Roy's Meds! or Note To Chet! or Bett Fields Is An Angel!

Today has been fantastic! This morning after Tony did the chores outside we went to Kerrville for three reasons:

     1. Pick up Roy Rogers' meds at Hoegemeyer Animal Clinic
     2. Fill up Buttermilk at the big H.E.B.
     3. And buying a few groceries at the big H.E.B.

Of course, Roy's meds were the main reason for the trip and on our way, to Kerrville, Tony told me that he was hungry and he asked me if we were going to eat in town. And in less than a minute and one phone call, we were going to meet our good friends Kris & Jim for lunch, at Billy Gene's Restaurant, because all of us love their Monday Special that they serve with Squash Casserole.

During our fun, delicious lunch we talked about how much we love the Longmire series, Grace & Frankie and The Ranch, all on Netflix. We also laughed and joked about a lot of other things, but I got nervous when Tony said, "We are running on fumes and I hope that we can make it to H.E.B. without running out of gas...."

So later on, after we had adios-ed each other, we headed down Junction Highway, with our fingers crossed, in hopes that we didn't run out of gas.

Well, luckily we made it there fine and while Tony was filling up Buttermilk's nearly empty gas tank, I quickly rushed up and down the isles getting the few groceries that we needed.

And I guess, because of the adrenaline rush of possibly running out of gas—we drove straight home. And it wasn't until we came inside, The Cabin, with the groceries, that we realized that both of us had completely forgotten to pick up Roy's meds, at Hoegemeyer Animal Clinic.
(And please note that I blaming the temporary "adrenaline rush" for this, instead of admitting that we are simply old and that we often are forgetful.)

So, around 3:00, Tony and I once again, jumped back into Buttermilk and took off for Hoegemeyer Animal Clinic.

When we arrived at the clinic, all of the parking spaces were taken, so Tony took a left and dropped me off, so I could skip inside to pick up Roy's monthly supply of pills.

When I walked inside, their lobby was full of all kinds of people, with their lovable pets anxiously awaiting to see the doctors. Sweet Susan saw me and smiled, and then said, "I bet that you're here to pick up a guitar and Roy's pills!"

"Omg!" I said. "The guitar is here! That's fantastic news!" Then Susan walked away and quickly returned with Chet O'Keefe's brand new Martin guitar, inside a case, with a pink note taped to the case.

It was the awesome Martin "Good Time Eddie" that Bett Fields had generously donated to Chet,  after reading Donna Gable Hatch's story about Chet's van burning up, in the Kerrville Daily Times.

So now I can disclose that the secret drop-off point that Bett and I had agreed on was, at Hoegemeyer Animal Clinic.

With Roy's meds in one hand and Chet's guitar in my other hand, I said, "Susan, please thank Cathy and all of y'all for letting Bett drop the guitar off here. I can't wait to let Chet know!"

When Tony drove up to pick me up, he saw the guitar and he was smiling from ear-to-ear. I then quickly loaded Chet's guitar, on the back seat, jumped  into the front seat and we headed home.

As soon as we got home, Tony put Chet O'Keefe's new cut-away Martin on the coffee table, while I read the pink note.

Because Chet had asked me earlier to please check out the Martin and play it, so I could let him know  about it. I opened the case. And it looked brand new!

Then I looked at the paperwork and read Bett's note:

After I read her sweet note, that nearly made me tear up, I agreed with Tony that Bett Fields has a heart of gold which definitely confirms that she is an Angel amongst us. 

Then I put the note down and played this beautiful awesome guitar for only a couple of minutes, because I already knew when I plucked the first string that it was one super, fine Martin guitar. And it also has a Roland preamp installed on it that I am sure Chet will love. 

And there is just one more thing I want to say, before posting this tonight. "Chet, I know that your blue, handmade, Telecaster is totally irreplaceable, but to help you get back on your feet I want to give you my Telecaster guitar that I named B.B. But you can't have my strap!"

Y'all have a great evening and keep on laughing!  

Good Time Eddie!

Today has been great! Late this afternoon, Tony walked into the big room, and said, "I just talked to Chet, on Facebook and he wants to know if we can help him find that woman, in Kerrville, who is wanting to give her Martin Guitar to him. Would you do it?"

"Omg yes!" I said. "I would love to get into contact with her." Then I got busy searching for this woman, on the Internet. I Googled this and then I Googled that and then I tried and tried, again.

Fifteen minutes later, I got lucky! So I skipped back to Tony's office and told him, "I think I've found her and I'm fixin' to call her right now."

After I punched in her phone number I took a deep breath to calm myself. "Hello," she said.

"Hi $@#^&, this is Nancy Parker-Simons and you don't know me, but I am a good friend of Chet O'Keefe. I run the Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch and Chet is, in England, touring right now. And just a few minutes ago, he talked to my husband Tony and was asking him if we could help find you, because he is very interested in the guitar." Then I am thinking to myself that she might think that I was trying to scam her or something.

"Oh, I'm afraid that you found the wrong $@#^&." Then there was an uncomfortable pause.

"Well, I am so sorry for bothering you. I guess I'll just keep on trying."

"Wait," she said. "Now who did you say he was?"

