Something about Rain

I’m not sure what it is about rain that I like.  No doubt I have done a bit of thinking about it.  In another life it used to mean that either I got out of having to work most of the time or it meant that I would have to play later or sometimes not at all.  I used to curse it when I was playing and pray for it when I was teaching.  Looking back neither of those seemed to do much good.  Now, out in the desert, rain has yet again come to my life and stumped me.   Rain and I do not see each other much these days.  Just a brief encounter now and then.   It brings life here.  It makes color here.  It slows the pace a bit here.  It leaves it’s mark on the landscape like nowhere else ,here.   I am just not sure where it fits in the circle for me?   No long rainy nights with some wine and a candle or two.  It doesn’t stay that long in the desert.  Few folks own umbrellas or raincoats in Terlingua.  That is not to say that rain does not have it’s audience in the desert.   People are afraid of it, curious about it, thankful for it, but most do not worship it.  Maybe like all things that are out of place, it can be a pain in the ass.   So, what is it about rain that I still like?  

Fun and Fire in Terlingua

Never a dull moment in Terlingua.  We BBQ, hang out, and pose for Calendars...well, you get it.  The Three Amigos are legend in Terlngua.  If we are on then you can guarantee that there will be no calls in Terlingua.  Come have a  visit.

In light In Meant

I can say this having stared into the eyes of the beast.  We all have our deep seated fears....   It might be the smell of rotting food in the fridge or perhaps the rancid stench of your fellow human being.   All I know is they are out there and they are real.  I can’t help but reflect on the night when I was thinking about marinating my arm as the last flicker of light slowly faded into black.  What are we?  Who are we?  And how could it possibility take an electric company over 5 days to restore power!   Living on the frontier is hard.  I knew that.  But going without power!  Come on.  Absolutely savage I say.  Without being able to make coffee we are just a small step above the beasts of the jungle.  That said, it’s true I have found “in light in meant”.  If not that then at least truth.  I now know what my fellow man smells like for real..  Damn.  And who would have thought that forgetting to take out the food in the fridge would actually create new life.  It’s all true.  One never really thinks about where the “hot” water comes from?  I mean you just turn on the tap...right?  In bundling for the cold you actually do realize that you can wear the same clothes for longer than you ever thought was possible.  Yes, wine does get cold when you leave it outside the door in winter.   Amazing.  Being so close to the line between savage and civilized has been an experience for certain.  My advice to you is to never never give up.... and never leave dill havarty cheese in the lifeless fridge ....and always appreciate a warm shower... 

Heart of Darkness.....Terlingua

Entering day 5 of the black out in Terlingua.  Hunkered down in the dark cold at the station hoping to find a morsel of food or maybe a reprieve from the day in the light of the last match.  The town has been without power and most have left if they could find gas.  It's surreal and you feel like you are in some movie about a plague.  The only lights are from the few generators that come on every once in awhile.  The "off the grid" folks have won this one hands down.  As I sit in the dark I can't help think about the Donner Party and look down at my arm and wonder......baked or fried?

Some things are Peaing me Off

Scanned the crowd yesterday in the Ghost Town in Terlingua and didn’t see many of my old friends.  That’s too bad because it was the annual Terlingua New Year’s eve PEE OFF.  Yes, that’s right the Pee Off.  Black eyed peas and some different twists made for an interesting New Years Day.  Had I known what was coming I would have enjoyed it a bit more.  

Tonight I’m sitting with my coat on at the EMS station waiting....not really for the alarm to go off but more to start the death process of hypothermia.  The power is out in the entire area for about 80 miles.  There is no gas for a hundred miles and the town is full of desperate tourists trying to get out of town.  The station is powered down so there is only one light on and now there are 5 people huddled around a makeshift lamp made out of a headlamp and a Nalgene bottle.  At some point food will run out and the light will dim.  It will be slow and painful passing......please send supplies as UPS always gets here.....LaCrema may keep me going.  

The Last Day

One Last Day

If you spend a little time looking back on the last 364 days you often find that there are patterns that tend to repeat themselves.  Some are good and others are not so good.  Every year I end up reflecting on those the other 364 days usually on the last one.  Today being the last one is no different.  The last Texas frontier was good to me today.  I floated out of the country for awhile and had lunch in Mexico, then enjoyed the aftermath huge ice and snow storm up high in the Chisos Mountains.  Now I’m sipping a glass of wine and wondering about patterns and corners and such.  It’s almost hard to believe that I will “reboot” some things tomorrow.  I try to do it from time to time but there really is something about new year.  It almost feels like you get a free pass to start things over with a New Year.  I’m not much on resolutions because I seem to never be happy with the results.  Even on those rare years where I did try to stay the course on a few....even if only for a few weeks.  2014 I did a bunch of just throwing things to the wind and letting the universe sort out my issues.  Let the truth be told that the universe did a pretty good job.  I’m thinking much better than all the planning and strategies from the best You Tube guru’s.  I just placed my bet and if I won, I let it ride.  If I lost, I went to another table.   Since we are such a phone savvy society.  I will try to put it in a language we can all understand.  My year if it was texted to you..

Lot’s of Travel :)

Lot’s of Sex :(

New Friends :)

Making a difference :)

Romance :)

Old Friends :(

Bank Account :(

Not needing that shit :)

Feeding habits :(

Guilt about it :)

Living in beauty :)

Stress Level :)

La Crema availability :)

Blood Pressure Meds :(

Liver function  :) 

More Tolerance :)

Reinventing my Life :)

Understanding What is Important :)

So as you can see, I have had another wonderful year.  Even by text standards.  Well, I must say I would have like to turn that frown upside down on a few....LOL.  What ever happened to talking to the person you wanted to communicate with in person or at least by phone.  LOL  OMG LMAO

I hope all of you have a wonderful New Year and find all the things you have missed in the coming year.  My quest is to find another level of understanding about myself and my destiny so I’m going to be making a few magnificent changes in the next one.  I wish you all a dry road in deep snow, no cavities on the next visit, and someone to scratch your back when you need it most.   Farewell  and Much happiness.

Confessions of a closet Fry Cook

As I surf the crest of my mid-life Tsunami I can’t help but wonder what else is lurking around the corner.  One year older and and new year on the only a couple of sunrises away.  What imagined dreams are whispering to me from the distant plains......YEP, that’s it.... FRY COOK.  My dear departed Mother already has the words, “mercy Larrrrry”, out of her mouth before I could hit the all caps.  Fry Cook?  The truth is I have always been completely fascinated by the men in white slinging and slapping and throwing food out on the grill or flipping skillets full of eggs  or omelets around all over the place.  “chef needa sunny and cher in the sack with a blanket”, has always made me tingle.  That is eggs over easy with a greasy piece of bacon on toast with some gravey!  Really just ask the fry guy at Jimmy’s tuck and truck in West Virginia.   There is something about keeping all that going and listening to the sizzle that makes me wonder if Waffle House is hiring.  Not just any waffle house but the one on the highway just outside of Covington Louisiana about 3 am.  I mean you get to see some true characters when you get that shift.  Or how about doing the morning shift at Camelias in the Quarter in New Orleans during Mardi Gras.  Oh what a ride. How do they do it?   The last few days I have gotten up early and done my own version of “chef” in my miniature kitchen in Terlingua.  “A double cluck pie, skinny with a row and flat pig”.  I have to say I think I’m getting it down.  A prize to the winner of the translation of that one.  Credit to Chef Mike, in Waffle House #453, Trinidad, Colorado.    So, it’s a new year and I even own a food trailer so maybe...just maybe....