Home ... Home ... Homer ... on the Range

When most people think of country music they think of Nashville. They think of the pop music with a fiddle They think of over-starched shirts, cowboy hats, and sequined western shirts.

I don;t much like that kind of country music.

But I LOVE Texas country music.

Yes there is a HUGE difference.

So one of my favorite events of the year is Homer's Backyard Ball which takes place in an empty field on the east side of Amarillo each and every May.

The event started as backyard party at a guy's house back in 1997 and has now blossomed to an all day music and food fest with an impressive lineup of bands each year, with proceeds benefiting The Make A Wish Foundation.

This year's headliner was Cody Canada and The Departed.

But the headliner didn't hit the stage until well after dark and for most of the day it was hot and sunny. Everyone has different ways to cope with the Texas heat but most people bring a canopy of some sort so the place begins to look like a tent city after a while.

My group of friends was no exception, but a tent alone is not enough to coll off a big hairy fella like me. So I got in touch with my inner pirate, by kicking off my shoes and letting the rum flow underneath my awning. (By the way, that fella with the fancy ink on his leg. He actually took all of these pictures except this one. His name is Damian. He possesses mad skills with a pogo stick.)

Some don fancy hats to keep the sun off of them.

After seeing this hat, I realize the box that Coors Light comes in is actually more valuable than the stuff they call beer in these silver bottles.


Some prefer their beer delivered in a high sped manner.

As the beer flows, so does the tunes. Here is a video from Casey Derry, of one of Amarillo's finest musicians.

And of course others prefer to keep cool with well-placed straw hats.

Yep, Texas is a mighty fine place.