Evelyn Rubio at the Live Oak Listening Room...

The Friday night performance by Evelyn Rubio and band at the Live Oak Listening room in Nacogdoches, Tx was off the charts. Though she has played there three times it was a first for us to catch her show and it's easy to see why the friends that we always see at this venue consider her a favorite. 

Evelyn, a native of Mexico City covers a wide variety of music. Her honking sax digs deep into the blues rock idiom with detours into almost bebop jazz and soul. Her performance credits include touring as Mary Madelene in Jesus Christ Superstar and I bet this band could play a mean cumbia if they had to. 

Speaking of the band, the drummer and keyboard player seemed to be regular members but the bass player was new, played well and the guitar, Paul Ramirez who was a last minute substitute blew the top off the place with big bold solos and intricate interplay with Evelyn's sax. You would never guessed that he was sitting in. I mean how would you react if you got a last minute gig and they said, "oh yeah and then we cover this Joe Bonamassa tune..."       

Now you may be watching the big stars on your TV or phone but they have been living in gated communities so long, make so many millions and are so famous there are is no connection between who you are and them. Sitting in a small room with people playing music for all they are worth up close and personal makes me believe in the good things and good people in the world and how much it matters that we listen to what they have to say.  

 It's also worth a mention that the potluck dinner before the show, which is always good was really on point and a good start off to a wonderful evening. 

 

It's From the Top Down...

 The guy that inspects local restaurants for the health department is quite eloquent when reporting his (or her) findings. These reports sometimes take almost a full page of the paper each week they are published. Some establishments have zero violations. I eat out often and I can usually make an educated guess about whether a place would or would not have violations of the health code which may not really have anything to do with how good the food is. There is though one thing in common in these negative reports. 

The first complaint is usually, "must have onsite manager." That means there is no one present at the top to educate employees that there should be no slime in the ice machine, that the drink nozzles do not have black mold and that food is not stored next to chemicals. I mean this should be common sense but some one has to get the ball rolling, a manager that knows stuff and I can only imagine how this is going to go when the department of education is eliminated. 

Back about the turn of the century there was one summer Cathy and Mary got involved in Taekwondo. They went crazy working out and going to tournaments and Morgan and I decided if we were going to see them again we better participate also. This turned into about a 12 year run for me and many personal successes for all of us with the kids working teaching martial arts while in college. Cathy and I also taught a bit. 

Parents brought their kids to the school because they heard all about how Taekwondo was good for increasing physical activity, discipline, attention span and perseverance. That's all correct but one thing that was glaringly apparent was if the parent did not have these things an instructor teaching a class 45 minutes a couple of times a week was not going to instill them. Sure some of these kids got a black belt but for great success you must lead from the top down. An instructor could tell what it was like for a kid at home. With good groundwork by parents kids took to martial arts like a duck to water. 

I could not help but notice this week how President Trump criticized an Episcopal Bishop in her appeal for him to show mercy for marginalized people. She was leading from the top down. Trump also leading from the top down rejected one of the main ideas of Christianity and called her tone "nasty." 

How long before you are at a restaurant, find a fly in your soup and when brought to the waiter's attention they say, "nasty in tone, not compelling or smart" remember, before you resort to Taekwondo it all starts at the top.   

             

    

A Great Show...

The Angelina Arts Alliance hosted a performance by Collision of Rhythm at Temple Theater last Friday night. It was a great performance, a cheap ticket ($11 adult), and being a multi instrumentalist myself and having had a couple of kids playing drums in band and percussion recitals similar to this show it really targeted my musical interests.    

 The duo had a great combination of drums and percussion, beatboxing, sax, flute, piano, singing and tap dancing. One member mentioned a long career of performing on Disney cruises and the other mentioned teaching. There were some serious chops, charisma and evidence of 10,000 hours of work on your instrument.  

I didn't take any photos as they encouraged you put down your phone and participate by singing and clapping. Thanks to the Lufkin Daily for this picture. They had apparently performed for a public school field trip for about 800 kids earlier in the day and though me and Cathy attended this show as a date night I should have brought any grandkid I thought could sit still. 

May 29th the musical STOMP!, another percussion show which I have seen a couple of times is on the schedule. I'll be there and take the kids. I didn't buy season tickets to the Alliance this year because I thought that even though they have safe favorites of the locals that have performed here before on the schedules the list is not as strong in the past but there are still several worthy acts. 

