Duggles Stuff

Not enough time to relate all that’s gone down since we left home, but I will say we’ve had three great nites! Anderson Fair and J P Hops House were great gigs and we all got to see some old friends. We ate at Hickory Hollow last nite and sat in with Wayne Wilkerson and Kimberly McCarver then went back out to J P Hops to catch the Hudson’s first set.

We found a great place for a Mexican Breakfast. I hope Taqueria Cancun keeps moving north. Best Breakfast Tacos I have EVER had!!! I was gonna upload pictures, but I’ve run out of time. Maybe tomorrow if we have connectivity…

We’re about ready to leave for Corpus, but on our way we’ll have lunch at James Coney Island.

It’s Tuesday afternoon… we practice tonite. Dan and Brooks will leave their musical stuff over here and I’ll pack it up so we’ll be ready to roll at 6AM Thursday morning. I wanted to put a post out there so there can  have  some communication via comments to this or any subsequent Texas Swing posts.

Texas here we come!!!

It’s hard to believeáhow popular youtube has become. People send me links quite often with interesting stuff to look at (and listen to). It’s easy to get stuck at the computer when one video leads to another andáyoutube always seems to know what will interest you if you were interested enough to view whatever you were viewing.ááSome days I’m more susceptible than others, but Monday I got hooked when my friend Scotty sent meáa link to an old Steve Earle video of him singing “Mercenary Song” when he was just a bit more than a kid. He was sitting around a circle with Guy Clark, Rodney Crowell and others. The scene looked familiar and upon further investigation, I found that it was lifted from a movie titled Heartworn Highways. I have it onáan old VHS tape. It’s been a while since I watched it, but I learned that it has been re-released on DVD with extra stuff not included in the original VHS version. I guesss I’m gonna have to have it. If you love Guy Clark’s music and/or Townes Van Zandt’s music, or any of a number of like minded early Americana pioneers, you’ll want it too. Here’s a link to a review I found on it: Heartworn Highways

I also found some greatávids on YouTubeáfrom “Austin Pickers 1984″ - I may have to pick that one up too. It’s got a great interview with Townes Van Zandt talking about how he wrote “If I Needed You”. If you’re interested just get on YouTube andásearch foráAustin Pickers 1984 or Townes Van Zandt. You shouldn’t have any trouble finding it.

Today, the fourth and final installment of a series of articles was published in our own hometown newspaper (The Log Cabin Democrat - right here in Conway Arkansas). The series featured 101 free (or near free) things to do and see here in our state. When I read the first in the series last month, I was inspired to post the Arkansas Wine Country info. After reading the lastáarticle today, it struck me that I should post the complete list for posterity, to keep from having to save the newspaperá clippings, and for the convenience of anyone else wanting to explore our Natural State on the cheap…

áso… I posted the whole list:
101 Free Things to do in The Natural State
I could have put the whole list here, but…. I didn’t want to….

enjoy…

I can’t tell you how good it is to look outside and see wet streets and rain water running in our ditch. Hearing the sound of rain on the roof is also quite pleasant. I don’t think I’m in a hurry to do anything in particular today except enjoy the rain. We here in Conway went without rain the entire, complete month of August. I don’t remember a time in recent history that it has been so dry for so long. It certainly comes too late for most agricultural concerns, and may not mean much in the long term for our drought status, but at least it’s a start.

Doug

Another one of the things I’ve found to hate about MySpace…

I logged on today to eliminate a booking that had been cancelled. The entry was in there THREE times - I’m not sure how that happened, but after clunking around for 5 minutes, I finally figured out how to delete them. They use the terminology “cancel” which I admit does make sense in a way, but it is used in such a way that you might think what it means is to cancel the current action on the screen (thinking like a programmer again….. rats!)

BUT that’s not what made me angry. I decided to doáa search on Happenstance within MySpace to see if it found us. No luck on the first attempt. Then I added acoustic and americana to the search and turned up about 17 entries….. NONE OF THEM POINTED TO OUR PAGE!!!á It did find our friend Scott McCarley, probably because we are listed as one of his friends.

áoh yeah… and although the 3 entries for the booking were gone off my screen, when I checked our myspace page, they were still there!

I think I’ll start putting a new signature/quote on the end of all my emails…

“MySpace Sucks!!”

Since we’ve lived here in Arkansas for almost 20 years now, I guess it might be time to check out the Arkansas Wine Country! But where to start?á

How about Chateau aux Arc Vineyards and Winery? http://www.chateauauxarc.com/
Just two miles off of I-40 (Exit 41), Chateau aux Arc is open seven days a week 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Saturday, and noon-5 p.m. on Sunday.á

or…

Mount Bethel Winery?
http://www.mountbethel.com/Mount Bethel Winery is located on 5014 Mount Bethel Drive just off Highway 64, approximately 1/4 mile East of Altus Arkansas, 6 miles from Interstate 40.
Tasting Room and StoreáHours:
Mon-Sat: 8:30AM - 6:00PM
Sunday: 12:00 Noon - 5:00PM
Phone: 479-468-2444
á

or…

Post Familie Winery?
http://www.postfamilie.com/

Directions:

From Interstate 40, take Altus exit 41, Continue south 6 miles on Hwy 186 to downtown Altus, Winery will be on your left.

From US 64 in downtown Altus, go one block north on Hwy 186, Winery will be on your right.á1700 St. MaryÆs Mountain Rd.

