Jan 21, 2020
| Volume XIX Issue 10 October 2009 |
President's message Positions available Elections message just around the corner IGRA Convention representatives needed Vagabond Chuckwagon This month's dinner location A Cowboy's Got To Ride a travelouge overview Music Review our man about town Coosie's Corner Recipe of the month Cowboy Music Mountain Winds Monthly Calendar What's happening |
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For the past two months, I have put out there that the Board elections are coming up and that we have several positions open. ASGRA MEMBERS... THIS IS YOUR ASSOCIATION There are 2 elected positions that are up for election, President and Treasurer. Both are 2-year terms and both are needed for ASGRA to continue into the future. 
The position of Secretary is also up for election. This is a 1-year term. Our current Secretary was a board appointment. The committee chair positions are board appointed positions and will need to be filled shortly after the 1st of the year. All chair positions are 1-year terms. This call goes out to ALL members of ASGRA, if you do not step up and take an active role in our leadership and planning for the future, there will be no ASGRA. No more discounts at Carols Western Wear or Freddie's, no more Atlantic Stampede Rodeos and no more getting into Remingtons free. Our arena competitors and officials will have to join other associations to be able to compete and officiate at IGRA rodeos. If this is what you want to happen, do nothing. If you want to see ASGRA continue, step up and serve the association you are a member of. The choice is yours. Contact Mike at [an error occurred while processing this directive] if you are interested in serving in any of these positions. Mike S. 
Calling all membersThe IGRA Convention is only a month away and we are looking for Delegates and Alternate Delegates to represent ASGRA. The convention this year is in Toronto, Canada. Matt Komornik 
Dear ASGRA Members,It's time for our annual election of ASGRA officers. In accordance with our Bylaws, this notice is to inform you of the process which we will follow this year. This year we are voting to elect three positions - President (2 year term), Secretary (1 year term) and Treasurer (2 year term). We solicited candidates and have received no candidates to date. 
The online voting process will be communicated later, in the event that we receive any candidates in the interim and/or to provide for write-in candidates. Please feel free to contact me at with any questions. The ASGRA Elections Meeting will take place on Saturday, December 5th. The specific time and location will be announced shortly. Sincerely,
Vagabond Chuckwagon - Pre Halloween Brunch!
Apparently brunch is everyone's favorite option. Maybe it's because there's no rush hour traffic to contend with or everyone enjoys a leisurely mid-morning meal on the porch as Freddie's, but we had another excellent turn out in September. 
Ten of us enjoyed a delicious brunch, unending mimosas and the warm and breezy outside patio seating. It was a beautiful morning and we had a terrific time. Freddie's was also very accommodating and made sure that we had anything we needed and were enjoying our brunch experience. Since there's a clear preference for this time frame and location, we're going to make it a monthly event. So back we go to Freddie's Beach Bar and Restaurant in Crystal City/Arlington, VA. We'll meet there at 11am on Sunday October 25 for brunch. Freddie's fills up pretty quickly and space is limited, so I want to get a reservation in early for a table. Sunday October 25, 2009   
Lonni La Bel 
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From what we have heard so far it is going to be a great time of work and partying. Remember that if you want to be a delegate you do have to have a passport to get into and out of Canada. Don't miss out on a great time. If you are interested please contact Matthew Komornik, ASGRA Trustee at [an error occurred while processing this directive]. Thank you all and hope to be hearing from you all.
I'd like your RSVPs by noon on Monday October 19, please!! I will call and reserve a table that afternoon. You can contact me via email at or on my cell at 703-371-7865. Come on out for another fun event with your ASGRA friends and family! Freddie's offers a 10% discount on all food orders to ASGRA members, so bring your membership cards!
 A Cowboy's Got To RideBy ASGRA member, Howdy again folks. Wow! Where do I begin?
The next day we moved to the town of Peculiar, Missouri where we stayed for 4 days while going to the Kansas City Rodeo, our first visit to that rodeo. Photos are available on my website.
We continued our trip through Utah and over the next week we visited Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park and Capitol Reef National Park.
