Honky-tonk saloons and small town cafes!

www TrueToTexas.com

 

            Saturday, July, 25, 2009.  Damn, I feel good.  The chemo treatment of two weeks ago is a memory.  Body craig has fought off the virus. AND, it’s Saturday.  Let’s do something exciting.  Push yourself, push your body.  First destination.  Brenham, Texas.  Must Be Heaven Sandwich Shoppe.  Hey, I’ve got to eat.  Can somebody help me?  I’ve got a favorite order and I can’t seem to jump to anything else.  Have ya’ll been there?  What is your favorite?  I’ve got to try something different.  What have I ordered the last 5 times I’ve partaked at Must Be Heaven?  A Reuben on grilled rye with mustard and either peach or Dutch apple pie al la mode.  I need to expand my horizon.  Help please.  If you haven’t been there go to  www.mustbeheaven.com. 

            OK, I’m not full strength so a nap is in order.  Then, then, let’s honky-tonk!

            Somewhere between 10 and 20 years ago I was going through my bohemian period.  You know, independent films instead of 3 and 4 stars and musical acts that hadn’t quite hit Reliant Stadium yet.  Acts that were in small smoke filled dives in the inner city or warehouse district.  One of those acts was advertised as progressive blues.  Someone called Marcia Ball.  So I’m there.  What would you expect?  Blues, piano and honky-tonk.  I had heard that she was born in Orange, Texas.  Well, surprise.  Marcia Ball walked in and was an over 6 foot tall, lanky, white girl. Can she sing the blues?  Damn right she could.  I bet she spent most of her formative musical life straddling the Sabine River.  AND, probably had a favorite swimming hole.  Well Marcia went on a world tour and I moved from smoke filled dives to reserve seating.  I read an ad about a new honky-tonk in Schulenburg, Texas. (SENGELMANN HALL).  And guess what?  The Blues Queen, Marcia Ball, was headlining the Saturday night show.  High School girlfriend was ready to show Fayette County some Brazos Bottom blues herself.  And, I invited the Doctor.  You know if I’m going to a honky-tonk in my condition it’s good to have a doctor along.  The Doctor is my neighbor and friend and is a retired Doctor of Veterinarian Medicine. Hey, he has saved lots of cow’s lives.  OK, the food was good, the venue was great and the music was better.  I had a meat-loaf burger with potato pancakes.  Damn those potato pancakes were good.  Once the music started you couldn’t help but have the urge to dance.  High School girlfriend is in pain, next week she is going to a specialist to check her knee out.  It’s like bone rubbing bone.  No way she could dance.  I asked the Doctor for any suggestions.  He said, “try Crown and Coke, more Crown then Coke.  Well, the Doctor had the right prescription.  I bet they are still talking about High School Girlfriend, in Schulenburg.  Hell, before the night was over, there were people trying to buy my CHASING THE TEXAS SUNSETS t-shirt off my back.

            If you live in Texas, you need to experience SENGELMANN HALL.  www.sengelmannhall.com.

            Marcia Ball.  She is around the world now, but if you get a chance to see this Texas girl beat the piano and sing the blues, do it. www.marciaball.com.

           

Chasing the Texas sunsets, after dark.

 

 

Craig Dickson

craig dickson realty

www.TrueToTexas.com

 

Texas Nightlife !

Still on the Trail !

www TrueToTexas.com

 

            Still on the Trail !   see attached photo.  Well, Thursday a week ago, July 9^th, I got pumped full of chemo again.  All day, 9 am to 5 pm.  And left with a carry out pump to pump another 48 hours of, still a different toxic into my body.  Laying there, in the hospital, on that Thursday I started getting a sore throat, which quickly went to my lungs.  When I got home that night I was coughing up mucus.  Well, like the times before I was so tired.  Can you believe you can sleep 10 to 11 hours wake up and be tired, real tired.  I guess my body and body organs are fighting the chemo.  Well, I would wake up and force myself to get up.  I needed to eat and I figured if I laid in bed I would probably get pneumonia.  So I would cough, cough, and cough up all the mucus I could. I would then go to Hard Times for breakfast.  After that, about 9 am, I would go to the office(where I have a bed) or home and go back to sleep to about 12:30 or 1:00 pm.  Get up for lunch and take a pain killer (no Cousin Bill, it’s not a pint of Fighting Cock Whiskey) but I wish it was.  It’s something they gave me at MD Anderson called LORTAB ELIXER and its 2-3 teaspoon.  Then I would try to put in 1 or 2 hours.  Guess what, Jon?  In that 1 or 2 hours from Friday to Tuesday, I managed to sell 16 acres on Katy-Hockley road.  Property ID # 321 at TrueToTexas.com.  When I said I would never retire, die in the saddle, I meant it.  And I also listed a 5 acre homesite, Katy Schools in Waller County for $196,000.00.  Property ID # 342. (while there, check out the Marquee and Great Places)  OK, it’s Tuesday the 14^th and I’m not getting any better.  In fact I have a low grade temperature, Wednesday my temperature goes to 90.5 degrees, Thursday to over 100 degrees, Friday, over 101 degrees.  I call the chemo doctor and he says, if it gets to 102 degrees or you start getting chills rush to the emergency room.  I take some Tylenol and a cold shower.  My temperature started down.  Wednesday July 22 and and I’m Still on the Trail.  I actually feel pretty good, today.

