The road I travel in pursuit of what I seek quite often takes many a strange turn. Some turns bear fruit, some dead end and others just meander for miles, past strange houses and towns with no names. And so it was with the turn that lead me to the The Deep Eddy Cabaret on a hot and humid afternoon in Austin, TX. I went to meet a man who had spent years meticulously documenting all that lurks inside the road houses, dive bars and taverns of the Texas Hill Country and would know more about what I needed in this town than any man for five hundred miles. He would impart this knowledge to me freely at The Deep Eddy but would not come alone. This is how I came to be inducted into The Deep Eddy Men’s Club.

Their number was five. A father, two sons, a cousin and an old friend. There was even a woman among their ranks, which speaks to the sublime nature of their order. The problem with men’s clubs has always been the presence of too many men.

While in their company I learned of a bait shop at Lake Decker and the antiquated ways of the automobile in these modern times. We discussed the taming of the Colorado and how a good lawyer can get you four grand if you ever get your teeth knocked out by a bouncer. A man was drumming wildly to the Moody Blues at his table when the bartender declared happy hour at 7pm.  A 7pm happy hour? Was I still on west coast time? No, I was just Deep in The Eddy where things are done for the most righteous of reasons.

When this happiest of hour ended at 8pm, the members of the Deep Eddy Men’s Club walked the short distance down Deep Eddy Drive, to a lazy dock and the creeping water of the Colorado, to take in the best part of summer in Texas—twilight. It’s only at night, when the sun goes down, that the heat in Texas starts to make sense. The skin shines deeply as it breathes itself cool, and the eyes can finally open wide without the aid of shade. A summer night in The Lone Star State can be a religious experience when the indications are aligned:  Listen to the the hymns of insects unseen. Watch the colors change in the slow moving water. Enjoy the company of Austin’s finest.

I feel lucky to have made the turns I did that day, to have found my way to The Eddy and made some new friends. I even got a great t-shirt for the shelves of Destee-Nation. But this trip has never been just about finding a t-shirt, it’s about the turns one makes when walking this life and what happens to the soul along the way.

From somewhere out there,
Gabe

Deep Eddy Men’s Club - member since 2009