Retail Hours:
Sunday: Noon to 5pm
Mon-Sat: 9:30am to 6pm
Tours:
By Request 11-3pm
Phone: (800) 275-8423
(479) 468-2741 á

or…

Wiederkehr Village?
http://www.wiederkehrwines.com/
Wiederkehr Wine Cellars lies nestled among the Boston Mountains of Arkansas, atop St. Mary’s Mountain. From Interstate 40, take exit 41 onto Highway 186 south. Follow the signs to Wiederkehr Wine Cellars, about 4 miles.
Wiederkehr Wine Cellars and the Weinkeller Restaurant are open daily (except major holidays) for dining, wine tastings, cellar tours, and wine sales. We are closed on these major holidays: New Year’s Day, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve (the Weinkeller Restaurant is open for lunch only), and Christmas Day.
Hours for the Weinkeller Restaurant are:

MondayùSaturday
á ò Lunch from 11 am to 3 pm
á ò Dinner from 5 pm to 9 pm?
Sunday
á ò All day from 11 am to 9 pm
Tours of the winery and cellars are every 45 minutes from 9 am to 4:30 pm every day.
Wine sales are available in the Vintage 1880 Wine Shoppe and in the Restaurant from 8:30 am to 9 pm every day.áThe Vintage 1880 Wine Shoppe is open Sunday through Thursday from 8:30 am to 6 pm, and on Friday and Saturday from 8:30 am to 7 pm. Browse through our award-winning wines, a wide selection of gourmet food items, wine accessories, and exquisite gifts from around the world.á

or…

Cowie Wine Cellars?
http://www.cowiewinecellars.com/Located 3 miles west of Paris, Arkansas on Scenic Highway 22 at Carbon City.
Open 10 am - 6 pm Monday through Saturday…..Sunday by appointment
Phone: 479-963-3990 or call 1-800-419-2691-01 101 N. Carbon City Road
Paris, Arkansas 72855

or…

how about a visit to the Diamond Bear Brewery in Little Rock?
Diamond Bear Brewing Company in Little Rock is Arkansas’s only production brewery. Its craft beers include Southern Blonde Ale, Pale Ale and Irish Red, which can also be purchased in western Tennessee and northern Louisiana. Public brewery tours, which take 45 minutes to an hour, are offered at 2 p.m. every Saturday on a first-come, first-serve basis. Private group tours are available by special arrangement. The 6,000-square-foot brewery may also be rented for catered private parties. The Diamond Bear Brewery is located three blocks from the Arkansas State Capitol at 323 Cross Street, Suite C, Little Rock
(501) 708-BREW (2739)

Stumbled on a great site for all you music trivia buffs out there! songfacts.com is worth checking out. It’s sort of a Wikipedia for songs. If you register you can add your own trivia and/or comments, but it’s not required to just visit and learn a ton of interesting facts about almost any song you can think of! If you can’t think of a song to search for, pick the random songfact link on the left side. If it’s not a song you recognize, just keep pressing F5 (Refresh) till you hit something that interests you.

http://www.songfacts.com/

I guess it’s accepted as common knowledge now-a-days that working puzzles (Crossword, Sudoku, Cryptograms, etc.)áis supposed to keep our brains functioning better as we get older. At least that’s what “they” say. I don’t know if what “they” say is true or not, but since I do enjoy that sort of thing, I have invested a good deal of my time on such activities over the past few years of my life. I figure it’s probably time well spent. I feel the same way about physical fitness, but that’s a subject for another entry. This is about the New York Times daily crossword.

There was a time in my life that I avoided it like the plague, thinking that it was very difficult, but it turns out that the difficulty of the puzzle varies by what day of the week it is published.áWhen Arkansas’ largest daily newpaperá(The Arkansas Democrat Gazette in Little Rock) began publishing it dailyáin addition toáthe usual puzzle it has published for years, I was curious and looked into it. I’ve found that I can work Monday through Thursday’s puzzle and so far have only attempted Friday’s on the rare day that I had time and felt I was up for a challenge. I leave Saturday’s completely alone and although I hear that Sunday’s is not as hard as I used to think it was, I just don’t have time for it.

Theá great thing about the NYT Xword is that there is usually a theme and that makes it more fun than the run-of-the-mill puzzle. Another great thing is when I’m ready to throw in the towel on some of the Thursday puzzles, I can go to Rex Parker’s blog and not only see the answers, but some explanation and comment on the puzzles clues and answers.á The puzzles in the “Demazette” have a number code printed with them. The number #0708, for example,ámeans that the puzzle was originally published in the New York Times on July 8th. You have to click on the archivesáfor the appropriate month to find the solution and comments for the appropriate puzzle.

He seems to be an avid and capable XWorder, and in addition to that, heádoesáoffer someáfunnyáobservations from time to time. I put a link to his blog up on the Blogroll, and after doing that I thought I’d post a little XWord blurb.á Those of you that know me well know that I inherited this “Crossword Gene” from my late mother who was pretty good at them.á She used a dictionary, but I use the internet. I kinda feel like I’m cheating

later…

Speaking of beer…

Just a word about the beer I like. Thanks to my best friend Dennis Elrod, who lives near McAlester OK and has over the past few years become a well respected brew-meister (with the able assistance of his beer wench, Judy), I have modified my beer drinking habits drastically. I used to be satisfied with what could only be described as beer flavored water, but Dennis led me down a path which opened my taste buds to the wonders of the marvelous flavors of whatáa well brewed beer can be. The best beer I’ve had the pleasure to enjoy comes from Dennis, but since he’s in Oklahoma and it’s not possible to drink nothing but his home-brewed masterpieces, I’ve experimented around with various brews to satisfy my altered appreciation. The list has changed over time and to some degree the change has been strictly due to availability, but here are the beers I either currently drink or would drink if I could get them:

I wish we could find a way to get Diamond Bear to be a sponsor of Happenstance. We would do our best to promote their product everywhere we went!