Really Good Dudes...

 When I was in college there was an old lake just out of town in a pasture and the owners of the property, whoever they were, did not seem to mind if hippies parked on the dirt road by the gate and walked down a rutted cow trail to go swimming. It was a good sized lake, several acres and I recall a small dock and decent fishing. 

A trip to the lake was a good way to start a party. I'd join a group of hairy guys in fraying cut off blue jean shorts which were the favored bathing suits of the era and tote an ice chest full of beer through the pasture to the waters edge. It's a fond memory because many places won't let you swim in cut off blue jeans and I've gotten too old to tote anything that heavy anywhere much less while covering uneven terrain. 

The lake was a good place to meet other people in cut off jeans, both men and women and hear about where the college parties might be for the weekend. On this day I don't remember who arrived first us or them but we met two very young girls, carrying their own ice chest and probably harboring the same intentions as ours's to meet people in cut off jeans and find out where the parties were.   

These girls were so young that they made us 19 and 20 year old college students feel like old world weary travelers. One was apparently old enough to have driven a car to the lake but the other one was a child certainly no older than 13 or 14. They were friendly and we sat around all drinking beer, swimming and chatting. 

As young healthy college age men in their prime we were fine specimens for drinking cheap beer in the warm afternoon sun all day long. Those young girls were not used to that. Car driver soon became very drunk and had to take a nap laying on a blanket in the grass at the water's edge. The other very young girl did not ever appear intoxicated and as I think back to that day almost 50 years ago may not have even been drinking. We continued on swimming, fishing and drinking.

Soon the sleeping girl stirred from the nap and laying on her back half conscious began drunken puking. As college students who had lived in the dorms we knew how to handle this. We rolled her to her side and held back her hair so she didn't get vomit in it or all over herself. My fine blog readers have probably never had such experiences but drunken puking while asleep is a choking hazard and if you have someone to help you, watch over you and hold your hair back you will feel better afterwards. 

Which is what this girl did. Young and strong she roused around and rose refreshed from her nap and rid of at least some of the alcohol in her system. The experienced drinkers we were pronounced her sober enough to drive. We helped them carry their stuff to the car and saw them on the way. 

They made it safely home that day and I know that because a few years later when they became legal age I would occasionally see them at the bar. We would nod and say hi but we were operating in different circles and all these years later I do not remember their names. 

I really don't remember exactly who the guys were with me that day but I could make an educated guess. Despite the frayed cut off jeans and all the beer drinking they were some really good dudes.   

  

    

It's Not Every Day You Find Your Photo in a Book You are Reading...

 I read this book, "Making Music for the Snarks" by local author and historian the late Bob Bowman. It's a great history of an early community band The Hoo-Hoo Band, from Lufkin, Tx which rose to great prominence. I was surprised to find two photos of me in the book. I've long participated (on and off) in the local community bands since my high school years and still play in the current Angelina Civic Band.

The Hoo-Hoo Band was formed in the early 1900s in Lufkin, Tx as a community or what they called "Trib" band. You would recognize many of these organizers and players as there are street and parks that carry their names today. Since these were the important movers and shakers of the time many were involved in the timber industry and the book tells how the Hoo-Hoo band became the official band of the Fraternal Order of the Hoo-Hoo which is a fraternity for those involved in this business. The band traveled nation wide and played at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis. 

It must have been some fun to be in the band and the order because there were many nonsense words, mysterious ceremonies, costumes, offices such as the Grand Snark and I suspect large amounts of alcohol involved.

In fact I recall once in the 1980s when I was participating in a revival of the band that included replica uniforms provided by the TLL Temple Foundation the Grand Snark himself, who was based in Australia at the time visited Lufkin. I recall the band being invited to a dinner at the old Henderson Red Barn. I don't really remember anyone from the timber industry being present but the Grand Snark played ukulele, sang dirty limericks and the booze was free. When in Hoo-Hoo do as the Hoo Hoos do. 

Here's a photo from a gig outside the 1987 Service League Ball. We played as guests arrived. There are a couple of people in this photo I played with at Civic band rehearsals last night. 

I don't recall this quintet gig at all (maybe still hungover from the Grand Snark visit) and while I remember the euphonium players name I do not recall any of the other musicians and Denum. Piano Company has gone out of business. Photo is captioned "rehearsal for Christmas concert 1985" but we are in the replica uniforms so I suspect some kind of busking event. That's me with the sousaphone.  

I'm not the only family member mentioned as the book covers quite a bit of the town history. My 3rd great uncle Benjamin Franklin Nerren gets a brief shout out as Angelina County Sheriff and Marshal during the time of the Hoo Hoos.

This was a great little book and I bought it at the local library for $10.  

I might get this black cat with the 9 tail for a tattoo. When in Lufkin, do as the Hoo Hoos do. 

 

          

    

There's Only One Way Out, A Tour of The Allman Brother's "Big House..."

