Texas Trailer Trash Zaf 08

The Texas Trailer Trash Zaf has come and gone, but certainly not to be forgotten as it is most certainly one of the top brotherhood events in the United States. Captain Rocket Boy and brother Brise Galets were representing the Chesapeake Bay table, as one of the two tables (The Sun Coast table was represented by its immediate past Captain, brother The Crab) outside the Texas tables, to take part in this event.

Many aspects of this event make it very special and quite different from most of the other ones.
One of the key ingredients is that visiting brothers are staying not in hotels but in the homes of the local brothers. This allows for a very special quality of the relationship between local and visiting brothers, not to mention the fact that it also makes the event a lot more affordable, since you only have to take care of your transportation.
The other important factor in the success of the event is that it coincides with a major event organised by the city creating the possibility of tagging a boucan onto an existing event, the San Antonio Festival. It makes the whole week-end a very memorable one. Within that festival, the brotherhood has the opportunity to participate in the parade with their own float, and this is a lot of fun with the float quite popular with the crowd.

This year, there was a kind of a warm up, as Brise Galets was coming into town a little earlier than most, arriving on Thursday afternoon. Brother Kilo Pata Barrera, captain of the San Antonio table had organized cocktails and drinks at his Vineyard in Canyon Lake, where part of the San Antonio table have their homes. Brothers Pistolero, Tricky Dick, Borracho, (who brought a guest from San Diego, CA), Jofes, and their captives were able to join Kilo Pata Barrera and Patty to welcome Brise Galets.

The event itself usually starts on Friday night with a welcome dinner at one of the brothers home, and this year was not different. We all gathered at the home of brother Monty Python and his captive Audrey, who by the way is responsible for some of the better pictures taken during the event. This is always a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with brothers that have not met sometime for more than a year. This is also the time to put the final touch in the preparation of the parade in San Antonio next morning and give instructions for those joining the parade.
This year, the table introduced a new improvement in the organisation of the event, by making two vans available for transportation, bearing in mind that the table covers quite a large area, with some of the events taking part near Canyon Lake and others in San Antonio downtown. I was told the the table put on 750 miles between the 2 vans for the week-end. There were certainly very useful and never were idle for long.

Saturday morning is one of the highlights of the week-end with the Parade in downtown San Antonio. It seems that the crowd is eagerly awaiting the Pirates and their loot, and everybody keep asking for the beads. The canon on the float keep blasting away and the crew, led by brother Big Dog tries its best to frighten the crowd with their "aarrrrhhhh!!!".
The pictures available on the photo album of the San Antonio table speak more than words, so no need to say more.

Then comes the main course ! That is where the name of the event shows its meaning !
Everybody gathers at the place where brother Marquis de Sade used to park his trailer. The trailer is still there, but also a huge barn, which will be followed soon by a dream house, and plenty of space for a grrreat party.
Tons of food, including slow cooked chicken and barbecues pork, with Tricky Dick, Baby Bump, Jofes and Kilo Pata Barrera, making sure that there is too much food of top notch quality. I won't mention the drinks, since after 21 years as a brother, I am still to see a dry gathering of brothers. And John provided, as in the previous years, first class entertainment. All of that make that evening truly memorable and enjoyable.

Then, on Sunday morning, it is time to say good bye with Bloody Mary's and cooked breakfast, this year at the home of brother Dr. Jones.

If you were not a participant this year, you now know what you have been missing. See yall in San Antonio next year !

The photos are available in the photo album of the San Antonio table.