 I must have made a friend 20 years ago. “The Hallmark Queen”, she has forward so many stay in the saddle cards that it is embarrassing.  DON’T STOP! I love them.

            Let’s talk.  When I was lying in the bed for hours wondering if I was going to live or die, you know, you’re not asleep and you’re not awake.  This saying came into my mind.  I can love you.  I can hate you.  But, I can’t lose you!

            Also, I got to thinking; I’m going to find out the truth about this afterlife.  Hey, will I waltz into some paradise where my family and friends are waiting for me or will my soul come back to earth as another person or animal, or will my ashes just float down the Brazos River to disperse into the Gulf of Mexico.  I started wondering why this unknown wasn’t bothering me.  Why I wasn’t scared.  Lavern, you know why?  Because I have a thousand friends, family and prayer warriors holding my hands.

 

Happy Trails and stay out of the wire,

 

Craig Dickson

craig dickson realty

www.TrueToTexas.com

 

Daytrip

www TrueToTexas.com                      

 

            Man, I think I have become a professional.  That’s a professional at road trips.  I could write 10 pages on the people, places and things that I encountered over a 13 hour day trip.  Most of ya’ll that know me, know that,  I may be allergic to advanced planning.  Last Wednesday I decided that I may have the energy to go on a day trip.  I’ve been wanting to see Bolivar Peninsula since Hurricane IKE.  Thursday, 6 am July 2, 2009 I leave the Brazos Bottoms for Bolivar.  A little after 8 am I’m sitting in a booth looking over the Gulf of Mexico at Denny’s on Seawall Blvd., Galveston, Texas.  I’m not much at franchise eating places, but you know, they had a pretty good breakfast.  I ordered a “build your on” Grand Slam breakfast.  You get 4 choices for $5.99.  I order 2 eggs, 2 pancakes, bacon and hash browns.  It was a full meal.  I left there and took spin through the Strand.  High School Girlfriend, the Candy Factory is still closed.  Off to the ferry.  At 9:20 am I board “Dewitt C. Greer”, one of the ferryboats crossing the Galveston Ship channel to Bolivar.  The water was beautiful.  See photos below.

            I tell you what; somebody is spending a whole bunch of money out there at 3 feet above sea level.  The world must not be agreeing with Al Gore’s global warming and that the BIG ice melt will be raising the sea level 10 to 20 feet.  A LOT OF GOVERNMENT MONEY IS GOING OUT THERE AT 3 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL.  OK, I couldn’t believe it.  Do you know what they are replacing a lot of those beach houses with?  Really, this is a joke, but they are doing it.  They are putting mobile homes on pilings.   Yes, see the photo at the TrueToTexas blog of a double wide being jacked up to put piling underneath.  And, that structure is less than 100 yards from the Gulf of Mexico.  The advertisement is “The modular homes are built to the same standard as site built homes, but much less expensive.”  Yeah, yeah.  Get your hurricane resistant beach house from Palm Harbor.  That’s a good name.  Your new home may end up in the harbor.

Hey, why not.  I’m this close.  I’ve been to the most southwestern tip of Texas near El Paso.  I’m heading where the Sabine River hits the Gulf of Mexico, the most south eastern tip of Texas.  Vern, damn, this brings back memories.  Rollover Pass.  My father used to bring us to Rollover Pass in the 1950’s for the fall Golden Croaker runs.  People would be lined up two deep along both sides of the pass.  Well, the Pass is back open and the fishermen were there.  It’s about 10:50 am and the tide is rushing out.  I watched 4 fishermen catching nice speckled trout about every 5 minutes using baby live croaker.  See the photo below of a hard fishing Grandmother.  OK, onward F-150.  Gilcrest, High Island and the road ends.  I’m driving on the beach.  Wait a minute; it looks like it will be about 40 miles of beach to the Sabine River.  I’m in McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge; my cell phone has no reception.  By myself, no other people in sight.  I’m full of chemo and sixty years old.  Maybe I better turn around and take the long way.  The blacktop.  Turn around; High Island again, Stowell, Winnie, Port Arthur, Sabine Pass and on to Texas Point National Wildlife Refuge.  Also, Sea Rim State Park.  Both closed to the public due to IKE.  I’M not public.  Lavern, how long have you known me?  I made it to, The Point.  The point where the Sabine River hits the Gulf.  See photos below.

