THE RETURN OF THE “FAT HAIRY BASTARD”!

For the fourth consecutive year, Jeff (a.k.a. Fathairybastard) has come to Harriman to visit me for three or four days during his summer school break. We met through our blogs back in 2006, became interested in each other’s stories, and developed a common ground for friendship. He is like a brother to me. His first visit from his home in Texas was back in ‘07.

Jeff and Denise rolled into town late last Monday afternoon, and, according to tradition, we drove to Oak Ridge to eat at Big Ed’s Pizza. The pizza was amazingly good, and, since they have added Fat Tire to their draft selection, we were in “hog heaven”!

Unfortunately, due to the heat and humidity, we broke tradition and stayed off the screened-porch this trip. It’s just been too blasted hot to sit outside. Oh, we sucked down a few brews, but we didn’t smoke one stogy together! Now that’s a shame!

However, we did have a good time just sitting around in the cool, talking, and listening and sharing to a few tunes we had stored on our PCs. As a matter of fact, one night I decided to show Jeff how I listened to my tunes back in the late 80’s. I took the fronts off my giant 100-watt speakers, complete with white woofers, and prepared to blow him away. I flipped the power button and the Kenwood fired up. It fired up so well that smoke rose from the amp!

Damn! I suppose it has been at least 10 years since I had the thing on! I’m sure dust shorted some circuit, it fried, and the smoke bellowed! The last time I had it on I blew the white rubber around one of the woofers! It’s just like me...falling apart! It’s always something!

Anyway, if anyone has a spare Kenwood KM-205 amp, I’ll buy it if the price is right! Frankly, I’m not sure I want to put anymore money into the component set. I’ll probably try to sell the individual pieces on eBay...or something.

I took Jeff and Denise to the Atomic Museum in Oak Ridge Tuesday, and, being a history prof and buff, he seemed to get a big kick out of all the “Secret City” stuff. We picked up Judy later, who had two doctor’s appointments that day, and went to Abuelo’s to eat. (See included photo of some of the great eats we had while Jeff was here! Click to enlarge the shots!)

On Wednesday, we headed off to Sevierville, TN to let Denise shop the Tanger Outlets. Man if was hot and they walked my butt off! ‘Course I needed it!

I even bought an Izod shirt there for 70% off! It really is a sharp shirt and I will look good in it!

One the way back from Sevierville it rained like it was pouring out of a boot! Jeff captured all the fun and posted a video on Flickr. What a butt hole!

Back in Harriman we picked up Judy and went to the local Gondolier for supper. The food and Fat Tire was good there too! (See included photo of some of the great eats we had while Jeff was here! Click to enlarge the shots!)

On Thursday Jeff wanted to ride up to Buzzard’s Bluff. If you remember that’s the place I cracked four ribs a year ago! It sits high above the Harriman valley and gives goers a wide panoramic view to this part of East Tennessee. The road is not maintained, so Jeff and Denise can truthfully say they went 4-wheeling in Tennessee! It began to rain on the decent and my truck was like a cocoon of protection from the elements and overgrowth along broken asphalt and water filled potholes and muddy ponds.

Jeff ventured out on the edge several times and Denise fussed at him for scaring her. I have to admit, I held my breath a little...after all, I know what it's like to fall up there!

We then made our way across Roane County to Terri and Steve’s place. The plan was to shoot a little, drink a few beers and smoke a cigar or two, then eat some chili, however, it rained and the forest surrounding Steve’s house was hanging wet with water and humidity. We voted on whither to move straight to “Miller time” or take a nap! I lost out on the nap, which I had been missing, so it was beer-thirty!

Jeff and Denise seemed to enjoy seeing the Dragons again, but we cut our visit short and headed to my place. Jeff and I played some tunes and then joined the ladies in the living room. We called it an early night.

Friday morning I met them at the Cracker Barrel and we sadly said our goodbyes. Their plan was to head to Denise’s family in Kentucky.

I suppose the time will pass slowly, but I am already looking forward to next year’s visit. I just hope the weather is nicer next time...maybe they can come back one spring or fall and really see the beautiful of East Tennessee without all the tropical heat! The older I get, the more I hate summer!

We always seem to enjoy each others company, even if it's just sitting quietly and listening to our bluesy music! And, of course, we always act up in public!

For more on this visit, go to http://fathairybastard.blogspot.com, and http://www.flickr.com/photos/94141189@N00/. I’m sure he has a completely different tale to tell, and I’m sure to be the butt of his jokes!

