Imagine a dark, dingy setting where weary rustlers wear their emotions on their sleeve from a hard day's work. Sitting, sulking, drowning their worries with a drink in one hand, and what is left of their dreams in the other. Walking the thin line between sorrow and madness whilst they indulge in their libations. Revoked it's right of passage, sun light is as unwelcome as Johnny Law, and feared greater bringing the grind of the trail to ahead. The solidarity would make the most Ernst man crazy. That is the type of place and cliental I imagine that Longhorns Bar/Restaurant would cater to if properly placed in history.
Now, as everything in this great country of ours it is reduced to a themed attraction. A memorial, a tribute to one of America's foremost authority on Rugged Manhood, Mr. John Wayne. I am not sure that they could have picked a better representative of their humble establishment, because most of what I described about is true. A dimly lit, hole in the wall, a total dive - But a staple in the Summers Family lore. I might have been harsh with my comment of themed restaurant, it hasn't changed for 40 years, decorated wall to wall in John Wayne chotchkies, much of which I can only assume very valuable. A small place really, bar up the left attached to the grill, no kitchen, and dining tables on the right with the all too familiar sticky red vinyl booths. But the piece de resistance is located in the back, a veritable shrine to the man, the myth, the legend - THE DUKE! As you can see they spared no expense when meticulously constructing that tomb. The room has an eerie stalker like quality that passes quickly to a sense of awe. I'm not sure where/how they obtained this memorabilia but painstakingly done provides quite a treat. The food is good; burgers are great, and the Freedom Fries delicious. I have been a patron of this place for as long as I can remember and will be forever.
What makes this place special, is not the food, nor the Duke, it's the company that joins me. It's the first place (and often the last) we think about as a family when choosing an eating destination. The table is full of current events of each other experiences, reminiscing of embarrassing experiences, poking fun at each other's every day rituals and quirks, a time when life stands still and you focus on what's important...family. Now in the past year or so I have struggled to find the balance of what is too much family & what is too little. Always feeling guilty when evading them, prodded & badgered to call, never really making the necessary time. I had lost the way...
Since a youngster, family was my world. I was always around it (couldn't escape it if I tried), and I was happy, excited in every new experience I had with them. As I grew older, I grew apart as many of us do, losing a large piece of me along the way, and until now I didn't realize how profound effect that would have on my mental state. My grandmother told me last night, "You just have to let your kids go away for awhile, but they will always come back." Simple yet powerful, I am now trying to come back and it's much easier to fly that direction, then to head in the other. Live and learn, and in the immortal word of The Duke himself, "Life is hard; it's harder if you're stupid".
As an aside, I had a pretty difficult night/morning waking up around 3:30am, to an immense and overwhelming feeling of misery, guilt, sorrow, and regret. As I have written before about my boys and their intelligence, while broken into tears they hoped onto the bed, and sandwiched their dear old dad! What a relief to know that they have the emotional intelligence to take care of me in kind, as I hope I do for them. I had a very stable day today, "Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyways" - The Duke.
- Cheers
Now, as everything in this great country of ours it is reduced to a themed attraction. A memorial, a tribute to one of America's foremost authority on Rugged Manhood, Mr. John Wayne. I am not sure that they could have picked a better representative of their humble establishment, because most of what I described about is true. A dimly lit, hole in the wall, a total dive - But a staple in the Summers Family lore. I might have been harsh with my comment of themed restaurant, it hasn't changed for 40 years, decorated wall to wall in John Wayne chotchkies, much of which I can only assume very valuable. A small place really, bar up the left attached to the grill, no kitchen, and dining tables on the right with the all too familiar sticky red vinyl booths. But the piece de resistance is located in the back, a veritable shrine to the man, the myth, the legend - THE DUKE! As you can see they spared no expense when meticulously constructing that tomb. The room has an eerie stalker like quality that passes quickly to a sense of awe. I'm not sure where/how they obtained this memorabilia but painstakingly done provides quite a treat. The food is good; burgers are great, and the Freedom Fries delicious. I have been a patron of this place for as long as I can remember and will be forever.
What makes this place special, is not the food, nor the Duke, it's the company that joins me. It's the first place (and often the last) we think about as a family when choosing an eating destination. The table is full of current events of each other experiences, reminiscing of embarrassing experiences, poking fun at each other's every day rituals and quirks, a time when life stands still and you focus on what's important...family. Now in the past year or so I have struggled to find the balance of what is too much family & what is too little. Always feeling guilty when evading them, prodded & badgered to call, never really making the necessary time. I had lost the way...
Since a youngster, family was my world. I was always around it (couldn't escape it if I tried), and I was happy, excited in every new experience I had with them. As I grew older, I grew apart as many of us do, losing a large piece of me along the way, and until now I didn't realize how profound effect that would have on my mental state. My grandmother told me last night, "You just have to let your kids go away for awhile, but they will always come back." Simple yet powerful, I am now trying to come back and it's much easier to fly that direction, then to head in the other. Live and learn, and in the immortal word of The Duke himself, "Life is hard; it's harder if you're stupid".
As an aside, I had a pretty difficult night/morning waking up around 3:30am, to an immense and overwhelming feeling of misery, guilt, sorrow, and regret. As I have written before about my boys and their intelligence, while broken into tears they hoped onto the bed, and sandwiched their dear old dad! What a relief to know that they have the emotional intelligence to take care of me in kind, as I hope I do for them. I had a very stable day today, "Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyways" - The Duke.
- Cheers
Aunt Judy told me the same thing at Christmas when I was missing Shane and Ashley ever so much. I wiped my tears away, knowing she was right and knows the feeling as well. So I saddled up and remember what she said when my tears won't stop. Thanks Aunt Judy. I love you!
ReplyDelete