July 21, 2004

Well Folks……

We’re still walkin’ about 6 inches off the ground…..with our heads in the clouds …….what a wonderful, wonderful week we’ve had…..the great trip to Fort Worth….and the winning of the Academy of Western Artists’ 2004 Will Rogers Award for “Western Music Duo/Group of the Year”! How in the world can it get any better than this??? Just don’t think it CAN get any better!! And we owe it all to all you wonderful folks out there who believe in us and give us such great moral support! Thank you…..Thank you….Thank you!!! What more can we say? Oh…..yes……And we love each and every one of you!

Well now….the “gushy” part’s over……and here comes the fun stuff! As you all know…we’ve had a very hectic two weeks….the trip….the awards ceremony….(the party AFTERWARDS!!!)……But let me begin at the beginning!!! When we stepped out of that Limo in front of the Hotel….we knew this was going to be a memorable event for us…..’cause we didn’t have time to do much more than check in and throw our luggage inside the room …before it was time for our first Showcase!!! And we maintained that pace the entire time we were there!!! Up at 6:30 am or so…..down to the dining room for breakfast by 8:30 am …..Showcasing began at 10:00am and lasted until 6:00pm….and you just HAVE to see EVERYBODY!!! Then up to the room to change clothes for dinner and the evening entertainment and dance in the Ballroom by such greats as Dave Alexander and the Legends of Western Swing…..Red Stegall…..The Texas Trailhands….until after Midnight….and then to a jammin’ group …..and hold the walls up until 3:00am or so…….ohhhhh it was wonderful!!! Exhausting……but Wonderful!!!

Oh….now let me tell you a bit about the setting of the convention and trade show…..and THEN I’ll talk about the party after the awards ceremony! Well an entire wing of the Doral Tessoro Hotel (which by the way….was a Four Star Facility with a Championship Golf Course!!) …was filled with Cowboys and Cowgirls and radio personalities! And was it ever a “posh” affair!! The Mercantile was loaded with all kinds of great merchandise….from cds and cassette tapes …..to leather and silver works…..paintings and sculptures…..to authentic western wear. And all the way up and down the broad hallways were the vendors’ booths with wonderful samples of their works for sale….saddles, bridles, chaps and leggings, hats of all styles and sized to fit you right there in the booth! Then there were the precious stones dealers, woodworkers, silversmiths, artists and sculptures and the clothing was out of this world! Wish I’d had a couple of thousand to blow!! Oh well, maybe one of these days!!

So now you can sort of “see” the setting……but you just won’t be able to imagine the quality of the music…..unless you were THERE! Lovely Melodies just floated on the air and permeated the entire wing! There were two large rooms…..one at each end of Convention area….far enough away from each other so the sounds wouldn’t override…..(the main one was ballroom size!) devoted solely to the music…….a large stage graced one end of each room …..and was equipped with a sound and p.a. system appropriate to the room size….and all day long ……the stages were filled with Cowboy and Cowgirl Poets, Balladeers and Singers and Musicians!! And they kept the audiences enthralled and spellbound for hours and hours……It sure was hard to decide WHO you wanted to see……WHERE you wanted to see them…..and WHEN you needed to be there!!! So everybody was walking around with a Showcase Schedule in their hands! Until it came to YOUR time to perform……then you ran like crazy to get there in time!!! And the jammin’!!!! Ohhhhhh….the jammin’ was incredible!! Around every corner and even from around the pool……from dusk to dawn ……there was a group of four…..eight…..seventeen …..or 32 people….or more…….all of them playing and singing in turns……or telling stories…..if they knew the music….they played…..and if they DIDN’T know the music ….they listened for a round or so and THEN played right along!

The weather was grand…windy but hot…..of course…..being inside the hotel……it was cool and comfortable…..but when you got hungry you braved the 95 + degrees to go out on the grounds to the Chuckwagon Cook-Off area!! But it was sure worth it….because there were acres and acres of chuckwagon chefs each proclaiming to be the “King of the Cowboy Barbecues”…..(ohhhhh….. the Heavenly aromas wafting on the breeze!)…….and in trying to out-do each other……provided all of us with some of the very best eatin’ I’ve ever had!! And cheap too!!! I couldn’t have voted one way or the other…..it was ALL excellent!!




Now…..we come to the night of the Awards Ceremony! It was in Fort Worth proper…..at the Will Rogers Memorial Auditorium…..and talk about “coat and tie” affair!!! There’s nothin’ more attractive to my way of thinkin’ …..than Western Formal Wear! It is absolutely astonishing……and incredibly beautiful!! And just think of a whole auditorium full of formally attired western fans and performers!! It was something else I’m tellin’ you!! Nashville and the Country Music Awards doesn’t have anything up on those folks!!! And it’s amazing how graceful the ladies are…..and how respectful the gentlemen are…..when greeting old friends or being introduced to new ones…..the ladies nod their heads in response and the gentlemen tip their hats and bow slightly……oh so very dignified …..almost like something out of the “Old South”!! (Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara!!!!) And they always remember your name! You can’t help but fall in love with everyone!!

