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November 2007 Newsletter
Howdy folks and welcome to another month gone by with the Texas Camel Corps.
November was pretty slow, compared to a hectic October, but we did manage to get out there and pound the pavement a bit with the camels.
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On the 3rd, camels Gobi and Richard and I headed to South Texas for the Georgewest Storyfest. This annual event saw over 8,000 visitors and, helped out by author/reenactor Frank Gonzales, I think we visited with each and every one of them!
This is an event that brings all types of storytellers to an eager and well-trained audience. There was not one cry for camel rides! Rather, folks were happy to sit on hay bales and listen to Frank and me share old tales about the U.S. Army Camel Corps of the 19th century. We had a great time and met many, many wonderful folks.
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On the 13th, camels Richard, Gobi and Cinco participated in a really unique TV shoot in Houston, Texas. Spanish-language network Univision’s "Cristina Show" surprised a viewer with a home redecoration for the holidays on one day and the next camels showed up with the Biblical Magi delivering gifts.
The family was truly down on their luck and for us to be involved was a very rewarding experience. Best buddies Steven Evans, Paul Arellano and Kyle Mathis and I had a great feeling participating in the production and just getting to spend time with these guys, doing something I love, was icing on the cake.
On the morning of the 13th, we shot some outside scenes at a J.C. Penney store (one of the show’s sponsors and major contributor of gifts to the family), but the production was short one celebrity they’d counted on to ride a camel. They asked me if one of us would mind stepping in. Kyle was chosen, and magically transformed into a Spanish-speaking Nobleman from the East. Among our group, Paul is the only native Spanish speaker, but Steven, Kyle and I can all speak Spanish and the one year in Senora Wilson’s Spanish class in high school served me well. In fact, much of the early negotiations had been done in Spanish, but ultimately, on location, a mixture of Spanish and English was heard.
So with Kyle’s crowned head slightly swollen from his coronation and onscreen time eclipsing the rest of us mere camel shepherds, we finally wrapped up at J.C. Penney and headed to the neighborhood where the Garcia family lives. Steven’s experience as a mule packer in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado was instantly put to use. The camels had to carry "dummy" packages, with sponsor logos prominently showing and in a jiffy Steven threw enough half-hitches, diamond hitches and slip knots to rival the Boy Scout handbook.
Prior to the shoot, Steven (who’s not hobbled by dial up internet service like I am) used Google-Earth to find the family’s address and he’d identified an empty lot just a block away from the unsuspecting family’s home from where we could stage. We got the camels loaded up and walked to the folks’ house, parking the camels right out front, in the street, laden with something other than gold, frankincense and myrrh. Right on cue, the family was escorted out into the street and was utterly speechless.
I’m told that the segment will air on the 17th of this month on Univision, so keep your eyes out for that. Big thanks to the folks at Univision, the Houston Film Commission, Houston Police Department and the top- notch crew of Paul, Kyle and Steven for such a great experience.
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In the October update, I’d forgotten to mention a TV production my son Pecos and I were a part of. The Cactus Jack Show, a public access children’s program from Nashville, Tennessee included the Texas Camel Corps in a piece they were doing about the Old West. Pecos, dressed in his best native camel handler attire, and I, suited up as a soldier in the U.S. Army of the 19th century, shared stories with the show’s host, Cactus Jack. It was really great to be able to work right here at home!
Pecos had some speaking parts and even led Cactus Jack into the sunset on Gobi, our 16-year old Bactrian camel. "The kids at school won’t believe that I’m going to be on TV," said Pecos about his experience. He asks once a week if I’ve gotten a copy of the show yet! The folks from the Cactus Jack Show did send Pecos a nice thank-you card. For those of you in the Nashville area, keep in touch and I’ll let you know when I hear something about an air date.
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Cold weather and rain knocked us out of our opening weekend for Christmas camel work in Hallettsville, Texas on Thanksgiving weekend. Some years it’s been 80-plus degrees down there! It was not to be, however, this year.
Still, on the 29th, camels Ibrahim (5), Virgie (7) and Xian (2), along with donkey Hamar, worked at Baylor University’s Christmas on 5th event in nearby Waco, Texas. This campus-wide holiday celebration included a petting zoo, carriage rides and concert and, for our part, a live Nativity. My 12-year old daughter Delany came along and helped out and we had a fun night. By then the weather in Texas had warmed up again and it was back to the usual, balmy yule we’ve come to expect around these parts.
On the 30th, Bethlehem Revisited, in Waxahachie, Texas began, truly signaling the breakneck pace that is the Christmas season for the Texas Camel Corps. Think Renaissance Faire set in Biblical times. This event is an immersion into the village of Bethlehem, 2,000 years ago. Complete with Roman guards (big, beefy types with swords, shields and spears) patrolling the city block-sized recreation of Bethlehem and over 100 costumed cast members, this event is a real spectacle. Any of you folks in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area should come out. Performances continue this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The rest of December is full of similar events and we’ll be in other Texas locales like Austin, Ft. Worth, Boerne, Whitney, Duffau., Waco, Valley Mills and Hillsboro.
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On the 28th, just after Christmas, daughter Delany and I head to Egypt. I’ve got two tour groups back-to-back that I’m guiding for the better part of January and Delany’s really excited about getting to go. This will be her first trip abroad and I’m hoping to get some work out of her! She loves archaeology and Ancient Egypt in particular, so she’ll take on some of the interpretive chores at the Pyramids of Giza and the Egyptian Museum, two stops on our 10-day trip.
Big thanks to Pam and Clinton, Vance and Irma, Steve and Kaye, Mike, Charles, Barbara, Lynn, Scott and Morgan for making up the two groups. Your participation in these trips allows me to get back over and visit the Egyptian and Bedouin folks that are truly like family to me and, more importantly, will make a tremendous financial impact on those peoples’ lives.
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Happy Holidays from the camels, my family and me and thanks as always for your continued interest in our camels.
Doug
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