On our recent South Carolina trip we had the advantage of automobile travel verses our usual travel trailing so we were getting good gas mileage and making great highway time. We used this to good advantage by making a stop in Macon, Ga. to tour the fabled Big House where the Allman Brother Band lived and rehearsed in the years of 1970-1973. 

I've never been a fanatical Allman fan or anything like that. If you are any familiar at all with the story it's one of dizzy heights, tragedy and low points that would have buried lesser people but it's left us a legacy of good music. I own albums by the Allmans and maybe own even more by Allman adjacent artists, have played their tunes in bands and Cathy's first concert at age 15 was a 1974 show with the Allmans, The Eagles and Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen at the old Jeppensen Stadium in Houston.

I love museums like this that have all the instruments the musicians used to create the magic of their recording and performances and it was a special thrill to see them in the setting where so many creative things were born. 

Here's Cathy on the Big House porch. 

This is the room where the band rehearsed. The Bros were a big band with two drummers. Can you imagine how loud it was in here?

One of Duane Allman's Marshall Amps. 

One of Duane's amp cabs custom covered with a Wichita pinto bean sack. 

There were many instruments displayed. Some were the actual ones used by band members in the heyday but some were signature model prototypes made by the big guitar makers and modeled on the iconic instruments down to the smallest details. One thing I noticed is that all the instruments even those dating the the early famous recordings seemed it very good shape. Often in museums the instruments are worn and  reflect the life the musician lived with it and the hours it spent with in his or her hands. I know my personal instruments, which are just basic journeyman brands are showing some wear but there was quite a bit of info on the roadies who maintained these so it must have been very important to the band.  

Two Fender heads used early on by Duane Allman and Barry Oakley. They were later owned by Ron Blair of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Equipment moves around. In 1973 the band acquired some of the Grateful Dead's sound equipment and their old gear moved on to the band Grinderswitch. 

 Derek Trucks, Butch Trucks nephew who played in later versions of the Allmans and who's band we've seen several times had guitars on display. 

A Butch Trucks drum set and guitars from Gov't Mule, another Allman adjacent band. 

The Gold Top Les Paul is the guitar Duane played on the Layla album. The black is a gift from Clapton to Greg Allman. When I was a teen I sat in my room playing the Layla album over and over. That gold top is a million dollar guitar. 

They didn't just practice here, some of the band lived here. Cathy in Duane's bedroom. In the closet were the shoes he wore on the Anthology album in the fishing photo. There were a couple of children's rooms recreated from their memories of living in the house. 

This room called the Casbah, a room for music listening and relaxing. 

Heck with music on a phone. Sit right in front of the speakers. 

Right off the Casbah is the seven headed shower room. 

I forget who's guitar but for convenience someone wrote the tuning on a piece of tape and stuck it in the case. It's the same open E tuning I use.  

The kitchen where Dicky Betts wrote Rambling Man. 

Original gear case from the Live at the Fillmore album cover. 

Cathy in the backyard. 

They had a very nice gift shop. Lots of recordings and I didn't even look through the book section but I bought a couple of mushroom stickers and a hat with the famous Allman mushroom logo. I must have looked a little lost after all this wandering around in the house as I went to leave the shop cause the guy pointed at the exit door and said, "It Aint But One Way Out."

He had been waiting all day to say that. 

 

.     

Visiting South Carolina...

We made a visit to South Carolina to see Morgan Ali and kids. It was a good to see them and we got in a variety of activities. First there was the driving route there using our hybrid Toyoda which eats up the highway miles compared to the plodding camper tow we have been used to on many trips, there was a couple of different routes used so max sightseeing, we fished, we hiked, we grilled and ate home cooking, we watch the kid's soccer practice and sampled local restaurants.  

The grandkids are getting so big and so responsible. Nobody fell in the lake making this photo, not even Pop-Pop. 

This is an old CCC bridge built of local materials. Paris Mountain State Park is part of the Appalachian deciduous rain forest.

Me and Morgan fished Lake Hartwell which is just minutes from their house. I caught two very good sized Kentucky spotted bass and Morgan lost a couple that shook off at the boat so I count this as an almost fish dinner.  

Always a good feeling to fish with your son (or daughters) and score on an unfamiliar lake. 

One thing I see watching kids spots is that most of the time they are figuring out what to do. Sometimes watching pro sports I see guys doing the same thing. One of my specialties I have come to realize is taking a photo then cropping it up to make kid sports action look fierce. 

It was a very smooth trip and with gas prices slightly over $4 in some places along the way I was proud to be driving a Hybrid and hitting 47.9 miles per gallon. I think in the past I have achieved 51mpg but maybe I drove faster or need sparkplugs or something but the 31.2 gallon of gas used for 1831.3 miles to cross half the country and back is maybe just a little more than what the truck pulling camper uses for a beach trip. 

Traveling is great. 

  

 

Beach Fun and a Glamorous Camping Spot...

We are back home, at least for now after about 1700 miles and 10 out of the last 11 nights in the camper. This leg of the trip was down to Surfside Beach, Tx. which is one of our favorite places and also the location of a family beach house reunion for my son in law Tim's people, many from out of state and who we had met before at other family events. Their rental was just a short walk down the beach and they made us welcome at their communal meals. 

