​​Finally! The time and opportunity had arrived for Jenny and me to take a two week road trip to the western U.S.  My love of old westerns and history had us looking forward to one day seeing many of the areas where history was made, as well as the backdrop for many classic western movies. I wanted to do a journal type entry documenting our travels and talk about the high points along the way, and decided now was the time. 

​I spent roughly 30-40 hours planning the trip, with my furthermost destination being Yellowstone National Park, or as I called it...Jellystone Park. I really wanted to see Yogi and Boo Boo along with Mr. Ranger Sir! I did a search for trip planning sites, and came across tripmaker from randmcnally. It sadly has since shut down, but it worked well for us. I was able to find things along the way to see, and then I'd check YouTube to see if we might be interested. The system worked well, and in the end provided a really good itinerary to follow.
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​We began on a Friday morning and headed from the north Louisiana woods toward Eureka Springs, Arkansas. We've been there a number of times, and so have seen most of the noteworthy areas around town...Thorncrown Chapel, the Basin Park Hotel, and of course the old town strip of quaint shops. We had a great evening meal at the Rockin' Pig Saloon, enjoying some fantastic food!

The next morning (Saturday) we packed up and headed for breakfast at The Filling Station in town, and then began the drive to Kansas City, Missouri. I'd seen a video on the WWI museum and knew it was a must-see. We've enjoyed the WWII museum in New Orleans with their in depth history brought to life and figured it would be the same type experience. It ended up being a well-timed stop for us, since a guided tour began ten minutes after we entered the front door. Talk about timing! Since we only had a few hours to see the massive museum, it allowed us to hit the high points in only two hours. Here's a couple of photos from inside the museum:
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​We headed back to the car, and made our way to the Jack Stack BBQ in Kansas City. We ate some really great meals on the trip, and this one didn't disappoint. We drove to Kearney, Missouri where the boyhood home of Jesse James is located. Earlier we had booked a room in the small town, and so after a good night's sleep, we got up early and went to a local diner that was just opening on a rainy Sunday morning. They served us a great breakfast, and we headed to the Jesse James boyhood home. 

There's a small museum and gift shop located near the home containing many of Jesse's possessions from the time, and also a short film of his rough life. We headed over to the house, where a small creek runs in the front. You could easily envision Jesse and his brother Frank playing in the nearby woods. The home had actually been damaged (since repaired) during a raid by a party seeking to capture Jesse.  He wasn't home at the time, but the explosion killed his young brother and severely injured his mother with the loss of an arm.  In the picture above, the attack happened on the left end.
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​​After his death, his mother had Jesse buried in the front yard of her home. The body was later exhumed and moved to another graveyard. A nice caretaker took a photo of us on the porch of the home and at the temporary grave.

​The Jesse James Home museum was a couple of blocks away where the notorious outlaw was shot while hanging a picture, and so we did a drive-by. It was closed at the time, and so we went to the Patte House Museum next door which was open. It was awesome! We wished we had planned to spend an entire day there, but only had a few hours to see it due to the long drive ahead of us. This is where the original offices of the Pony Express were located. The building is multi level, and houses a massive amount of displays from a locomotive to Walter Cronkite's fathers dentist chair. It will definitely be a must see stop the next time we're in the area.

After leaving the museum, we drove up to Sioux Falls, S. Dakota. I'd booked all the rooms about three weeks prior to the trip, and had to rely on reviews to get the best deals for the best rooms. Overall, it worked out well. The neighborhood at this hotel seemed a bit sketchy though. When I went to load our luggage the next morning, the car next to ours had been damaged pretty badly by someone running into it! The back glass had been shattered and the bumper was falling off. I felt sorry for the owner when he came out to leave.

