Fomenting Civil Unrest Wherever I Go

The Garmin was set for Shreveport, Louisiana. I had anticipated it taking me to the 635 Beltway but did not question it as we travelled through Denton, Texas on 65 mph highways with stop lights every few miles. We saw farmlands next to vast tracts of McMansions- not made out of ticky-tacky but they all look just the same. Small towns and isolated churches, and megachurches. A scan of the AM dial found Country music, Rush Limbaugh, Rush again, ditto, ditto, ditto, ditto, a blues station, Rush again, Rush, Rush, and a moldy-oldies station. East Texas has some pretty country and oak groves, and prairie. Two hours into the drive I was starting to get a little anxious about the Garmin's usually reliable sense of direction. But we emerged from the wilderness very near Tyler, Texas and halfway to Shreveport. I am glad to have made the trip ONCE.

Delores had told me she especially like the pictures on the blog and I had posted none so something that said "south" was on my mind. I saw a kid taking his own picture with his camera phone in front of the "Welcome to Louisiana," sign. I stopped at the Flying-J in Longview, very near Shreveport and several flashy cars pulled in with Rap music rocking the universe. People were piling out of cars and dancing to the music. This struck me as "southern:" black people rocking out in the gas station so I snapped a couple. One woman took umbrage and made a show of pretending to write down my license number. I gave her scant attention so when I next looked at her she started all over again. Maybe I will get a letter from the NAACP for unauthorized photography of Black people or maybe the Rap underground is out to get me as I write this. Sheesh, everybody is so touchy. Jesse Jackson needs to start with Rap music folks. I heard the "N-word" coming from their stereo at least four times.

Dined well at the buffet and took leftovers for the pups and the resident feral cats who were there last time I came through and seem to have increased their number. Still feeling fresh, we headed for Jackson, Mississippi not knowing when we would play out and need to rest.