Austinoir
The luckiest guy in Shawshank
I spent the weekend visiting my cigar mentor Sarge at his home atop a mountain in Central Texas. I arrived late Saturday morning for a meet & greet with the 2016 Baylor Bears football squad. I got a BU cap signed and Sarge got a football signed by the sophomores and juniors. We actually tossed his football around on the Baylor home field at McLane Stadium in 100 degree Texas heat, it was still awesome.
We left and went to what in my opinion is the best cigar lounge in Texas, TJ's cigar (Tobacco Junction) lounge in Mcgregor, TX. Where I tried my first Brickhouse Maduro courtesy of Sarge. We sat and talked and as we departed, he grabbed a couple of Alex Bradley Texas Lanceros for later. We ate dinner and made our way to the big little city of Gatesville, TX. Where we chaperoned a teenage back to school party at his home.
Once the kids were done around 9 pm. We lit up the monstrous Texas Lanceros, which were no problem for Sarge, but it was like smoking a fire hose for me, but I persevered. We sipped on Maker's Mark 46 bourbon and (Texas' own) Rebecca Creek whiskey while listening to vintage blues til 1 am on his new pool and slant roof covered spacious deck (which was phenomenal).
Since I'm not a bourbon nor whiskey guy. I slept like Rip Van Winkle, so deep that Sarge woke me up for golf at 7:00 am, and had to again at 7:30 am. I poured myself in the F150 as we headed to Hancock Park golf course in Lampasas, TX to meet up with a couple of Sarge's Army veteran buddys for 18 holes. I'm not a golfer, so I drove the golf cart and picked up the Miller Ultras on the 15th hole when one of the vets tossed me a sawbuck and pointed to a red barn 50 yards up an embankment and across the street from the tee box. The same guy once I returned and said I didn't drink beer, handed me his flask of vodka (that signalled I was part of the tribe).
Finished the round, we grabbed a bbq lunch and headed to Killeen, TX to grab a smoke at The Cigar Box. Sarge suggested we try his current favorite smoke, Room 101's Big Payback (he's a 1875 guy). I then caught the shuttle van to Temple, TX to catch the Texas Eagle train to Austin, TX. The entire train ride I was over the moon-I love trains! About 6:22 pm on Sunday evening, I arrived in Austin and had a buddy picked me up so we could hang out at a great Cajun food restaurant called Shoal Creek Saloon. I grabbed a shrimp poboy and fries. We talked and I caught the last bus home to Houston, TX and arrived at my car in downtown Houston at 12:45 am and made the quick drive home. It's was 3 am as I finished this post and I'm still decompressing from 6 Central Texas cities in 3 days. The only thing I love more than Central Texas is the Rio Grande Valley (South Texas).
It was good to see Sarge, his family and my Austin friends. But, happy to be home after smoking my way through Central, TX with memories of great times and new smokes with an old friend.
Last edited:
