The Adventures of Dooley and Me - Part 4

The Adventures of Dooley and Me Part 4 - Texas/Houston

February 02, 2023  /  Joe McClure

The Adventures of Dooley and Me Part 4 – Texas

My dad always told me, “Son, some of the nicest people in the world live in Texas, but that state has a whole lot of ugly country.” He spent some time in Texas, near San Antonio, as a flight instructor for the Air Force. I have found his words to be entirely correct.

Texas is green and flat in the east, hilly and scrubby in the middle, desert in the west, and cold and flat in the north. Most Texans I know agree, the Hill country is the prettiest part of Texas. My response is, “that ain’t saying much!”

Texas music is awesome, and Texans, (in my world) are great fans, that appreciate original music. If you don’t know I have spent 25+ years going to Texas for music. Primarily going to The Kerrville Folk Music Festival. I have made countless friends there from all over Texas, and the country actually. I could do an entire series of stories about Texas, maybe I will. For now, I’ll just cover this trip with Dooley.

Houston

Southpaw Guitars: You would have to be a left handed guitar player to understand. Imagine walking in to a guitar store with hundreds of right handed guitars but only 2 or 3 of them for lefties. Southpaw guitars = Lefty heaven! It’s the only place of its kind in the USA, as far as I know.

JP Hops house: Songwriter Beer Joint, I’ve played there a few times, met some great people there. It burned down this past summer. I think/hope they’re rebuilding.

Brian Kalinec: a songwriter I have known about and met some years ago, at a SWRFA (south west regional folk alliance) meeting a few years ago. I met him at JP Hops house, again last September. We had dinner together, this trip and I got to know another excellent human being. He’s just finished a tour in Europe. I learned a lot from him. He’s an awesome musician, and a great songwriter. He’ll be releasing his new project, The Beauty of it All, this spring. I’ll post a link. Here’s a song from it. https://youtu.be/6jur6XiyLeA  This one’s called Redwood Fence.

Café Benedicte: An excellent family run place , with some crafty cocktails and great food. It’s a few blocks away from a Pet friendly Hyatt Regency. I highly recommend this place.

Next up, … Austin: Keep it Weird!

The Adventures of Dooley and Me - Part 3

The Adventures of Dooley and Me Part 3 - Lake Charles

January 31, 2023  /  Joe McClure

Blown Away – Pat’s of Henderson; Dooley is a Chick Magnet

Pat’s of Henderson - Blown Away

For the past several years of driving through Lake Charles on the way to The Kerrville Folk Festival, a special place has always stood out for me. Pat’s of Henderson is an excellent restaurant that is absolutely the best Cajun food I’ve ever eaten. Great service, friendly place.

A couple of years ago, it was quite disappointing, driving through Lake Charles, looking forward to eating at Pat’s, only to find a concrete slab with several trash dumpsters full of what was left of the family restaurant that had been there 50+ years. The building had been destroyed by hurricane Laura in late August 2020.

Dooley and I returned there, a week or so ago, to a beautiful new building, a stately bar, and an open spacious dining room. I sat at the bar, people watching as usual, and noticed an older (about my age)  couple walk in. Everyone seemed to know them, and they knew everyone.

“Who are those people?” I asked the bartender.

“They’re the former owners” he said.

Me: “New Ownership?

 He: “Well, their son Nick has taken over and rebuilt the place.”

Me: “Oh, the nice guy who welcomed me at the door”.

He: “Yup.”

Me: ”Do you think they’d mind if I spoke to them?”

He: “Nope.”  

So I walked over and introduced myself (something actually not like me, maybe it was the wine and the happy full tummy)

They told me how proud they were of Nick, He’s the 3rd generation to keep the place going, how they were ready to give up when the place blew away, but Nick wouldn’t say no, and wouldn’t give up. We talked for about thirty minutes, as they graciously let me interrupt their dinner.

As I walked out, I told Nick, I had met his parents, and what nice folks they were, and how I was “Blown Away” (pun intended) by  what a beautiful place it was. The place was packed by then, and he was busy. But not too busy to shake my hand, give me a smile, And tell me to “Hurry back!”

I will.

Dooley is a Chick Magnet!

I can spot a dog lover from a good 10 or 15 yards away… Dooley can spot one from 100 yards away! He starts wagging his tail and pulling on his leash and bouncing up and down. The approaching dog lover starts speaking in a high voice and smiling and saying things like, ”Oh he’s sooooo cute!”, or “I love your dog!”, “Can I pet him?”, “He’s soooo pretty!”. Dooley loves it, I get worn out with him dragging me around.

It turns out The Golden Nugget Casino in Lake Charles is a pet friendly place. They even allow your pets in the Casino! A guard told me about a guy with a Monkey on his shoulder a few nights before we were there. He said it was crazy, I believe him!

I have occasionally visited casinos in my travels, and must say, I’ve done well! Yes, “I have a system”,… a statement which guarantees I’ll lose!

But, with Dooley as your companion, it’s impossible to gamble. He draws attention from everyone. From big pit bosses, to dealers, to patrons, everyone. I’m going to estimate Dooley got over 50 hugs in 45 minutes in the Casino. One lady remarked how good he smelled, which didn’t make sense to me, he smelled pretty much like a dog when we walked in…  Then I realized he had been hugged and petted by about 50 well perfumed people.

A chick magnet? Well, he’s definitely a “Lover, Not a Fighter!”

Next up: Texas, nicest people, but the landscape?

The Adventures of Dooley and Me - Part 2

The Adventures of Dooley and Me - Part 2 - Mobile

January 30, 2023  /  Joe McClure

The Adventures of Dooley and Me Part 2- Mobile

After 4 hours or so on the road, Dooley and I arrived in Mobile to our first “pet friendly hotel”. Boy did we have a lot to learn about unloading a car, while watching the dog, cleaning up his business, and keeping him (and Me) out of trouble while doing all of that! Plus, it was Dooley’s first night ever in a hotel!

In the past few years, I have changed my perspective on traveling. Instead of just getting from one place to another, I have begun looking up old friends along the way, as well as meeting new friends, and finding new inspirations.

2 great things about Mobile, my buddy Lee Baby lives there, and Wintzells Oyster House is there. Put the two together and you have a great time! I haven't seen Lee Baby for several years and it was great to see him and catch up. It is true about what happens when you see a good friend after some years... sure you catch up, ... but it's like you've never been apart. Lee Baby is Da Best! I Love you man! (C’mon!) 

We went to Wintzell’s Oyster House for food… I love a place with bartender’s with attitude. I’ll have to admit, the best raw oyster I ever had was at Wintzell’s … at the bartender’s constant urging, turns out he was right!

Last time I went through Mobile (last September) I stopped to see Sean Dietrich (Sean of the South) play at a local church there. I discovered Sean on Facebook between my heart surgery and covid, and I credit him with getting me through it halfway sane and happy to be alive. I met him and found that he was as real and as kind and as positive a person as I hoped. If he plays near you, go see him. He’s for real! Sean’s coming to Columbus, to the Springer Opera House, February 18th. Buy your tickets soon, they’re selling fast!

Next up, … Lake Charles, … Dooley is a chick magnet!

The Adventures of Dooley and Me - Part 1

The Adventures of Dooley and Me - Part 1

January 28, 2023  /  Joe McClure

The Adventures of Dooley and Me

If you haven’t met him yet, this is Dooley. He’s my buddy, and of late, my traveling companion. We’ve been traveling from Cataula, Georgia to, so far, Telluride Colorado. It’s been quite an adventure, and, learning experience. If you travel with your pooch, you know how it is. You’ve got to find a “Pet friendly” place to stay, and quickly find out “Pet friendly” means: “We’re going to charge you an extra 100 bucks for your room”…. Good grief!  Not to mention the extra long pit stops, where Dooley has to sniff every blade of grass at the rest stop before choosing the appropriate spot, while you quietly urge him to “potty-potty”!

My plan here is to share with you all out there some of our adventures as we trek across the USA. People we meet, things we observe and lessons we learn. (And lessons we don’t learn!) I’m going to try to leave out the boring parts, (hours and hours of riding in the car) and share the interesting parts, like the “where am I and what day is it?” syndrome…. Well, … okay there may be more boring parts!

Next stops: Mobile, Lake Charles, Houston, Austin, Lubbock, Bernalillo, Durango, and Telluride!