The Creative Lawyer

For those of you that think lawyers aren’t very creative, think again. They can be extremely resourceful and are great problem solvers. They think in terms of grey which means things can be defined by interpretation. They don’t believe in barriers or walls so they are willing to try things that others might not. Such was the case for Wally Byam, a law graduate of Stanford University and owner of an advertising agency in the late 1920s.

Besides owning an ad agency, he also published a magazine that featured “how to” articles. A featured article on how to build a travel trailer would bring in a great deal of complaints as the plans apparently didn’t work. And like every good lawyer, Wally would set out to argue his case by attempting to build a travel trailer in his own back yard using masonite and the published plans.

Much to Wally’s dismay, he discovered that the plans were flawed. But something else happened in Wally’s back yard that day. A man discovered he had a real passion and talent for design. History would turn the page to the very humble beginnings of Airstream Travel Trailers.

The quality that Wally strived so hard to achieve would be the reason Airstream was the only travel trailer to survive the great depression. Over 400 other travel trailer businesses would go under leaving Airstream to take off after World War II when the economy boomed and people turned their lives to travel and leisure.

Airstream Travel Trailers of today are a mere whisper of the level in passion and design that riveted all that shiny aluminum together. As with anything else these days, companies are saddled with the burden of generating profits in great volume which means there are always budgets at play. And designers don’t operate very well within budgets. Imagination and money have always been a challenging mix.

But one man has held tough with his principles when it comes to beautiful design and that designer would be David Winick. A talented photographer turned metalworker, David has won a great deal of praise for his attention to detail when it comes to refurbishing old Airstream Trailers converting them into luxurious traveling art. 

Located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, David owns his own design company, Vintage Trailering, which specializes in refurbishing Airstream Travel Trailers. He began his design career within the movie industry designing and building movie sets. Becoming quite skilled in metal, he set out to refurbish an Airstream Trailer which has turned into a full time occupation. And it stands to reason as his work is really something special. The kind of trailer you would never let your kids in unless they were wrapped in Saran Wrap and weren’t allowed to touch anything.

His specialty is finding older Airstreams and bringing them into the 20th century while keeping the integrity of the design. By the looks of one, you would never know it housed modern technology as they all look as though they drove right out of the 1950s complete with whitewalls if you want them. But make no mistake about it, these things are to be lived in. And what a life if you can swing the price tag. As I mentioned before, designers don’t like budgets very much so if you decide to order one of these things, be prepared to sleep in it for life as your wife will throw you out of the house after she sees the bill.

And would that be a bad thing?

Peace Out! And Happy Camping

Got My Mojo Working

The word mojo has been used all over the place from movies to branded products such as barbecue sauce and hot sauce. It has become a place holder for some kind of southern spice representing local flavor.

In 1997, Mike Meyers introduced the fabulous Austin Powers. I must say I thought the movie was pretty funny and laughed out loud at the hairy chest that Austin was so proud to sport.

In the movie, Austin promoted his mojo. Which for him, was some sort of internal sexual essence that made him the ultimate ladies’ man.

Being so heavily influenced with the blues culture over the years, I became curious as to what a mojo was. “Got My Mojo Working” is a staple song that’s sung by just about every blues band so it was only natural that a middle-class white guy would want to know the definition. Especially if that white guy was singing about it.

Little did I know that uncovering the truth of the mojo would become a sociology adventure and lead into the superstitious world of the early slaves in America. This being the world of Hoodoo. Not to be confused with Voodoo from Haiti as Hoodoo came directly from Africa and evolved in Louisiana. New Orleans to be exact.

There are three areas of influence in Hoodoo and they are:

1. African folklore and magic
2. Christianity
3. The medicinal treatments created by American Indians

You could not create a more odd mixture using such a wide variety of beliefs if you tried. And if you examine the cake from a birds eye view, it’s obvious that this was all developed for insurance purposes from what would be a very frightened and perhaps primitive person. What I mean by insurance is that they really didn’t know what to believe and so to make sure all the boxes were checked, they simply created Hoodoo.