"Chet O'Keefe. A few weeks ago his van burned up and he lost his guitars and just about everything and Donna Gable Hatch wrote about it, in the Kerrville Daily Times last week...."

"Yes! Yes, that's me! You have found the right $@#^&!"

"Thank goodness!" I said.

"I'm so glad that you found me..." Then we talked about Chet for a few minutes.

"Okay, now let me tell you about the guitar. I bought it about seven years ago and I only played it a few times. It's like brand new. Awhile back, I was thinking about selling it and then I read the story about Chet, in the Kerrville Daily Times and I immediately knew that I wanted to give it to Chet. Its a DC16GTE Martin guitar and GTE stands for Good Time Eddie....."

After we had talked a few more minutes she and I made plans on how she could get the guitar to me, so we could get it to Chet. So I suggested that she drop it off at ^%$% and ask them to please call us, so we could come and pick it up for Chet.

Then she asked me if I would mind asking Chet to give her a call when he gets back over the pond.

"I most certainly will, because I know that he would love to thank you in person...."

After we adios-ed each other. I skipped back down the hallway and told Tony the great news. Then I called our friends, at ^%$% to tell them what was going on. And they were thrilled to help out Chet.
(I'll reveal who they are when we pick up the guitar.)

And while Tony was once again talking to Chet and telling him the good news. I went Online and found a picture of the model number of that awesome Martin guitar. Then Tony walked back into the big room and I said, "It's an awesome guitar and it's a cutaway! And that's perfect for Chet! He's going to love it!" Then I showed Tony this picture of the guitar.

Then Tony went back into his office and went back on Facebook to contact Chet and give him the model number, etc.

And a few minutes later, Tony came back and told me that Chet said, "WOW!...." and he is so happy about getting that Martin guitar.

Then I started writing this and about halfway through, the phone rang—it was Kinky. "Nance, do you want to go for a walk with me tonight?"

"Yes, I do, but I am right, in the middle, of writing something. Could we do it a little later?"

"That's fine. It's too hot right now, anyway. How about around 7:00?"

"That'll work...." And that's about it for tonight. Life Is Good!

Y'all have a great evening and keep on laughing!

Good Grief!

Today has been great. This afternoon we ate lunch with our great volunteers, at the China Town Restaurant, in Kerrville and of course, it was a lot of fun.

Tony and I did not order the same thing on their menu like we usually always do, but we both ordered the Hot & Sour Soup.

When it was near the end of our lunch, June was talking to us about something she planned on doing, as I stood up, and said, "Excuse me, but I need to go to the bathroom."

Then June continued, and said, "So we'll see you in three months.."

I turned around and interrupted June, and joked, "Good grief! It's not going to take me that long." Everyone, at our table, burst out laughing, as I turned around and swiftly skipped away. And truth be known, I was sitting back at our table, in under three minutes.

When Tony and I got back home I checked my e-mail. Our good friend Donna Gable Hatch had sent me the story that she wrote about Chet & Willie's van burning. I know that I promised to post it, so here it is:

"Local musician loses everything in blaze

 By Donna Gable Hatch

 Special to The Times

features@dailytimes.com

A GoFundMe campaign is underway to help local singer-songwriter Chet O’Keefe to recoup and regroup after a raging inferno gutted his van on June 1 and destroyed everything he owns.

O’Keefe and his 6-year-old border collie-mix, Willie, were traveling in the van as part of a six-month concert tour of Canada and Washington State, when he noticed the vehicle losing power as it climbed a steep incline.

“It always smoked a bit, but this was different, something electrical. Acrid smoke began filling the van,” O’Keefe said by phone from Washington.

He pulled over, got Willie out of the van and began pulling his belongings from the van.

“I tossed them about 15 feet from the van, but I’d packed everything I own, so there was a lot of stuff. The smoke was getting really thick, and it was so hot, so I grabbed Willie and we got away from the van. I kept waiting for the gas tank to explode like in the movies.”

A fire sparked, and much to O’Keefe’s horror, the fire spread “downhill like a lava flow and burned up the belongings I had set outside the van. I thought, ‘There’s no stopping it now.’ … I just watched it burn.”

Lost in the blaze was O’Keefe’s Martin acoustic guitar, which he’d won in a songwriting competition; a mandolin; a handmade Telecaster; a Fishman Solo PA; a Bose stereo; recording gear; a MacBook; an iPad; a solar setup — panels, AGM solar batteries, charge controller and inverter — and effects pedals; as well as his clothes, wallet and passport.

“When I think about the things lost, I think about the things people had given me the most, the handmade stuff, the stuff given with meaning and loving intent: the shirt given by my good friend, Shannon, that her deceased husband, Mark Kneeskern, had made; the white oak walking stick with burned-in lotus flower designs and faces that my stepfather had made; the beaded eagle necklace given to me by my friend Mick at a crucial time in my life; the handmade leather vest made by Mark Ingram, who died a few years back; and the handmade blue Telecaster that I’ve been playing for 25 years, made by my buddy, Frank Padellaro.”

A friend on Sunday started a GoFundMe campaign on behalf of O’Keefe. To date, the site — www.gofundme.com/27zbb78 — has raised more than $3,500.

