Yeehaw Ii

[BradD]

Made it home safe and sound. 18 hours each way, ugh!

 

But the trip was great!

 

On the second day myself, two Texans and an ex-Texan Arizonan (if there could be such a thing) got into a herd of javelina and it was just like Jerry said it. It was rather reminiscent of quail hunting, they were flying out in every direction. What a schutzenfest. Got my two and was accused of helping a bit on one or two others.

 

The California jokes only lasted for a half hour,or so, fortunately I had been practicing up with Texas jokes so that one was a wash. Although I no longer speak Spanish, I did dazzle them with my ability to speak Okie. They all wanted to know how I could be so fluent. That's easy, everyone in Central California is an Okie, even those of us not by birthright, but rather acquired.

 

It would be hard to find better folks to hang out with for a few days. I could live among those folks, but don't think I could move. Everywhere I go I hear people complain about Californians moving in (except in Colorado where they complain about Californians AND Texans moving in). It's my position that those are mostly people who moved to California, helped screw it up, and are now willing to move somewhere else, to now help screw it up there. My experience is that native Californians just don't transplant very well.

 

West Texas soul food was a bit of a surprise for me. Nothing goes to waste there. And maybe we all should have a bit of experience with that. Everything was quite tasty as prepared and though I was expecting jackrabbit, venison, javelina and a few other delicacies, I wasn't ready for bobcat stew. My cats must never hear of this!

 

I try to go to Texas once a year to hunt. Now that I don't have to go there for meetings or USAF I like it a lot better. Never really got to meet the folks, at least the kind of folks I want to meet, until I started hunting there. Next year Randall is planning of having a combo javelina/spring turkey hunt. Can't wait.

 

Never did get to teach eveybody about perversion, liberal politics, religion or Hollywood. Maybe next year. Yeah, right.

 

Texas, thanks agin. Y'all got a friend out here if you need one.

 

Okay, you guys can go back to talking bad about me now.

 

PS: Stay out of Phoenix at all costs!!!

[roscoedoh]

My experience is that native Californians just don't transplant very well.

 

Neither do we. I fought tooth and nail to get a job here after college. Now that you've gotten a good dose of ole Texas, you see why too.

 

Glad you had a great time here and hope you can make it back down again. Your hunt sounds like a heck of a time. I want to try to make it out west and shoot some javelinas sometime too.

 

The funny thing is though, if you think about about it, you're just about as far away from Ft. Stockton as I am and I live here. Fancy that, eh?

 

Texas; like no other place!

[rwims]

Thanks for the compliments BradD. Comeback anytime. I've lived in both states and California is a beautiful state but for a Native Texan like me, there's no place like home! I hope you can make it to the Piney Woods of East Texas sometime.

 

rwims

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TEXAS, A WHOLE OTHER COUNTRY!

[roscoedoh]

He makes it over to our side of Tejas and I'll buy him a frosty cold Shiner Bock and some world class brisket.

[z1r]

He makes it over to our side of Tejas and I'll buy him a frosty cold Shiner Bock and some world class brisket.

 

 

From that BBQ place with the big steer in Nacogdoches?

 

 

[Emul8]

BradD --

 

Glad you are back! I concur absolutely on the general rule of staying out of Phoenix at all costs...that place is 30 shades of horrible!

 

I think I will avoid commentary on that whole "Okie" thing...I am a native Oklahoman and I HATE the term "Okie", as do most Oklahomans I know. But you are quite correct, there does seem to be a disproportionate number of former Oklahomans living in the central valley region of CA, doesn't there? I remember when I used to live in Stockton, CA, and there was a little area east of the city proper that was informally called "Okieville". Just hearing the nickname used to make me bristle! LOL!

 

Anyway, I am glad your TX hunt went well, sounds like it was fun!

[roscoedoh]

From that BBQ place with the big steer in Nacogdoches?

 

Of course; only from the new restuarant as John's moved his operation around the corner. Or, from his brother Mike down on the South end of town. Both have good BBQ.

 

Incidentally, I'm impressed that you remember that big steer!

 

Jason

 

[Horsefly]

Glad ya'll had a good time Brad! I think next Dec.,when I go to Presidio mule-deer hunting,I'm going to take a bow or muzzleloader and spend a couple days just javelina hunting.I haven't shot a bow in 20 years,but am still up on front stuffers.Sounds like a good excuse to get another bow.I'd really rather have a 36 or 40 cal.squirrel rifle.Hellfire,I may take both.I'm an old,wore out native Texan,and I can't come up with one California joke.My family is from both banks of the Red River,we used to cross over in a boat to vist my Great Grandmother,and they call themselves Okies.It's all in the tone it's said in.I always thought I'd like to see Pheonix,no way now.I wish Tejas could give out-of-staters a cut on license cost.Jerry Oh ya,have you had enough time to get the thorns out of your legs yet and doctor your lechequea stab wounds?