So on this Monday morning, we began the long drive across South Dakota. There were a few tourist stops along the way including Al's Oasis, which had a good bit of tourist type merchandise. We stopped by 1880 Town, which is a recreated town lined with multiple old buildings filled with period furnishings and merchandise. It also has some of the props from Dances With Wolves used during the filming in an upstairs area located inside the entrance building shown above. We enjoyed seeing all the old wagons and implements they've collected through the years. It was well worth the time to see.
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After a lunch stop at the Sunset Grill in Kadoka, South Dakota, we went to the Prairie home, one of the last remaining intact homes of its type. The Prairie home was an earthen type home, built into a hillside for insulation purposes...cool in the summer and warm in the winter. On the walk up to the home, prairie dogs were rampant all around! Jenny filmed some of them running around and popping up their heads to get a good look at us.

​​​After spending the night at a local motel, we headed to the Badlands National Park, a unique landscape of highly eroded hills. A road meanders through the middle, and it only requires an hour or so to drive through. We started early Tuesday morning and headed into the park, stopping a lot to take pictures of the barren and sloping crevices. 
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​As we were leaving the area we ran across a small herd of buffalo! It was our first experience being next to wildlife on our trip other than the prairie dogs.

The next stop was Wall, South Dakota. Wall Drug is a really large complex of shops featuring all types of merchandise. There is a restaurant there that has a great breakfast! We wandered around the stores for a few hours, and then headed towards Deadwood, an old western town nestled in a valley below towering mountain peaks.
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We visited Saloon #10, the saloon where Wild Bill Hickok was killed as he held his "dead man's hand." Its in the same location, but a rebuilt building. The old one was torn down in the late 1800s due to a flash flood that devastated the area. The proprietor was animated, and gave us a great tale of the goings on at the time. We went downstairs to the area where the card game had taken place. There were a lot of photos of Wild Bill and information about his life. Then we walked around town and visited a few shops.

We visited the saloon where Wild Bill Hickok was killed as he held his "dead man's hand." Its in the same location, but in a rebuilt building. The old one was torn down in the late 1800s due to a flash flood that devastated the area. The proprietor was animated, and gave us a great tale of the goings on at the time. We went downstairs to the area where the card game had taken place. There were a lot of photos of Wild Bill and information about his life. Later, we walked around town and visited a few shops. 

Then it was time for the "biggie!' 

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I've always wanted to be able to see Mount Rushmore in person. Jenny saw it as a child on vacation with her uncle, a state senator at the time in Missouri. I was impressed! A confession here...We actually MISSED the museum! I was disappointed to say the least when I later realized what had happened. We did though walk a few of the trails at the base, and got to see the Sculpture Studio. A Park Ranger did a good presentation on the history of the many years of work it took to complete.

​Sculpture Studio - Mount Rushmore

The next stop was an unexpected surprise. The Crazy Horse Memorial is a colossal sculpture of the famous Native American warrior still in the process of being created. A museum is located on site, and made for another memorable experience for us! History from the viewpoint of the original inhabitants of the area is shown, leading to a better understanding of the incursion from the westward expansion of the U.S. 
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​After leaving the Crazy Horse Museum, we headed to Newcastle, Wyoming to spend the night. Following breakfast, we did some driving up to the Devil's Tower National Monument.

The tower is recognizable from many old western movies, as well as 2001 Space Odessy where the aliens landed. It is believed to have formed from a series of lava tubes coming up and combining to form the texture on the sides. The scale of the formation is hard to envision until you begin to walk around the paths along the base. It was another fantastic experience for us!

The next stop was Little Big Horn, the site of Custer's Last Stand. The battle took place along a roughly five mile stretch of hills alongside the Little Big Horn River. The park museum describes the battle, and a road meanders throughout the park with placards explaining where the participants fought and died. I did not realize the day long mini battles that occurred, leading to the last stand of Custer and his remaining men. A marker shows the site of a mass grave of soldiers, although Custer was returned back east for burial.