Paying it forward

O’Keefe is known for his giving nature and has participated in numerous fundraisers for local nonprofits, including Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch, a no-kill animal sanctuary in Medina, co-founded by Kinky Friedman and Nancy Parker-Simons.

“Chet called me to tell me the horrible news about his van burning up. It broke my heart, and I was fighting back tears. He lost nearly everything that he owned,” Parker-Simons said. “We hope that everyone will reach into their pockets and pay it forward by making a donation to help Chet get back on his feet — and it certainly wouldn’t hurt for you to say a little prayer for him and Willie while you’re at it.”

O’Keefe got his start at the Kerrville Folk Festival, where he was twice a finalist in the festival’s Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk competition, 2010 and 2011.

Festival producer Dalis Allen said she would let performers and festival attendees know about the fundraising campaign for O’Keefe. The festival continues through Sunday at Quiet Valley Ranch, 9 miles south of Kerrville on Texas 16.

“Chet is a great songwriter,” Allen said. “The safety of Chet and his dog is certainly the good news, but these kinds of losses are devastating to a touring artist that makes his living from the instruments that were lost. We hope he is able to get the van and instruments replaced soon and is back playing his songs for appreciative audiences around the country.”

O’Keefe, who was awarded the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Song of the Year Award in 2010, spent nine years in Nashville, followed by a short stint in Dallas and Northern Washington State before making his way to the Hill Country.

He performed with blues master and rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Bo Diddley, and is known for his unique storytelling sound, which combines a mix acoustic folk, western and jazzy-bluesy tunes. He recently released his long-awaited 10-track album, “Because of You,” which is available on iTunes, Amazon.com and O’Keefe’s website, among other sites.

O’Keefe is scheduled to leave Sunday for a two-week concert tour in Great Britain, and on Monday, he applied for — and was granted — an emergency passport. He said he plans to borrow a guitar and necessary equipment to play his upcoming gigs.

“Losing these things is pale in contrast to imagining loss of life: There is a great feeling of thankfulness and appreciation that has emerged from this that I carry with me everywhere I go, and people seem to recognize and tune in to it,” O’Keefe said.

“However, that spirit of helping someone out in times of need is a human quality that transcends place and social status. The amount of love that has come my way in the last few days has been warmly encouraging, has given me hope.”

In true singer-songwriter fashion, O’Keefe said there’s a bright side to this sad saga: a new song. The working title is “Cleansing By Fire.”

“The things people gave me were the most important because each one carried an imprint of the intention and energy involved between each person and me,” O’Keefe said. “They had deeper meanings attached — hope, love, trust, family — but none of those attached gifts can be taken away by fire.”

How to help

What: A GoFundMe campaign to aid local signer-songwriter Chet O’Keefe

Details: O’Keefe his musical instruments and equipment, as well as a solar setup, clothing, wallet and passport, in a June 1 fire that engulfed his van

How: To make a donation, visit www.gofundme.com/27zbb78

Info: For more information about Chet O’Keefe, visithttp://chetokeefe.com"

So once again, I want to thank the Kerrville Daily Times and Donna Gable Hatch and everyone for helping get the word out about our good friend, Chet O'Keefe and for making donations. Let's keep paying it forward and please share this in your social media! And that's about it for tonight.

Y'all have a great evening and keep on laughing!

Thank Y'all!

Today has been great, because this morning when we opened up the Spotlight section, in the Kerrville Daily Times newspaper, we saw on the front page's top right-hand corner, Donna Gable Hatch's "Local musician loses everything in blaze" story about Chet O'Keefe's van and a picture of it engulfed in flames.

Donna and her husband Ryan are good friends with Chet, too and a few days ago, right after I had sent her an e-mail about what had happened to Chet and Willie, she called me seconds later, because she and Ryan were unaware of it and they were very concerned. And before she and I adios-ed each other, I had verified Chet's e-mail address and phone number with her.

Several minutes later the phone rang, again and it was Chet. He thanked me for letting Donna and Ryan know and we had a very brief conversation, because Chet had just picked up his passport and he and his mother were heading back home and trying to get out of the heavy Seattle traffic.

Then a few minutes later the phone rang again, but this time it was Donna. She told me that she had just talked to the Kerrville Daily News and  that she was going to write a story to help Chet and Willie get back on their feet. And then she briefly interviewed me for the story, before we adios-ed each other, again.

In Donna's great story, she included the address for "Let's help Chet: https://www.gofundme.com/27zbb78 to make donations and I loved reading what the great Dalis Allen, the producer for the famous, Kerrville Folk Festival, kind words about Chet and his music and that she wanted to help out Chet too, by getting the word out about Chet's fundraising campaign, "Let's help Chet" to the performers and the good folks, attending the fun music festival. And tomorrow when Donna's column is posted on the Internet, I will be sure to share it.

After lunch when Tony went, to the highway, to pick up our mail, I had another great surprise when I read the Bandera County Courier newspaper, because our good friend, Judith Pannebaker, had written a fantastic story, "L-o-L-A, Lola La-la-la-la Lola, about our dog Lola" to help us get Lola get adopted. 