Hey, I’m this close; I at least need to cross the Sabine River to say I made it to Louisiana.  Well, I did.  And, can you believe I ended up at Holly Beach, Louisiana.  LSU cheerleaders and more!  What kind of beach party is this?  Well, that’s a whole nother story.  I’m heading west.  I’m getting back to Texas.  I’m literally Chasing the Texas sunset.  I make it back to the Brazos Bottoms a 7 pm.  13 hours after I started this day trip.   Un Que dia’.

 

Chasing the Texas sunsets,

Craig Dickson

craig dickson realty

www.TrueToTexas.com

 

Day trip to Bolivar Peninsula and east!

Henry Canales

I can read,

I can write,

I can vote,

but not for White !

Six, that’s 6 Houston Police officers have died during Mayor Bill White’s tenure. Officer Henry Canales was shot in the back by an illegal immigrant, last week. The Houston Police Union and others have asked Mayor Bill White to back off his “no ask” illegal immigration policy. Aren’t you proud, Houston is a “Sanctuary City”? In a new conference Mayor Bill White made it clear “there will be no change to the department’s policy on illegal immigrants”. Officer Henry Canales’ murder by an illegal immigrant is the straw that breaks any support I would have had for Bill White. Can you imagine Bill White representing Texas! Hell, we might as well give Texas to Mexico the day he is elected. Oh, Texas a “Sanctuary State”.

The sad thing is, this is just the tip of illegal immigrant crime activity. What is the cost to Texas?

Please forward across Texas.

Craig Dickson

craig dickson realty

www.TrueToTexas.com

The War Goes on

www TrueToTexas.com

 

            The War Goes on!

 

            Not the Iraqi war - - my war with cancer.  Prayer Warriors, thank you.  The prayers, the friends and the family have given me the strength to smile, be happy and see things like I have never seen them before.

            Well, I haven’t had the time and/or energy to sit down “and write”.   It takes a drive and strength that hasn’t been in me.  It ain’t all cancer.  A big part (of me being without energy) is the last 3 weeks of 100 PLUS degree temperatures,  along with the high humidity.  Even in the air conditioning, when it’s 108 degrees outside, I’m just exhausted.  And, I’ve also been working on a complicated real estate offer.  No, not complicated by the metes and bounds, or a boundary dispute, or the minerals - - - not by the title or flood plain or government actions.  The offer is complicated by personalities:  6 sellers, 3 different offers, and an eccentric, finger-printed licensed Texas Real Estate Broker.  AND, “The King” -  little Dixon Kellner spent 7 days with me running the Brazos Bottoms.  Man, we had fun, but we couldn’t find one bit of Brazos Bottom mud while he was here!   It was too hot to play in it, anyway.  I did find an air conditioned Chuck E Cheese.  And, Little Dixon showed them at Hard Times that he could eat his whole pancake. (see attached photo).

            I’ve now had 3 chemo treatments that include and all day treatment every other Thursday and then I take home a chemo pump that pumps another 48 hours of chemo into me.  I think the idea is to see how much chemo my body can tolerate.  And, hope that it beats back the cancer, again.  They are going to give me 4 chemo treatments and then check me over to see what is going on.  The second treatment was a hard one.  Halfway through the treatment I started feeling flush, my palms started itching, my throat started itching.  I called for the nurse.  I was having an allergic reaction.  She quickly took my pulse, it was 168 over 105.  She went to call the doctor.  Minutes later she came back, waiting on the doctors return call, and took my pulse again, now 178 over 110,  then 189 over 120.  She closed the chemo valve and gave me some kind of benadryl and another balancer.  I laid there and meditated about walking on the beach at 14 years old.  My blood pressure started dropping.  Two hours later my blood pressure was down to 140 over 80 and we started the chemo again (at half the rate).  I survived and at 9 pm I left M.D. Anderson.  Well, after the second treatment my hair started falling out when I would brush it.  Hell with this.  I went to the local barber and told him, make it a quarter of an inch all over.  If it’s going to fall out, a quarter of an inch doesn’t look so bad.  Check out the TrueToTexas BLOG at www.TrueToTexas.com to see photos.   Last week we did the chemo at half the rate and my body tolerated it.

            You know, sitting there for hours I’ve done some studying.  Studying the state of our United States of America.  And the economy.  What do ya’ll think?

And, I’ve got my mind rapped around this global warming.  I’m going to make those subjects two separate emails, soon.  I’m off to search for some rain.

 

Chasing the Texas sunsets,

 

Craig Dickson

craig dickson realty

www.TrueToTexas.com