A Real Texas Cruise

As you read this post, you can be aware (maybe a little envious) that I am actually out in the Caribbean walking on a beach somewhere. I have the ability to schedule  these blog posts to appear on any date of my choosing, so I set it to come to you today while I am out in the Caribbean.  Today we may be in Belize. It has an average temperature of 84 degrees and some of our group is out doing a cave float where they float through a series of caves kinda like floating down the Guadalupe, Comal, or San Marcos River back home.  Others are on a zip line screaming their heads off  like the TV ad featuring Maxwell the pig.  Pure. Adrenalin. Snort. He he.

Last year about this time it was 8 degrees in Real Texas and we were strolling on the beach in Grand Cayman.  We caught a bus/taxi to Grand Cayman’s 7 mile beach and several of us went para-sailing for a while.  T. Gozney is pictured sailing over the deep blue waters of Grand Cayman.  That was something we had always wanted to do and it was pretty incredible.  You get a real sense of how clear the water is in most of the Caribbean and you can see the bottom even at a depth of 100′ or so.  After that, Ramona and I decided to walk down  the beach to the next bus stop and then catch a ride back to the cruise ship.  It took several hours to make that trip down the beach.  We passed by some of the big name hotels, lots of beautiful condos, and some nice private residences.  And there is a lot of  ‘people watching’ to do when you are walking on a beach.  There were a great many bikini’s to observe and comment on.  When we got tired of walking, we simply eased out in the crystal clear water and swam a while to cool off.  I even commented that those poor people back in Texas are freezing their tails off, and here we are on the beach.  That turned out to be a comment I would later regret.  It was bad karma on my part to be so insensitive to you poor folks who were freezing.  It was a cold spell to remember last year.  Coupled with an area power outage and we actually had plants freeze inside the house.   More on that later.

Let me give you some more details.  You might want to go with us next year.

We are out and about on the annual Tex-Mex Fandango Cruise which sails out of Galveston.  It’s a 7 day cruise on Royal Caribbean and some years we do the Roatan, Belize, Cozumel itinerary and on alternating years we do the Grand Cayman, Jamaica, Cozumel trip.  The cruise is all coordinated by Texas Cruise Company which is a company (full disclosure here) I have owned for a number of years now.  On this particular group cruise,  we have well over 120 friends who travel with us.  Do I do all the work on this cruise?  No, but I know someone who is super efficient and knowledgeable and I take her with me…..everywhere I go.  There are a lot of details when you are dealing with over 120 folks and we want to make sure all those details are taken care of before we go.  After we get on board, it is party time.

Who is going with us?

Our group is actually from all over Texas, California, Florida, Louisiana, the Mid-West, New York, and all points in between.  Ages range from 20 to 80, but all of us are young at heart.  We are also from all walks of life from just workin’ folks to others who could probably buy the cruise ship.  That is one good thing about us Real Texans.  There is not a whole lot of stock put in what your status in life is, but rather are you a friendly sort of folk who can relax for a while, be good company, and have a good time.

The group at left is some of us at a Tequila learning experience  Did you know there are fine vintage Tequilas just as there are fine vintage wines?  We look really professional in our hats learning to make salsa and margaritas.

We have one group of folks I call the Ira-anians.  There are probably 10 couples total who love to travel and have fun.  They are from Iraan, Texas and since all they have out there is oil wells and mesquite trees, they are usually anxious to get out on the water as well as on the dance floor.  The Iranians know how to have a good time. Yep, those Ira-anians are not all that bad.  Don’t know why Washington gets upset with them so much.

Our musical all stars are led by T. Gozney Thornton and the Old Hat Band.  T. Gozney is the originator of the Tex Mex Fandango Cruise and he got started in music back in the day with Willie, Waylon, and the boys.  He recorded at Willie’s studio, played up and down the honky-tonks and venues big and small, and is a bona-fide Grammy nominated musician with a load of talent and a big voice.  He quit the road to take care of his family and made his fortune in the cell tower industry.  Now he’s added his music back into his top level interests and you can hear a soon-to-be #1 hit of his called Necisito Nada Mas.

