Post by mesquite on Sept 16, 2021 8:10:17 GMT -5
Yesterday afternoon we drove over to the Cherokee Volunteer Fire Department Barbeque and Fish Fry in southern San Saba county. Cherokee is known locally for a church connected orphans and foster children's home. Until last year the B&FF was an annual event. Attendance wasn't up to previous gatherings. That was bittersweet. Parked within a couple of blocks in front of the Methodist Church. Grass around the church was high and needed mowing, announced to anyone who cared that there was no longer a gathering of souls with memories of more vibrant and joyful times. The waiting line was next to nothing, the serving line rarely had an empty dish waiting to be filled. Easy to find places for five inside the firehouse. No waiting lines at the restrooms for those with prostate issues.
Lots of people in that area, like lots of healthcare workers everywhere, for whatever reasons aren't getting vaccinated. I only noticed one mask. Rural people in the Hill Country are mostly old. People with children need to live in town because school activities would run them to death if they lived in the country. Idle moments tend not to be in adolescents best interests. In my parents day this was taken care of by working the kids to death. Today people try to solve the problem with round the clock entertainment.
I did notice that more people were sitting at the outside tables. I remembered sitting outside at traditional 1" x 6" board X tables and benches for evening meals. They were easier for mothers because they kept inside dining areas clean and the dogs took care of most spills. That was before most people had air conditioning. Air conditioning brought people inside to eat.
Cherokee is one of the few remaining fish frys with homemade sides. A lot of the vegetables they grew themselves. It has always been interesting for me to experience what other people eat and how they prepared it, because that often goes back generations in time. At least as far as non-microwavable food goes.
Cherokee is also the only fish fry around here that has barbeque. The sirloin was to die for. So good that one only swallowed the meat with the greatest reluctance and replaced it with a sense of urgency.
The desserts were all homemade as well. I took mine home which left more room for the other food. Anne doesn't eat dessert so I used her proxy as well.
The live music was homemade as well. It was provided by somebody's grandma and grandpa, from the local Baptist church I think. They accompanied themselves on the piano. It has been a long time since I've listened to someone accompany themselves on a piano. Used to happen more often. Especially in homes after a meal. Now I realize the important roles pianos or just singing played in getting people through the Depression or the war de jour. Singing brought people together and unified them. Would never happen today. For one thing Democrats and Republicans would never agree on what to sing.
Cherokee if it doesn't have the only gospel songs, definitely has the most gospel songs. As I get older I rarely understand the words at live music events. With gospel songs I know the words. Lets me participate mentally with the music. When they sang 'I'll Fly Away' I remembered my great grandmother Heywood singing that song when she lived with us. That is the kicker about gospel songs for old people, they will often bring up memories of people from the past.
When I was young I thought 'I'll Fly Away' was a silly song. But simple and silly things will fool you. I now realize there is a little goose in every man's soul. I told Kirk who was sitting across the table that you have never really heard the song sung until you've heard it in a chapel in a maximum security prison sung by Christian men serving life sentences. That, as they say, brings the house down.
There was a table behind us with a dozen or so young children from the home with three of the foster mothers with them. Older children from the home were helping with the event. I wondered if the lives of men I knew from prison would have been different if they had had a Cherokee in their lives growing up.
After everyone had been served and most had eaten there were some announcements and words of appreciation. The event officially ended with everyone rising and saying the Pledge of Allegiance.
Gillespie county fish fries on the other hand serve beer and have beer music for greater gaiety.
The setting sun was strikingly red in a unclouded sky as well drove away. A single engine plane landed as we drove by the Llano airport and so did I.
All the people moving to Texas definitely change the way things look. When I was younger there was a lot more God to see. Now when I go anywhere there is less and less God and just more and more man and his kind.
Lots of people in that area, like lots of healthcare workers everywhere, for whatever reasons aren't getting vaccinated. I only noticed one mask. Rural people in the Hill Country are mostly old. People with children need to live in town because school activities would run them to death if they lived in the country. Idle moments tend not to be in adolescents best interests. In my parents day this was taken care of by working the kids to death. Today people try to solve the problem with round the clock entertainment.
I did notice that more people were sitting at the outside tables. I remembered sitting outside at traditional 1" x 6" board X tables and benches for evening meals. They were easier for mothers because they kept inside dining areas clean and the dogs took care of most spills. That was before most people had air conditioning. Air conditioning brought people inside to eat.
Cherokee is one of the few remaining fish frys with homemade sides. A lot of the vegetables they grew themselves. It has always been interesting for me to experience what other people eat and how they prepared it, because that often goes back generations in time. At least as far as non-microwavable food goes.
Cherokee is also the only fish fry around here that has barbeque. The sirloin was to die for. So good that one only swallowed the meat with the greatest reluctance and replaced it with a sense of urgency.
The desserts were all homemade as well. I took mine home which left more room for the other food. Anne doesn't eat dessert so I used her proxy as well.
The live music was homemade as well. It was provided by somebody's grandma and grandpa, from the local Baptist church I think. They accompanied themselves on the piano. It has been a long time since I've listened to someone accompany themselves on a piano. Used to happen more often. Especially in homes after a meal. Now I realize the important roles pianos or just singing played in getting people through the Depression or the war de jour. Singing brought people together and unified them. Would never happen today. For one thing Democrats and Republicans would never agree on what to sing.
Cherokee if it doesn't have the only gospel songs, definitely has the most gospel songs. As I get older I rarely understand the words at live music events. With gospel songs I know the words. Lets me participate mentally with the music. When they sang 'I'll Fly Away' I remembered my great grandmother Heywood singing that song when she lived with us. That is the kicker about gospel songs for old people, they will often bring up memories of people from the past.
When I was young I thought 'I'll Fly Away' was a silly song. But simple and silly things will fool you. I now realize there is a little goose in every man's soul. I told Kirk who was sitting across the table that you have never really heard the song sung until you've heard it in a chapel in a maximum security prison sung by Christian men serving life sentences. That, as they say, brings the house down.
There was a table behind us with a dozen or so young children from the home with three of the foster mothers with them. Older children from the home were helping with the event. I wondered if the lives of men I knew from prison would have been different if they had had a Cherokee in their lives growing up.
After everyone had been served and most had eaten there were some announcements and words of appreciation. The event officially ended with everyone rising and saying the Pledge of Allegiance.
Gillespie county fish fries on the other hand serve beer and have beer music for greater gaiety.
The setting sun was strikingly red in a unclouded sky as well drove away. A single engine plane landed as we drove by the Llano airport and so did I.
All the people moving to Texas definitely change the way things look. When I was younger there was a lot more God to see. Now when I go anywhere there is less and less God and just more and more man and his kind.