The Road Less Traveled

Today was the kind of day that comes around far too seldom. In fact, it was an alternative plan that brought such delight as a cold, constant rain fell from the Texas sky. It was the perfect use of a gray day to reinvigorate my soul after business meetings in Ft. Worth that went fairly well. As in Robert Frost's classic poem "The Road Not Taken", I decided to drive home along the road less traveled, and just as Frost had poetically suggested, it really did make all the difference. In a most roundabout route, I took Highway 377 outside of Ft. Worth and traveled south passing through one small town after another. For the longest time the blinding mist from fast-moving 18-wheelers in the opposite lane flew up from the road making it difficult to see what was ahead. I had never driven this road and therefore had no idea what to expect, but that was fun of it all. I never knew that Stephenville was home to the Cross Timbers Country Opry where for just $8 for adults, $7 for seniors and $4 for children under 18, you could be entertained every Saturday night by Carroll Parham and his Country Express. They've been doing it since 1979. Then there was the town of Hico, Texas. There were two signs at the city limit welcoming visitors to this busy little community along Highway 6 west of Waco. The first sign said, "Welcome to Hico. Where Everybody is Somebody." I think that's the same slogan used by Luckenbach, but what the heck? The other welcome sign proudly announced, "Hico, home of Billy the Kid". Luckenbach may have had Waylon, Willie and the boys, but they didn't have Billy the Kid. There was even a big sign inviting me to visit the Billy the Kid museum and gift shop. I never found the museum, but the life sized bronze statue of Bad Billy in a shooting stance with his gun drawn was prrrret-ty impressive. The highlight of the road trip was the two hours that I spent in Dublin, Texas, population 3000. For the past 112 years Dublin has bottled the famous Dublin Dr Pepper, the only Dr Pepper still made using Imperial pure cane sugar from Houston. When bottlers around the World were switching to corn syrup and other sweeteners, the little plant in Dublin kept turning out bottles of my favorite soft drink the old fashioned way. The 30-minute tour of the old bottling plant and museum was a serious trip back in time. As the rain continued to pour outside, the sweet, fruity Dr Pepper continued to pour inside. Next door in Old Doc's Soda Shop I sat at one of the small, wire-framed retro tables across from the soda fountain that had been painted lime green to match the wood interior of this century-old stone building. Dr Pepper memorabilia and gift items hung from the walls. I ordered a PB&J sandwich and chips and washed it all down with a couple of ice cold DPs. For dessert I sampled a few Dr Pepper flavored Jelly Bellys. It was too good. Being the Pepper that I am, I grabbed a couple of cases of the original formula in the bottle (no cans . . . it changes the taste) to share with the uninitiated back home on Friday. "I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference" . . . You got that right Mr. Frost. Michael Baxter www.baxwrtr.com

This Boomer Was Impressed

It's not too often that you meet someone who might be classified as really special. I meet people all the time who are interesting, are good conversationalists, and in time could become good friends. But, how often do any of us actually meet someone with a history, the guy who's been there - done that, someone who upon first impression really wows you? Last week I met such a person. Let's flashback to just before Christmas. I was scanning eBay one night looking for items that I collect (60's era Duncan yo-yos in their original packing, comic art, and such). I spotted a listing for an animation cel from the Houston Astrodome. After a right mouse click, I was soon reading the description of an original piece of art used to create one of the black-and-while illustrations seen by millions of fans on the giant Astrodome scoreboard for decades. I bought several cels and animators drawings that night that were destined to be given as holiday gifts. Last week there was another posting of new art, so I bought a few more, but this time asked the seller if I could pick up my purchases at his home in southwest Houston to save on shipping costs. He agreed. The encounter turned out to be one of those unexpectedly special times that don't come around too often. Ed is an elderly gentleman who lives in a nice home not more than 15-minutes from the Dome. After exchanging basic "howareyas" the conversation turned to, "so, how did you get all this stuff?" That's where the fun started. It turns out that while in his prime, Ed owned a production studio in Houston and was contracted by Judge Roy Hofheinz (who built the Astrodome and AstroWorld theme park) to create and coordinate the animation for his "Eighth Wonder of the World". Ed also worked with the Judge on the design and graphic art package for the adjacent AstroWorld, today known as Six Flags - Houston. The wow factor was now growing. As we continued to talk I learned that before owning his own shop here, Ed had been a animator for Disney, Columbia Pictures and Screen Gems. He was no "in-betweener" filling in the motion and scenes between primary drawings. Ed was AN ANIMATOR. As a team member one of his most famous projects was Walt Disney's "Sleeping Beauty" in the mid 1950s. Having grown up in the day of the Mickey Mouse Club and Huckleberry Hound, and having worked with Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera for a short time, I have always been an incredible fan of cartoons. But, there was more . . . Ed began to tell me about the work that his company had done for NASA during the Kennedy/Johnson years concerning the Apollo mission. His team had created the animated visuals that would be used to explain the complicated maneuvers necessary to land on the Moon and return safetly. The Astrodome, AstroWorld, Disney and now the manned space program . . . the only thing that could have made it better was if he had told me that his daughter was Barbi Benton. It's not too often that you have the opportunity to sit and talk one-on-one with someone who enjoys telling the stories as much as you enjoy hearing them. Ed is one of those guys. For a full hour he allowed me to share a few bits from his professional past and for that I'm grateful. Yes . . . this Boomer was impressed.

