Lubbock, you charming karma-builder. It is an especially welcome sight after the non-descript ride across west Texas. Fort Sumner in New Mexico was a lovely lunch spot with Esther’s and new friends Juanita and Tony who just moved here from Chico, for whom I opened Esther’s door and who invited me to eat lunch with them when they got the last available table. I learned of their move to be near their daughter and grandkids, their meeting as missionaries in Brazil – just one of those wonderful on-the-road moments.
My friend had told me how nice Lubbock was, and while the ride there was non-descript, the town itself has a character and style that was a little unexpected. Great meals around good people with fun college game setting and much more.
And I just kept falling into good fortune.
I had screwed up my hotel reservation weeks ago and, given Texas Tech’s huge NIL spending, their football team was in the middle of a resurgence. I got a very good ticket for a reasonable price on GameTime and a last minute AirBnB reservation in a Landman-like condo near everything I needed for just $80/night. The hotel with the messed up dates wanted $700! Imagine a duplex where you walk in the coded front door. There is a clean living room and kitchen with a HUGE TV, an industrial pod-based coffee maker tied to 5-gallon jugs of water and a hallway with 3 bedrooms labeled, creatively, 1, 2 and 3. In the other rooms were guys working on wind turbines. And I was the tourist at the end of the hall. The bedroom had a coded entry too, and I entered at about 3pm to a bedroom, private bath and sitting area…, simple but pristine with its OWN huge TV – on the wall at the foot of and wider than my king size bed. PERFECT for playoff baseball and college football in the morning. I showered, set out my stuff for the two-day stay, bought the football ticket, and tried to finish up contracting for a January ArrowCreek show with Jeff Crosby and Cody Braun with baseball in the [HUGE] background. Cody was online and asked where I was on my trip. I told him and he said, “you know, we are playing there tomorrow, right?” I had no idea. Lynn still does not believe me. My friend Mike Gill later said by text when he’d heard the news, “You know, Ford, when you go to the South Pole, Reckless Kelly will be there.”
Maybeee, if my luck continues.
I went to the Triple J Chophouse for dinner, met a couple of guys in town to see Kansas play Texas Tech who were going on to see the Kruse Brothers right across the street. I went there, too, but learned that they would not hit the stage until 11pm, too late for me on this night. But I met their manager, talked to Chandler Kruse the next day and am set up to discuss future shows. Incredible!
The Texas Tech game was great, with the tortilla throwing tradition, the warnings issued by Big 12 officials, the pageantry and the penalties called. Tech stomped the mythical Jayhawk birds, and I got another hat I do not need.
And Cody had passes for me at what turned out to be a private event for the Stock Show Syndicate (I have no idea what that is.) Reckless was supposed to hit the stage at 9:30 in this huge metal building setup, as Lynn said, like a wedding reception for an auction (I had clearly and thankfully missed.) Good performance in a tough room for sound. The boys did their classic great job, although it felt like the kind of gig that musicians simply have to take on because the reward was likely substantial. Clearly they were playing to fans even though the setting was strange.
As it closed, I was happily wiped out and wandered down a deserted country road back to my Landman stopover by 12:30 or so, prepared for the ride to Mineral Wells. Thanks to Peyton, Cody, Willy, Joe, Jay, Geoff and the Stock Show folks for making me so welcome.
Let the incredible good fortune continue!
A Goods Life 