I started writing this on Halloween with the foliage falling. Kimberly has gotten serious about completing a book of fiction, so she's writing every day. She's joined writers groups in Nashville, including The Porch, Sisters in Crime Middle Tennessee, and she volunteered at the Southern Festival of Books. The book she's writing is a mystery crime novel set in Hong Kong, where Kimberly visited in her 30's. Her heroine is her alter ego, a spunky, intuitive, redhead, cast in the mold of Nancy Drew or Hermione. At the book festival, we attended a talk by J.A. Jance, the best selling author of 78 crime novels, and learned about her remarkable journey. Kimberly got an autographed book.

At the book fair, I saw a booth with an intriguing poster, "Making it in Country Music," so we stopped and met the authors, Rich Redmond and his co-author Jennifer Della'Zanna. Rich is Jason Aldean's drummer and he's also recorded and performed with Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Ludacris, Jewel, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban. Growing up in Connecticut and moving to El Paso, Rich perfected his chops with the 1:00 Lab Band at the University of North Texas. Jennifer is a freelance writer and novelist. Lots of good insight and a positive attitude presented for newcomers to Nashville like me.

Wayne Willingham and John Terry came to Nashville for a visit from Fort Worth and we had a grand ol' time playing, eating, swapping songs and talking about writing them. Then, Kimberly and I hit the road again.

We stopped overnight in Little Rock and had dinner at Doe's Eat Place. I wanted Kimberly to experience Doe's. I was last there 31 years ago almost to the day, Nov. 2, 1992, the night before Bill Clinton was elected the 42nd President of the United States. Covering the election, we heard that Doe's was one of Clinton's favorite places and all the politicos in Little Rock hung out there. That night in 1992, I was star-struck when I saw Molly Ivins having drinks and dinner with Hunter S. Thompson. Thirty one years later, our waiter said he never heard of those writers, "But I did meet President Clinton when he stopped in for dinner about 3 months ago."

Later that night, the Texas Rangers won the World Series and I have never been happier to give up the chance to see a World Series game. My son, Justin had managed to get tickets for us to attend Game Six in Arlington, and since the Rangers won in five, the game was not necessary. What an amazing run the Rangers had to beat a lot of really good teams to win their first ever World Championship. That was a long time coming for Rangers' fans. I've been going to Rangers games since 1984. "Hello World Champion Texas Rangers."

In Dallas, I played a show at Opening Bell Coffee, joining Emmeline and Jeffrey Michael Widman for her "Journey of a Song." We went with Justin to the Dallas Arboretum, and later dined with friends Sam and Cyndy Moore and Jim and Leah Couperthwaite.

We celebrated the life of my close friend, Charles Murphy, a nationally known and revered TV News correspondent, with his family and friends, including his four children, Jaime, David, Sarah, and Meredith. Charlie was 94 when he died, predeceased by his wife of 68 years, Jamie Edwards Murphy. Daughter Jamie asked me to sing "Where the Soul of Man Never Dies" and Billy Joe Shaver's "Live Forever." I also rewrote and sang my song "Hello Old Friend" to make it all about Charlie and "Texas in My Genes," which includes some of my first impressions after moving from New York City to Texas to work with Charlie in 1984. I'd like to think that Charles Murphy's legacy will live forever, as long as we cross that river, protect democracy, value a free press, and catch tomorrow now. Charlie told me the stories of his career, and I am committed to publishing his book in 2024.

From Dallas we headed northwest to Graham, TX, where we met up with some good ol' Texas buddies to play music at the Gazebo on the square. Great to see Drew "Spider" Minshew, Jack Lavender, and meet Glenn Todd. Scott and Kerra Bell sang some moving gospel duets. We called it SpiderFest 2023.

"Ah haaa!" From there it was off to the Caprock in the Panhandle, but first we stopped in Turkey, Texas, adopted hometown of The King of Western Swing, Bob Wills. Charlie Murphy and I covered Bob Wills Day there back in 1985 for ABC News and met some of the original Texas Playboys. Influenced by country fiddle players in his own family along with Bessie Smith and the blues, and the big swing bands, Bob Wills created his own big band, Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. They influenced the Bakersfield Sound of Buck Owens and Merle Haggard, along with Willie Nelson, George Strait, Asleep at the Wheel, Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, Fats Domino, and Chuck Berry. Chick Webb and Benny Goodman put the swing in jazz. Bob Wills put the swing in country.

At Caprock Canyons State Park, we saw the Texas State Bison Herd, descendants of the orphan calves that Charles and Mary Ann Goodnight bottle-fed and saved from the "Great Slaughter" in 1878, one of the big reasons we still see bison today. Back then, every bison killed meant an Indian gone. This was all Native American country. From there it was on to Palo Duro Canyon State Park, second largest canyon in the United States. We hiked 6 miles around the Capitol Peak to the Lighthouse. Stayed overnight in a tiny cabin and met up with our good friend, John Pronk in Amarillo on the way to Santa Fe.

