As I got older, I knew it was time to take a few items off my bucket list of things to see. It was a long drive to Alabama giving me an abundance of time to reflect on the things I was blessed to be part of and the things I still wanted to see. Having played music for years in Roadhouses, Honky- Tonks, and Outdoor festivals. I knew it was time for a road trip. My dog, Buddy, and I headed south to see the grave of one of country music’s founders, Hank Williams. His songs reached deep and touched your soul. My favorite was Jambalaya and of course, you had to hear I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry. Great songs for the long ride.
It was almost midnight when we reached Montgomery and parked my truck near Oakwood Cemetery Annex. It was a quiet night the sky filled with stars, and you could hear an Owl in the distance. It was rather spooky that we could hear a Whippoorwill calling into the dark night. It seemed to want our attention. I unpaged our sleeping bags and we were so tired that the quiet from the cemetery awakened my dreams, a deep sleep that took me so close to the veil that I could see the other side,
It was near dawn when I heard a car just down the road, the headlights were on, and I could hear the engine idling. I could see it was an old Cadillac with the top down and someone sitting in the back strumming a guitar, a familiar song. The man in the back seat was singing Lonesome Whippoorwill. As I shook off the sleep, I walked toward the car parked just outside the cemetery road he laughed and drove off disappearing into the morning fog.
Dawn was approaching fast, and the ghosts and spirits disappeared into the morning mist. I guess Hank enjoyed making the hair on my arms stand up.
It was time to head south of Montgomery towards Macon for another place where songs and ghosts still entertain an old visitor from time to time.
