Hey Y'all,

I grow'd a beard since ya last seen me!

Goin' Home?

Standing in the doorway of his bedroom closet, Uncle Bubba wonders what to pack for his trip back to his hometown. He called his father, the Colonel, to see what the weather is like and he told him it’s pretty cool at night. He’s heard a couple flocks of geese goin’ over and the air smells like fall. Uncle Bubba walks back to the parlor; maybe he’ll pack a little later, after he’s considered it for a while.

Funny thing about going back to where ya came from, you remember it the way it was even if you know it ain’t the same. Generations have passed on and new folks have moved in to take their place. Old buildings are reused until all the life has been sucked out of them and then their abandoned or torn down and often replaced. But heritage is lost with those hand hewn timbers and lavishly placed brick that always seemed to me to be defying the laws of gravity. It took many men to build a city and the pride in their work lies in the pitch of the asphalt in the roads channeling water to the sculpted curbs. The expansion joints, like tacks of an old rollercoaster, evenly spaced over miles of gray sidewalk; each building facade an artistic competition between masons and carpenters.

Today my old hometown is someone’s new home; each day etching memories in their young minds of whimsical bike rides, school bus stops, and secret hiding places. Their stores are shiny and new but just as grand to them with that slim chance of getting a new toy every time they go. Good or bad it’s theirs and they don’t know old from new, to them it’s all new and that’s a great thing.

Honoré B Da Man

Uncle Bubba has a seat at the counter as the waitress pours him a cup of hot black coffee. He grins and nods to the familiar faces along side him.

Admit it. We all know it. There is one resource that America has that could have provided immediate rescue, relief, and order to the Gulf coast; our military. The Armed Forces have the knowledge, trained manpower, equipment, supplies, and discipline to handle such a crisis. Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré has proven us right. They are swift, they are honorable, and when cut lose to accomplish a mission they always come through.

Someone at the top, over the military, ought to know what we all know, because we all know there will be a next time.

Smile, you're being taken.

Uncle Bubba looks out of driver's side window of his pickup truck at the enormous American flag waving over a car dealership. Its shear size gives the illusion that it's moving in slow motion outside of present time. He reminisces on the noble legacy and heritage that the grand flag represents, beyond the current spectacle of an attention grabbing, flapping billboard.

Can any of us, who have lived through the past 30 or 40 years, through assassinations, Watergate, impeachments, Iran-Contra, Whitewater, Viet Nam, inflation, the oil embargo, the Middle East crises, the 2000 election, 9/11, the war in Iraq, the hunt for Osama...(what's his name again?) not understand that many Americans feel a sense of patriotic devolution? I love my country and support my government, but I will not blindly follow any leader” without a big fat, healthy dose of cautious cynicism. Trust is earned.

Family

Uncle Bubba reflects on his position in life; son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, nephew, cousin, and of course uncle. A complex mix for one simple man. One resounding truth shines through no matter how wonderfully painful it may be; lovers and friends come and go, pets pass away, but the family connection is always there. After surviving a tough bout, it’s astounding how comforting a short phone call can be from a concerned family member. It’s a crazy mixed up madness of love and hate, but it’s all we have.

Softail Deluxe

Bubbie looks longingly at his machine of chrome and leather; he feels the wind in his face and Bob Seger's 'Travelin' Man" playin' in the back of his mind. Life is good.

This is it, my Softail Deluxe. My current pride and joy. Forget all those therapy bills, spend your money on a Hog and that's all the therapy you need.