Later that afternoon, we headed to Billings, Montana to our room. The next morning, we made our way to Cody, Wyoming. We devoted the entire day here, since the Buffalo Bill Center of the West is such an impressive museum. The Smithsonian Museum has nothing on this gem, housing countless treasures from American history. It’s actually five museums in one, with one being devoted to the town’s founder, Buffalo Bill Cody. His Wild West show toured the world for decades, even into the 1900s. Here’s a few photos inside the museum:

We stopped by the Irma Hotel, built by Buffalo Bill to house tourists along their way to visit the newly established Yellowstone National Park. We also visited the Cody dam located west of town. It was later used as a model for the Hoover dam built decades later. There is a small visitor center that tells the history of the dangerous and lengthy construction.

Jenny peering down the dam to the river below.

That evening we stayed at Wapiti, Wyoming in a small cabin. There were teepees beside the cabins, and Jenny made me promise to stay in one the next time we go. I was a bit stubborn, preferring the comfort of the AC inside the cabin.😬 The next morning, we arrived at our much anticipated destination….YELLOWSTONE!

The road is basically a loop around the park. The first day, we did roughly half the loop, and the second day the other half. We visited the artists point, Old Faithful Geyser and Old Faithful Inn, Grand Prismatic Springs, Mammouth Terraces, and numerous other geysers. We could not have timed Old Faithful Geyser any better. It erupted about ten minutes after we arrived! Next we headed over to the Old Faithful Inn to admire the inside construction done in the 1930s of the interior lobby. It is impressive! Here’s some photos of the park:

We took a lot of other photos…too many to post! We saw many buffalo, but no elk. We did see a couple of moose on our way into Gardiner, Montana where we stayed the night.
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The second day as we headed back south on the loop, we stopped at Tower Falls. As we were admiring the view, I heard from behind me, “Hey Gary!” I turned around, and there was my buddy from West Monroe, Robert Thompson and his wife! We couldn’t believe it. Thirty-five hundred miles away from home! So…we HAD to take a picture.😁

​After driving the lowers valley, we headed to Moran and stayed the night. The next day we headed to the Grand Teton National Park. First we stopped by the Visitor Center and saw the exhibits and film about the parks history. Sadly, the range was blanketed by cloud cover and rain throughout the day. This was the only major disappointment we had on our trip. We did do a quick drive by of the park in Jackson to see the antler arches. My parents had taken a picture there thirty years or so ago on one of their many trips to Wyoming. We managed to get a picture of the sign:

The trip home was sort of ad-lib, doing basically whatever caught our eye. We did make a stop at the Depot Museum in Cheyenne, Wyoming. It told of the history of the early railroads of the west. It seems the large colorful cowboy boot sculptures are around every corner of downtown!

​We decided to spend a couple of days in Branson, Missouri, and took in a show and ate a lot! It was a memorable trip for us, and one of the best we’ve ever taken. Let’s see…where to next???

          


Ok ... So the picture above is, I believe, one of the first real furniture pieces I made. I think I may have ordered a full size plan from a magazine with instructions and templets on how to construct it step by step. It was rough, and I didn't know much at all about making furniture. It helped me get started though, and I learned A LOT from doing it. 

One of the first things I learned was the importance of sanding. I think I tried to fit the joists as well as I could, and didn't realize that sanding all the joinery and applying wood filler could help the look. That's a good example of the basics that you'll learn with time. I had no idea what I was doing, but caught on fairly quickly. This may have been around 1975 or so.

You can start with anything. Below are a couple of small shelves built from ponderosa pine 1"x12"s. Just sketch a shelf configuration that you need to display various items, and make the individual areas a few inches larger than your item. Adjust the depth of the shelf also to fit.

​The joints can be flush, and simply glued and nailed together with #6 finish nails. I probably didn't even pre-drill the holes before I nailed it together (another thing you'll learn in order not to split the wood grain). I probably used a router round over bit on the front face of the left piece which gave it a much cleaner look. This is nothing fancy folks, and a great way to tip your toe in the pool. And fellers, trust me, if you made her one, she'll love you for it! And you'll be proud of your accomplishment too.

