Eastern New Mexicans shade-seeking kind of folks

Local columnist

link Grant McGee

“Was it really years ago? Seems like only yesterday ... ”

So goes the opening line of the Waylon Jennings song “Old Friend.” Yeah, it’s like it was only yesterday that I drove on down to Lubbock to see Waylon in concert.

It was a hot spring day about 15 years ago that I grabbed my lawn chair, tossed it in my two-door sedan and trundled on down to the Hub City to see Waylon at an outdoor concert.

I’ll always remember Waylon’s first words to the crowd.

“Well, here I am in Lubbock,” he said. “I used to live here.”

He paused.

“I still owe people money here.”

He paused.

“Tough stuff,” he said.

He didn’t actually say “stuff,” but I can’t use the real word here.

The sun was blasting us in that open field. I sat in my lawn chair pondering the sunburn I was going to have unless I found some shade.

There in the center of the field was a tall wood stand. It was casting a nice shadow. I picked up my lawn chair, moseyed on over and planted myself in the shade.

Soon I was joined by a few other concert-goers. Then there was a face I recognized from New Mexico. We smiled, shook hands and chatted a bit.

“Are you from New Mexico?” asked another person in the shade.

“Because I am too.”

“Me too,” said yet another concert-goer.

Soon we came to realize that all of us in the shade were from eastern New Mexico.

It was a good concert. I’m glad I went. It wasn’t long after that that Waylon left this earthly plane and went on to glory.

But I remember us New Mexicans taking advantage of the shade and all those Texans in the sun.

I don’t know what that says about New Mexicans and Texans, but then maybe there’s nothing to say.

After all, we like to keep things friendly around here.

Grant McGee is a long-time broadcaster and former truck driver who rides bicycles and likes to talk about his many adventures on the road of life. Contact him at his blog: grantmcgeewrites.com