Before I post this tonight, I want to thank all of these great folks: Kerrville Daily Times, Donna Gable Hatch, Judith Pannebaker, Bandera County Courier, Dalis Allen and Kerrville Folk Festival and everyone who have or is or are planning to donate to help out Chet O'Keefe and Willie get back on their feet and I also want to thank these same people and newspapers for helping our rescue ranch! Life is Good. (Knock-On-Wood)

Y'all have a great evening and keep on laughing!

The Great Writer, Donna Gable Hatch, Has Done It Again!

Today has been great. Our dear friend, Donna Gable Hatch has done it again, but this time for Kinky! She has written a fabulous article about Kinky's newest CD, "Kinky Friedman: The Loneliest Man I Ever Met," released on October 2nd, for the Kerrville Daily Times and AP. And it includes an awesome interview with our dear friend, Ruth Buzzi, about Kink's newest CD.

A Real Pain In The Back! or Tony's Traveling, Musical, Fishing, Blue Chair! or A Giant!

Today has been great. This morning Chet O'Keefe came out to see us and he brought along his Blaze Foley DVD, Duct Tape Messiah: The Documentary Movie, so Tony and I could watch it, because we were interested in watching the documentary.

For lunch today, Chet, Tony and me went to Medina, to eat a delicious BBQ lunch, at our friend's new Williams Creek Trading Company food wagon/cabin and so did everyone else, in Medina. Jo & Rick's  weekends BBQ business is located right next door to Debbie's world famous, The Old Timer store.

Of course, Tony and I ordered the exact same thing and Chet ordered a two meat plate with sides of coleslaw and beans. And needless to say, "We all thought our lunch today was absolutely delicious and I am so glad that we went to eat early, because when it was time for us to leave everybody in town had shown up to eat some of their mouth-watering BBQ."

When we pulled out of the parking lot, we drove about 200 feet, before Tony pulled off to the side of the road and parked Trigger, because we wanted to check out a garage sale. I ended up buying a pair of bar stools, because for a long time, I've been wanting to replace our bar stools, because they are a real pain in the back, because anyone who sits on one of our bar stools, their jeans or belts usually get caught in the decorative metal chair backs, causing them to walk away, with a stool attached to them.

When we arrived back at the ranch, Tony's famous, blue, folding, musical, fishing chair, that I gave away that night, at the Kerrville Folk Festival, was leaning up, against the gate. Tony was thrilled to see it, and he said, "Oh no. We've missed seeing Donna Hatch." But he was wrong.

As soon as we walked inside The Cabin, Tony called Kinky, at the Lodge, to see if Donna was still over there and she was, so Tony asked Kinky to please tell Donna that we were back, from eating lunch and that we hoped that she would have the time to come by for a visit.

One hour later, after we had just finished watching an extremely interesting Hangar 1: The UFO Files episode about Presidential encounters, when our good friend Donna arrived. Then we had a really fun visit with her.

We talked about everything under the sun and beyond. While Donna took turns holding Little Debbie or Big Al(ice) we discussed Tony's blue chair, books, writing, aliens, concerts, Terlingua, our dogs, our travels, Tony's upcoming photography coffee table book and the great article that she had written, in today's Kerrville Daily Times, about our mutual friend, Stan Morris, the friendly owner of, The Melody Corner, music store.

And that prompted Donna to ask Chet if he would please play his new mandolin for us. After Chet fetched his mandolin, from his van, he played it for about thirty minutes and his skill and talent totally blew us away.

Early this evening, I went outside to take a picture of Tony's beloved traveling, musical, fishing, blue chair that has two little speakers, embedded in the armrests, behind the cup holders and the two bar stools that I had purchased, at the garage sale.

Then I dragged one of the stools, inside The Cabin, to see how it would look, next to our breakfast bar and I was surprised and disappointed by how much shorter the new/used bar stool was compared to our old stools that hook people's clothes. 

Then I pulled it up to the bar and sat down on the new/used bar stool, next to the breakfast bar, to see if it was at all usable. And the answer is, "Nope," because my chin was level with the breakfast bar and it would have to take a giant to be able to sit at the breakfast bar. 

So, as I finish writing this, the next thing that I plan to do is drag the bar stool back outside and put both of the bar stools, inside our storage unit. And that's about it for tonight.

Y'all have a great evening!

#26, #27, L-Guac, 2-ts! or Musical Chairs!

Today has been great. This afternoon Tony and I went back to El Sol de Mexico Restaurant, to eat lunch with our good friends: Steve Pietzsch, the incredibly talented artist, Chet O'Keefe, the super talented singer, songwriter, musician and Donna Gable Hatch, a fabulous author and the best Features Editor that The Kerrville Daily Times has ever had.

Tony and I got their twenty minutes early and Beto greeted us at the door. "We're going to need a table for five today. And we don't need a menu, because we want the #26, #27, L-guac and two teas," Tony said. Then we followed Beto to our table for six, near the cash register and then we sat down.

To fill our time waiting, Tony and I made bets as to who we thought would show up first, second and last. And I won the bet! Steve was first, Chet was second and Donna was last and they were only minutes apart.

