RogerDuke

Back on the road to recovery and hope to stay there this time....feeling pretty good. Believe it or not, the Dukes cartoons have helped a lot!

Thanks Hobie. I'm having a rough night after I thought I was getting better. It's starting to affect me mentally. It's time to throw a Dukes DVD in.

Back on the road to recovery and hope to stay there this time....feeling pretty good. Believe it or not, the Dukes cartoons have helped a lot!

Back on the road to recovery and hope to stay there this time....feeling pretty good. Believe it or not, the Dukes cartoons have helped a lot!

It looks like the place got all cleaned up and the party is officially over. It started as a MM is cured party and morphed into a Waylon birthday party and then capped off as a Roger Duke is out of the hospital party. As 'ol Waylon always  says "In Hazzard, we tend to like happy endings." 

Woops! They're gone and Flash has a big smile on his face. This smores plan is going downhill fast. I hope MM wasn't looking forward to them. 

Thanks Hobie. I started to notice improvement this afternoon. I hope it carries through to tomorrow morning. No Lyme disease test results yet. I've heard they can take a few days. 

It looks like there's plenty of buttermilk left so I'm all for Hobie's suggestion of making it a week long party. Besides, you can't end a party like this without topping it off with smores so I guess this means we have to continue at least until someone brings the chocolate. 

The 3 day party of the century is in full swing. Hey Hobie, did you see the way Emma Tisdale was showing off to Jesse by riding wheelies? Keep your finest away from her tonight. She's too brave sober. I don't want to make it worse.

The party started out a little slow last night but it's picking up. Enos and Cletus showed up at noon today and Daisy, Bo and Luke are on the way. Enos pulled two cars over earlier today but let them go when they both explained that they weren't drunk. They were just used to driving on the other side of the road. I think I know who those two are. There's Jesse over there telling old moonshine legends to Hobie and the deputies. I suspect the guest of honor will show up fashionable late tonight. I'm putting a Hank Jr CD in.....all my rowdy friends are coming over tonight. I hope Waylon won't mind when he shows up.

Here we are in the Hazzard Swamp celebrating Meadowmufn's great news. It's going to be a 3 day shindig but will start a little early (namely now). Everybody is invited and anybody can do anything they want with a character as long as it's keeping within the spirit and ratings of the show. Aha, it looks the first to arrive to the shack (besides the host, myself) is Jesse and Hobie. Both are carrying two, one gallon clear glass jugs of water. That's four gallons of water to add to the buttermilk that I brought. It's good that they brought water. Somebody might bring salty chips and that would make folks thirsty. Hmm, I wonder why they're being so careful with it. It is just water....isn't it?  I wonder who is coming next.  *cue anybody*

This is awesome! Now we get to party tonight and party after the double check in a few months. Party time tonight.....Waylon's bringing his guitar. Enos is bringing the buttermilk. Lulu is bringing the bon bons. Daisy is bringing daisies. Bo is bringing trout to fry up. Jesse is bringing his finest...Hobie is bringing his too so folks can vote on which is best. Cooter is bringing leftover doughnuts and beer from his breakfast. Emma Tisdale is bringing her dirt bike to give rides. Luke is bringing fresh berries. Cletus is bringing spaghetti. Boss is too cheap to bring anything. And (saved the best for last) Rosco is bringing his warmest hugs for his dear friend. 

LOL...we've had something similar over here. Years ago, the word "bad" was used to mean something good thanks to folks like Michael Jackson and Mr T. Now the younger generation uses "sick" and "ridiculous" to describe something that is good. It can be hard to for an old redneck to keep up with. So I guess this means that I should hope that the spider that bit me was deadly, sick, ridiculous and bad. If it was then I should be fine. (fine meaning fine....not the opposite of fine)

It probably seems like Tuesday will take forever but it will be here before you know it. You are greatly loved. 

Good point Hobie. Besides, Boss might be a lot of things but dumb is not one of them. He won't mess with Meadowmufn. 

June 4 has brought a lot of joy in my life. It is the birthday of my twin step-daughters and only (biological) niece. When you are cancer free, June 4 will be another reason to celebrate at the Boar's Nest. Hey Hobie, don't let Boss catch you slipping your finest to the party. He only allows his own watered down alcohol to be consumed there. 