If you see an act you like support the Alliance. You will pay more in the big city to see these groups and it's great we have these things come here. 

 

 

I Write letters...

 I was a teenager. There was no internet or anything like that and in East Texas about the only was to fid out what was going on in the world was to read and buy record albums. Judging from the thrift store bins the 60s and 70s was a golden age for vinyl production and from the the time my 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Walker instilled a love for reading and I read more books in her class than everybody except for one girl I've kept my self busy with these things. If you read a lot it's only a short step to write a lot and one of the first things I can remember writing for someone else besides a teacher is a complaint letter. 

It must have been the early 70s. I was regularly buying records and 8 track tapes to play on my little home stereo that had a turn table, a radio and 8 track tape player built in and two external speakers attached by runs of wire to optimum places in my bedroom for maximum effect. I guess I have always had a thing for positioning speakers and I've run wire around the edge of the house, through the trees and attic and nowadays I even use Bluetooth even though I have two 4' high 1980s vintage speakers on standby just in cast there are any system failures. 

Back in the day though when I had that first set of speakers I spotted an ad in a magazine. It was one of those record club offers that used to be popular that if you bought this pair of speakers you could get 6 eight track tapes for free. Sound like a good deal and I don't remember the cost but I had money from yard mowing and no where to go but to my room for records at this time in my life so I ordered. The tapes came in the mail but the speakers never did. I was outraged. I wrote a scathing letter that I wanted my money back. I did not mention anything about the free tapes. Eventually the money came. I don't recall how long it took but as a teen I was basically in my room waiting for something to happen and it was nice when this did. When the the refund came it didn't mention the tapes and I never did either. 

I wrote a letter this week. It was to the Gov. of Texas. I was disappointed in his decision to go against national tradition of flying the U.S. flag half staff in honor of ex President Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carter who passed on Dec. 29, 2024 in favor or flying it full staff to celebrate the inauguration of President Trump. Carter certainty has his critics but he was a man who worked hard to show us how to live a good life and his legacy is favorably viewed in the 20/20 vision of hindsight. Trump takes office as a convicted felon and even after serving one term still has things to prove and seems poised to bring unpredictable chaos which encourages Gov. Abbot and others to jump on the bandwagon to see what might be there for them to scoop up. Here's my letter: 

"I was disappointed in the decision to disregard the traditional half-staff flag to show respect for a great man, Jimmy Carter in favor of celebrating Trump's inauguration. Given your record of support for MAGA policy it seems a very junior high response in emotion to ignore the traditional protocols and show of respect that has made our country great. The office of the governor should be an impeccable demonstration of manners and ceremony to make the people of Texas proud."     

I don't often write our public officials. They have their opinion and I have mine and we are entitled to it that but in this case when something goes against the way we do things in the USA I feel it's time to have our say. I say set the tone for the way to behave and stress what's important from the top down. It's what Mrs. Walker did. It's what Jimmy Carter did. It's what Abbot and Trump should do. 

I have received no response to the letter, not even an automated, thanks for writing.  

      

      

   

Good Day for a Hike and a History Lesson...

After a day of cloudy, windy rain and overcast skies Saturday was sunny and warmer so we took the opportunity to drive to San Augustine, Tx to check out Mission Delores State Historical Area for the history and some light hiking.  

Of course the Spanish Franciscan Priests probably had good intentions when they first came in 1721 to build a mission but there was some soldiers and politics involved and since there was the possibility of the French employing the same program heading west from Louisiana this and other missions build through East Texas served as an early warning for foreign intrusion. It's a familiar strategy that's still in use today in various places around the world. 

I kind of imagine a young Spanish GI, he's a long way from home. In the 50 on again off again years the mission there might be a few priests, two soldiers and the local Ais Indians. The soldiers probably did the work of hunting, fishing, building and gathering firewood. After a day of this they returned to the mission to be quizzed, "See a Frenchman in the woods anywhere?" 

We know from evidence unearthed at the site that it probably was not this scary for a young solider to see a Frenchman in the woods. With everyone so isolated there seems to have been illegal trade that went on between the groups. Pottery shards made by the Indians and from England, France, Holland and China have been found around the site. Like the song says, come on people now, smile on your brother...           