The last few days we spent touring Canyonlands National Park and Arches National Park. Tomorrow we will see Colorado National Monument. Just this past Thursday we had dinner at the Bar M Chuckwaggon, an old fashioned cowboy supper on tin plates followed by an hour of cowboy music.
In Zion, we purchased a Blueray set of the Ken Burns film The National Parks and have been viewing them over the last week. A great program that I recommend everyone see. It covers many of the parks and a lot of the history of how they became parks and the problems our county had in getting them created. There are so many photos that I would like to show here but just don't have the space, so check them out on my website. If you are a Google Earth fan, try clicking on the Google Earth icons you will see on many of my photos. Those will fly you right down to where those images were shot. In a couple of weeks we should be in Denver where we will visit some good friends before turning south toward Albuquerque and the 2009 World Gay Rodeo Finals in late October. Until next time, 
Music ReviewsPatrick Hunter 1 star - Sucks, save your money and buy a beer 
George Strait I'll probably have beer bottles thrown at me the next time I walk into a honky-tonk for making the following statement, but George Strait's music never really sends me. I know that he is The King of country music, and I certainly understand why folks fawn over his music and the man himself; however, his tunes don't strike a chord with me (pun intended) in the way Alan Jackson, another country traditionalist, does from time to time. The best that I can say about Strait's music on Twang is that you sure can dance to it. To use a song title from the CD as illustration, the music is easy as you go. It has good rhythm to it and perhaps that is what makes it so popular, persuasive and lasting. "Same Kind of Crazy" is the best example of the CDs two-steppabilty. As I listened to the song , I could very well imaging the teachers at Remington's dance classes using it in their beginning two step lesson. The rhythm is even and steady; perfect for those just starting out learning quick-quick, slow-slow. The outstanding song for you swing lovers out there is "Hot Grease and Zydeco"; a jumping Cajun infused tune. For those that love buckle polishers, the afore mentioned "Easy As You Go" or "Out of Sight Out of Mind" would be the ones for you, and for the waltzers "Beautiful Day for Goodbye" will fit your fancy. Mixed in and among these tunes are others that vary in speed, bringing something that can easily suit anyone's feet--two left ones or otherwise. Even though I am not as struck by George Strait in the same way as others in the country community, I do have two favorites from this album. The first is the song "Where've I Been All My Life" and the second is "He's Got that Something Special." "Where've I Been" I like the because of the clever way that it illustrates the things that you learn when you grow up; coming to a better understanding of yourself and the world around ya. These days broccoli don't taste so bad/ He's got that something special/ The song states so simply in that phrase the pang of regret that we feel when we see the one (or in my case many) who got away with someone new. For the teams of folks out there who do love looking at George as much as they like listening to him, you are going to be disappointed in the CD booklet. Much like the way the man performs on stage, the booklet is clean, crisp and simple. There are just three photos of George, so, your swooning will be short lived. The most interesting, if not best, photo of them all is the one on the CD cover. I had to look at it closely to be sure that I was seeing what I was seeing and yes, he is sticking his tongue out between his lips like a cat that was caught by surprise while they are grooming. I'm not sure if this was intentional or a mistake, but as soon as I saw it, I thought; first that it looked goofy and second that it will give some boys - the George not-so-straights-potential additional springboard material for their fantasies. Internally, there isn't much to fantasize with. There are only two other photos of George; neither giving you a good view of those Wranglers that he's famous for. While there will be hordes of folks out there who are disappointed in the lack of pictures, I do commend the music label for making the CD booklet so neat. It makes finding lyrics to your favorite song a whole lot easier. I also commend George on making a good album. Though I'm not a fan of King George, I do recognize good music when I hear it. Twang delivers that. Die hard George fans will get more of the music they love and for us casual listeners will find the album pleasant, too - on or off the dance floor. 