*BIG SMILE*

Yes, and they wave them at their shows. They also have them on the clothes they sell. They believe that it stands for southern pride and is a symbol of the greatest show ever to be on a television screen. I wear my Northeast Ohio Dukes shirt in public up here and it has a Rebel flag on it and I have never had any problems. The General Lee is the most famous car in the world and any reasonable person understands that fans of the show don't like it because they're racist. They like it because it's (I think I already mentioned this) the greatest show ever to be on a television screen. 

Well, no surprise here...Ray and his staff put on another fantastic Dukes event. Of course this one was a little different. I arrived at 6:00 and the first person I bumped into was my favorite stuntman, Mike. We talked outside the building for awhile, catching up on life in general. It was good to see him again after that scare he gave me at the last stunt show. But tonight wasn't a stunt show so it was nice to know I didn't have to worry about any of my friends getting scuffed up. It was the premier of Ray's movie so the only danger was slipping on spilled popcorn. 
I walked into the massive ballroom amazed at it's size. Scattered in different places was the General Lee, Daisy's Jeep, and two patrol cars, (Rosco's and Big Ed's). The Bandit and KITT were also there. It was $15 to get in (it would have been cheaper if I would have bought it in advance). I got my hand stamped and immediately went over to check out the General. Byron Cherry was nearby so I waited for the people who were talking to him to leave and went over. I had met him in 2014 and he behaved the same this time. He is super friendly, talkative and high energy. Like Enos (who was at Ray's stunt show last year) he is also a southern gentleman....born in Atlanta....and is very easy to talk to. You immediately feel relaxed around him. I asked a lot of questions, like what it was like when he first found out he was going to be a Duke boy, if he ever witnessed any stunts (he watched 6), what were his other hobbies and interests, his friendships with cast members other acting jobs, etc etc. Thankfully I got the time with him I was hoping for. 
Before the movie I chatted with other stunt show folks and fans and made some new friends along the way. Then, the main event. Byron spoke to the crowd and the movie began. It is called "Stuntlife, the Wild Ride". It is the story of Ray and the stunt crew and his family. It was made by Highway Pictures and directed by Aj Satterfield. Only one word is needed to sum it up..."WOW!....I'll use more though. It's an hour and a half long and was so professionally made it is no different than any high quality made movie you'd see in a theater. I'll skip the details of how well made it was but it was truly perfect in every way. Highway Pictures is one class act. Sonny Shroyer, Tom Wopat and Byron also make appearances in it. I think my favorite part was Ray showing and describing each of his 22 General Lee jumps, and adding if he was hurt and where. I think they all were shown from more than one camera angle...some from several angles. Every time he said he wasn't hurt on a particular one I felt a sigh of relief.  I've only seen a few so it was really cool to have a collection of them in order. (I bought the DVD before I left). Then there was the stunts of the other drivers. Some of them were pretty detailed and others were just quick scenes. The music that went with all the jumps and stunts was amazing. Everybody who was anybody with the stunt show was interviewed with the corresponding stunt and others behind the scenes got their well deserved moment or moments of fame....and there were many. The issue of safety was also discussed by several show members. The tribute Ray gave to his father was a tearjerker. When a man, like Ray who is larger than life, gets emotional on the big screen everybody in the place does too, especially me, since his dad was my favorite....no surprise there...he played Uncle Jesse, my favorite. Thankfully I spent a lot of time before and after the show talking to Dean, the new guy who plays Uncle Jesse. He's not new to Ray though. They've known each other a long time. In fact we talked so long most everybody had left and the crew members were driving the vehicles out. Then, as I walked to my car I bumped into Ray securing Daisy's Jeep onto the trailer and thanked him for all he's done. If ever there was a true Duke boy it's Ray Kohn. 
Keep an eye on their website but I think he is planning something new....a Bandit jump... in south-central Pennsylvania on June 22. Next will likely be a Dukes event in August in Virginia. In the meantime if you live too far away I highly recommend you go to his website and buy "Stuntlife." You have my promise you will not be disappointed. I laughed. I cried. I yelled YEEHAWW a lot. You will too. 
 

