Kelly Says

It’s been quite a while since the last update on here. I apologize for the delay, but the Terlingua trip did take a great deal of recovery time. I’m almost over it now, and I’m sure I’ll be ready to go again by November. How ‘bout you Harvey?

It’s been a long, cold winter here. We have endured snow, rain, bitter temps and mild winds (20 hours of sustained 50 M.P.H. winds with gusts to 75 M.P.H.). Christmas came and went, and the New Year brought about great change to some really good friends and members of our cooking team. We are looking forward to a new cooking season and all the fun that goes with it.

Our first cookoff of the year was at Fairfield. We left home early on Friday, looking forward to a fun-filled weekend of cooking. After about 2 hours, the rain began to fall – HARD. We stopped to think about our fate. Kim and I had a concerned discussion about how irresponsible it would be to continue on with forecasts of rain and ice all weekend ahead of us, and we made the choice most cookers would – LET’S GO!

The trip from Tahoka to Fairfield is a long one at best, but we were fortunate that it was uneventful for the most part. We only had one occasion to slide all the tires on all the vehicles, and that ended as well as could be expected. And we learned that 2 trailers can be backed-up down a street if you REALLY HAVE TO.

After a fine meal of ground beef on a bun and fried taters, we made our final stop before Fairfield – The Beer Store! (note to self : buy beer at home next time – it’s pricey here!)

We arrived in Fairfield mid-afternoon, to sunshine. Harvey, Jean, Aletha and Dale all greeted us and helped us get set up. Special thanks to Lance for all his help too. We had a great meal cooked by Pat and Glen and sides from lots of other folks. There is nothing like a good hot meal before a long, cold night of cooking.

The rain began Friday night and continued through Sunday morning. I’m not sure of any total amount, but we did see a guy with a big boat gathering animals as we were leaving on Sunday morning.

Saturday morning was a classic, to say the least. I am usually a focal point at a cooks meeting, but Robert Waters is an act that can not be followed! He has some of the funniest stories I have ever heard in my life – and some of them may even be true! When you meet him, ask him where the tent door is!

We had a good day cooking, although the weather was a challenge. The rain fell, but there was never a lack of good fellowship available. Harvey was always ready to offer some help, as long as he could stay under his warm canopy to give it. Roberts brandy also made a nice ice-breaker for all who chose to sample.

We fared better than expected at the awards. We were in the company of some of the best cooks in the state, and any mention was considered an accomplishment. After the awards and some camp breakdown, a group of us decided to go have a meal of anything but BBQ. In the rain, once again, we headed for the local buffet. We all had a fine meal and great company. All was well until we started to pay our checks. If Harvey would have paid for everything there never would have been a problem. Instead, we had separate checks for 4 couples and 2 individuals. The totals should have been the same for each party, but they weren’t even close! After some discussion with the management and staff, we decided it would be best if we all left soon. Robert attempted to negotiate his bill in the parking lot, but the manager chose to step out of the rain instead.

Sunday morning dawned with heavy rain, but a short pause was all we needed to get hooked up and on the road. A brief stop for a cup of coffee, and off we went. Harvey and Jean led the way all the way to Waco, and made many attempts to get us to follow them home. The gesture didn’t go un-noticed, and was VERY APPRECIATED. Next time we will accept. We continued our trek westward, although we kept dipping further south to avoid the ice. Thanks to everybody who called to check on us and offer their help, their homes and everything else to get us home safe. It meant ALOT to us!

After a LONG day on the road, we finally stopped in Big Spring for the night. (If you look on a map from Fairfield to Tahoka, Big Spring is really far south. We ended up going all the way to San Angelo to avoid the frozen roads).  We found an RV park with some great folks who were willing to do anything to help us. We had a good nights rest and were within striking distance of home! It was great.

Monday morning, after a couple of calls to work to explain why we were not going to be in, we went to check the road. It was icy, slick and nasty – so we hooked up the 2 trailers and headed out! I am 40 years old, have 3 kids and I am somewhat independent, but I was very proud for my dad to drive 80 miles to help me pull the pit home. We wouldn’t have made it without his help.

The whole trip was a great lesson in the kindness of our friends, both new and old. We don’t cook well enough to do this for the money! We do this to be around the people we have met on the BBQ trail who took us in, and treat us better than we deserve. Thanks to all of ya’ll.

The opinions listed here are those of Kelly Draper, and may not reflect the opinions of any other LSBS officers or members.