After Beto had taken our friend's orders, we got to talking and laughing and it never stopped. We talked about Steve's upcoming art show, in late August, at the Kerrville Arts & Cultural Center and Donna writing an article about Steve and his art, how much we all love Stan Morris, the super nice, friendly musician that owns The Melody Corner, music store, on Junction Highway, Tony's upcoming photography coffee table book, the movie Foxcatcher, Nova Scotia, Chet's music and about him buying a mandolin, and the Kerrville Folk Festival and David Crosby's awesome performance, at the festival.

Then Donna started laughing. She told us that she had read my funny blog, back in June, about that night, at Crosby's concert, and me giving away Tony's favorite fishing, musical, blue chair, that was equipped with small speakers and a jack, so Tony could plug his iPod into it, while he was fishing. "After reading your blog I contacted my girlfriend that you gave Tony's blue chair to and she has no problem returning it to you. I'm coming out to the ranch, this Saturday, to visit with Kinky and I'll bring it with me." To say the least, Tony was more than thrilled with her good news.

After a super fun time, at El Sol de Mexico, eating a delicious lunch with our dear friends, we hugged everyone and then everyone adios-ed each other and went our separate ways.

Our first way was going to The Kerrville Daily Times office, so I could renew our yearly subscription to the newspaper and our next way was at Hastings, so I could hopefully buy the 2012 Academy Award winning documentary, Searching For Sugar Man and our last way was a quick stop, at the little H-E-B, to buy a gallon of 2% milk for Tony, deodorant and toilet paper. Then Trigger took us home. And that's about it for today, because I am fixin' to go watch Searching For Sugar Man, the awesome documentary that many of my friends have been raving about.

P.S. My dear friend Mari sent me this awesome story about a man in Brazil that has unusual pets, a Golden Retriever named Bob, several birds and a hamster. I loved reading the short story and the photos that he has taken of his pets are more than awesome. If you want to instantly put a smile on your face please click here. I love his pet pictures so much that I keep going back to look at them, because they warm my heart. "Mari, thank you for sending this to me!"

Y'all have a great evening!

Pillow Talk! or Stephen K. Morris!

Today has been another great one. This morning Jim & Daneshu came out to see us and we had a total blast visiting with them, because they are our kind of people. If we weren't talking non-stop we were laughing. So yes, my back is still a little sore, but I am sure that it will be fine sooner than later.

At one point during our visit Kinky called me, "Nance, do y'all have a couple of spare AA batteries?"

Yes, we do. Why?"

"Because my remote control is dead..." After I told him about Daneshu & Jim being here, he invited us to come over for a visit. And his last words, on the phone, were, "And don't forget to bring the batteries."

Minutes later, Kinky and The Friedmans came out, of the Lodge, to greet us as we climbed out of their Suburban. Then we had a fun visit with Kinky, out on his back porch. And before we left he signed a book for them. Then we came back over here and visited some more.

Late this afternoon, I started packing some more stuff for my upcoming road trip, with Chet, to The Land of Enchantment. Then I took a picture of today's last stuff that I took outside, excluding my pillow and guitar, so I can temporarily store everything, inside Buttermilk, until we transfer all of it tomorrow, to the Explorer that I have rented for the trip.

That adorable pillowcase that you see in the picture was recently made and given to us, along with another matching pillowcase, by our our new friend Julia Balinsky. We met Julia and her husband, Andy, when our dear friend Ellen brought them out here, while the Kerrville Folk Festival was going on, because Ellen wanted to show them the rescue ranch and to do a little birdwatching, in The Okay Corral. 

Anyway, I love the pillowcases, because they are just way too cute. The fabrics that Julia chose, have all of these happy dogs wearing different kinds of boots, shoes and slippers, filled with bones, sticks, balls, frisbees, toys, etc. I also love the red and black polka dot ribbon and the colorful paw prints. And I can't wait to show the pillowcase to Cindy, because I know that she'll love it, too.

For several years Andy & his super talented, fiber artist wife, have rented a booth, at the Kerrville Folk Festival, where they sell her one of a kind, handmade, 100% Cotton pillowcases and the name of their store is Sleep On It. 

In fact, that night when I went to see David Crosby and gave away Tony's blue, fishing chair, is where I spotted Ellen and June hanging out at and the Sleep On It booth was swamped with paying customers. So if you want to buy some great, one-of-a-kind pillowcases, you can go to the folk festival next year or visit her website: www.balinsky.com.  

Once again, our dear friend Donna Gable Hatch has written another fabulous article, in todays Kerrville Daily Times, about another one of our great friends, singer-songwriter, musician Stephen K. Morris! And tomorrow, you should be able to Google her great story, in The Kerrville Daily Times to read about Stephen.

And that's about it for tonight, because I plan to play my guitar for a little while, pack some more stuff and then sleep on it, because tomorrow is going to be a very busy day for me.

P.S. If I have time, etc. I will try to post some pictures while I am visiting Cindy, in New Mexico and I will be back, at the ranch, Wednesday evening. And back to blogging on Thursday.

Y'all have a great evening!

The Legends Music Series!

Today has been great. Yesterday our dear friend Donna Gable Hatch wrote a great article, for The Kerrville Daily Times, about the upcoming Legends Music Series that Kinky is hosting, at The Hunt Store. Yesterday I had planned to post her great article, but because of Sara Lee's awesome rescue/pending adoption, I decided to post the newspaper's article today, so my post wouldn't be so long to read.

Because I use different software than Donna, I had to cut and paste the article together. Here is how it looked, in The Kerrville Daily Times, before I pieced it together for my blog.

Legends Music Series
Gary P. Nunn kicks off trilogy of summer concerts
By Donna Gable Hatch
    Features Editor

 Singer-songwriter Gary P. Nunn’s career began in the 1960s with the Fabulous Sparkles before he

settled in with the Lost Gonzo Band. The band dissolved in 1980, and Nunn struck out in his own,

cementing his status as a musician of note in the years that followed.

HUNT — The Hunt Store is the site of a series of concerts that shine a spotlight on some of Texas’ most colorful musicians: Gary P. Nunn, Ray Benson and Billy Joe Shaver.

The Legends Music Series, hosted by the inimitable Kinky Friedman — begins June 26 with Gary P. Nunn, whose six decades-long career includes a hitch with the Lost Gonzo Band, a combo of socio-cosmic cowboy cowjazz with a dab of Psycho-billy.

“I’ve know Kinky for more than 30 years, and over the years, he’s talked about doing this— putting together singer-songwriter type of concerts — with guys like me and him. I’m happy to be part of this, and proud to be the first one in the first series.”

A Texas institution, Nunn will perform with his four-piece band, which includes Rick Ramirez on bass, Russ Patterson behind the drum kit and Lars Albrecht on guitar.

One of Nunn’s most famous songs is “London Homesick Blues,” which had been used as the theme song for the popular television show “Austin City Limits” for two decades.

Seating is limited.

He also wrote “The Last Thing I Needed the First Thing This Morning, Was to Have You Walk Out on Me,” which was recorded by Willie Nelson, and which he will sing on June 26.

“I’ll do all my old songs, the ones people always want me to do,” said Nunn, who recently branched out into Western swing ala Bob Wills. “I’ve got 16 albums out and a lot of material, all of which I like. As time goes by, you kinda focus on a group of songs that seem to work consistently with audiences.”

Born in Oklahoma, Nunn and his family moved to Brownsville when he was in sixth grade, and he considers himself to be a Texan. 

His parents both were schoolteachers, and they instilled in him the importance of education, holding true to good moral character and paying forward kindnesses.

“I guess we’re all a product of our upbringing, and I had good folks who valued education and music, had good values and were all about helping people,” said Nunn, who was an honors student and an athlete all through school. “I’ve always tried to remember that.”

It was his father who encouraged him to pursue music.

“My dad bought me a guitar, a set of drums and a bass when I was in sixth grade. I don’t think his intention was that I would make a life in music, but just so I’d be able to play for the kinfolks and friends when we got together.”

He and some of his friends from school formed a garage band in eighth grade and were mentored by a group of older, established musicians. 

“They taught us a little guitar song called ‘Rebel,’ and we entered a talent show.” 

As soon as he stepped on stage, Nunn knew that’s where he belonged.

“We dressed up in little white sports coats and bow ties. The girls all went crazy, and I was pretty much hooked,” Nunn said. “I thought every night was going to be like that.”

In 1967, he moved to Austin and attended the University of Texas, where he was a pharmacy major. While there, he formed The Lavender Hill Express with the late Rusty Weir. Shortly after, Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker and Michael Murphey landed in Austin, and Nunn began playing with all three.

In 1973, the Texas troubadour helped launch the Outlaw Country movement as a member of the Lost Gonzo Band. The band toured and recorded with many of Texas’ most notable musicians, including Walker, Murphey and Ray Wylie Hubbard.

“From time-to-time, we get together and perform. It’s kind of cool to go back and play those old songs,” he said of the Lost Gonzo Band, which dissolved in 1980. “There’s some pretty good stuff. We all ended up making our own careers independently, which speaks to the amount of talent in the band. The band got Jerry Jeff going, and that’s saying something.” 

In the course of his career, Nunn has earned several gold and platinum records for writing, publishing and performing.

And his awards are many.

He was inducted in the Texas Hall of Fame. He was named as a Lone Star Great by the state department of Commerce and Tourism, got a star on the West Texas Walk of Fame — which also honors Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, Waylon Jennings and Bob Wills, among others — and was chosen as the official Texas Music Ambassador in 2007 by Gov. Rick Perry.

“All of it is pretty great, but I’m so proud of being included in the West Texas Walk of Fame that I can’t stand it. I grew up in West Texas listening to Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison, and to end up on the same monument as those guys is just awesome,” Nunn said. “I really don’t deserve it, but I’ll take it.”

And it all started with his parents, he said.

“My parents were good folks. They encouraged me and set me on a good path from the beginning, and it helped that they were schoolteachers,” he said.

“I’ve had really, really good teachers and coaches growing up, and we’re losing them one-by-one now; they’re all passing. I was an honor student, and I played ball in school — I played ’em all — and I was a pretty good little athlete for a guy my size.