ARTICLE: Bluegrass Is In Their Blood

The old adage, “the family that plays together, stays together” never rang more true than when describing a local brood of talented musicians with a family tree rooted deep in the bluegrass of Kentucky, Tennesee and West Virginia. As a young boy in the 1940s, Jamie Sloan would lie on the floor of his family’s home and listen to the static-and-hiss filled broadcasts of the Grand Old Opry from his small radio. With every performance, legends such as Hank Williams Sr., and Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs would melodically stoke Jamie’s passion for the music. Years later he would share that passion with his daughters Hilary and Leslie, and son Joel. Today Joel, who Leslie says was “the smart one who knew he couldn’t make a career out of music,” is a successful accountant in North Carolina and rarely performs. Spring and Oak Ridge North residents Jamie, Leslie Lindley and Hilary, on the other hand, have been diagnosed with an incurable case of the banjo bug and the fiddle flu. A one-time minister, now owner of James Sloan Insurance in Cypress, Jamie looks back on a career spanning several decades and several groups as sweet memories. “In the early ‘70s we had a band called The Last Bluegrass Band (a play on the film titleThe Last Picture Show). We picked with some really fine musicians like Bill Monroe, Danny Jones and Ralph Stanley,” he said. Jamie’s wife, Glenna, sang harmony and played bass with band back then, but today is an indispensable roadie often seen wrangling the grandkids at family performances. Like their father did many years earlier, the Sloan girls developed their love of Country and Bluegrass music while lying on the floor late at night and listening to the homespun sounds of banjos, mandolins and acoustic guitars rising up from a basement jam session. “I can remember being six or seven years old and falling asleep listening to mom and dad down in the basement playing bluegrass with friends until 2 o’clock in the morning,” Leslie said. “Bluegrass is a part of our heart and soul.” It was the years of being on stage as The Sloan Family Band that helped to shape Leslie and Hilary into the regionally well known performers that they have become. Both women studied the Suzuki method of violin from an early age, learning the classics, yet yearning to fiddle. “When the kids were in high school we started doing the family band thing,” Jamie said. “We were playing little podunk rodeos, the monthly Country show at Yoakum’s near San Antonio and the Rosenberg Opry.” The concert venues today can hardly be tagged podunk as the sisters’ popularity has grown. Miss Leslie and Her Juke Jointers has taken a retro route to revive the style of Country music made popular in the fifties and sixties. “We do some original tunes, but most of our repertoire comes from obscure covers that never charted, or in some cases may never have been released,” she said. Dressed the part in an outfit complete with pearls and heels reminiscent of June Cleaver or Harriet Nelson, Miss Leslie croons the tunes and fiddles the melody from the stage at Cosmos Café, Borski’s and Traders Village, to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Hilary Sloan and Aunt Irma’s Fillin’ Station has taken a more traditional Country road on their way to fulfillment. Nominated as Houston’s Best Bluegrass band for two consecutive years by the Houston Press, Hilary enjoys “fiddling around” at the legendary Gruene Hall and the Broken Spoke, as well as at local music halls such as the Firehouse and the Continental Club. Texas Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame member Michael Fuller says that “Hilary is probably the most talented bluegrass fiddle player in Texas.” But, contrary of the accolades from the press and her peers, Hilary increasingly sees herself as a songwriter, penning many of the group’s tunes. Her dad and sister openly agree that Hilary is the prolific songwriter in the family, often drawing inspiration from times of despair in her life. In recent years Jamie has phased out own his group, Vintage Sounds, to back up his daughters on guitar at concerts across the State. “Dad tells us that he’s getting older and that we don’t need him on stage, “ Leslie said. “But, I have to explain to him that we like being on stage with him. I like sharing that connection with him, sharing the musical experience. That will always be a very special thing for the three of us.” copyright 2005 Michael Baxter www.baxwrtr.com