For instance, put the shoe on the other foot and think about it. You were raised to believe in magic. It’s part of your culture and there’s even a real witch doctor within your community. Your family has been engrained within this belief system for generations and you really don’t know any other way.

Then, you’re minding your own business and some white guy snatches you up and makes you work in some really hard conditions picking cotton all day. But by the way, let me tell you about our Lord and Savior and how wonderful He is and if you don’t believe in Him, you’ll suffer an entire eternity of damnation in a pit of fire.

Throw in some random meetings from an American Indian Medicine Man that tells you he can cure your ailments with some roots he dug up and you’ve got yourself a brand new belief system complete with chicken feet.

So with all that out of the way, what is a mojo after all? A mojo is a small bag of roots, herbs and perhaps personal items tied up in a very small red cloth sack. The sack is to be hung from your bedroom doorknob or hung from the inside of your coat. The purpose of the mojo is to give you the upper hand and perhaps put you in control of a situation. As in, controlling your spouse or significant other.

Let me assure you that if the mojo were real, every man in America who insists he wears the pants in his family the same way that I do would be running to New Orleans and purchasing one today.

And perhaps a wife or two.

Peace Out…and Get Your Mojo Working!

Just Use Your Imagination Red Beans and Rice

There are only two women in the world that I respect in the kitchen as seasoned professionals. They are my mother and a woman by the name of Mary Lynn Andrews.

Like most great cooks, both of these women were heavily influenced by the regions in which they were raised. And for Mary Lynn, that would be the great city of New Orleans.

Mary Lynn Andrews was born Mary Lynn Sheperd in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1937. She married Bill Andrews and moved to Greenville, Mississippi which is where I became acquainted with her culinary skills. She is the mother of one of my best friends from college and when we were much younger, we would make the trek from Oxford to her home where she would feed us until I could stand no more.

She can cook many things well but the biggie that will make a man sell his soul to the devil is her red beans. To this day, I have never tasted anything like them and will crawl on my hands and knees just to have her fill up my bowl.

For years, she would cook them for me and freeze them in zip-locks when I would come to town. Then when I moved back to Texas, I pitched an absolute fit just trying to get the recipe. I must have tried for 5 or so years in complete frustration and finally she gave me the ingredients but could never give me the measurements. She just didn’t use measurements. Her famous quote when asked about measurements was simply, “Just use your imagination.” My response back was, “I can think of many things with my imagination that might happen if I don’t get that recipe.”

She would never budge off this page which would prompt me to start pushing on her daughter in Memphis. She felt sorry for me and told me to just try adding teaspoons at a time until I thought it tasted right. Exhausted from all of this, I decided to give it the old college try.

Now if you’re going to do this, you really have to try and do it by feel. By this I mean judge the flavor for yourself and give it some time to cook down. Really try to savor what you’re doing and don’t just walk off and leave it.

Here is the “Just Use Your Imagination” recipe below:

1 lb of Camillia Red Kidney Beans (There is really no substitute for this. It has to be this brand if you want it to taste right. And I’ve only found them in New Orleans but you can order them on-line.)

2 sticks of celery chopped

1 onion chopped

6 garlic cloves chopped

ham hock (smoked)

Andouille sausage links sliced

Tony’s Seasoning (1 Tablespoon)

Tarragon (1 teaspoon)

Oregano (1 teaspoon)

Old Bay Seasoning (1 Tablespoon)

Cook onions, garlic, celery and sausage in a tablespoon of bacon grease until tender. Add ham hock, beans and water into pot. Make sure the water is about 2 or so inches above the beans. (You’ll need to add water as it boils down.) Add Tony’s, Tarragon, Oregano and Old Bay seasonings. I would recommend adding teaspoons of each at first and tasting it as you go. Bring beans to a boil and then bring the heat down and let it simmer. Cook until beans are just about to fall apart which takes some time as they are very hearty beans.

Serve over rice and I recommend ice cold beer. Cornbread is not a bad way to go either.

Enjoy and good eating.