My wife and I married young in West Monroe, Louisiana. We were both 18, and that's almost 50 years ago now! When you get this age, you'll realize how fast the years really do zoom by. I'm going to take you on a journey through our past on some other posts, but for now I'll stay focused on some more projects I've done. You can see the progression of my skills as I went along. I guess you've figured out by now I'm just trying hard here to get you started. You really need to put the phone down and get out, get some exercise by moving around, and build something useful. It really becomes addictive in a great way. And who knows where it could lead!

So, a year or so after our marriage in 1973 and since I played music, we moved to California. I did play around the Los Angeles area with different groups off and on, but ended up going back to finish college at CSULB. I majored in Industrial Arts, basically shop class, focusing on drafting and furniture. The program is no longer offered unfortunately, but I learned tons about both subjects and used that knowledge throughout my life as a residential designer and woodworker. After about three years we were so homesick we moved back home to north Louisiana, and lived here ever since. 

The projects above were built in California around 1975. We moved back home after I graduated in 1977. That's when I got a job drawing house plans in Monroe, Louisiana. Eventually I went on my own a couple of years later, and been self-employed ever since. Since moving to the country about 15 years ago, I've been able to pursue the dream of building many things which I've begun to document on this website.
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I've collected many woodworking books throughout the years. I've always bought books with detailed instructions explaining how to build specific furniture pieces. I was always intrigued by early American colonial furniture, and still love it today. We've visited many museums, such as the one in Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, and Winterthur in Delaware. These collections of premiere antique furniture pieces demonstrate how well some pieces from our past were constructed. 

In fact, the small pieces above are from a few of those books. I felt confident as I built them by simply following the directions given. It was not much harder than assembling some of the cheap stuff sold today, and yet these pieces are still functioning well today and not filling up a landfill somewhere. When it's hand made, it's more likely to take abuse and last many years ... perhaps generations.
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This picture is a classic! My Daddy was in his element here. I didn't realize all the things I learned by following him around until he was suddenly gone. Now, when I don't know how to proceed in doing something, it'll occur to me what he always did. I do it the same way, and voila! Folks, love your parents. You really do not realize how much you'll miss them when they're not here anymore. 

That was taken, I believe, when my wife and I began building a personal home after returning from California to Louisiana. I'd follow him around and do whatever he said do, and I know now that I was unknowingly soaking it all up. When I first began designing homes, and didn't know how to build a particular thing, I'd ask him and he'd tell me how it was done. It was a fantastic thing to have as a resource, and still benefits me daily in my work.

Here's a few pictures of the kitchen cabinets I built in a tiny (and freezing) rent house garage:

​And here's some pictures from the interior of the home. I trimmed the home, and built a small bedroom staircase and made some paneled walls. It was a learning experience for me! Remember, each item you build will increase your knowledge and skill level. You just have to start somewhere and develop it.

I'm glad I took a lot of pictures through the years of some of the things I built. To be really honest here, I don't remember some of them, but I guess I did them because they're in our albums. Here's a few of the items I've made through the last few decades, and these are only the ones that I documented. Some are from my books, and others are things I designed myself. 

The final piece I'd like to show is from a book by Franklin Gottshall entitled Heirloom Furniture​. He is basically my role model for furniture making. He was an Industrial Arts teacher for many years, and wrote many books on how to build furniture. His drawings and detailed instructions were the best in my opinion ever done on the subject. I can only hope to live up to his level in the projects I hope to document in future posts. Here's my most ambitious and favorite furniture piece to date:

​Shown above is the front cover of the book, along with the first page containing the highboy. The drawings are highly detailed, and this is an advanced and ambitious project. You really need to have a few years experience before attempting a build of this scale.

And finally, my wife and I had the honor of visiting Mr. Gottshall and his wife in 1983. I shared with him my excitement about his great books, which I'd brought along. :) He graciously took the time to sign them all, and it was fantastic to see in person many of the projects I'd hope to make and had already made myself. He showed us his shop along with his beautiful home in Pennsylvania. My wife took a few photos while we were there:
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​I'll always cherish the memory of meeting him and his wife. If you can find one of his books and want to learn the art of furniture making, be sure and buy it! Thanks for reading!

