Pleasant Moments in Houston.

It pains me to be one of the thousand people writing their condolences to the families, business owners and millions of refugees sent from their homes, but I must. I must write because I too feel pain on this matter. Not by mere human sympathy but in a sort of convoluted empathy. In a sort of sorrow & familiarity.

Texas, such a great state and such amazingly cool people. The biggest of the continental united states and about the same square mileage as the sovereign state of France. Texas is the mammoth of states the mecca of roads and could survive as a country of its own militarily & economically. 

The state of Texas has a gross domestic product of 1.6 Trillion ranking 2nd after California, and just ahead of New York. So if your one of those who think that Texas is nothing but horse ranches and egg farms you better get your head straight.

The people of Texas are very smart, orderly & well mannered. They are polite, honest and have a strong work ethic. The state & local governments charge minimal tax and have a policy of trickle down economics to speed up growth and keep the money in the hands of the people. This gives them no challenge in creating the dream commonwealth, just look at the roads.

About ten years ago, I was actually driving thorough Texas. I was working on a moving truck at the time and had been doing so for about two years, summers were great on the road, I would kick on some classic rock & just watch the white lines of the road pass under me as the mountains pass & the views change. But nothing like Texas.

Texas has a hotter climate usually, Houston in particular is very hot & very humid because it's right up on the Gulf of Mexico. I have not spent much time in Houston but I did have many encounters with people when working in the moving business, in Texas & across the U.S. People are very nice, in-fact one customer practically gave me his guitar!

My brother & I were unloading the truck into a third floor apartment of a housing complex when I noticed a guitar case. As I brought it into the house I mentioned that I play & complimented him on the nice case. We exchanged a few words about it & he asked if I wanted to give it a try.

It was an Blue Ibanez Acoustic Electric in brand new condition. I whipped it out if the case & started up on some oldies as I always do. The guy saw how much I loved the guitar and asked if I wanted to buy it. Knowing that this piece was worth about 500 USD I asked him how much? He smiled & said you pay me what you want & the rest will be a tip.

I smiled as he suggested "Is two, three hundred bucks okay?" so I said sure let me go check with my brother, he was gonna chip in. We finished unloading the truck into his apartment and we later bought the guitar from him for $230 and he threw in an amp so we could play on the road. It was awesome.

So the reason I'm telling y'all that story is because here in New York, many people think of Texas as a gun slingin' planet killin' band of uneducated war mongers but that's not the case. People in Texas are strong, they stick up for them selves and lord help me are they nice! They are always smiling and ready to lend a hand.

Ever had your tire changed by a road worker? Ever had a cop stop and give you a tip instead of a ticket? ever bought a house and didn't have to pay property tax? Not to mention the neighbors! They actually talk to you! Texas really is that utopia of what what america should be.

So as I watch these videos of people loosing everything they own, I think to myself, it kinda sucks. And it kinda sucks that people still think Texas is all hick town. and if you've been around and you know that's not true, give me a hell yeah. Give a dollar to a relief fund & lets get this mess cleaned up. 

I'm sure the Texans would love to have us visit again.