a few hours old," or the meat will be chewy in a rubbery kind of way.   

I limited on bass, the first time I have caught this many keepers in years. My dad and I always bass fished but I have gotten out of the habit of pursuing them in favor of the catfish so this was great fun. I used the same bait I often used fishing with my dad, a floating Rapala fished on a windy point.   

Hey, where's all those people off to in my boat? 

As I write this my computer shows 45 degrees. The weather was nice camping and I am ready for the short pants barefoot times of summer. 

Mary and Miguel's camp hosts a good breakfast. 

I think someone might be a little competitive, especially if Parker is catching them and he's not. 

It's nice to know that Pop Pop has plenty of help getting fish in the boat. 
 

. 

 

Yelling Out the Backdoor...

We have a little game we play around here when we are alone to test out grandkid names. We stand at the backdoor and yell the name with all the fake urgency that can be mustered into the wilds of the yard. Lately we have been yelling:

MILO EUGENE ZAMORA GET YOUR ASS IN HERE! 

It's a test just to see how it rolls off the tongue. I think this name will tumble out well. 

Now of course we would not really call a grandkid in this way. You can imagine all sitting down to a dinner at our table, it's all set with my mouther's pink rose china pattern that she bought in the late 1940s before she was married to my dad and all heads are bowed in reverent and appropriate postures of thankful grace for the thoughtfulness of adults who go ahead and serve meatball, wieners and other delicacies so kids will eat without any fuss and someone sings out:

GRANDMA GET YOUR ASS IN HERE! 

It's not a good look. 

Eugene is my middle name. I was called Carl Gene by my parents up until my teenage years when I realized that I could have a say in my fate and that name seemed at the time to definitely have a bit of a backwoods ring to it so I asked my parents not to use it when yelling out the backdoor for me to come in the house. Some of my cousins and oldest family friends still call me that and I'll answer to it, it's ok. I've kind of stayed in the backwoods anyway.

Old Milo Eugene will be here late May and I'll ask him what he wants to be called.

       

 

Electric Canoe...

Let's face it. Sometimes you just get tired of walking. I think it was 2015 when I bought this canoe. I have always wanted one and decided to go ahead with the purchase while I was still hale and hardy enough to lift it in and out of the pickup. I've had good use at all the small park lakes in this area, on Sam Rayburn of course, in a few small creeks and state park paddling trails and in the Galveston Bay marsh. I decide though that the paddling was getting t be a bit much for long distances on hot days so I installed an electric trolling motor. 

I had this motor laying around since I traded in the old pontoon boat where it was originally installed  on the new pontoon boat one in 2005. I dug through the scrap wood pile and found a very hard wood 2x4, did a little shaving so the bracket would fit, came up with bolts, nuts and washers from the tool box and later added a bit of pant and I don't think I could have bought something this functional. I used the depth finder/running lights/aerator battery from the big boat to power it.      

It's a 34 pound thrust motor so way more powerful than needed and with it's long shaft I was concerned it might be too big and the mechanics for the running depth and reaching the tiller might be clumsy but it all worked out. The boat is rated for 675 pound load so weight was not a problem. Here's a photo of me cruising one of the paddling trails in Martin Dies Jr. State Park.  

We have caught large bream and google eye on these trails but yesterday we caught only a few small bass as I don't think the water temperature is warm enough for the bream to wake up yet. One thing that makes this area harder to fish with the small bream lures and light line is the weed growth. wo years ago after a big winter there was not much weed and we caught lots of fish. The past couple of winters have seen warmer temps so the weeds are not kept in check. The fish are there, just hard to reach with light tackle. 

Cathy scores an old green sunfish. Cathy hates the paddling because it's hard on her shoulders. Maybe she will go more often with the trolling motor. 

I did catch a fish. 

My State Park Pass, which cost me $70 bucks expires at the end of the month. I have made 27 trips to state parks in the last 11 moths and most of those were canoe trips including one guided paddling excursion. Everyone in the car got in free. To myself alone that's a $108 value and I have camping reservations at the end of the month which get half off before my pass expires. You can bet this kind of value I'll get another for next year. 