WHEN JEFF COMES TO TOWN

Yes sir, ol’ “Fat” himself, Mr. Jeff Wilson from Killeen, TX, and famous for his “Fathairybastard” Blog came to see ol’ Mushy for a couple of days this week. This is his third trip and each trip seems to bring us closer together. He’s like a brother to me and I thoroughly enjoy his visits. As a matter of fact, I enjoyed his company so much this time that I followed him part of the way home, to Memphis, just to spend the best of three more days with him – but more on that in the next post!

Jeff got into town on Monday and we headed for the “Good Ol’ days Diner” for a quick lunch. Judy and I decided to feed him enough to get him to Ozone Falls and up on Black Mountain, and then on to Big Ed’s Pizza for supper! We weren’t about to let the boy go hungry!

Jeff loved the huge boulders upon on Black Mountain and promised to come back when all the copperheads were hibernating! However, we did get to the top of one overlook and walked beneath one of the rock over hangs where Indians camped long ago when on “long hunts”.

Finally, we got to one of the things he insisted we do again, and that’s visit Big Ed’s and share a pizza. Terri and Steve met us there and we really enjoyed ourselves over a pizza and beer feast. To our surprise, Big Ed has branched out is now offering a wider selection of draft beers – Fat Tire and Yuengling, to name a couple. What a difference variety makes in the world of beer! (There will be more on what we ate over the last few days on mushyscookings.blogspot.com, later in the week.) We split a couple of pitchers and then broke for my house again.

If there’s anything the boy likes more than pizza and beer, it’s sitting on my back porch with a cigar, a beer, listening to my tunes, and looking out over the lake. The screened porch is situated in such a way that you feel like you are high up in a big tree-house. This July has been unusually wet for East Tennessee and everything is still deeply green and clean looking. When the pollen subsides, I too like to sit our there as much as Judy does. She’s out there reading as I write!

Tuesday morning came and we met Neena and Ron at Mimis Cafe for breakfast. After a very satisfying meal, we broke into teams…the Dragons deciding to go shopping in Turkey Creek, while we, manly men, took off for Smoky Mountain Knife Works and Bass Pro Shops in Sevierville, TN!

As you can see Jeff was in hog-heaven at the knife store. I think he touched almost all of them and they got a lot!

So, with the shopping over, we headed back to Gander Mountain to kill time until it was time to meet the ladies, and my son Corey. We finally got to the third place Jeff made me promise to take him back to…Wild Wings Cafe! As Corey is fond of saying, there was plenty of “carnage” after the meal!

We wanted to drop by Steve’s afterwards and shoot Jeff’s M-16, but the rains came and forced us back on the porch. Only the smell of gun powder and sounds from yesteryear could have made the evening better. Like I said, the boy likes his cigars and if you note in one of these shots he has a big tooth pick stuck through the butt of a cigar. He’s “toking” that thing like it was a joint or something! I said something about tar, but he just says, “Dude, these things are expensive!”

Jeff bought the Colt AR-15 (M-16) just because it was early Vietnam vintage and looked just like the one I had in ‘Nam. Here’s a “then and now” shot for you viewing pleasure. No laughing or pointing out what is obvious either guys! I think the photo was worth the price of the firearm to Jeff, who took great pride in bringing a “piss-pot” for me to better re-enact the “mail room” shot from DaNang I had taken sometime in 1966.

Oh yes, if I don’t mention the gun anymore in the Memphis post, please remind me…it plays into another good part later! Of course, Jeff may mention it before me…so check his post out first…if he does I won’t rub it in any more!

Wednesday morning found Judy and I in our car headed for Memphis, with Jeff following along behind us. I was leading the way taking directions from the bossy lady in the GPS and we made it to Memphis in about five and half hours. We booked into the Westin, just a block from Beale Street and set out for our next adventures!

As Jim “Suldog” Sullivan is known to say… I’ll be back with “More better stuff!”

MUSHY AND "FAT" TAKE ON MUSIC CITY

Nashville is just a little over 2 hours west on I-40 from Harriman, so, in no time I pulled into the Holiday Inn Express Saturday morning, which was just off Murfreesboro Road. I flipped open my phone and found FHB on the contact list and pushed the button. Jeff answered, sounding sleepy, and with good reason. He and Denise had rolled in late the evening before, with her driving another 3 hours on north to Kentucky after dropping him off. She has a daughter and family living there.

Jeff had stayed up late grading school papers and goofing around with his camera, so when the phone rang at about 9, Nashville time, his alarm had just gone off moments before I arrived.

I checked in and met Jeff in the canteen area, where we shared a quick breakfast. He told me how his buddy’s had invited him to come to the big Civil War gun show. Three of the original 5 made the trip, driving all the way to Nashville from Texas in a single day. I must admit, I’ve never been dedicated enough to anything to drive that far for just a quick weekend!

