FAMILY AND TEJANO MUSIC DOWN SOUTH

I recently took a trip to South Texas. It was a bittersweet trip. I was traveling alone. It was a trip that I have made many times growing up and now as an adult. I like traveling alone. My dad always worried and would tell me to make sure that I had my oil changed and tires checked. So before I left I made sure I did all that. As I traveled on I-35S toward Austin, I could not wait until I was closer because I knew that I would be able to pick up San Antonio’s Tejano radio station KXTN Tejano and Proud. In the mean time, I would have to listen to my CD’s if I wanted to hear Tejano music. When I am home in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area very rarely will you hear my radio on, I usually have my CD’s on. Therefore, I could hardly wait to pick up a good Tejano station down south. The road was long between Ft. Worth and Austin. However, as I approached Austin I was in heaven. The music coming over the radio was sweet. I knew that from that point on I would be able to listen to Tejano music until I would arrive in Taft just outside of Corpus Christi. That is where I was going. As I said, it was a bittersweet trip. I lost another family member. She was beautiful and still very young. While I was there, I would see family that I had not seen in years. That’s a shame that there are some family members we only see at funerals. Why is that? I love seeing my cousins that I grew up with. It’s funny some of us were thinking the same thing: “I’d give anything to go back to when we were young and growing up with my grandmother and grandfather”. Those were the good times. Not a care in the world. Running around from morning until night. In a small town in South Texas called “Taft” …. If you are from down south then you know where Taft is. It has changed alot since back then but you still get that good feeling when you pass through it. It is a bittersweet feeling because it reminds us of times that we cannot get back. However, being there makes me feel closer to family and music. I love listening to the music in South Texas also. They play the best Tejano music. They were playing songs by Mazz, Latin Breed, Augustine Ramirez, Jay Perez, and Sunny O. What I liked most was that they played music from back in the day and music from now. That’s the best! I took my niece (MONA) to the shoreline. We spent a few hours out there.  She’s kind of my sidekick. I enjoy taking here places with me. It helped us get our minds off why we were there. Monday came and it was time for the trip back home. I took my time driving back. I guess because I really did not want to come back. I wanted to listen to the music and think. Some people do not like traveling alone but I enjoy it. As I passed through Austin, I seriously thought about stopping for a while just to hear the music. However, I had to get back I knew family would worry. Once again, as I got closer to home I had to resort to listening to my CD’s. That’s right no Tejano station here.  I have to tell you fellow Tejanos what’s happening here.  We are supposed to be proud of where we live and want others to come here. Well I am proud of Dallas-Ft. Worth. In addition, I want people to come here, visit, and enjoy it. So I guess that‘s why I’m involved in this magazine. Together with the North Texas Tejano Coalition, maybe we will make some progress and Tejano will still be alive for my grand children to listen and dance to. Well my friends hasta la proxima………….. Rae Rae