’Aught 1 Wrap-up

Hey y’all! Sorry I’ve kept that crazy “Light Rail” rant up for so long. Y’know, the holidays and all... I’ll try to keep things a little more current from now on. Don’t give up on me!

Whenever my Dad jokes about something in “the old days”, he says “You know, back in ‘aught 1 and aught 2....’ Well, looky here, we’re IN aught 2!! That’s messin’ with my head. So anyhow, here’s a little “aught 1” wrap up & holiday review for y’all.

This holiday season (3 days before Christmas for me), m’lovely Miss Krissy Lee and I packed up and drove to Knoxville for a visit, and of course had a fine old time. We got to spend some time with my family, both immediate and extended, including the big Wallace get-together which includes aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. I was glad that K got to see my Dad and his brothers and sister in full form, including all the 50+ year old jokes and song snippets that I have heard all my life. It was also great to see my brother and sister-in-law and their kids (approx. 5 & 2), who have already got “Touchdown Tennessee!” and “Go Big Orange!” down PAT! Quite a treat to see all of them.

Also, it’s always great to get to hang out with my buddy/brother and guitar SAVANTE Labron Lazenby. I’ve never heard a guy sit down with a guitar and pick & sing tunes like Merle Travis one minute, then freakin’ Barry White the next! Amazing. He’s making an all solo record this Spring, & I can’t wait to hear it. Hope y’all will check it out.

We took the south-way home through GA, AL, MS, and LA -- where in Meridian, Missippi we inadvertently went off-road driving in our Nissan, then saw a deranged mountain-man looking guy (kinda like the guy with the beard in the Oak Ridge Boys) with either a “condition” or SERIOUS DT’s come pert-near spontaneous combustion right there in the Applebee’s. WHILE SWILLIN’ WHISKEY!! What an excursion. And we were just going for take-out!

We stopped for a couple of days in South TX at K’s folks’ house (also known as the Island of Misfit Kitties - I‘ve probably told most of y‘all about them anyway. ). We had a fine time there too - they got that cozy fireplace, and we left with our car so stuffed full of toys & goodies that we had to leave our beer cooler there! Oh well... it was ready to be retired anyway.

Next was New Year’s Eve in Harman, TX for our (The Lowells‘) 3rd annual Schoolhouse Rockin’ NYE! If you don’t already know, The Lowells is a 3-part harmony band I am in with Michael “Took Ben Stein’s Money” Heil and Bill Bailey, as well as Shaan Shirazi (bass), Timmy Campbell (drums) and Gary Newcomb (guitar). We started this NYE party in ’99/’01 as a means to get the heck away from the Big City in case the world ended and all. It was such a success we as well as the local Harmanites have kept doing it. MY GOD, WHAT A GREAT TIME!! The party/dance is held in a schoolhouse (that dates at least back to the 1930’s) that is now used as their community center for wedding receptions, etc. It still has old school photos up from the ’30’s. What a bunch of surly-lookin’ little rug rats! Man, people were sure unhappy during... oh yeah, THE DEPRESSION! We usually have around 100 people (?), 1/3 Austinites and 2/3 locals, and couldn’t have a better time. The Lowells are the official “band”, with special guests sitting in all night. Past years have included Jeff Hughes, Teri Joyce, Sarah Meyer, Bear McReadie, and Mike (? - oops) from The Mad Cowboys. This year we were glad to have Bear McReadie and Doug Strahan do a few tunes, as well as a real treat with two of the local “old-timers” (can’t remember their names right now either - what a moron I am!) do a set on guitar and fiddle. The fiddle player sat in with The Lowells for much of the night as well, and it was great to have him! We really do appreciate having a guy like him play with us. It was also great to have Tony and Dora Villanueva (& their brood of young ’uns) out for the first time this year. After a bit of pickin’ and singin’ around the woodstove in the schoolhouse, we all hit our respective tents, trucks, and B & B’s for the night.

The next (FREEZING) morning we congregated back at the schoolhouse for a breakfast like no other!! Once we bedraggled revelers came rolling back in, got our caffeinated beverages (French-press coffee for the city folk, hardcore sludgey goodness for the hard-hearted, and Coke for me), we huddled like a bunch of hobos around the woodstove warning our li’l extremities, grumbling jokes, and listening to Marty Robbins. Then we got that Cowboy Breakfast we wait all year for! A local guy (made me breakfast 3 times, can’t remember his name either - that’s what I get for doing this at 4:00 a.m.) made eggs, bacon, and THE BEST DAMNED BISCUITS YOU WILL EVER CONSUME, all done over the campfire on the schoolhouse yard. We drove home with warm hearts and mighty full bellies.

New Years Eve in Harman has been a fantastic experience for 3 years in a row now, and hopefully they will have us back again. Many thanks to James Willet and all the residents of Harman for letting us celebrate with them.

You can see photos of the New Years Eve shindig at www.austinamericana.com. Take a look -- Bill Groll took some GREAT photos of the whole hoo-hah!!

Check back here soon, too! Hopefully I’ll have a new Soapbox up soon -- and thanks for visiting!!