[It was known as] C.C. Cannan Field since 1918 and as an informal flying field and race track before that. In 1925 the field was purchased by Vince Hays for his Houston Aerial Transport Company. It was on this field that Shorty Walker and Guy Hahn made and flew their airplanes and aircraft engines. [Source]
[Top image found here, 1923 C.C. Cannan Field article found here, 1923 Detroit Free Press ad here.]
Brilliant.
Ralph Britten purchased a water tower from the nearby town of Lefors, Texas, transported it to Groom. The tower was intended to supply Britten’s remote truck stop /restaurant and tourist information center with water, but he found a cheaper supply and installed the empty tower as an advertisement on Route 66.
Britten’s business burned to the ground, but his water tower still stands.
Opened in 1959, Mr. Hamburger is still in business. From their website:
“Situated across from the famous downtown Huntsville “Walls” prison unit, Mr. Hamburger has literally been the first taste of freedom for thousands of released inmates waiting for their bus ride out of town. This influence can be seen in the uniquely named burgers fitting the prison theme.”
[Found here.]
In case you’re living in a closet, there’s some nasty weather going on down south with a killer hurricane underway.
Led Zeppelin unapologetically ripped off Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe for one of their greatest hits.
On the other hand, this blues jam was an original.
So what’s next? Maybe a Rainy Night In Georgia.
To my friends down in Texas and Louisiana, keep safe.
Johnny Winter, legendary guitarist and one of the most recognizable icons of Texas blues and rock passed away at the age of 70 earlier this week after a long career.
In a documentary released this year entitled “Johnny Winter Down and Dirty,” he laughed, “Made my first record when I was 15, started playing clubs when I was 15. Started drinking and smoking when I was 15. Sex when I was 15. Fifteen was a big year for me.”
According to Wiki, at age 10 he and his 8 year old brother Edgar played on local TV in his hometown of Beaumont Texas. Johnny Winter performed for an astounding 60 years, and he died while on still on tour.
RIP, Johnny. You made our roadtrips a hellalotta fun.
Almost forgot about this one, sent in by Russ via the mojo wire. Here’s an hour and a half of Ray Wylie Hubbard.
Home movies – the Directors’ analysis.
Very cold water is very dense. Fishing in a frozen lake in Finland. Here’s an explanation [via]:
They have inflated their BCDs (vests) with air. This will make them float up to the ‘top’. This allows them to stand on the ice upside down. If there was no ice, they would surface. You can see when they breathe, the CO2 will float to the top (bottom) of the ice and it trapped. The wheel barrow is filled with CO2 expelled (poured in from the bucket). This makes it want to float too and hence will stick to the bottom of the ice until they dump it out, which will make it loose its buoyancy and sink to the bottom…
Happy birthday to Kim Wilson, one of the greatest blues harp blowers. Saw him with his original lineup in the early 80’s, pre- Kid Ramos. Pure awesome then, pure awesome now. And just for the helluvit, here’ my favorite Zappa song to wrap it all up, “Black Napkins.”
Yeah, I may have posted that before, but so what – I like it. Have a great weekend, folks, be back here tomorrow for more fun and games.
Hmm. Exposed in an unfinished particleboard Kybo with a tile floor, wearing a bikini under her clothes, hiding behind empty beer bottles, surrounded by cases of Lucky Light, and, um, well, I dunno, Babs, but it sure looks like Texas to me. I can’t even guess what’s in the box to her left.
What’s really odd is that I found this image on a Russian website.
[Image found in here. Some NSFW/NSFK.]
Tacky Raccoons 