Texas Playboys

A while back Martina and I had the chance to see the Texas Playboys at Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa, also known as "The House that Bob Built." We managed to get seats in the loft among the rafters. Not being dancers, we greatly enjoyed the bird's eye view. We did, however, spend some time near the stage. We both like to soak in the ambience, and I always like to watch the guitar and steel players' hands to learn new tricks. Here is a picture that Martina took from the loft.

Oliver Loving

Today we visited the farmers' market in Weatherford, enjoyed a solid Thai lunch near the college, and visited the cemetery where Bose Ikard and Oliver Loving are buried. Loving was born on March 5, 1836, the day before the Alamo fell. He was a major player in the cattle drives, and Charles Goodnight carried his remains hundreds of miles so that he could be buried in Parker County. This story should be a familiar one to fans of Gus McCray.

Arts Goggle: A Funky Good Time

I greatly enjoyed the Arts Goggle yesterday. It was a funky good time. While I was there, I had the opportunity to hear  Michael H. Price​ read a fine carnival tale from DARK BORDERLANDS as well as hear Rob Bosquez skillfully tell the story of his strange encounter with the mythical chupacabra. I would like to thank Fort Worth Writer's Boot Camp and Wildcatter Exchange for adding this literary element to the mix of art and music.

Bose Ikard

Although I do not consider myself morbid or melancholy by nature, I often find myself gravitating toward cemeteries. I find them to be places of meditation, discovery, and pilgrimage. While living in Yellowstone, I once made a pilgrimage to Ernest Hemingway's grave in the Sawtooths. Around that time, I also visited the grave of John Steinbeck in California and that of Jimi Hendrix in Seattle. A few years later while living in Bohemia, I visited the grave of Goethe in Weimar, Germany. The purpose of my cemetery visits is to stand in front of the final resting place of someone that I respect and quietly thank that person for how he or she has made life better for others.

Recently I was told that an important cowboy by the name of Bose Ikard is buried in Weatherford, Texas. Ikard was a former slave, and he was Charles Goodnight's right hand man. He is perhaps best known as the prototype for Joshua Deets in Lonesome Dove. Both Ikard and cattleman Oliver Loving are buried in that cemetery. I have not yet ventured there, but I plan to in the coming weeks. 

Charles Goodnight wrote this epitaph for Bose Ikard:

Arts Goggle

This Saturday at 4 pm I will be reading a short story at the Arts Goggle in Fort Worth on Block 11, between Alston and College. Check out the link below for the location as well as to see when various local writers associated with Fort Worth Writers' Boot Camp and Wildcatter Exchange will be reading their work.

http://heyevent.com/event/6ica4hzarxmvya/join-us-at-arts-goggle 

If you have never attended the Arts Goggle, let me tell you that it is an enjoyable event with plenty of live music, visual art, and great food. It is a funky good time. 

Buzz Aldrin in Fort Worth

Yesterday Martina and I attended a book signing with Buzz Aldrin at the American Airlines CR Smith Museum in Fort Worth. Mr. Aldrin sat behind a table near the museum's DC-3, and as he sat there I could not help but marvel at the notion of being in the presence of a man who stood on the surface of the moon and returned. To Buzz Aldrin, it was probably just another day. To me, it transformed the lunar landing from an abstract concept to a material reality. Standing in line, I thought about Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces and how Buzz Aldrin was an embodiment of the monomyth, the universal myth of all mankind.

When our time came to get a book signed, I asked Mr. Aldrin what message he had for our local students. He thought for a couple of seconds and then spoke. "Never let the other guy win," Mr. Aldrin said. At first I was surprised by his words. Then I began to consider that this was a man who risked his very life to help his country win the race to the moon. He wasn't going to tell kids to mind their mamas and eat their spinach.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMINSD7MmT4  

This is the official photo that hung above my bed for much of my childhood.

Oktoberfest in Fredericksburg

The lederhosen time of year has arrived in Texas. I have plenty of fond memories of Oktoberfest in Fredericksburg. I remember my wife, who had to take dancing lessons before her graduation ball in Bohemia many years ago, telling my stepdad in a menacing tone, "You want polka? I'll show you polka." The line could have been in a schmaltzy version of The Terminator.

Even if you're not a fan of oompah, the energy is nice and the love of culture and tradition is ever-present. My mother donned her dirndl last night and volunteered as she has many times before. Although the crowds get larger every year, Oktoberfest in Fred is a fine time. "Ein Prosit! Ein Prosit!" as the song goes...

http://oktoberfestinfbg.com/