However, it was well worth the short trip from Harriman to see Jeff. We’ve become fast friends over the past couple of years and it was good to get to share time, a beer, and a cigar with him, without having to wait a whole year.

After eating, we headed for Nolensville Road and the Tennessee State Fair Grounds, where The 22^nd Middle Tennessee Civil War Show and Sale show was being held! It was huge, with over 1,000 tables in 4 buildings, and thousands of buffs, reenactors, and others like us that were just curious!

As you can see from these photos, there were plenty of lookers, and again, let me emphasize…the place was huge!

Jeff just had to touch a few of the long rifles he lusted over for years, and even took a few chances on a “give-away” drawing.

The buffs and reenactors take this kind of show and their other annual meetings and war games, seriously. Most dress the part, in full North or South uniform, with their wife or girl friend wearing period Victorian dresses, full petticoats, and bonnets! Jeff and I would love to have dressed the part too, but we decided there weren’t too many fat soldiers…in any war for that matter! And, if there were, they probably didn’t last too long on the battlefield!

At one table Jeff finally found a “shootin’ iron” his size!

We took a lot of shots, but with the flash off, so as not to draw attention to ourselves! Some folks get a little paranoid when you whip out a camera at a gun show. Some get even more upset or antsy when you pick up their $4,000 rifle and pose with it! Jeff said, “I got is standing on my shoe.” However, the vendor didn’t feel a bit more comfortable!

I thoroughly enjoyed the show. I saw things I’ve read about or have seen in magazines, so it was good to get to touch and smell some of the history. Some of the things were a little out of place, like this 1930’s KKK hood and robe, but, still it was good to see real American history first hand! They only wanted $950 for it!

One little old lady behind one of the tables eyed Jeff’s t-shirt and remarked, “What does that shirt say?”

“It says ‘Thin the herd’ ma'ma,” Jeff explained.

“I don’t know if I would want to sell you anything or not!”

“Aw, he wouldn’t harm fly,” I said!

Well, we walked until we got the dreaded “gun show legs and back” and decided to head downtown Music City for a little lunch and cold beer. We ended up at Bailey's Pub and Grille on Broadway, where I used my Fox & Hound “mug club” card for cheaper Yuengling draft!

We both got the chick fingers smothered in a Jim Beam, maple syrup, and pecan sauce. The sweet tasting chicken sat atop a pile of coleslaw and green apple sticks! It was yummy, but we did eat a lot of chips to cut the sweet about half way through the meal.

Across the street, Jeff spied the famous Ernest Tubb Record Shop and wanted to go in to look for some Black Keys! As he raffled through the CDs, I broke the news to him…”You ain’t gonna find no Black Keys in here…it’s all country!” But again, it was fun looking around at all the memorabilia and other country music related objecto-de-artoes!

When we got back to the fairgrounds, the line for tickets at the “regular” modern gun show was short. At one time it had stretched for nearly a hundred yards, someone said, so we got tickets and went inside. Luckily this show was housed in only one building, so we made the rounds in about an hour and left.

Back at the motel, we lounged in Jeff’s room for a little while, snapping photos of each other, and watching the SEC Championship game. We stayed there for a couple of hours, still full from our sweet lunch, but around 6:30 we decided to go out and hunt a sports bar and finish the game there with beer and cigars.

We drove east down Murfreesboro Road past the airport, some five miles or so, and then started back toward the motel. Finally, we spotted a big sign that said “Out of Bounds”, and under it “Sports Bar & Grille”, exactly what we had in mind!

We were greeted at the front door by a nice little black gal, who seated us on the bar level overlooking the large restaurant, and right next to a table of 3 young well dressed black men. A waitress, an even nicer looking black girl, came and took our order, and then handed it off to the black girl tending bar.

It wasn’t until the old black wino, with very large bucked teeth, staggered over to our table that we figured out we had happened upon a neighborhood “sports bar” frequented by mostly black folks.

The fact that we were in a predominately black bar did not bother either of us. As a matter of fact, no one was staring at us, or seemed upset that we were there, and anyone who looked in our direction smiled and nodded at us. What was bothering us was this poor old guy standing before us talking in some secret “wino language” that neither of us understood. Had we been able to follow his conversation (make that one-sided conversation), we would have been very comfortable in swapping jokes, and answering his questions with some lies – but we couldn’t follow him…no one in the club could have I’m sure!

He was saying something about football, and gesturing something about how tall Jeff was, but I wasn’t sure. I thought, at one point, he asked me to buy him a beer, and I promptly said “NO.”

To which he replied, “Otay…I’ll buy huh un,” and proceeded to pull out his wallet. The billfold was packed with money, so he wasn’t a real bum, but he seriously needed to spend some of that money on some diction lessons!

