The Beginning Stages of TBA (Part 2) – Woof Huntin’ in Bristol

This post contains graphic commentary and very disturbing imagery. If you are easily disturbed I would seriously consider skipping this post

This is part 2 in the series of how I came to become TBA

A “woof”

I could feel each bump in the back of my legs, back, and neck as the 1974 Ford F250 4×4 Truck (no one in Bristol said Pickup under the age of 50) bounced along the rows in the Bristol bottoms. These river bottoms were the places where people went Woof Huntin’ or Keye-oat (coyote) Huntin’. There were no wolves in the Bristol Bottoms but woof huntin’ was what we kids called coyote hunting because to a kid a coyote looked a lot like a wolf. To the adults with the spotlights, coyotes looked like easy prey. [Read more...]

The Beginning Stages of TBA – Bristol (Part 1)

Bus Image courtesy of EISD

I moved to Bristol, TX in 1976 just before the bicentennial celebration of the USA. I remember walking across the street from our house with my Mom and Grandmother to attend the 4th of July celebration at the “ball-field” as the local baseball/softball diamond was called in that time. As I watched Jody Taylor singing Margaritaville from the back of a flat-bed tractor-trailer that stretched between 3rd and 1st bases across the pitcher’s mound I truly believed I was witnessing something great, and in relative terms I was correct. Jody was the coolest guy in glasses singing one of the coolest songs of the Dazed and Confused era.

[Read more...]

Haiku Sunday – Day at the Museum (Hipstamatic)

sun shines brighter than

neon and for a much longer

period of lifetimes

Dear Adventurers and New Readers – On Sundays at TBA we do Haiku. The theme this week is part 2 of my Hipstamatic series in the old drug store. Please enjoy and feel free to share Haiku of your own in the comments.

[Read more...]

Time Capsule – Ancient Drug Store and Soda Fountain (Hipstamatic)

This was literally one of my greatest days as a photographer. I was invited to join a restaurant developer in Houston last spring to look at a building for sale in a rapidly gentrifying part of town.

I went along hoping to discover a site for a new restaurant and bar; what I found was a living museum.  [Read more...]

Tour of Texas Continues – HOUSTON 1/12/2011

I wonder if 13 C has this :-)

Followers of Bliss – Juliet and I will be at 13 Celsius in Houston tomorrow night from 10PM-Closing to visit with Houston friends and celebrate at our favorite wine bar in Texas! If you happen to be in town come by and raise a glass to a new year of exciting Blissful Adventures.

All the Best,

M&J

Franklin BBQ – Finally

The Ribs Exceeded Our Lofty Expectations

At long last I made it to the famous Franklin Barbecue today. My very good friend @theleftoverchef had told me that the line was ridiculous and that the food was equal to the painful task of waiting. For those of you who don’t know the good Dr. he is without question the most discerning eater I have ever known and his recommendation for a food joint is not something to take lightly. [Read more...]

My 1st White Christmas + The Ghosts of Christmas Past

School's Out

Red wine awakens my senses, inspires my creativity, and gives me the patience to see that calm is not simply an ideal. It also makes me more loose of tongue than usual and freer with comments and criticism. Last night the copious amounts of red wine I consumed allowed me to calmly reflect on the cycles of Christmas Joy and Misery. In the microcosm of the holiday all of life’s ups and downs are magnified. The symbiotic times where joy within mirrors the joy of the season is counterbalanced against the personal heart breaks standing in stark contrast to the prevailing mood. It is with great introspection that I will experience my 1st white Christmas and I share with you the ghosts of my first 40 years. [Read more...]

Bristol, TX

Bus Image courtesy of EISD

I moved to Bristol, TX in 1976 just before the bicentennial celebration of the USA. I remember walking across the street from our house with my Mom and Grandmother to attend the 4th of July celebration at the “ball-field” as the local baseball/softball diamond was called in that time. As I watched Jodie Taylor singing Margaritaville from the back of a flat-bed tractor-trailer that stretched between 3rd and 1st bases across the pitcher’s mound I truly believed I was witnessing something great, and in relative terms I was correct. Jodie was the coolest guy in glasses singing one of the coolest songs of the Dazed and Confused era. [Read more...]