After two nights in the Land of Enchantment, we drove north to Steamboat Springs, Colorado to spend time with my daughter Eva, son-in-law Nate, and my three grandsons, Tyson, Shepherd, and Nash. Ty just finished reading the Odyssey. Shep is designing buildings out of Legos. Nash is ready for action.

Kimberly and I had a terrific week in Steamboat with excellent hiking, sports, star gazing, music, and gourmet mac and cheese. We even broke down and bought hats at the famous F.M. Light and Sons Western Store. Watched "O Brother" and "Home Alone" with the crew when Eva and Nate went dressed up as "Clueless" to a soccer fundraiser.

By his own count, Buffalo Bill Cody killed 4,280 bison in 8 months in 1868, providing meat for Kansas-Pacific railroad workers. We saw his statue in Oakley, Kansas, where we stayed at the Annie Oakley Motel, though Annie never set foot in town. Next day we drove on down to Dodge City, "Queen of the Cowtowns," where Marshal Matt Dillon tried to keep the peace while keeping company with Miss Kitty at the Long Branch Saloon. Real cowboys drove 4 million head of Texas Longhorns and other cattle to Dodge City from Fort Worth on the Chisolm Trail.

We journeyed through the Dust Bowl of Kansas and Oklahoma to Tulsa, stayed with the Tulsa King at the historic Mayo Hotel, dined at my old favorite Polo Grille, then toured the magnificent Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie Centers. We stopped at Cain's Ballroom, where Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys played and people danced and then visited Bob Will's grave, where "Deep Within My Heart Lies A Melody."

On the last stop of our Dust Bowl tour, all I can say is, "The Hell we don't." That's my answer to the opening line of Merle Haggard's 1969 #1 hit "Okie from Muskogee." We may still wave old glory down at the courthouse, but Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA is rundown and shabby and there wouldn't be much business downtown at all except for the medical marijuana dispensaries we seemed to see everywhere. Merle got it right, "We like livin right and bein' free.''

This whole year, I've been making the rounds in Nashville, playing my guitar, singing my songs, telling my "Stories with a Beat." So many friends, like Les Kerr, Debi Champion, Jimmy Copen, Jacob Merlin, Bobby Ray Connell, Jaye D Marie, Todd Rossbach, Ted Sidelinger, Rock Marcello, Lee Rascone Sr., Clay Lutz, Sammy Edmonds and others have put me on their stages. Bottom line, I want to be known as a songwriter, but I really enjoy performing my songs for an audience. I do hope that a recording artist will eventually cover one of my songs, but I love the challenge of playing my guitar and singing my songs in front of people. When I get a head bob or a toe tap, if I see somebody mouthing the words, and hear some applause at the end, I feel a glimmer of gratitude and humility. Glimmers are special moments, sparks of peace and joy that excite us, calm our nerves, make us feel safe. The more you give, the more you get.

Many thanks to the Dallas Songwriters Association. Two of my original songs have been selected as Semifinalists in the Dallas Songwriters 2023 International Song Contest in the Americana category, 'Spending Time' and 'Texas in My Genes.' A rewrite of one of my other songs "Red, White and The Blues," has been selected as "One to Watch," by the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI). All three of these songs will be featured on my first LP recorded in Nashville in 2023, due out for release in 2024.

Bryan Cumming and I are almost done producing the new album. It's Americana, with Western swing, bluegrass, country, Texas Roadhouse, Red Dirt, South Texas Mexico and Cajun, even a little Irish folk. It reflects my 40 years in Texas, exploring the Southwest, finding new love and road tripping across America with Kimberly, and finally moving from Texas to Tennessee. It will include ten songs. Not sure what to call it. Maybe "Stories with a Beat" or something about Texas. It's not just about Texas, but there is a lot of Texas in it.

I've got to tell you a little about the band. I call it my Imaginary Band, because I can't imagine playing with musicians of this caliber. Start with Bryan Cumming, my co-producer. Bryan (ShaNaNa) plays guitars, bass, trumpet, saxophone and sings all the background parts. Ross Holmes (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) plays fiddles and mandolin. Jeff Taylor (Time Jumpers) plays piano, organ, accordion, and penny whistle. Doyle Grisham (Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band) plays steel, lap steel, and dobro. My good friend, Les Kerr introduced me to Bryan, Jeff, and Doyle. I've known Ross since he was 9 years old. I also recruited Carly Zimmerman, Carly Z, a fine singer/songwriter from Mesquite, TX to sing a duet with me on "Love in a Sleeping Bag."

I'm working on the details for the album release. Kimberly is helping me with marketing. We still have tracks to finish and mastering to be done. The recording process has been a master class for me on songwriting and music production. Coming from my background in TV and storytelling, I feel pretty comfortable learning the process. I'll be reaching out to all of you to get your opinions. Mostly, I hope you will listen to the music, and support our efforts to get the songs on Americana, roots, Texas, and college radio stations and streaming playlists around the country. Stay in touch and let's celebrate a "Happy New Year!" Don't forget to eat your black eyed peas.