Chris Young What struck me most about The Man I Want to Be when I first heard it was how few upbeat tracks it contained. The majority of the songs on Man are slow songs. With Chris' voice this works well. He's got that deep-sounding voice with the southern twang that is perfect for those soulful and sad songs. This is best displayed on my favorite song of the album "Rainy Night in Georgia." This is one of those songs that you would expect those women who sing the blues to croon out. It is much less a country song than a blues song and Chris works his voice well around the highs and lows of the lyrics. A lesser man would crack at the way that he warbles his vocals around the inflections he adds to the words in the chorus. Give a listen to it. It's something you really have to hear for yourself because it can't be duplicated in writing. Among others of the slower songs there are two that I find most intriguing. The first is "Rose in Paradise". The lyrics sing about a rich banker who keeps his woman a prisoner of his jealousy in their mansion. Its intrigue comes from the enigmatic ending of the song. To set it up, the man hires a gardener to keep an eye on his woman. Some say they ran away together/ I wasn't sure what to make of this. Did the woman really run away? Was she killed by the gardener? Were they both killed by the banker? Did the woman run off alone? The allegory that the rose that grows anytime and blooms in the night leaves me puzzled as to its meaning and I like that. I like a song that doesn't tell you everything and leaves a little bit of mystery for you to figure out on your own; especially when it is done right as in this song. It comes across less as a trick or an attempt at being clever and more of an attempt to really say something profound. The second is "The Shoebox. " The song talks about taking items that hold special memories for you and tucking them away for reminiscing later. Don't forget the little moments/ I have my own "shoebox" that I maintain in my house. It's filled with things that I want to remember someday when I'm old and have lots of retirement time on my hands. Some of the things are items where their meanings could be easily deduced and others where the meaning is just something special to me due to the dearness that I associate with them. Though 8 of the albums 10 tracks are slower tunes, you do get some zip on the CD. Of the two peppy songs, "That Makes Me" is my favorite despite the, at times, hokey-ness of the song; such as the line "Don't swear in front of no woman." I know women who can swear circles around me. I like the bounce to the song and its message about being proud of who you are and what you like. Though the message applies really to being country: old trucks, straight shots of liquor, respect for your parents/elders, the larger message is being proud of what makes you, you. For those of you who are just fans of Chris Young the man or fans of the man in addition to the music, you will be disappointed in the CD booklet. It's thin; offering precious few photos of Chris for you to gaze at while you think about Chris gettin' you home. The ones that are worth wile do offer Chris gazing right at ya from out of the photo. The sexiest one is of him at the Jukebox: black shirt, black hat and blue jeans with his face covered half in shadow. He looks just like the kind of man that the group Cowboy Crush was singing about; easily drawing you in with his casual, yet confident lean on the 'box; willing you to "come on over here" with his gaze. My, my, I keep writing like that and my computer screen will be all steamed up. Whew! I think that I just created one fantasy for myself on this! Back to reality, The Man I Want to Be will really be best suited for those who are fans of Young - the Young Country. While you can certainly understand from the voice why he was the winner of Nashville Star, the songs lack something that really set them apart; that make them special; that separates the album as a whole apart from all the other country music out there. This is mainly because of the melodies. As mentioned before, the album is steeped in slow songs; none of which really give Chris the ability to show off more of the range that he possesses in "Rainy Night". I, also, would have enjoyed just a couple more upbeat tunes to see what Chris could do with them. He certainly demonstrates that his voice can do both. Hopefully, we'll get to hear more of that on successive albums. 