Best thing about this electric cruise is than on my return home I checked the battery with a multi meter and it was not hardly discharged enough to register. I look forward to some long cruises that were out of reach in canoe for an old man paddling.   

 

Take Soap and Water, Thought I'd Keep it Clean...

 I have often been criticized which is ok because I play tuba, banjo and harmonica and one thing you have to come to grips with is that not everyone wants those sounds in their band or even likes the beautiful dulcet tones they produce and will tell you so. You get used to it. 

Another thing I have been criticized for is that I never take anything out of the pockets of a garment before washing it. The person criticizing me for this happens to be the person who lets me play tuba, banjo and harmonica in her band so I always pledge to do better. I have never been able to fit a tuba or banjo into the wash and harmonicas, which your mouth goes on which is said to have more germs than other parts of the body often tolerates a good washing well. As for electronic devises and important documents their usefulness will be diminished after a washing and not improved at all with drying.

The drying is what I addressed in my Sunday morning on call appliance man role. I happen to own quite a few shirts that are going on 10 years older than some of my children. They are good shirts, domestic manufacture and as a thrift store shopper (I have no way of knowing how old those shirts are) I can tell you that well made clothes last a long time. I was inconvenienced lately when I noticed a few buttons missing but they were missing from some of the oldest shirts and I attributed it to some kind of age related changes. 

Then there was another shirt missing a few, and another and I pulled a nice clean shirt from the closet which had no buttons at all and I said, "something is going on." It was Cathy who pointed out something was going on with the dust trap and that she was fixing to wash her fishing shirt to be ready for upcoming adventures and did not care if it had buttons at all. I decided that if I was going to have suitable photos of her with a catfish to post on family friendly social media sites she probably was going to need buttons.

Apparently a fishing lure had lodged in the dust trap and when the shirt spun in the dryer the buttons caught, my son is an engineer so stand back, I am competent describing the circular mechanical motion with the shirt held in place while it worked it's way through the mechanized button stripping process. Notice I used the word process since that connotates ongoing instead of the word program which means it might end sometime soon which would not have happened without skilled repair. 

  In addition to the repair the stripped buttons were captured by the dust trap and recovered. Fortunately my tuba, banjo and harmonica employer also sews. Maybe I get a few more years out of these shirts.     

      

Fishing Lure Tips...

We were on our way to hit the spring East Texas white bass run and made a pitstop at one of those bright, shiny and modern convenience stores. It was all colorful and cheerful with clean restrooms, unlimited choices of caffeinated beverages, high carb snacks and probably brought in a million dollars a year in beer sales. In a place like this which is in close proximity to a hot public sandbass spot there is also usually a small tackle corner which I like to check just incase they stock a brainstorm lure locally made by the resident fish whisperer. There was nothing like this and the standard white bass staples hung on the racks including my favorite the Blakemore Roadrunner. Recalling a Trinity River trip I took decades ago when the water level was low and though the fish bit well I hung up and lost a ball cap full of hair crappie jigs on the old river snags it occurred to me that a few more Roadrunners for the box wouldn't hurt. I passed when I saw the premium market price with the sandbass run full on was $10 for a pack of two dressed with tails. I didn't need them that bad.   

They have been making Roadrunners since 1958 and I've fished them for about 40 years. Except for maybe the so called rough fish like gar, carp, buffalo, and grinnell which I imagine would bite if it crossed their path, I have caught everything else in Sam Rayburn Reservoir using this bait. Once I even hiked to the top of a rainforest mountain in Puerto Rico and caught some fish I never identified with a Ronco Pocket Fisherman and a Roadrunner. 

Even though you can buy a Roadrunner with any kind of wiggle tail you think attracts fish I usually buy mine in the bulk packages, undressed and they are $5. I then put my own tails on them. A few things to know about the Roadrunner is that you can't fish it wrong as long as you fish it slow and that any color is right as long as it is yellow, white or chartreuse. Usually I'll keep a few red or pink heads in stock and either the 1/16 or 1/8 size depending on the skill of the casters on the expedition. 

Grab a couple of Roadrunner packs, a variety of plastic wiggle tails and some light fishing tackle and head out to any place, any country and catch a fish dinner.