Who Knew She Was a Fangirl...

 A few months ago I mentioned to Cathy that the North Mississippi Hill County Blues Festival had released the line up for their 20th anniversary concert and there were several of our favorites playing, the tickets were cheap and I thought we should go. One of the favorites playing was the blues guitarist Elvin Bishop.  

We have a few of Elvin's albums, some stuff dating to the 60s and several recently released that show him still in fine form at 82 years old. We like this music but I guess I never realized Cathy was such an Elvin Bishop fangirl. How she knew which side of the stage he would be sitting on I'll never know because when the show started we were right in front. 

Playing with Elvin was the famous harp and guitar player Charlie Musselwhite. Charlie is reportedly the inspiration for Dan Ackroyd's Elwood Blues character in the movie the Blues Brothers. Charlie and Elvin along with Mike Bloomfield and Paul Butterfield are given credit for bringing Chicago Blues and the older players responsible for it to the forefront of 1960 rock music. 

These men are legends and can still play. 

We had a very good time at the picnic. I don't know the attendance figures but I doubt much more than 300 people in front of the stage at any time and there were no lines for anything. There could not have been much over 1000 all together in the campground or sitting in the shade canopies.  People were friendly and the grounds clean. It's a cheap festival and though Elvin and Charlie are timeless players who have left a mark on history most of the players are of the particular kind of local to the hill country blues tracing it's roots to musicians like the late greats Junior Kimbrough and R.L. Burnside. Many of the performers are shoots off these family trees carrying on the traditions.   

One more photo of Elvin in case there are other fangirls out there. 

Fishing Report Catch and Cook...

 I sometimes get to where I hate to say it, especially when so many people in the world are having their cities bombed, but we had a pretty good day at the lake the lake swimming, catching a few fish and cooking them when we got home. 

Cell phone out of her pocket, glasses off, suit on and Grandma jumps in the lake to cool off. It was warm but we only needed a couple of these cool offs. 

I checked the blog before heading to the lake and for the several random Junes of past years seems like we were doing more traveling than fishing but photos show us still taking a few fish under slip cork rigs even though the prime slip corking months of March, April and May had passed. The lake is high and the wind was out of the south just right to try a spot that has been a favorite for a few years. 

We ended the day with 9 cats, nothing spectacular, lots of small through backs and decided we would head for deeper water the next trip we try. As much as I love slip corks in the shallows it's time to hang it up for now. 

It was just us on the boat today and it seemed like it sure was quiet and easy to load the gear up to go and in fact not much extra gear was required. 

Last weekend was a tube weekend and there will probably be more of those before you see catfish again. 

Last night we took a wild hair and drove over to a restaurant called the Fisherman's Galley on Toledo Bend just over the Louisiana border. Cathy got a fried platter and I had the Cajun grilled catfish with etouffee. Both meals were so good and such large servings we needed to go boxes and it made us want to cook fish again today. 

I divided up the cats into two portions of fillets. One to cook, one to freeze and I also froze the filleted backbones because that's what mamma likes fried up crisp. I thawed a few shrimp for a garlic cream sauce with a dash of New Mexico chili pepper, broiled the catfish and served all this over air fryer zucchini. I was so good we forgot to cut up a fresh garden tomato.  

Cathy claims better than Fisherman's Galley but I'll take either dish whenever I can get it. 

I have fished on Sam Rayburn Lake since I was a child and I guess it's been partying and tubing since I was old enough to get ,myself to the lake on my own. I pray that all people in the world have the nice things I have had in my life. 

 

 

No Kings Rally Lufkin, Tx...

 On June 14th, 2025 we participated in the No Kings Rally here in our home town of Lufkin, Tx. It's well known that Elon Musk poured up to 300 million into Trump's election (he also underestimated Trump's total lack of principles when he expected him to stay bought) questionable interpretations of the constitution, violations of civil rights and the fact that with enough money a criminal can buy a pardon  we are in an era where the rich think they can have their way over the rest of us. The No Kings Rally, held in various cities nationwide was a protest against such things. 

I was proud to be there and to also see many friends taking part. One of the Lufkin organizers, a friend and yes I know all the radicals, called me and expressed the fear that there would be disruptions and would I bring the tuba to play and overshadow any conflict. I said sure and put together a 15 song set of patriotic music, spirituals and old civil rights standards. I played a good hour and a half at least, time passes fast when you are having fun. This was just my kind of gig and there was maybe one guy there in opposition and he was a friend so no conflicts. As Woodie Guthrie said, "This machine kills fascists"

I got this quote in the Lufkin Daily News story:

Carl Wallace had brought a tuba to play for the crowd.

"I believe that there is a place for all people in our democracy," he said. "Our constitution does not say that all men are created equal only if they can pay. We're going to take it away from the billionaires and put it back in the hands of the people.

"I'm out here today playing patriotic songs, old spirituals and civil rights tunes to inspire people."