Well, no surprise here...Ray and his staff put on another fantastic Dukes event. Of course this one was a little different. I arrived at 6:00 and the first person I bumped into was my favorite stuntman, Mike. We talked outside the building for awhile, catching up on life in general. It was good to see him again after that scare he gave me at the last stunt show. But tonight wasn't a stunt show so it was nice to know I didn't have to worry about any of my friends getting scuffed up. It was the premier of Ray's movie so the only danger was slipping on spilled popcorn. 
I walked into the massive ballroom amazed at it's size. Scattered in different places was the General Lee, Daisy's Jeep, and two patrol cars, (Rosco's and Big Ed's). The Bandit and KITT were also there. It was $15 to get in (it would have been cheaper if I would have bought it in advance). I got my hand stamped and immediately went over to check out the General. Byron Cherry was nearby so I waited for the people who were talking to him to leave and went over. I had met him in 2014 and he behaved the same this time. He is super friendly, talkative and high energy. Like Enos (who was at Ray's stunt show last year) he is also a southern gentleman....born in Atlanta....and is very easy to talk to. You immediately feel relaxed around him. I asked a lot of questions, like what it was like when he first found out he was going to be a Duke boy, if he ever witnessed any stunts (he watched 6), what were his other hobbies and interests, his friendships with cast members other acting jobs, etc etc. Thankfully I got the time with him I was hoping for. 
Before the movie I chatted with other stunt show folks and fans and made some new friends along the way. Then, the main event. Byron spoke to the crowd and the movie began. It is called "Stuntlife, the Wild Ride". It is the story of Ray and the stunt crew and his family. It was made by Highway Pictures and directed by Aj Satterfield. Only one word is needed to sum it up..."WOW!....I'll use more though. It's an hour and a half long and was so professionally made it is no different than any high quality made movie you'd see in a theater. I'll skip the details of how well made it was but it was truly perfect in every way. Highway Pictures is one class act. Sonny Shroyer, Tom Wopat and Byron also make appearances in it. I think my favorite part was Ray showing and describing each of his 22 General Lee jumps, and adding if he was hurt and where. I think they all were shown from more than one camera angle...some from several angles. Every time he said he wasn't hurt on a particular one I felt a sigh of relief.  I've only seen a few so it was really cool to have a collection of them in order. (I bought the DVD before I left). Then there was the stunts of the other drivers. Some of them were pretty detailed and others were just quick scenes. The music that went with all the jumps and stunts was amazing. Everybody who was anybody with the stunt show was interviewed with the corresponding stunt and others behind the scenes got their well deserved moment or moments of fame....and there were many. The issue of safety was also discussed by several show members. The tribute Ray gave to his father was a tearjerker. When a man, like Ray who is larger than life, gets emotional on the big screen everybody in the place does too, especially me, since his dad was my favorite....no surprise there...he played Uncle Jesse, my favorite. Thankfully I spent a lot of time before and after the show talking to Dean, the new guy who plays Uncle Jesse. He's not new to Ray though. They've known each other a long time. In fact we talked so long most everybody had left and the crew members were driving the vehicles out. Then, as I walked to my car I bumped into Ray securing Daisy's Jeep onto the trailer and thanked him for all he's done. If ever there was a true Duke boy it's Ray Kohn. 
Keep an eye on their website but I think he is planning something new....a Bandit jump... in south-central Pennsylvania on June 22. Next will likely be a Dukes event in August in Virginia. In the meantime if you live too far away I highly recommend you go to his website and buy "Stuntlife." You have my promise you will not be disappointed. I laughed. I cried. I yelled YEEHAWW a lot. You will too. 
 

I'm off to Hazzard County and couldn't be more excited. I hope I get the chance to talk to Coy for more than a few minutes. I'll have a full report tonight when I get home late. I am so appeciative of folks like Meadowmufn and Ray Kohn who love the Dukes enough to put so much time into it. Ray and his stuntman are amazing. Not only do they spend a lot of time keeping the Dukes legacy alive but they risk serious bodily harm doing so. Now that's dedication!

Thanks MM. I should have asked your permission first but I suspect you know me well enough by now that I won't say anything but good things about this place (ignoring all those times back in the old days that you threw me in the Hazzard County Jail.)

Thanks Hoss! I've said it a million times...you're awesome!

Always awesome to hear more good news! Hopefully the surgery will be soon. The quicker Doc Apelby has you up and running....the quicker we can get the Boar's Nest party started.

Thanks Hoss. If anybody has any questions for the Q@A session please let me know. I'll introduce myself as a representative of the HazzardNet to try to recruit new members. (a lot of the people there will already recognize me anyways)