 

We also visited Lobanillo Swales, the preserved ruts of the El Camino Real. These 12' deep ruts were made by the traffic of 300 years worth of travel by anyone that was anybody going between Louisiana and Mexico City. LaSalle and de Leon passed through here. Early Texas pioneer Gil Y'Barbo had a ranchero nearby. Chances are you know some of his kin folks. They are still in the area. Miguel and Milo, instead of making history on this spot were simply considering the eternal question. Mexican or Cajun this evening? 

Seems reference material indicate two swales but the historical marker indicated three trails running parallel. I could see three provided this is not a four wheeler track since this is on private land. Visitation by the public is welcome just behave. 

Mary and the boys on a creek at the mission campground. Good looking spring water was one of the reasons for settling here and if this flows all year might be a worthy spot this summer to cool it.  

Cathy hikes down the swale. Her shoulder replacement is fine and we will probably resume water aerobics tomorrow. This light hike was good conditioning for some inactivity due to a couple of other ailments that cropped up over the last month. 

We did pick Cajun for supper and the kids would not eat the catfish. The screamed, "Not the same as Pop-Pop's!"  

Not My Favorite Time of the Year...

 It's been just below freezing for several nights here and while there are many places where that will be the case till the month of May I'd just soon have winter over. I'd like to be fishing and though I look back through the fishing log and see many photos of us in coveralls and facemasks on a winter wind swept lake the circumstances of Cathy's recent shoulder surgery and a couple of lingering ailments, small grandkids who would be absolutely miserable when they outgrew their snowsuits during the trip and a slight cold I have had make me wish to fish on a day when no shirt and no shoes feels about right. 

I know that sounds a bit lazy because the fish are probably biting. After all Cathy fell in the lake on a December day when we caught our biggest catfish ever. Various duck hunting adventures over the years have left me pretty soggy. I guess I have become a bit afraid of being cold even though I own suitable clothing for any adventures you might go on in this neck of the country. 

I don't think I am suited to live north of Tyler, Tx. All hail summer and girls at the beach. 

 

When the Light and the Noise Shines in Your Eyes...

 We name the bike trails we ride in our rural neighborhood. There's the cemetery, the "L", the East Tex loop and one I don't ride too often we call the "T". I call it the "T' because you ride a long straight road and come to the choice of left or right and not being 100% where they go I turn and around and ride back because the distance I have covered has been enough to maintain the health of a 67 year old man, at least for this day. 

Riding the "T' recently as I approached it I heard growing sounds of machinery that I had not noticed the last time I rode this route. I passed a couple of those country mansions that are springing up all around my area, places that sell for $300,000 to $500,000 depending on acreage and there was some type of well, gas or oil reared up above the tree line behind these homes. 

Now of course I am guilty. as singer songwriter Randy Newman said, for the the rest of my life. I drive a big pickup pulling a camper and my preference for a hybrid car and the lithium ion battery on my e bike coupled with recent rare metal finds in the USA will threaten to turn Arkansas into a strip mine. It does appear that someone is going to have to have things like this in their backyard.    

From the looks of the clearing there will be more than one well going in here. So more noise and I would imagine these work places are pretty well lit at night. I live on a pretty dark dead end road and recently some new neighbors put up lights. Thankfully not permanent installations but shop lights and extensions cords strung through the trees while pretty bright are not showing signs of making it through the winter. I've been here 42 years and have lived through worse   

    

After a couple of well photos I took a dirt track across the county road into another clear-cut area and spotted a deer stand and feeder. No one was around and there were deer tracks in the road so I would imagine while hunting success was possible is happiness possible?

Modern life has evidence of 1st world people who have everything being unhappy. This indicates that the quality of the experience might not be all that good. I can imagine a hunt in a wilderness area using ancient skills as enjoyable but sitting in a deer stand in the middle of a clear cut waiting for a deer or the rig workers to show up leaves a little something to be desired. Same with a spending a half mil on a house and having an oil rig running loudly and brightly next door.

Of course that will probably happen to me. A decade or so ago my neighbor's cow field was surveyed by crews drilling holes and setting off charges to sound for what was beneath the ground. My neighbor died a few months ago. The heirs are going to want that money. 

I'll have to watch out for the oilfield traffic while riding my bike.