LEE HARVEY OSWALD leaned slightly forward and quickly glanced at the disappearing motorcade through the sixth floor Depository window. Three spent rifle hulls had been ejected from his rifle and now lay on the wooden plank floor to his right. He quickly turned to his rear and exited along the east wall and north wall, making his way to a narrow staircase in the northwest corner. Before entering the stairs, Oswald placed his rifle behind a stack of boxes on his left and quickly descended to the second floor lunch room. Upon entering, he was noticed by a Dallas officer who had entered from the front door of the Depository and headed up the stairs. Oswald was immediately cleared as an employee by the building supervisor, and the search continued. ​

A second major tragedy which occurred on the weekend following the JFK assassination was the shooting on live television of Oswald by small-time club owner, Jack Rubenstein (Ruby). Once again, the Dallas Police Department was thrust into the national spotlight during the transfer of Oswald from the City Jail to the County Jail on Sunday morning, November 24th, 1963.

Avoiding the heavy police protection around the immediate transfer location in the basement of the DPD, Ruby slipped unnoticed into a crowd of reporters and television cameramen gathered to broadcast the transfer. A ramp running down from Main Street into the basement led to the transfer position, and Ruby evidently slipped past an officer stationed at the street entrance. 

As Oswald approached the bright lights and cameras, Ruby jumped out and fired a single shot from his revolver, fatally injuring Oswald as he was being escorted between two DPD detectives. Oswald was then transferred by ambulance to Parkland Hospital where he later died. 
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Ruby had been in and around the police station during the weekend following the assassination mingling with reporters in the hall, and actually attended the short press conference where Oswald was peppered with questions. Ruby was known by many of the officers due to his club being in downtown Dallas, and many regarded him as a local police junkie. Rusty told me Ruby would take care of his own rowdy club patrons himself with a set of brass knuckles. He was not regarded as a threat, and simply tolerated around the department, to their later detriment.

Although Ruby claimed that he had shot Oswald out of sorrow over Mrs. Kennedy's loss, Rusty laughed the notion off. He thought of him as a local thug. Ruby passed a note in later years claiming that the Kennedy motivation had been a defense proposed to him by his first attorney, Tom Howard.

The jury found Ruby guilty for the murder of Oswald. He was surprised by the death penalty he received, mistakenly believing they would go easy on him for avenging the death of the president. He later died in prison from complications due to cancer before his death sentence could be carried out. Another chapter was now closed in the assassination of the president, although efforts remain to this day in understanding Jack Ruby's "true motives."

A large amount of personal evidence was collected following the assassination belonging to Oswald. Photographs of himself and his wife Marina, photograph equipment, and various other documents were recovered in the home of Michael and Ruth Paine in Dallas where they were staying. Some of it was laid out on the floor of the basement property room and photographed. 

​The overall photograph (second above) is uniquely important showing some of Oswald's possessions. Included in the photo middle is a small camera (enlarged immediately above). It does not appear in the volumes of the Warren Commission. A Pandora's box may have been opened if the public became aware that Oswald possessed a German made Minox spy camera.

The FBI went to great effort to convince the Dallas police that they DID NOT FIND THE SPY CAMERA in Oswald's sea bag from the Paine garage. Rusty had in his possession all along the photo, not knowing it contained anything that had not be publicly seen before.

The FBI later took possession of the evidence collected by Dallas detectives. Gus Rose later told me that the FBI had come to him THREE TIMES to tell him that he did not find what he found. He finally told them to not come back, and that he had indeed found the camera. Jesse Curry, the Police Chief, also later published a book with other evidence photos, but this one was not included. It is possible that the FBI seized the original negatives, not realizing that Rusty had made a copy beforehand. 

