Quinn’s Extraordinary travel ramblings:

On Sunday, the day after the Turkey Track Bluegrass Festival ended, we left somewhat early because we were supposed to play at a church during the service. The church was only an hour away so we should have arrived there on time. We had Irene, our GPS navigator, programmed for the Mt. Zion Baptist Church. She took us along all of the right roads. And then when we were about twelve miles away from the church she said to go straight and my dad ignored her. He turned left and she said go straight. He drove down that road for several miles ignoring her frequent commands to turn back. Eventually we arrived at a town and my dad got out and asked for directions. When he got back in he turned around and drove off down some twisty turny road. We arrived at the church about 25 minutes before the service was supposed to start. The church members directed us to a parking location (we ended up blocking in about four cars.) And we ran in to set up our instruments and mics. By the time we were all in the church and ready to play the service was already underway. Luckily for us there were various announcements, testimonies and two baptisms which took up about the first half hour of the service. Abby wasn’t feeling well that morning so we played without her. After the service was over we moved our bus so that the cars we had blocked in could get out. Seeing as our bus was already running we packed up our stuff and drove to Damon and Marilyn’s house. Damon and Marilyn are members of the Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Hackett, Arkansas and they generously invited us to stay at their home for a few nights. At their house we visited with them and the pastor who had come over for lunch. After lunch was over we rested up while we had the chance. We were all somewhat tired from our weekend at Turkey Track in Waldron, Arkansas. While we were resting at the house that afternoon Damon asked Abby and I to help him make ice cream. It was very exciting and we got to pour the ice and salt into it. Once the ice cream was done Laura and I got to eat the ice cream off of the weird spinning thing.
That night when we went to play a concert at the Mt. Zion Baptist Church we took the ice cream we had made for after the concert. There were a few people who had been at Turkey Track that came to see us, the members of Mt. Zion Baptist Church and many visitors in attendance. After the concert everyone but myself and a few other people went downstairs to eat apple cobbler and ice cream. The apple cobbler had been cooked in a dutch oven over an open fire. Luckily for me I had a few people to talk to and my dad brought me some of it. Once most of the people were gone we packed up our instruments and microphones. We left the bass their overnight though because there wasn’t any room in the car. We stayed the night in Damon and Marilyn’s guest rooms.
On Monday we did our school work, practiced and visited. Damon is a retired algebra teacher so he helped me with my math while we were there. He was also a farmer and a high school principle. For lunch we went to a Central American-Spanish- Mexican-Honduran-Nicaraguan (not really sure what) restaurant with pastor Brian and Damon. The main courses were hog knuckles and cactus root (pretty good stuff.) After we were done there we went to a Dairy Queen which was right next door and had dessert.

That evening we went to pastor Brian’s grandparents house for dinner. While we were at their house eating dinner, pastor Brian and his extended family talked about many boyhood haunts and the memorable escapades of a favorite family uncle. Such as making a home made balloon and filling it with home concocted nitrogen in a garage attached to the house. They then took it out side and put it on a long line and let it go up in the sky. Then they attached an Estes rocket to the tether line and attached a sparkler to the rocket and lit it. Then shot the rocket at the balloon. The concurring blast lit up the entire holler like the Hindenburg explosion.
On Tuesday we continued on with school work and laundry. We did find out that we would be going to Branson, Missouri to have our bus worked on the next day though. We wanted to go and see the Redhead Express play while we were there. We were going to Wall Mart so when we arrived I went off in search of a red wig to wear to the Redhead Express concert in Branson City. I did find one.
That evening at Damon and Marilyn’s house, Damon showed us his motorcycle. I, knowing nothing about motorcycles, don’t recall the particulars other than to relate this story. Damon was out on a ride one day when he stopped by his mother in law’s house. She asked him come over to where she was near a plant in the yard. He asked her what she wanted and she told him. It happened that she was vexed with a resident armadillo that kept coming and digging under a bush near her house. She had tried traps and all sorts of stuff to get rid of it. Finally she had the brilliant idea of gassing it out. Well she didn’t have anything to gas it out with so she was going to use Damon’s motorcycle. She had a hose which she was going to hook up to the motorcycle’s tailpipe and stick in the armadillo hole. She did that and then she asked Damon to fire it up. It smoked but there wasn’t an armadillo to be seen. For all I know the armadillo hunt is still on.

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