Dear Randall,

Man, it’s hard to believe that it’s been 20 years since you got your tickets to see the Angels play.  Seems like just yesterday we were running down fly balls with Don and Howard as part of the “million-dollar outfield” or hustling some sucker in a nickel bouree game in the back of the Fish-N-Pic.

I don’t even know if you’d recognize the old place any more--there have been so many drastic changes in the past two decades.  But there are some things that--for better or worse--have remained stubbornly the same.

First the changes.  Remember when we could leave my house just a couple of miles from dear old Dutchtown High about five minutes before the first bell and still not be late for school? Well, if you’re trying to negotiate the same route these days, you’d better allow yourself an hour and some change to make the trip.  The morning traffic on Highway 73 looks more like rush hour in New Orleans than the country road we used to walk home on after football practice.

There was even a proposal to put an interstate loop right through the middle of our family’s Delaunederosa pasture land.  That’s right--on the same spot we perfected our broken-field running by dodging cow patties and gunned down unfortunate rabbits who had the misfortune of getting in the way of our shotgun pellets.

Fortunately, with the help of some new friends in Jefferson Crossing and some old friends back on Spanish Lake, we headed the bureaucrats off to a different route. More

This past weekend I was picking up the remains of a fallen Peach tree behind my house. As I was hauling the branches to the burn pile, I was thinking of what I would write about this month, then it hit me...literally. A branch slapped me on the forehead providing me with some much needed inspiration. “I'll write about wood”, I thought to myself as I shrugged off the pain and went back to work in the yard.

Most guitars, electric and acoustic, are made of wood. Some common woods used in electric guitar construction are ash, alder, mahogany, basswood and maple. Acoustic guitars use spruce, rosewood and ebony. Today I'll talk about electric guitar necks. Of all parts, on all guitars, electric guitar necks take the most abuse. An electric guitar neck has two basic parts, the neck itself (the rounded back where your palm rests) and the fret board (where your fingertips press down on the strings).

Most Fender style necks are made of maple. Maple is a very durable, resonant wood that can hold up to the tension of the strings. These necks are normally “bolt-on” necks, meaning they actually are attached to the body of the guitar using bolts and can be easily removed. These necks also have the distinguishing “Skunkstripe” on their backs. This is a strip of rosewood that covers the trussrod inside the neck. The trussrod allows for forward or backward movement of the neck. This adjustment is necessary for eliminating any buzzes or rattles from the strings as they hit the frets. Gibson style necks are usually made of mahogany. This wood is a bit heavier than maple, yielding a darker sound. These necks also contain a trussrod, however they are set in differently than a Fender, so there is no “Skunkstripe”. These necks are typically glued- in to the body of the guitar, using a tongue and groove type of joint making them nearly impossible to remove. Which is better? Both have there pros and cons. Fender style necks are bright, favored for country and blues, but typically don't offer the. More

When the Sheriff entered the barber shop early that morning, he found the place in full throated laughter. As he scanned the room he saw the familiar faces of some his friends and fellow townspeople. He shook hands with the accountant, the mechanic, and the Mayor, and he smiled and waved a good morning to the barber, busy giving a quick trim to one of the Sheriff’s own deputies. The gang was eager to catch the Sheriff up on why they were all laughing hysterically when he arrived, and it came as no surprise to him to find out that his young, naïve deputy sitting in the barber’s chair was the brunt of yet another embarrassing joke.

It seems that one of the heftier neighbors in town had lost some of his weight and in fact had dropped twenty pounds, leaving him at a svelte 300 pounds. The boys at the shop had arranged for the young deputy to ‘accidentally’ overhear a conversation in which the man’s good fortune could be attributed to a new break-through form of dieting. “No, really guys, I heard Doc Brown telling Mrs. Harris that Tiny got his results from being on that new Miller Lite Diet. The more Miller Lite he drinks, the more weight he loses.” As the barber recounted the story for the Sheriff, the people in the shop again broke into uncontrolled laughter, much to the chagrin of the deputy, who now realized he was the target of yet another group ruse. More

I signed up two months ago to participate in the Weekend Warrior program at Zeagler’s music in Baton Rouge.

Weekend Warriors is a program that connects amateur musicians that aren’t in bands but like to rock in their garage and want to try to take the leap to a one night live show.

In my case I signed up with 3 nephews Chopper, Dago and Freaky John. Zeagler’s hooked us up with Roy and Tim.

We practiced eight weeks and sharpened our musical skills to rival the edge of a dull rusty garden hoe.

In reality, during practice, we actually played the songs we chose with a respectable resemblance of what they were supposed to sound like. That is to say a person could recognize at least the name of the songs by listening to us.

The big event  happened at Phil Bradys Blues Bar on Government Street.

We named ourselves ‘LA REBELS’ and named the night,“Let the Bleedin’
Begin Tour”. More