Many researchers today still believe that Oswald MAY have been some type of low-level government agent. The truth may never be revealed, although many hope that with the final release of all the remaining evidence by the federal government, much could be finally exposed. His wife Marina later said, "Now, looking back at his character, I can see that he had certain traits of professional training, like being secretive, and I believe he worked for the American government.

A multitude of other photos and document copies of Oswald's possessions were made of the items located, and I included all that Rusty had in my book. Once again, the quality of the copy camera used by the DPD Crime Lab was of superior quality for its day, and the evidence presented here are the best seen to date.


A FINAL NOTE concerning evidence shown in JFK First Day Evidence concerns the "acoustics evidence" used by the HSCA in 1978 to draw the erroneous conclusion of multiple shooters in Dealey Plaza. An entire book was written by Jim Bowles, head of the communications department in the DPD in 1963 titled, THE KENNEDY ASSASSINATION TAPES, and is included in its entirety in my book's appendix.

In summary, the recordings were later used to support a loose claim that a fourth shot was fired and recorded by a motorcycle officer inside Dealey plaza. The committee inaccurately reached a final "conclusion" there were multiple shooters. This is not the case. The book explains in meticulous detail how the motorcycle officer was actually at the Trade Mart awaiting the arrival of the motorcade which unexpectedly did not stop, speeding by towards Parkland Hospital. 

As I state in the final declaration in my book:

​"We cannot, however, summarily discount the evidence that does not fit our particular scenario and then accept on the evidence which does. I, for one, do not feel that the innocent bystander witnesses forever affected by what they saw on November 22nd, 1963, lied (unless it is proven). Let's accept what they said as forthright and try to put ALL of the pieces together to arrive at the truth."
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Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. (John 8:32)

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I could listen to a song on the radio and pick it out on my piano. I think the first rock song I picked out was Mr. Lonely by Bobby Vinton. I guess the catchy melody got my attention. 

​One Christmas, my parents got me a Magnus Chord Organ. It was portable and one day a friend from up the street was playing a guitar. I took it with me to his house and we began to play the hit by Stephen Stills,​ For What It's Worth. This was FUN! I'd found a new thing that I loved doing, and it sounded like the radio with everybody playing. Actually, it was probably really bad. Anyway, we eventually formed a little 4-piece band with drums, bass, guitar, and keyboards.

When that happened, my Daddy went with me to the local music store called C & O Electronics in Monroe and bought me a Vox Jaguar Organ. I was in heaven, and man, I was big-time now! Paul Revere and the Raiders used a Vox Super Continental organ, and mine looked like a mini version. For an 11 year old kid, this was cool! I promised to pay Daddy back, which I did by mowing yards and various other little jobs a boy could do. I remember we kept a list of them until the debt was paid. I felt great that day.

Later on, we went back to the store and bought a Sunn Sonaro amp to use as a speaker for the organ. It had one 15" speaker which could fill up a large room. That thing was LOUD. I used it for about 5 years before trading it in on my next setup.

The above left photo shows the full band. I don't remember what we were called. You can see me on the far end. On the right is me singing and playing the Vox Jaguar and on the far right you can see my Sunn Sonaro amplifier. I was certainly happy I'd paid for them doing odd jobs as well as playing music. Now that's a great memory. 

Later in high school, I played with a couple of other groups of friends, and started making steady money with music. Some other local fellows heard about our group, and asked me to join. I hated leaving my friends, but it was a good opportunity to play with some great musicians. In fact, the bass player Mike (second from the left shown below) went on to become one of the most in-demand players in Nashville studios. The guitar player Cole (far right) attended University of North Texas ... one of the more renowned music schools in the nation.

They had really good equipment and we began playing a lot of weekend gigs. The only downside for me was my age, and my Mama was a chaperone for us on many of the gigs. We were still in our early teens then. 

One day, we went to old downtown and took a group picture. This is the only one I could find, and I guess we had some copies made for promotion. Anyway, we stayed busy for most of my high school days. That's me on the far left bottom ... just a baby!

