Thanks to a happy misinterpretation of some of the lovely Annes work.
I got to thinking about Lee Hazlewood, which got me to thinking about times gone by. So back in the good ol' days when the adventures I had with the Larsson sisters were a little more on the peculiar side..
Well, here is a bit of writing I did for our screen-printed magazine way back in 2002.
Its actually a little cringe worthy for me to read - I never have declared myself as a writer, but I do like for things to be recorded.
LAREDO KENT UK
-I met the Larsson sisters at Denmark Hill station. The day was cold and windy but the sun was shining, a good day for a trip out West. On arriving at Longfield town our first point of call was the towns off-licence. Maud purchased a small bottle of ‘Grants’ whiskey to help shake off the cold.
-I am able to identify J.T the founder of Laredo, by his baseball cap that has J.T LAREDO across the front. He tells us to go on up to the place.
-Past the horses, we jump over the barbed wire fence and head across the field. We meet our first fully kitted Westerner - Horse. He is carrying building supplies to the town, and in this working mode he is a good introduction to Laredo.
-Laredo has one main street, with the town built on either side, this classic layout really helps to envelope you in the New World. The howling wind was causing the wood built town to creek. It was almost deserted, save a few members working on construction. It was a Saturday and Members day is Sunday.
-We made our base in the hotel bar. Being a mannequin the bartender did not have much to say. I think Anne got along nicely with him however – being the strong silent type.
-Wandering around the town, peeking through windows into shadow cast rooms, glimpsing a stage coach through the livery doors and discovering abandoned cowboy boots, a hangman’s rope and a hidden encampment.
-Hardworking on a new building: the print-house, Fay and Terry took time out to tell us how Laredo can come to life..
-..When darkness falls, every window lights up with flickering oil lamps. You can knock on any door and most likely there will be coffee on the stove and some good company to while away some time with. In the saloons the bars are three people deep and the nights entertainments become livelier.
-The previous week Laredo has been host to fellas from as far out of town as Belgium and Germany.
-We retreated to the grocery store form the cold. The clouds were now blotting out the blue. Fay kindly put the kettle on to boil for tea.
-Everything is done with as much authenticity as possible in this town. Knowledge is continually sought and passed on. Fay was currently learning how soap was made in the 1880s. One of her pleasures of spending time in town is being treated like a lady.
-J.T’s daughter Joleene and her son Morgan arrives. Joleene is wearing a beautiful blue western period dress. Morgan who, no higher than the waist looked perfectly at home, there’s no novelty in Laredo for him. ‘you’re not in western wear’ he notices. We are the ones out of place here. Joleene takes us around the town, inside everything from the marshals’ office to the preachers abode.
-Then it snowed. The town looked beautiful. The snow bleached out the surrounding world. We were standing in a 1880s frontier town.
-Back in the grocery store Les joins us. He was in full kit and looked mighty fine. Water was on the boil again for tea. Fay, Terry, Joleene, Les and Morgan were getting down to the nittty gritty; town gossip and the essentials of fetching fire-wood and sleeping arrangements for the cold night ahead.
-‘Whose apple is that?’ Morgan asks shyly, then munches happily when we tell him that it is his if he wants it.
-Farewells said, we make our way back across the field over the barbed wire fence and past the horses in the direction of reality.
We also went day tripping to another Western Town called 'Deadwood'. Will try and get around to digitising that day too. I am due a little cowboy inspiration, or maybe pirate, hmmm both! watch this space.
