Friday I flew to Alabama for the wedding of Susan Kenyon and Herman Porter. Got into Birminigham at 7, then rented a car and drove to Huntsville. Really
pleasant drive in rolling hills, with the sunset lighting up the clouds very nicely. Got to Susan and Herman’s a little after 9. Snuck up behind Susan and
asked, “Ok, where’s the food?” Her screamof recognition was enough to set off car alarms. Kelli Estes (Diva-In-Training) was also there, and got caught up with
her. Craig Dodson and Roy Spencer entertained the gathering with songs, the crowd favorite of which was Craig’s own composition, “She Broke My Heart, So I Broke
Her Damn Jaw.”
Saturday morning I picked up Ed Benyon at the Huntsville Airport, then we had breakfast at a restaurant inspiringly named “The Coffee Shop” located right next to
the King’s Inn, where we were staying. After reading the papers, we went to Kroger because I needed to get a card for my gift which I failed to wrap. Went back
to the hotel and watched the last half or so of Shrek, then went to the wedding. Nice service, ~45 minutes, with gorgeous music by Ron Simmons, Ken Watters, Roy,
Kelli, Craig, and Fran Cornelison. They had all the guests gather on the steps of the church for a picture, and instead of a guest book they had everyone sign a
matte to frame the group picture in…very nifty idea. Reception had the food already laid out and waiting when we got in, which was *greatly* appreciated.
Kelli, Craig, Ed and I spent the time being catty about people, then helped clean up.
Before going back to the hotel, Ed and I decided that we needed cigars for the karaoke bar later than evening. Unfortunately, the Tobacco Discount Store was
closed, and although the Kroger’s in near me in Houston have decently stocked humidors, the one in Huntsville could only provide Swisher Sweets’ the customer
service lady said there was a tobacconist just across the river, so we headed across the bridges of Madison County and stopped at a the place, which turned out
to be a tiny gas station/head shop. The cigar selection was not as diverse as the bong selection, so settled on some Garcia y Vegas. We waited about 5 minutes
at the register while the one-armed clerk got sorted the day’s receipts, often wandering back and forth behind the counter, leaving gobs of money with easy reach
of us and the door. He finally decided to let us make our purchase, and we headed back to the hotel and watched a bit of Pulp Fiction.
Late for leaving for Austin, so the Karaoke Night Tales will have to wait until later.
Oh, and some new quotes are posted.