Today on National Geographic we are traveling to the remote village of Hamilton, in the nation of Texas. Many in this rural population join together each year for an extremely rare ritual that they refer to as "pickin' and grinnin'." No one is quite sure why the "g" is dropped, as scholars are divided on that issue. Notice in these shots, captured at great personal peril by our embedded photographer and undercover minister, that there is music being created by a variety of instruments. A violin in found here, which our readers will be surprised to find is referred to as a "fiddle" by the natives. One also notices a that bass--usually reserved for the orchestral hall--is being used, labelled as an "upright" by these savages. One also sees stringed instruments of all sizes pictured here: the larger are guitars, and the smaller mandolins. One person has even created a primitive percussion instrument with eating utensils, which our readers would call spoons. Adult Hamiltonians seemingly abandon their children upon arrival, allowing them to remove clothing, climb on trees, and build fires. As the children destroy things, the adults seem to not even notice. When a child does need guidance from an adult, the biological parent does not usually offer such assistance, as another fully grown Hamiltonian will step in instead. One such family is comprised of three female children, with the mother and the father also present. The male of this family is an advanced witch doctor, who practices at a nearby infirmary. His female mate and he seemed blissfully unaware as their three young female offspring burned cars and sacked nearby villages. The leader of this gathering is, oddly, a female, who created this gathering for her mate to celebrate the day of his birth. National Geographic is committed to remaining embedded in this village to bring our readers more on this remarkable institution that the natives call "pickin' and grinnin'."
-John Woods, reporter
Seen the movie, O Brother, Where Art Thou? That was the type of music that filled the air last Saturday at a barbecue we went to in Hamilton. While they didn't play Man of Constant Sorrows, it was the best bluegrass music I've ever heard and such a fun time. We loved it! And this is the place where Diet Coke and I got back together...
The spread..at the end of the line there is sausage, brisket, and HOG!
Eatin' & chattin'
John and some ladies enjoying the yummy food!
The host/birthday boy! 
Pickin' on the strings
This guy was playing the spoons!!!!
These guys played for HOURS! It was great!
A member of our church playing away.
John learning to play the spoons!
The kids had a ton of fun climbing trees.
Precious kids! 
They were having a blast!
I was told this was tradition..at the end of these bbqs they have a fire.
Today on National Geographic we are traveling to the remote village of Hamilton, in the nation of Texas. Many in this rural population join together each year for an extremely rare ritual that they refer to as "pickin' and grinnin'." No one is quite sure why the "g" is dropped, as scholars are divided on that issue. Notice in these shots, captured at great personal peril by our embedded photographer and undercover minister, that there is music being created by a variety of instruments. A violin in found here, which our readers will be surprised to find is referred to as a "fiddle" by the natives. One also notices a that bass--usually reserved for the orchestral hall--is being used, labelled as an "upright" by these savages. One also sees stringed instruments of all sizes pictured here: the larger are guitars, and the smaller mandolins. One person has even created a primitive percussion instrument with eating utensils, which our readers would call spoons. Adult Hamiltonians seemingly abandon their children upon arrival, allowing them to remove clothing, climb on trees, and build fires. As the children destroy things, the adults seem to not even notice. When a child does need guidance from an adult, the biological parent does not usually offer such assistance, as another fully grown Hamiltonian will step in instead. One such family is comprised of three female children, with the mother and the father also present. The male of this family is an advanced witch doctor, who practices at a nearby infirmary. His female mate and he seemed blissfully unaware as their three young female offspring burned cars and sacked nearby villages. The leader of this gathering is, oddly, a female, who created this gathering for her mate to celebrate the day of his birth. National Geographic is committed to remaining embedded in this village to bring our readers more on this remarkable institution that the natives call "pickin' and grinnin'."
ReplyDelete-John Woods, reporter
Nice.
ReplyDeleteLove,
the witch doctor's mate