Again…..now that I’ve sort of “set the stage”….let me tell you how we almost didn’t get IN the theatre!!! Of course…it was hectic getting ready for the grand evening……three sets of hair curlers……or curling irons…..ironing…..ironing……ironing……coffee….coffee….and more coffee……telephone call after telephone call……then finally rushing down to the lobby to catch the shuttle to the auditorium! We made it! So it was catch our breath during the 25-mile ride into Fort Worth! As the shuttle was pulling into the auditorium parking lot…..we realized that we didn’t have our tickets to get in!!! In the frenzy of getting dressed….made up….and downstairs on time….we’d left the tickets in another purse……laying on the bed!!! Talk about Frantic!!! What to do???? So I caught Sandra Herl before she entered the building….told her our situation…..and she came up with three more tickets (she just happened to have $125.00 per seat tickets just laying around!!!)…..they’d get us in…..but they weren’t located together……Soooooo….since the Top Five Finalists were all seated down at the front…..we figured when everyone got seated that we’d take the three seats left over…..and that would surely be our seats!!! Well……we finally got seated….and my left knee popped!! The blasted thing had been giving me trouble all week……but now it started swelling!!! So…..I spied a front row seat way over next to the wall aisle…near the end of the stage where the steps going up were….the whole row had only two seats!! Not the best seats in the world….but at least I could totally stretch out the left leg! But then the photographer saw our distress and went back stage and brought me back a nice sturdy straight chair…..just perfect for my “bum” knee!!! So Janet and I sat there for the show…..

Now Janet had had her camcorder going full blast during the awards presentation……catching everybody as they ran down to the stage…..and then it came…”The Western Duo/Group of the Year”…..Janet’s finger was on the button waiting to film the winner as they ran to the podium……surely it would be one of the Riders….or the Sons…..or Curly or Belinda…..!!! “AND THE WINNER IS………Sisters of the……….!!!!” THAT’s when Janet’s finger left the red button…..and she slumped back in the seat….eyes slightly crossed…..(I think she actually did pass out for just about 3 seconds!!!)…..Then she jumped straight up…..tossed the camcorder back over her shoulder to an unknown man in the row behind us….(He’d have had to have been a wide receiver at some point in time….the way he caught that camera!!!!)….and she cried….. “Push the RED BUTTON!!!!!” And that’s where the tape begins again…….with us on stage accepting the award!!! Then it was “Exit Stage Right (or left….I can never remember which way it goes!!)……and We all jumped and whooped and danced across the stage ……right into the arms of Dave Alexander…..who was standing just in the wings……a huge smile on his face ….and arms outstretched to hug us all!!! (Just for a half a second…..I saw a flicker of “uncertainty”…. “dismay”….. “fear”… cross his handsome features …as what was the equivalent of a “herd of Buffaloes” galloping right toward him!) But then it was all hugs and kisses…..and hats flying everywhere!!!!! And then on back stage for photos…..and more hugs and kisses…..then outside …..from the backstage entry…..for telephone calls…..and more hugs and kisses……and finally….we made our way around the side aisles back to our seats to watch the remaining portion of the awards…..just in time to catch the presentation of the “Entertainer of the Year”…..to the Sons of the San Joaquin….!!! Ohhhhhh…it was indeed a wonderful evening!!!

And then it was back to the hotel lobby …..for drinks……more music…..back-patting…..more hugs and kisses…..taped radio interviews……photos…..more music….jokes……more hugs and kisses…..more drinks….more music…….(I think you get the picture!!!) And HERE’S where I’m praying that SOMEONE got a picture!!! The day before….someone had brought in some mechanical horses…..(actually 1 horse…..2 pigs….and a chuckwagon pulled by two tiny horses!!)…..the base of which were the wheels that carry handicapped or immobile people around….(the Hoveround….etc)….You know…they can push a button to go forward, backward, left or right….or around and around…..and the “animal” that you sit on was the dime-store horses (or pigs…..or covered wagon!) …… that we all loved to ride as kids!!

Well anyway…..Rhonda had on her beautiful long skirt…..but she climbed up on that horse as pretty as you please….but she had to go side-saddle because her petticoat was too tight……and there she sat ….like Lady Godiva….!!!! Her hair the same color as her outfit…..side-saddle …..with a foot-long Spanish cigar stuck out the side of her mouth…..!!! And up and down the lobby and hallway she went…….I think she grabbed several marguerites on her way back and forth …..because she was still riding that horse hours later when Janet and I gave up the ghost and turned in. I’m not sure exactly what time she left the party-goers…..but the effect of the marguerites was still quite evident when the Limo picked us up the next morning to go the airport to head back home!!!

The flight on the American Eagle was uneventful….except Rhonda snored most of the way…..and when we got to McGhee Tyson….guess who met us on our way down the last slope to baggage???? Two of our favorite cowboys!!! Dressed fit-to-kill in full Western Gear….. playing us a beautiful “Welcome Home” on their guitars ……and singing at the top of their lungs!!! Who else…….but……… “Gentleman” Jon Scott and …… “Cactus” Bob Davidson!!! What a wonderful way to end a wonderful trip!!!

And THAT folks……..is just the BEGINNING……………………..!!!

Donna Guffey

-for-

“Sisters of the Silver Sage”