He pulled out a 10-spot and said, “Raise yo han!” I figured out that was the accepted method of summing the barmaid, but I refused to hold up my hand!

Thankfully, the young manager came over and began persuading the man to move on and leave us along, but not before mistaking the man’s 10-dollars for ours! We explained that it was his, so the manager moved on to getting him away from us. After a little coaxing, he finally did move on, and a couple of the guys sitting near us said, “He’s harmless…don’t worry ‘bout it!” Obviously he was a regular to the bar and folks took care of him, and he had even been cut-off by the bartender!

We informed the manager that we were fine and that we intended to continue our business with him, at least for a couple of drinks.

I have always enjoyed how black folks party, and interact, and I was not intimidated in the least by the loud animated fun loving crowd. We watched as Florida killed Alabama, and joined in cheering, enjoying the banter between the evenly split Florida and Alabama patrons in the bar.

At one point, over Jeff’s shoulder, I saw the old man take a tumble from the steps leading down from the bar to the restaurant level. He rolled up into a tight ball and tumbled over to the entrance. I think I was the only one who saw him, and I didn’t want to make a scene by shouting, “Lookie over there…there he goes!”

So it was mine and the old man’s secret. He pulled himself up as quickly as he could (Mr. Bo Jangles played in my head), and shook himself all around, and made a gesture with one arm that made you know he was saying “Damn, I missed it!”

Back at the motel, Jeff and I shared a couple Chavis Regal drinks, watched TV and talked. It’s something that Jeff and I share; a comfort that allows us to share our inner thoughts, fears, and hopes like brothers. Jeff is good people and I lov’im…like a brother.

Sunday morning came, cold and with a bright blue sky. Denise had called, being just 20 minutes away, and so Jeff called and woke me. I showered and met them out front, and, after punching in “nearest Cracker Barrel” on my truck’s GPS, we were off.

I ordered the new sausage “Fireside Country Skillets^TM”, and enjoyed a couple cups of coffee with Denise and Jeff. I could tell they were both tired from Friday’s drive down, so I worried about their drive home. However, they seem to take long drives and sleep deprivation in stride…still young, you know!

Thanks brother for the great weekend in Music City – until next time!

At home, I found Katie Bug and Judy piled on the couch watching a movie. It was good to know that Katie had kept her granny company while I was out of town, but it was even better to be home again.

The last I heard from Jeff was from an outlet mall somewhere near Memphis…they were taking their time, and that was good.

HE'S BOUND FOR TEXAS!

Yep, FHB is on his way back to Texas as fast as his Solaria will take him. He has the passenger seat full of blues CDs I personally approved to keep him awake.

He stole the hearts of all the Dragons and made them all feel tiny while standing or sitting by him. I tried to stay close to take advantage of the 20 pounds you automatically lose being beside him, but they kept rooting me out! The most determined rooter was Terri…in the swing!

All the Knights seemed to find something in common with him, whether it was guns, gun history, war history, history in general, camping, or hiking. We avoided religion, politics, and Paris Hilton! I had all that plus blogging in common!

We feed him well while he was here and he could usually be found stuffing his face, sucking on a cold Yuengling from a frosty glass, or toking on a Macanudo.

We did it up right two nights! One night Judy fixed her mouth-watering steak and gravy with mashed potatoes, green peas, slaw, and cornbread! The second night we invited the family over for a traditional hamburger cook out and a bull session on the back porch.

Friday, Judy and I took him to Calhoun’s on the lake for the “all-you-can-eat” lunch buffet – all the chicken, chicken livers, catfish, BBQ pulled pork, roast beef, creamed corn, a variety of beans, fried okra and othe vegetables, salad fixings, fruits, rolls, corn bread, soups, and lots more for $12.

Then Friday night I treated him to my favorite thing - sitting on the back porch in the dark, with the blues cranked up, the wood creatures chirping, a glass of cold beer in hand, and a Macanudo sending out little smoke signals that are highlighted by the night light! Man (an or woman), it don’t get no better than that!

Several times we mentioned how nice it would be to have Bruno sitting there with us talking to the Goddess on her 1-900 number!

FHB got to visit all my hang outs, Ruby Tuesdays, Wild Wings Café (see wings photo), Calhoun’s on the lake in Lenoir City (see full plate photo), Bailey’s, and even the local Gondolier Italian Restaurant (see the Stromboli photo)! He was determined to sample all the cuisine and spirits ol’ Mushy enjoys all the time!

He will be missed around here for a few days, because he kept me busy and my mind occupied with making travel plans. I usually leave that to my brother-in-law Ron, but with FHB here, I had to do it. My head still hurts!

Anyway, FHB will always be welcome at Mushy’s! Hurry back my friend.