Steve Azar I started out listening to Slide on Over Here with a purpose in mind. I wanted to see if I could figure out from listening to Azar's latest album why we don't hear more of him on radio. I certainly enjoyed Waiting on Joe beyond the "I Don't Have to Me 'Till Mondy" tune. I like Azar and would like to see him become more than a one-hit-wonder artist. As I listened to the music I found that it wasn't what you could classify as country. It's a little more rocking and lacking in the things that we are so used to in country music: fiddles, steel guitars, as George Strait puts it in the title of his latest album, twang. Also, Azar doesn't have the kind of smooth or, alternately, roughed up in a honky-tonk way voice that you also associate sometimes with country music. His voice is a little more raspy; like fine sandpaper; the kind that is still rough, but you can use it to really smooth out the nicks in wood. Unfortunately, like any kind of sandpaper, I can definitely understand how it might rub some folks the wrong way. I could definitely see some record label exec deciding that he just doesn't sound good. The thing is he does. He sounds good with the kind of music that he is making. Music that is infused with a Mississippi delta kind of feel. In listening to the music you can just imagine Azar playing in some club along the delta where as the river flows by while the band picks off the electric guitar and blows the harmonica as in "Moo, La, Moo"; one of my favorites from the album. "Moo, La, Moo" sings about that experience that we all have had at one time or another--making ends meet. It's a comic kind of woe-is-me ode to when the cash runs out before the clock. There's too much month at the end of the money/ Not enough dough at the end of the day I like the song for the humor in it; for the switcheroo of the familiar phrase "not enough money at the end of the month" and for its swing value. You could have a lot of fun with the melody of this song out on the floor. On the opposite side of the spectrum is "Sunshine." This song is a soft, flowing melody of the brightness and joy that someone brings into your life. It is definitely the melody over the lyrics that I like about this song. It's one of those romantic-to-dance-to songs that you can use out on the floor as you two-step and look into each other's eyes and smile. It's got a good, comfortable, rhythm to it and is probably the song where Azar's voice fits best. In interviews that I have read with Azar, he has talked about his love of his hometown Greenville, Mississippi and growing up along the river. You can hear that love coming through in this music. You can also tell as he has stated on his website, that he loves making music. This is something that also comes out in the songs. Additionally, something that I was thinking of listening to the album, which was confirmed when I went to his website, is that Azar is influenced by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band. This is most apparent in the song "Hard Road" with its slower, but still driving melody which mostly uses guitars and its vocal calls of "howu" at the end beginning of the song. Think of a steam locomotive cruising along in song form. If you are familiar with Seger's music, a fan of Seger or a fan of the kind of music then you'll find yourself enjoying Come on Over Here. However, if you are looking for more typical country music; modern or traditional, then another album would be better for you. If you are on the fence about whether or not to buy it, definitely listen to some sample tracks to see if the music is your style. Patrick Hunter |
Just after my last article, we visited Fort Riley Kansas, the home of the "Big Red One", and the US Cavalry Museum. If you are a horse or military fan this museum is one not to miss. Anyone can visit, but if you are not military or retired you have to stop at the guard gate and get a pass. Near the museum is the grave of Chief, the last Cavalry Mount in the Army.
We moved toward the southwest and stopped a couple of days in Oklahoma City to have some repairs done on the trailer. Then we headed west through the panhandle of Texas and visited the famous Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo Texas, a sculpture that is well worth missing. (Nope, that's not a typo) 
As we crossed through New Mexico we saw an unusual rest area along the Interstate which had an area to exercise your horses, complete with pens, and fresh water. 
Near Holbrook, Arizona we spent a day visiting Petrified Forest National Park. Moving into Nevada we stayed a night at the AVI Casino in Laughlin, the site of the 2010 World Gay Rodeo Finals. We spent a week in Las Vegas seeing some sights, including the Neon Bone yard where a bunch of old Las Vegas neon signs are stored. Tom played the slots a bit, never loosing more than a few dollars. The highlight of the weekend was the Las Vegas Bighorn Rodeo. More photos of the 
Coosie's Corner
Cowboy Smothered SteakIngredients
Combine flour, salt and pepper. Beat onto both sides of meat. In large skillet or Dutch oven heat oil over medium-high heat; brown meat. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until meat is fork tender. Serves 4-5 Dusty WindsSung by Dave Stamey Written by J. Babcock
Album: Old Friends 
For a limited time, Cowboy Frank is providing a stream to listen to this great song. Listen while you read. (should play on any player)
Ninety days since the country's seen a drop of rain Forty-four since the grass began to burn Thristy cattle are millin' round the old creek bed Dusty winds where the waters used to churn
Dusty winds, hear them blow
Not a cloud in the sky but still the sun shines dim
Dusty winds, hear them blow
When it's late in the evenin', in my cabin all alone
Dusty winds, hear them blow The next newsletter deadline is October 26. Send your articles to [an error occurred while processing this directive] |
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