I remember one time we were on our way to a gig and I was in the car with my Mama. The guys were in a van following us. It was dark, and all of a sudden a horse appeared on the right side of our car as we were traveling around 55 miles per hour. He rared back as we drove right under his belly. I looked back, and the fellows hit him broadside and killed him. The horse smashed in the front of the borrowed van, and hurt the drummers leg riding in the front passenger seat. We did go on and do the gig though.

As we were playing that night, the police showed up. Turns out the owner of the horse was threatening us, and we had to have an escort out of town after we packed up! That was a strange time, but we all survived.

After that group, and while still in high school, I began playing with some friends in a band called Delago Bay. I recall us not knowing what to call ourselves, and so we grabbed a dictionary and just pointed to a word, and voila! Delago Bay was born, a result of extensive market research.

Here's a crazy story about those years. We were on our way to a gig one day in central Louisiana. I drove (at 15 years old mind you) my Daddy's pickup to haul our equipment. I'd just purchased a Hammond B-3 organ and Leslie 122 speaker in Dallas three weeks prior. I loved it. Man oh man. this was regulation stuff!

Anyway, so earlier in the day, I'd taken his truck to get a new tailpipe put on the Chevy S10. The rear bed of the pickup was wood. As I was zip-pa-de doo-dah-ing along and out in middle of a huge field, I glanced in my rear view mirror and the truck was engulfed in flames! I slammed on the brakes and began throwing all our equipment out, but it was intricately tied with a rope.

It took precious moments to remove the tightly packed equipment since we couldn't reach around the flames. After a knife had finally been located, we were able to literally toss most of it onto the road. But not my heavy organ, which was a total loss. The guys following had quickly jumped out and helped me do all this. I spotted a barrel next to an old shed nearby, and myself and another fellow ran and picked it up and brought it to put out the fire. I know it must have been unbelievably heavy, but I guess the adrenaline had kicked in.

Besides the organ, a guitar and other various PA equipment were a total loss. It took me three years of playing to pay it off. Someone had notified my Daddy, and once again he saved the day by driving a hundred miles after renting a U-haul van to bring the equipment home. I don't even remember driving back in the damaged truck, but I must have. I may be wrong, but I think the rear cab glass had even shattered from the intense heat. Man, that was a bad day.

I remember only breaking down one time in the backyard with Mama while we were talking about it. Mama later found out that our homeowners insurance policy had not received the monthly payment, and the policy lapsed the day prior to the incident. Oh well, that's life.

But all was well. During the year I had no equipment, the local music store (then named Specialty Sound) provided me with whatever keyboard I needed to play gigs. Hugh Youngblood has a special place in my heart for what he did for me back then. A year later, Daddy and I went back to Dallas and bought another Hammond B-3 organ. I continued to use the charred Leslie 122 speaker for many years with the new organ, and now had two monthly payments. Later I built a new, smaller cabinet to house the interior components, making it more portable.

I was fortunate to be coming of age exactly during the peak of classic rock. The 1960s and 1970s were certainly a golden era for mega rock hit production. Hundreds of radio stations worldwide are devoted today solely to the genre. The 1950s led the way with such artists as Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and countless others playing their upbeat three chord blues inspired progressions. 

The Beatles invasion of 1964 however, changed the entire musical landscape of the nation. Many of their early songs were rooted in those earlier American artists. John Lennon and Paul McCartney collaborated during the mid-sixties to produce tunes still popular today. Young listeners were enamored with each new group on the scene, and strove to remain "hip" to the latest. 

Today, individual new artists are featured as stars, such as Taylor Swift. The group concept is now relegated to the background, although some groups such as the Foo Fighters still emerge. But the point remains, teens of the past stayed current with groups, and teens of today are focused more on individual artists. 

It was during this time I joined a group that laid the groundwork for my musical career. I'd just graduated high school, and the summer following I was asked to audition for a group of college fellows looking for a keyboard player. I remember going to their rented house and setting up my equipment. They began playing a few songs common to us, and I realized some harmony vocal parts were missing. I suggested a few different parts, and our voices suddenly came together. Everybody felt it was something special, and we immediately started working up a song list.

