S.A.L.E. -- yee-haw, pardners!

Late Saturday we finally made it to the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo. "We" is Patrick, LaRae and myself. S.A.L.E. refers to the Stock Show ("Livestock Exhibition"), barns of which are a part of the grounds; other major elements are the midway rides, various tents as well as permanent buildings for exhibits or live music events, the Freeman Coliseum (original home of the Rodeo) and the AT&T Center (formerly named SBC Center and current home to the Rodeo as well as the NBA Spurs). When we reached the ticket booth, we discovered that only a few individual, scattered seats remained, & none in the least expensive category. I was very disappointed, especially after Patrick & LaRae chose to skip the Rodeo since they couldn't sit together. I'd looked forward SO MUCH to enjoying something like the Rodeo with folk I knew!

Let me confess that it was my mistake (at least in part). This year Sat. nite was Rodeo Finals, the Championship round, formerly held on Sunday. Therefore, I should have anticipated that there would be a sell-out or near sell-out. But sell-out didn't come to mind, alas!

Once we had tickets (all three for Stock Show and me also for Rodeo), we enjoyed together some of the Stock Show grounds during the almost two hours before I had to go enter the AT&T Center for the Rodeo Finals. We saw a comedy shoot-out show outdoors, and some other outdoor activities before we entered a food tent, bought a little supper and took the food outside. That way we could bask in the fine evening weather while munching.

The Rodeo was terrific to see! Such exciting competition between man and beast! Or in the case of barrel-racing, between women on beasts! This was, after all, the Finals, and I remember that the one time I had attended the Finals before it was most exciting.

I got the most enthused at the steer tie-down, because two of the competitors hailed from Decatur, where we (my wife & I) had lived in '80-'81, another from Chico, a tiny village in the same county, and a fourth from Weatherford, seat for an adjoining county. They might as well have labeled this the "North Texas Event", I guess. For awhile, one of the Decatur cowboys held first place in the round (Saturday's round, as opposed to all competitions). But alas! none of the four won. Still, it was exciting, and mention of those towns ignited sweet memories of my long-ago residence in North Texas.

Featured musical entertainment for the Finals was Montgomery Gentry, a duo who came to attention in the early 1990s. They're okay, indeed, so talented as to be one reason I had focused on attendance on the final Saturday, even back in January. But I'd made arrangements to meet the couple from Idaho at ten. Bull riding had just finished then, but I honored our arrangement and left the arena without hearing Montgomery Gentry. And I still considered that the competition in all events had made it a worthwhile evening!

When I joined up with Patrick And LaRae, she showed me a picture they had bought at the Stock Show. It was a matte-edged copy of "The Soldier's Creed" with three names custom-added at the bottom: Patrick's, his step-son Zane and LaRae's son-in-law. All three are on active duty, since Patrick has "re-upped"; Zane returned late last year from duty in Iraq, and the third soldier has just returned to his wife (LaRae's daughter and Patrick's step-daughter) in Germany from HIS tour in the war-torn land.

My time at the Rodeo grounds was over for the day, but not over. The next morning, Sunday, final day of the Stock Show, I returned for "Cowboy Church". It was my third year to attend the worship on its final Sunday. I choose that Sunday because Susie Luchsinger sings at it. She's Reba McEntire's sister, and sings every bit as pretty as the famous Reba. Only, instead of pop-country music Susie sings exclusively Christian music, mostly Southern gospel and Christian country (or "Country-gospel").

Alas! Susie was absent, because her father-in-law had just passed away. So the featured preacher, Brother Ikels of the Country Church in nearby Marion, had asked a woman from The Country Church to fill in; she did a fine job! And Brother Ikels' message was an excellent exhortation to us to give God our BEST in everything!

After "Cowboy Church" I hung around the Stock Show for a few hours, and got my picture taken with my favorite deejay, Jerry King of KKYX-AM 680. Just a few years ago Jerry was inducted into the Country Deejay Hall of Fame, located in the Opryland Hotel in Nashville. His claim to fame? Jerry was the first deejay to broadcast a song recorded by George Strait! The song was George's first hit, "Unwound". Jerry and I have had a good friendship ever since I came to San Antonio and began to win prizes on his weekday morning "Today in History" on KKYX. I think I have to confess that probably one reason I like Jerry so much is his distinctive connection to my favorite singer of not only country but of ANY style of music! But also I will insist that Jerry is a friendly ol' guy himself; he really doesn't need any help from George to endear himself to anyone!

So, when you're in the San Antonio area on a weekday morning, tune in Jerry King on KKYX-AM 680. You most likely will hear not only lots of different classic old country hits from lots of different artists, but perhaps your favorite George Strait song!