Goodbye Mark Crowley... There's a "Vacant Chair"

This week's Jeffy Music Monday is turned over to an old song from the 1860's performed by Kathy Mattea. Thanksgiving is approaching and it was Abraham Lincoln who established it as a National Holiday. A way to be with family when the Civil War was tearing the country apart.

This was the first ever Thanksgiving song and tells of a family's "Vacant Chair" at their table as a brother was lost fighting the war.



I am losing a brother this week too, albeit not as permanently...


This weekend we had a farewell "Pub Crawl" for my good buddy and member of my "blog family" (though he swore to whatever pagen Gods he worships he would never read the dang thing) Mark Crowley.

Mark, along with his significant other Katherine are leaving Southern California for the home of Outlaw Country and all great live music, Austin, Texas...and I'm jealous as hell.

The usual suspects for Pub Crawl fun showed up. Preparing for our drunken march at "The Steamy Grotto/House of Whacks/Jeffy's apartment below are (l. to r.) Mark, Katherine, my nephew Scott, Mark's mother Kathy, the lovely backside of Naomi "Nay Nay" Barraza and Action Frank...

Below l. to r. Scotty, Kathy, (can't get enough of Naomi's back), Frank, Kelli "designated driver and probably eternally miserable" King and Mike Crowley...

As we hit lovely downtown Huntington Beach, the sun set on our party, but we didn't go down just yet.

We were all there for food, drinks and to say goodbye to one of our favorite people and got to know Katherine (a newer member of our family) a little better.

We wish them all the luck and happiness they deserve.

I'm gonna miss ya, ya big dumb ol' softie of a mook!

Talk to you soon.