On the heels of a three game skid, the Wiley Cager moaned like a lowing, lonely Texas Longhorn, "At least I didn't get skunked." To me, her wail sounded just like one of the happy love songs we'd hear later out at Luchenbach. But that would be later. First, we'd heard good things about the Eggs Benedict dishes served at the Sunset Grill, so in honor of Liz Ulmen (Benedict maker supreme), we decided to enjoy breakfast out today. Our waiter, a young local named Joe, served us efficiently, and while the Benedict didn't quite live up to the praise it had been given (The eggs were over done), it was still quite satisfying. After breakfast, we became driving/hiking tourists. We drove fifteen miles north to the Enchanted Rock Natural Area where we hiked the 4.25 mile loop trail. Huge rocks of exotic shapes are sprinkled all over the area. The force of the water some millions of years ago must have been simply awesome. Boulders the size of buildings are thrown down hillsides like so many marbles from a young boy's bag. There are several back country camping sites (No RVs) reserved for the hearty (And the young). It was a good hike, and to top it off, we did the form on a flat patch of granite in the middle of our hike. It was truly enchanting. After our nature hike, we toured the route we're going to ride tomorrow. Judy feels better if she knows where she's going, and if she has a route, she's like the little engine who could (I don't even pedal; I just steer). And then we drove out to Luchenbach for the picker's circle. On the way, we stopped at an old Catholic Cemetery. The names, naturally, are German since this area was settled in the mid eighteen hundreds by strong German Catholics and sadly many of the grave sites were infants. The earliest day I saw was 1834. At Luchenbach, it was another amazing night. The leader, Butch Morgan, not only involved the musicians, he also led quite a few sing-a-longs (The circle played inside tonight). At its peak, the circle contained eleven musicians including six guitars, a banjo, twin fiddles, a stand up bass, a set of spoons, and a harmonica. Some of my favorite lyrics for the night: "Left over biscuits, left over ham, left over gravy in a big old pan. Left over coffee, left over tea, and after that you left over me." "Tonight the bottle let me down, and let your memory come around". "We all gotta do it now and then, gotta say good bye to an old friend". "Please don't make us write don't signs". "You can't get so far from home that you can't hear your momma". I can't describe the music except to say that my foot is still tapping as I write this blog. We stayed the longest we've stayed (Three hours), and would have stayed longer except that the hard wooden bench we were sitting on made our backsides stiffen, our limbs numb, and our will to endure weaken. So we left, knowing that, God willing, we'll be blessed with another session tomorrow. For now, energized by the pure truth of the players, we realized that life is good, especially today.
Crab cake Benedict on a bed of light garlic spinach.
Selfie of the day: A couple of flat heads.
West Texas in the distance. We'll see you soon.
Water is patient.
Pick a path.
My Bunny wanted to take this one home.
St. Xavier Cemetery.
T.C. Weber, born 1817; died 1835.
Though many of the stones are crumbling with time, the peace of this place carries on.
Butch Morgan, the circle leader tonight.
Dr. Bob Adams,who hails as a healing musician, and whose banjo reads: "This banjo emits healing tones and joyful noise. Listen with ease".
These twin fiddlers were simply sensational.
This little guitar case held the "spoons" of the rhythm section.
The guy in the white shirt is the "spoon" player. Quite good; quite fun.
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