“Some of my music teachers had a tremendous affect on my life. I had a sixth grade band director, Mac Jones, who I’ve been reunited with. He lives out in the Houston area, and he came to see me at one of my shows. My choir director, A.V. Wall, encouraged me and treated me a little special — I guess he recognized I had a little talent — and they both encouraged me and pointed me in the direction I’ve gone,” Nunn said. “It’s amazing how someone can show just a little bit of attention on you and change your whole life."

About the series

Each of the concerts the Legends Music Series includes a five-course, 5-Star meal from Chef Blas Gonzalez, executive chef at Hunt Store Cafe.

Tickets per concert are $75 plus tax for dinner and show, or $100 for dinner and show with premium seating and a meet-and- greet on the patio.

The menu includes a choice of soup, mixed green salad, mixed plate of hors d’oeuvres, choice of macadamia crusted mahi mahi, grilled airline chicken breast or 6-ounce grilled filet mignon served with cous cous and seasonal vegetable medley, choice of tequila key lime pie, raspberry chocolate cake or Jack Daniels bread pudding.

Dinner is served at 7 p.m., and the show begins at 9 p.m. For info call 830-238-4410

Y'all have a great evening!

Donna Gable Hatch, Mike Scovel & The Kerrville Daily Times Rule!

The last few days and today have been great. This morning, when Tony came home, after drinking coffee, at The Old Timer, he had a big grin on his face as he handed me today's copy of The Kerrville Daily Times. "Nance, Donna Hatch has written another great story about another one of our good friends, Mike Scovel. Her article about Mike is so great. It's on the front page of the Living section."

 

After I had finished reading the super great article about Mike again, because last night sweet Donna Gable Hatch had sent me her awesome story about Mike, so I could blog about it tonight. Unfortunately she and I use different software and my blog doesn't allow certain files, so I am going to try to recreate this great story and that's why I posted pictures of The Kerrville Daily Times newspaper version up above, so you can see how nicely Donna put it together.

Drawn to draw 

Photos by Bill Terry/ Kerrville Daily Times photographer

Award winning Ingram artist Mike Scovel designed and created the Pool of Tears Veterans Memorial Park in downtown Temple.

Ingram artist Mike Scovel does it all

By Donna Gable Hatch

Features Editor

Ingram artist Mike Scovel has been drawing and sketching for as long as he can remember.

“It must be programmed into artists before birth. I really can’t remember a time when I wasn’t trying to draw or paint,” said Scovel, who is self- taught. “Some of my relatives still drag out drawings and paintings I did as a teenager — stuff I can barely remember doing, and usually art that I would never be proud of.”

He works in a variety of mediums — oils, clay, pencil, mixed media and watercolor —and creates everything from Impressionism to Realism, depending on the project.

“Some of my collectors love the fine art character paintings and could care less about the serious work, while the ones who collect the military or serious paintings aren’t that familiar with the other work,” he said. “I just like to create what my vision is and hope someone else likes it enough to buy it.”

There’s something about creating works of art that speaks to his core — and when inspiration strikes, he can’t tamp it down, regardless of where he is at the time.

While serving in Vietnam, Scovel was the company artist Company A of the 227th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division.

When he returned from Vietnam, he worked as an animator in Savannah, Georgia, but longed to be a serious western artist.

“I started studying Charlie Russell and other classic Western artists, and I also drove to Kerrville to meet with Ace Reid, who was really one of the biggest influences on my career,” said Scovel, who was named 2008 Cartoonist of the Year by the Academy of Western Artists. “He spent about half a day with me and then took me into town for barbecue. Over lunch, I asked him what his best advice for me would be. He said, ‘Don’t do it. It’s a hard way to make a living, and unless you’ve really got a passion for it and patience, it’s just too hard,’ which made me plenty angry. I realized when I saw the look on his face that he intended for it make me angry — angry enough to prove to him and the world that I did have that passion.”

    

He persevered and, in the ’70s, Scovel landed a job as features illustrator at the Houston Chronicle, where he produced special features art and the cover art for the newspaper’s popular Zest magazine, a Sunday insert.

The newspaper did a feature article on their in-house illustrator that created a lot of buzz — and Scovel’s life forever changed.

“That story produced so much demand, I had to quit the Chronicle to keep up,” he said. “At the time, I was drawing for them during the day and painting at night. I’ve been a full-time artist ever since.”

His painting of famed rodeo clown, Kajun Kid, hangs in the ProRodeo Hall of Fame & Museum of the American Cowboy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

“I met him when we were exhibiting at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, and we became friends,” Scovel said of Louisiana native Dudley Gaudin, aka Kajun Kid. “I did the painting the year he retired in 1979, after 27 years as a bullfighter.

While he plied his trade as a professional artist — with commission upon commission — he branched out into sculpting, and he turned to nationally known sculptor and 27-year Kerrville resident Jim Reno for guidance.

“He was very gracious and gave me some great tips about tools, clay, etcetera,” Scovel said of Reno. “He told me to always make sure my sculpture had a tornadic motion, so that no matter which direction a viewer looked at it, it had interest. But his best advice was ‘just get the stuff and get busy.’”

That’s just what he did.