Instead of roughing it as we usually do on the free county beach with our solar power beefed up by generator use we sprung for the prime camp spot at The Breeze RV Park. We camped here about two years ago when we were still in the RPod Camper and many improvements have been made since then. In addition to the full hook up RV sites there are hotel rooms and I think some beach house property available to stay, beach buggy and jet ski rentals, a bar with kitchen and free continental breakfast, fire rigs, volley ball, cornhole, chair and umbrella set up, and a very attentive staff present to make sure things are going how you like it.    

We rented a beach buggy and the initial one they gave us, which was electric, slowed to an intermittent crawl way down the beach when I was giving Tim's family a tour. It gave his relatives a Texas tale to tell about the big hairy guy who stranded them but the Breeze staff saved the day replacing that cart with a brand new gas powered rig. 

I can tell I'm getting somewhere in life because I have grandkids to drive me around. Remember kids, first one to back the boat or the camper in the garages at home gets $100 prize but then they have to do it all the time after that. 

I did manage to catch a dinner of whiting that I turned into fish tacos. There is no size limit or restriction on Gulf whiting and they are a delicious eating panfish. I caught these on the first day while the water was still a bit green before the west wind turned it sandy brown and slowing the fishing. They were schooling right in the first gut close to the shore and I used a light rod with a tiny hook tipped with a pinch of shrimp. 

Generally there has been good beachfront fishing this summer and I am sorry to miss it but the lack of rain has made the sand loose with some of the beach entrances becoming a bit treacherous. I'm too old to be getting stuck and digging out, especially with a camper. 

There might be an October trip in the works but we will see. 

 

   

 

A Quick Travel Blog and Then Off Again...

We have been traveling and I am writing a quick blog to answer all your questions like where did you go and who is that woman in the closed beach area and so on. 

We have traveled to Kentucky for my cousin Carolyn and husband Doug's 65 wedding anniversary. It was a great party with great testimonies from their kids (cousins I'd never met) to their love, good food, music and fun. 

Along the way we camped in addition to our stay in Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas. The total trip was a little over 1500 miles.  

All the parks we stayed were familiar places to us being we camped there before and in Kentucky at Lake Malone State Park we always see sister Margret and Kevin at their lake house which is right across from the state park swimming area. You can see the house and dock in the trees behind Cathy. I guess since we area back in Texas maybe Kentucky laws concerning the use of closed swimming areas no longer apply. 

We are not home long and depart for the beach shortly where the swimming areas are always open. 

This is a month for travel because with Mary off from work with the baby we have have some free time. More blogs soon. 

Fun With Music...

 Of course a grandkid is always up for honking on something around here but musical endeavors have been very fulfilling of late. 

There's been a new season of civic band rehearsals begin and in addition to the big time Temple Theater concert on Nov. 19 we have a small ensemble concert for various sub groups scheduled on Oct 29th in Hudgins Hall. Our polka band The Lufkin Brass will ride again with 2 or three numbers on that program. I am squeezing in extra rehearsals with the college band this week also just because it's fun. 

This past weekend I played a few jazzy numbers, folk songs and old spirituals at a birthday party Dr. Guessipina Bonner. Dr. Bonner is a member of our church, helps with SVDP, has a hand in preserving local history, is on the city council and is just generally a local good person of note. I was proud to play and the plate of oxtail, fried catfish, greens, field peas and cornbread I was paid with was on point. The event was catered by Bigg Boyzz  and I suggest you check out the spice line he sells. 

Finally one of the most rewarding musical adventures has been playing with the St. Patrick's Bilingual Children's Choir. We came into this job when one of the group leaders, Hugo who I worked with at the old papermill began cancer treatments that has limited his teaching of music to these kids which he was doing a very great job of. The other leader Maria was in one of our choirs when she was a teen so you can see while it may seem like we are doing something new this is just a continuation of long productive relationships in our community. 

The kids are playing guitars, percussion and flute so well under Hugo's coaching that all Cathy and I have to do is give some tips on things they need to know about presentation, basically getting stopped and started in an orderly fashion with a tune, setting up of music stands and music to be ready and just an occasional "thousand picks and patch cables" thing you have to know that no one tells you. 

I do have some good video from a rehearsal this past weekend we set to Hugo during his treatment stay in Houston but I'll get parental permission before posting. Here's an audio recording at this link to get the idea. 

Speaking of the parents of these kids they are a great group. They get the kids to rehearsal, help with set up and music distribution and do what they call "raising them right." This past weekend as always the group sings the old 14th century prayer, Anima Christi after Communion and we just used one 9 year old playing acoustic guitar for accompanist. I looked out and saw his mom crying because it was so pretty and because he played so well. I told her later my mom cried a lot when I played but it was because it was either tuba or what she called "honky tonkin'" songs.     

So say what you will. My brother says I will never get a job again after posting this and I say "good!" and this digeridoo rain drone is bringing a tropical depression ashore somewhere south of here. 

 

.