That's my friend Julie back there photo bombing my live stream. 

Cathy wore the Irish flag to show solidarity with immigrants who have faced discrimination, loss of due process and other barriers to better lives in our great country. We both trace our heritage to the Irish who came here to escape the kings of Europe and I hope all can follow the path I have been blessed with.   

Some of these photos contributed by my friend Linda. 

Thanks to everyone who complicated my playing yesterday. It's about all using your talents not your money.  

 

     

A Tomato Tale...

Last summer I I cut down a bunch of privet that had been growing around the stump of an oak tree that died and I had taken down. I piled it around the stump and after burn bans had eased I burnt the dried branches in the hope that it would not return and I could use the area to plant something better. 

Something better turned out to be a volunteer tomato plant. Last summer when the branches were piled high I must have picked a less than desirable tomato from that summers crop and tossed it on my refuse pile. A seed apparently survived the burn, the winter and various chopping and trimmings to thrive. I spotted it and protected it. There are now 15 tomatoes on this one plant.   

 By contrast I have another tomato plant in one of those fancy water from the bottom planters fertilized by cow patties stolen from my neighbor's pasture and it looks good but only has four tomatoes. 

I could turn this into a very spiritual discussion of the best laid plans and all that but I have noticed one consistent thing about my growing tomatoes. I usually grow a few tomatoes every year but the most memorable crop I ever grew was when the Chernobyl reactor in Ukraine blew. They blew up a bunch of stuff in Ukraine this week. I'm not saying it's the Ukrainians but it must be the Ukrainians.

I have a half a dozen or so Japanese egg plants also growning. A few of then look pretty good and I'll let you know how that turns out.     

If it's Free it Must be Fun...

 Would you buy a tee shirt with that slogan on it? 

I like looking at myself on social media and other people do also because I often get comments on our travel and fun. I am honored that people see photos of our trips and want to do it too. I have a secret though. I'm always looking for cheap fun and often times the things we do are the things that don't cost very much like visits to friends (they don't charge, usually!) and our recent stop over to see The Cadillac Ranch.   

It is free to get in the Ranch but you can buy cans of spray paint if you don't bring your own to decorate the cars which have long lost the original official GM colors. We didn't buy paint but there is a little trailer out of which they sell all kinds of stickers that you can purchase which is the sort of thing we have been doing to decorate our water bottles, the truck and the camper with evidence that we hunt Bigfoot and like Smokey the Bear so we spent $5. Cathy also bought some kind of Texas trinket from a vendor outside the gate (apparently not official) made from paint chips that fall off the cars. 

Occasionally the cars are painted for a theme. Back in 2012 they were painted Rainbow for Pride month and once they were painted black for Black Lives Matter and to protest police brutality since some people need a reminder that love good, brutality bad. 

I wanted to stick one of my tuba eclipse stickers on a caddie but my legal expert advised me that it could be considered littering of a sort and directed me to a gate post where other stickers were stuck and I placed one there. My stickers can be seen in Lufkin, Lake Jackson, Chicago, New Orleans, Santa Fe and probably some other places where I put them that I have forgot. I may be making a new order for more so if you like paying for your fun contact me at cewallac@consolidated.net. These stickers are cheaper than the paint chip art selling at the Cadillac Ranch. 

  

   

Camping Trip to Santa Fe With Friends and Family Along the Way...

We made it back from what for us has become a pretty typical trip. There were stops in Texas and Oklahoma to see niece Chandler and her boyfriend Preston and Samantha and her husband Mitchell before we finally made our goal of a visit to long time friends Scott and Ellen in Santa Fe.   .   

Cathy thinks she met Scott and Ellen when she was first at college and 18 or 19 years old so since there is more water under the bridge than left to flow at this point we are going to say that was about 1977 or 78. I probably crossed paths with them a few years later and I'll guess that date as 1978 to 1982. Whenever it was we all met we have shared some good times, great music and songs, almost written fantastic sci-fi novels, consumed hot peppers and enjoyed catching up on the stories of our lives whenever we get to visit.     

 

This is our camper parked in the yard in Santa Fe. Don't worry, no trouble with the HOA. Scott and Ellen retired from their working lives in Ft. Worth, Tx and built this home. It was our first visit. The Jemez Mountains are to the left and the Sangre De Christos are off to the right viewable from the comfortable outside sitting areas. Mule deer occasionally check out the backyard bird feeders and trails wind through the arroyo where after a bit of rain you might spot a bear track.     

Front house view. 

I surprised Scott and Ellen by walking along the courtyard wall for this photo. They were probably thinking, "does my homeowners cover this?"

Temps were cool with 50s at night and 80s during the day but the dryness made the sun beat down at it's high point and though it's mild compared to the heat and humidity we experience in the south summer does heat up and you need chap stick, water, sunscreen and I'm sure a siesta. 

Thanks to all our friends and family for hosting us. Final total for travels was 1788.9 miles. We enjoy your company.