The first work he had cast was titled “Texas Ranger,” and it was an instant hit with collectors.

    

“It was two-thirds sold out before we took it to the foundry. Because of that, we were able donate one to the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum, which was a real honor for me.” His Christian Sculpture Collection also draws a lot of attention: A 10-inch tall bronze piece titled “The Apostle John” sells for $1,450. A 24-inch tall bronze piece titled “Jesus Wept” is $4,800.

He also creates military tribute sculptures, including a life-size piece titled “Salute to a Hero” that depicts a young boy saluting with a tear running down his cheek. It sells for $18,500.

“My eldest grandson, Kolter,who was nine at the time, was my model for the little boy,” he said.

In 2003, Scovel designed and created the Pool of Tears Veterans Memorial in downtown Temple. Later that year, he beganwork on “Duty, Honor and Country,” a life-size tribute to Medal of Honor recipient Roy P. Benavidez for the Benavidez Memorial Foundation in Cuero, 90 miles southeast of San Antonio.

The bronze statue was dedicated on Veterans Day, 2004.

In 2005 and 2006, Scovel created two wall-size relief sculpture projects to Pro-Logic, Inc., a Virginia based company that provides IT and communication solutions for the Department of Defense and other government agencies.

“I love sculpting and wish I had more time to do it. My favorite sculpture work these days are the ones I do for veteran projects such as public memorials,” he said. “In fact, I’m hoping to get started in the next couple of months on a new desk top sculpture called ‘No More Taps.’ When I did Veterans Memorial Park for the city of Temple, called Pool of Tears, the idea for this desktop piece came to mind.”

The piece depicts a 9-inch soldier who has just finished playing taps and is in a prayerful pose, holding his bugle.

“It could also be used on a headstone,” he said.

But he hasn’t abandoned his painting.

He was commissioned to create a 10-feet by 40-feet mural at The Bosque Redondo National Monument site in Fort Sumner in New Mexico.

“It was by far, one of the most fun projects I’ve ever done. The Bosque Redondo Memorial is a state monument and acknowledges the history of the Long Walk, when the Union Army forced the Navajo and Mescalero Indians to walk hundreds of miles to a concentration camp known as Fort Sumner,” he said. “It’s an amazing story and a wonderful memorial that a lot of folks don’t know about.”

The mural is titled “Last Camp before the Bosque” and features 17 soldiers, three horses and 30 background soldiers.

“The fun part about this painting was that I used a lot of real people in it. Many of the local ranchers and others from De Baca County are among the life-size soldiers along with our son, myself and a couple of close friends,” he said. “When the mural was put up, the soldiers and horses were all life-size so when people walk through that winding hallway, they feel like they’re standing next to the soldiers.”

On the opposite wall is a mural by Navajo artist Shonto Begay, who painted the Navajo and Mescalero making the walk.

“It’s a pretty impressive hallway, and it was a real honor to do.”

The Leanin’ Tree Museum of Western Art in Boulder, Colorado, lays claim to one of Scovel’s favorite painting: “Commm’nn’Git’It.”

“It shows a chuck wagon cook at the bottom of a very deep canyon, ringing the dinner bell. All kinds of cowboys and cowgirls and cows are falling down the canyon,” Scovel said. “There are hidden gems in the mountain’s side and the characters were fun to do. It’s a tall painting — 24-inch by 48-inch — so it’s easy to stand back and study.”

Scovel’s career spans more than four decades. His work has been featured in many national publications — including the Saturday Evening Post, American Cowboy, Southwest Art and Western Horseman — and can befound in museums throughout the West.

“Over the years since, I’ve had numerous awards from the Cowboy Cartoonists International, a gold medal for sculpture at an invitational event in Paramount, California, and there have been

quite a few blue ribbons and I’m proud of those,” Scovel said. “But my most cherished awards are the three People’s Choice awards because they’re really the ones I want to reach.”

But his artist’s heart and soul is in the military-themed sculptures he creates. “I lost friends over there. We were — are — family,” he said.

“God gave me my talent, and one of the purposes, I feel, is to create art pieces that are reminders of the service and sacrifices our military families have given for our freedom.”

While serving in Vietnam, Sgt. E-5 Mike Scovel was the company artist Company A of the 227th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division.

Mike Scovel was named 2008 Cartoonist of the Year by the Academy of Western Artists.

Mike Scovel’s life-size sculpture titled “Jesus Wept” took approximately 16 months to complete.

End of Article

I hope that y'all have enjoyed reading Donna Gable Hatch's fabulous Mike Scovel story, in todays Kerrville Daily Times. And all I want to say is, "Donna Gable Hatch, Mike Scovel and The Kerrville Daily Times Rule!" And that's about it for tonight, except I want to repost the incredibly great caricature that Mike Scovel secretly did of Tony, so he could surprise him with it, because we love it so much.

P.S. Hey Mineral Man! I want you to know that Kinky came over today and he ate lunch with us. Just like Tony, Kinky LOVED eating your "The Mineral Man's Pickled Peppers" that you made and gave to us yesterday morning. And Kinky also took several more of them with him, when he left, so he could enjoy them later!

Y'all have a great night!