Wow. Fantastic new post, Christopher. I do believe your documentary crew got their money's worth on their tramp with you over the urban edgelands. I've been checking on the herons myself. You know, it's interesting, the technique of the outlaw scavengers at the old dairy plant, pulling heavy metal out of the the building with a winch & cable, was also a technique often used by the outlaws I wrote about in "1960s Austin Gangsters" to steal safes, and sometimes, as happened with your guys, the load would hit a snag and the whole operation would go to hell. The reason I mention this also is that so many of the outlaws I studied, such as the Overton brothers and their colleagues, grew up over there near your edgelands, between the north shore of the river and East 6th Street. So, no surprise then, that the underprivileged and oppressed humans who grew up amongst the tank farms and gravel pits persisted and sometimes even thrived thru innovative, often fascinating and dogged adaptations to their skanky situations.
That's awesome background, Jesse! I need to read the book and go in for the deep dive. It makes total sense, and I have always loved the kinds of stories that see thieves as heroes (or antiheroes). On it
And, you know, actually, the story of my last book, "Last Gangster in Austin: Frank Smith, Ronnie Earle, and the End of a Junkyard Mafia," has very similar threads, metaphors & motifs in parallel with your nature/urban edgelands. Frank Smith was the white trash godfather who built a kingdom of auto salvage, ex-convicts, bail bonds, thievery, and probably, murder. But, like so many picaresque characters in that vein, he also also had an altruistic side, helping many people who were down & out; though you could also view that as a plantation master mentality. Even many of the most noxious weeds can seem beautiful.
You took us with you and the documentary crew on an adventure and I loved the relic of a German bust. Curious if you identified whose bust it is? Read with interest your observations about settlers and settling land.
Thank you! I think the porcelain bust is just the remains of a child's doll, but an exceptionally beautiful one. As for settlers and the idea of settlement, I think I'm just scratching the surface there of mining the connections—so much to consider in that territory.
A porcelain doll head from Germany that survived all this time. Much to mine here as a scavenger of time. Cultural sediment. Have returned from two weeks in northern Minnesota where wilderness of the bogs were drained, ditched and dredged for a century in a form agricultural-industrial waste zones. I found patches of showy lady slippers in bloom in undisturbed ditches to my delight.
That sounds beautiful! I love that country, and it has been too long since I have been up there. As for artifacts in the river, indeed—in the book I talk about the idea of "foraging for meaning," and this kind of thing is a good exemplar.
Harrison blurb!!! My heart is filled with joy for you. Thats really great. I planned to attend the Waldrop memorial, but got COVID in NYC so am on the mend. Great post as usual and sending your family all the best.
Wow. Fantastic new post, Christopher. I do believe your documentary crew got their money's worth on their tramp with you over the urban edgelands. I've been checking on the herons myself. You know, it's interesting, the technique of the outlaw scavengers at the old dairy plant, pulling heavy metal out of the the building with a winch & cable, was also a technique often used by the outlaws I wrote about in "1960s Austin Gangsters" to steal safes, and sometimes, as happened with your guys, the load would hit a snag and the whole operation would go to hell. The reason I mention this also is that so many of the outlaws I studied, such as the Overton brothers and their colleagues, grew up over there near your edgelands, between the north shore of the river and East 6th Street. So, no surprise then, that the underprivileged and oppressed humans who grew up amongst the tank farms and gravel pits persisted and sometimes even thrived thru innovative, often fascinating and dogged adaptations to their skanky situations.
That's awesome background, Jesse! I need to read the book and go in for the deep dive. It makes total sense, and I have always loved the kinds of stories that see thieves as heroes (or antiheroes). On it
And, you know, actually, the story of my last book, "Last Gangster in Austin: Frank Smith, Ronnie Earle, and the End of a Junkyard Mafia," has very similar threads, metaphors & motifs in parallel with your nature/urban edgelands. Frank Smith was the white trash godfather who built a kingdom of auto salvage, ex-convicts, bail bonds, thievery, and probably, murder. But, like so many picaresque characters in that vein, he also also had an altruistic side, helping many people who were down & out; though you could also view that as a plantation master mentality. Even many of the most noxious weeds can seem beautiful.
Starting with 1960s Austin Gangsters, which is already on its way!
You took us with you and the documentary crew on an adventure and I loved the relic of a German bust. Curious if you identified whose bust it is? Read with interest your observations about settlers and settling land.
Thank you! I think the porcelain bust is just the remains of a child's doll, but an exceptionally beautiful one. As for settlers and the idea of settlement, I think I'm just scratching the surface there of mining the connections—so much to consider in that territory.
A porcelain doll head from Germany that survived all this time. Much to mine here as a scavenger of time. Cultural sediment. Have returned from two weeks in northern Minnesota where wilderness of the bogs were drained, ditched and dredged for a century in a form agricultural-industrial waste zones. I found patches of showy lady slippers in bloom in undisturbed ditches to my delight.
That sounds beautiful! I love that country, and it has been too long since I have been up there. As for artifacts in the river, indeed—in the book I talk about the idea of "foraging for meaning," and this kind of thing is a good exemplar.
Harrison blurb!!! My heart is filled with joy for you. Thats really great. I planned to attend the Waldrop memorial, but got COVID in NYC so am on the mend. Great post as usual and sending your family all the best.
Thanks, James! Take care of yourself and holler when you're fully recovered.