T. Gozney’s good friend Augie Meyers of Texas Tornados fame is also on the trip with us and he is just as nice a guy as you ever thought he was.  He’s a witty kind of person and he’s the same on stage as he is off stage.  He just takes over the entire scene when he performs because you know he’s the real deal.  Hey Baby, Que Paso? is a favorite of mine along with “Who were you thinking of, when we were making love last night?  Augie is closely associated with Doug Sahm, but he now performs with Shawn Sahm, Flaco Jimenez and the boys in the band.  Augie and his wife Sarah and a few of their friends are always on this cruise with us and the entertainment is fabulous.

Cindy Jordan penned the #1 hit song “Jose Cuervo, You are A Friend of Mine” several years back, but her musical talent is even better than that great song.  She really reminds me of my sister Beth who was also a talented musician.  Cindy sings at least one time during the evening performances and she heads up the jam sessions on board during the day.  This is a sing-a-long where anyone who brought a guitar can chime right in along with the big boys and girls and our group really enjoys these get-togethers.

Also on the cruise this year is Texas Blues rocker Jeff Strahan.  Jeff is a real road warrior and I have all his CD’s in my iTunes collection and listen to them often.  Jeff is actually an attorney who saw the error in his ways, and he took to music full time.  He grew up in Lamesa and attended Texas Tech.  He performs often in the San Marcos, New Braunfels, Austin area and has quite a statewide and national following.  His #1 sidekick, Lois Lane Minton will be coming with him as well as his mother, brother, and other friends and relatives.

Guitar Virtuoso Joe Forlini has been a friend of T. Gozney Thornton’s for a good many years and he played in T.’s band when they were on the road.  Joe is currently lead guitar player for Jerry Jeff and he can flat out make that guitar scream.  His rendition of Stevie Ray’s Pride and Joy  and Every Time I roll the Dice by Delbert McClinton will blow your hair back.  It will actually make your hair grown even if you don’t have any.

There are three private performances just for our group with open bar.  Yes, with open bar, that means you just order what you want and the waiter brings it to you, no extra charge.  Then there is one additional ship-wide party and by the time that performance rolls around, the other passengers are clawing at the doors wanting to get in on the fun generated by all the crazy Texans.

I guess I’m going to start wearing a hat if I’m gonna hang out with T. Gozney Thornton and Augie Meyers.  It’s a great way to start the new year and yes, You are invited!  I know of several Real Texas Blog readers who are interested in going next year and we hope many more will consider it.  Call Texas Cruise Company at 325-835-7561 to get all the details.  A $50 deposit will hold your cabin for next year.

Next year’s cruise is ready for you right now, or at least when we get back from this one.  It sails out of Galveston on January 20-27, 2013.  We travel to Cozumel;  George Town, Grand Cayman; and Falmouth, Jamaica.  Falmouth is Royal Caribbean’s newest cruise port in Jamaica, mon!

Now back to last year’s cruise.  It was Super Bowl Sunday when we returned to Galveston and since we know all the tricks in cruising, we were off the ship by 8:00 a.m.  Of course Ramona had to stop and load up on a cooler full of fresh shrimp, so that delayed us some, but it was worth it.

Remember my comment about all you folks freezing back in Texas while I was strolling on the beach in Grand Cayman?

A day or two after the worst of the freeze, my house/dog sitter wandered around to the back yard to check on  the water troughs in the chicken pen and he noticed a stream of water running out of my upstairs bedroom all the way down to the creek.  He’s an old retired truck driver.  If it’s not in the windshield of a truck, he is not likely to notice things like a flooded house.  I had broken pipes on my house, broken pipes in my garden, broken pipes in my sprinkler system, and out in the yard.

The good news is, it was all fixable.  I have since double insulated my pipes that feed water into the house so we shall see what this year brings.  Hopefully, it will not get down to 7 degrees back in Real Texas while I am on the beach observing bikini’s.

If it does get that cold, I shan’t say a word.

I’m David out in the Western Caribbean

Walking, watching, observing…..

Tagged as: Texas Cruise, Texas Humor, Texas Lifestyle, Texas Music, western Caribbean cruise