The Wonders of West Texas

Martina and I recently traveled to West Texas, and on the first night of our journey, we camped in Monahans Sandhills State Park. What I like about Monahans Sandhills is that, were I to be teleported into the middle of it, I would think I was near the ocean or maybe somewhere in the Sahara.

However, Monahans Sandhills State Park is right up the road from Monahans, Texas, which is perhaps best known as the home of the now-defunct Green Frog Cafe from Guy Clark's "Desperadoes Waiting for a Train." It is also a place where folks go dune sledding, and no, I am not making this up. If you don't believe me, check out the video below.

And here it is. Empirical evidence.

Merry Christmas, Y'all!

Merry Christmas, y'all! I hope the day is filled with peace, love, joy, and all of the blessings of the season.


Here is a picture taken inside the Gage Hotel this holiday season. I love how they deck the halls.

And here is my ol' buddy, Rosco. His version of "Deck the Halls" has its own special chorus. 

Chi-hua-hua-hua-hua    hua-hua-hua-hua!

A Little Devil on the Christmas Tree

This evening Martina and I finally decided to put up our Christmas tree, which has ornaments representing our various travels and experiences. One of my favorite ornaments is a handmade wooden "čert" or "devil" that Martina's mother, known colloquially as Baba Jaja, sent us several years ago from the Czech Republic. On December 5th, Saint Nicholas, the Devil, and an Angel all travel together through the streets of Bohemia. Good children recite poetry to Saint Nicholas and get a treat. Bad children end up in the Devil's sack. There is, of course, no in between.

This year, I made the mistake of forgetting St. Nicholas Day, so I had to improvise with a gift. I asked Martina to recite Pushkin in Russian, but instead she chose to recite the epitaph of the Czech poet Jiri Wolker, which he wrote shortly before his death. Despite the rather morbid nature of Martina's recitation choice, "Saint Nicholas" directed her to click a button on Amazon and buy herself a little present.

A Legend Riding into Town

This week Ramblin' Jack Elliott will be playing in Fort Worth, which got me to thinking about the time Martina and I got to meet him and hear a number of his stories at the now-defunct Live Oak a few years ago. Ramblin' Jack is a living, breathing connection to American musical history, and it was incredible to hear him talk about traveling with Woody Guthrie, about his brief encounter with Lead Belly, and about Bob Dylan's early days on the folk scene. Ramblin' Jack is a national treasure, and I feel very fortunate to have had the chance to talk with this very approachable legend that evening in Fort Worth. It felt as if the Smithsonian had somehow turned into a person, and that person was standing there talking to a handful of strangers as if he had known them all of his life.

Here is "Hard Travelin'" played by Ramblin' Jack Elliott and Jerry Jeff Walker.