[Sailormilan2]

Emmy, just a mildly amusing story of "Okies" and Oklahoma. My brother and his wife, a teacher, moved from here in Bakersfield to Oklahoma a few years back. I received a phone call from him one day and he was complaining of all the "Okies" there. I asked him what he expected? He was living right in the middle of Oklahoma. They only lasted 2 years there.

Actually, and I bet Brad can agree with this, there are probably more Okies here in Bakersfield, than in Oklahoma.

I'm not going to say anything bad about Okies...........................................now them Arkies.......................

[Dr.Hess]

If'n we're gonna badmouth Arkies, then ya'll need to realize that half the people up here are from Texas and the other half are from California.

 

There is a small "native" Arkie contingent, though. Look for the pseudophed packages littered out in their front yard.

 

Dr.Hess

<18 years in PRC, 18 years in Tejas>

[BradD]

You know, Emy, it's funny that you bring up the use of the term Okie. If you're from Oklahoma (another great state to visit, I might add) and don't like the term, I for one, wouldn't think of using it around you (ewwww, I am like so totally PC - back in CA now).

 

However, a bit about us folks up here. In 1900 oil was discovered in Bakersfield. It turned out to be one of the largest oil discoveries ever made. We still produce roughly 30% of the domestic oil in the US, not the whole state of California, just right here in Kern County. Well guess what? The cowboys, Indians and Californios here didn't know anything about oil. So guess who came, you got it, Texans and Oklahomans by the thousands who did know how to work the oil patch. Most stayed.

 

In 1929 the Great Depression struck and within a year or so the Great Drought struck the midwest, Oklahoma the worst, the land literally blew away in the Dust Bowl and families were ruined. Since they were primarily farmers and ranchers they went to a place much like where they had lived. Guess who came to Central California to the tune of about 300,000. Almost all stayed.

 

I mentioned before in another thread that Central California was under Federal troop occupation during the Civil War. That's because Central California was settled primarily by southerners, as opposed to rest of the state which was primarily settled by gold seeking Europeans and Americans from the east. When the war came those Copperheads wanted out of the Union and out of California, with their land, thank you.

 

I bring this up because the term Okie has always been in use up here. Frankly, I can't think of why people in Oklahoma would be calling each other Okies. They are all there together, so it undoubtedly sounds kind of odd there. Here, you're an Indian, a Mexican, an Okie (or Arkie as SM2 mentioned) a yankee (gulp), a Californio, Italian, Basque or just a mongrel whose bloodline goes back aways (my group), or worst of all, one of the ten zillion newcomers. We're a bit of a mix so we've kept identity labels, some of which might sound a bit unkind to outsiders, but we use them commonly everyday without a thought. When I was in Grad school one of my sociology professors referred to the folks as Oklahoma-Americans. All us Okies, naturalized or by birthright, thought that was pretty clever, but Okie was easier.

 

I can tell you this, there is no prouder group of folks in this country than those with an Oklahoma heritage (talk about rugged survivors!!!) and they identify themselves as Okies.

 

So Em, I think maybe Okies are Californians and people in Oklahoma are Oklahomans, seems fair to me.

 

I'm sure we'll become sensitive and politically correct up here one of these days, but we'll be the last ones in California, and proud of it.

 

Oh yeah, Phoenix. 1.4 million people and everyone of them are in a car at the same time! Arizona is another truely great state. I just really enjoy wandering through it, but always try to avoid the P town. This time I thought I'd be real smart and stay there.

 

Now Arizonans are polite, courteous and generally very nice people. However, if you like driving in L.A. you'll adore Phoenix. I soon realized that everybody was just having to hog through the traffic to get where ever it was they were all going. So when in Rome or Phoenix, do as the Romans or Phoenixians (I guess it would be Phoenicians?). So I hogged on through. You know, not one single person flipped me a bird or cussed at me or took a shot at me. In that respect, a far cry from L.A. where freeway driving is best done armed.

 

So, even though the place is a mess, the folks there a still a real tribute to their primarily Eastern, genteel heritage. Use the bypass, anyway.

 

Yep, Jerry, got all the thorns out of my butt. Just like Mojave Desert thorns.

 

Shiner Bock and brisket? Believe I'll add a day or two to the trip next year.

 

Thanks for the welcome home, it's been lots of fun hearin' from y'all.

 

Brad

[Sailormilan2]

Okay, Brad. Is Bakersfield a suburb of Oklahoma City, or is Oklahoma City a suburb of Bakersfield??? It can't be too bad here, Buck and Merle stay here.

[BradD]

You answered your own question in your last line, Dale.

 

Where do the songs get written, B'field or OKC?

 

"I'm proud to be an Okie from Muskogee," read that Bakersfield, Merle's probably never seen Muskogee in his life.

 

You doin' the show next week?

[Sailormilan2]

Yup, I'll be there.