After a few gigs, we were starting to get recognized for all the hard work we were devoting to practicing the songs and perfecting the harmonies. We tried to emulate the current hits, and quickly became one of the top cover bands in the area. A management firm in Jackson, MS began to book us to play all over the surrounding states. Over the following three years, we traveled from Florida to Oklahoma to play. We called overselves Everybody's Pillow.
  

We were very dedicated to our music, and avoided the drug scene entirely. I'd grown up a Christian, and none of that appealed to me at all, although we were exposed to it regularly. A couple of the fellows would rarely consume an adult beverage, and I can remember actually witnessing it only a time or two in our three years together. We all just loved to play.

One other thing to note about this time period, which was not unique to us. We were able to make a living from music. We stayed booked six months in advance. Groups were the thing, and young folks wanted to hear what was on the radio, albeit from a cover band. That didn't really seem to matter. Young groups today struggle to make the same money we did fifty years ago! Times have certainly changed. But in my humble opinion, there is nothing better than live music. The Pillow disbanded after about a three year run.

About five years ago, we had a reunion of the fellows. Unfortunately our bass player, Jules Lemoine (seated above) had passed away. But all other members got together to reminisce about our time together. But we were inspired to play together again, and so three of us (the ones still living in the area) began to play together in a new group called .... surprise .... REUNION!

We continued for about two years until our guitarist had to unfortunately depart. It was wonderful being able to do all the old tunes, and hear our voices together again.

I few months later, I was contacted by a popular local singer forming another group. He wanted to feature three lead singers, and so Earth was formed. Scott, the singer from our band, along with myself joined up. Once again, we featured good harmonies along the lines of Three Dog Night. We played together for a little over a year, and one of the members left, so we disbanded. It was a good group, and we were once again well rehearsed and well received. Here's a promotional photo:

I was 18 during that time, and met the beautiful girl I'm still with today, Jenny. Sometimes I call her "My Jenny," along the lines of Forrest Gump. :) Anyway, I left the group, and she and I headed off to far away lands .... California! I wanted to see if I could be in a group out there, and duplicate what I'd had back in Louisiana.

But alas. After roaming around the Sunset Strip, Malibu, and the Santa Monica area backing up some great vocalists, I found it extremely difficult to find players wanting to spend the time to develop a good group. After about a year and a half, my wife encouraged me to finish my degree. I did just that. After graduating in Industrial Arts, we immediately CAME HOME! We were so homesick.

After returning home, and with the responsibilities of a new family, I began designing homes (planshoppe.net) utilizing my Industrial Arts degree. I majored in drafting and woodworking, and began to put them both into practice. It's been a great life drawing house plans and building things, and the support its given to my family has been a blessing throughout.  But playing music has remained constant. 

I began playing in a number of different groups, and the side income it produced, though meager, did help. Groups were still in demand at the time (early 1980s) and we made decent money. Then the disco era hit. Many great musicians were affected. Venues didn't want to pay for live groups, and began hiring DJs instead to cut costs. The era of playing music for a living in good groups began to fade away. We did keep plugging along however playing for much less money, continuing for the love of the music.

As disco began to wind down, punk rock became a thing. I never cared for the disjointed approach to the sound. I'm not kidding. Some of the "songs" had a drummer, bass, guitar, and synthesizer individually playing something totally different. There was rarely a good melody, and if there happened to be one, it was continuously repeated ad nauseam.  As you can see, it “twernt my thang”! I've always enjoyed great musicianship and good vocals with a melody.

During my later years, I continued in many different bands, some good, and some not so good. Recently one particular group I was in during the nineties called Firesteed reunited. We spent months rehearsing many of the old songs, and had a decent repertoire put together. It turned out to be short-lived, as covid hit. Since that time, and at my age, my playing days seem to be numbered.