Buna Texas, My Hometown 6

In this final episode, our favorite barber Wendell Widener returns to talk about his yellow house, we meet the justice of the peace who tells us about strange weddings and court cases, and we go down to the bayou down near Port Arthur and meet two old folks crabbing (after crossing over the Rainbow Bridge). The documentary ends there. It was time to go back to New York. Sadly, Wendell died not too long after this and I haven't been back to Buna since then. I'm sure my high school buddy, Glenn, is still on his little ranch. I'm sure the downtown looks pretty much the same. And life goes on.

Happily, my folks are still alive and I'm ready to make me some more chicken gumbo.

Buna Texas, My Hometown 5

We meet two good ol' boys who live on small ranches. One raises rabbits as food and the other raises a few cattle -- and was one of my best friends in high school. WARNING: Though nothing graphic is shown, part of this may be disturbing to animal lovers. I didn't comment or criticize. I just pointed the camera and allowed him to speak. Remember, a lot of these small town people are living in survival mode. This is how they are able to feed their families.

Buna Texas, My Hometown 4

This episode brings us to a man plowing a field and a look around a flea market with some very unusual country items.

Buna Texas, My Hometown 3: Mom's Chicken Gumbo Recipe

I asked my mom if she would demonstrate how to make authentic south Texas gumbo. Thanks to the invention of the microwave, the "roux" is now easily made. But there's still a trick to getting it done just right...

Buna Texas, My Hometown 2

In part two of my 1986 documentary, my mom and I visit an old graveyard and then the church where my daddy was the pastor and I played piano. At the church, you will hear some TRULY deep south country singing. This is the real thing.

Buna Texas, My Hometown 1

Although I was born in Arkansas, my family moved around a lot. My high school years were spent in a tiny, little town called Buna, Texas down in the southeast corner of the state up against the Louisiana border, on the border of the Big Thicket National Forest. Buna was actually a sweet town full of interesting and warm people.

In 1986, just after Jim and I met, I made a trip back home to Buna and brought a video camera along. It was one of the first things I ever shot. With my mother in tow, we cruised around Buna. The tape was locked away in a cabinet for a long time. Finally, last month, we transferred the VHS tape to a digital file. I've edited the footage and have uploaded it to YouTube in six parts. Here is part one: