I've always had a thing for Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson. Part of that gang of musicians who broke free of Nashville control and made Austin a big name for country music.
And I was friends with one of those singer/songwriters but didn't know it.

In the 80's, Augusta, Georgia didn't have a lot going on in its main street, but I loved going down there anyhow, mostly just to go to the Antopolsky Brother's Hardware. As a transplanted Pacific Northwest person (different and more acceptable in the South than a Yankee), I was fascinated by the store. It was built of brick and wood with high ceilings and lots of shelving set up on either side of a spacious single room.Throughout the room were big square wooden pillars that propped up the open scaffolding that supported the tin roof. Hanging from struts and hooks were mule collars and plows,  

There was a dim anteroom in the back used for storage, and there always seemed to be some old fellas sitting there in comfortable chairs, shooting the breeze with dixie cups in their hands,. I imagine the dixie cups were either for whisky or for spitting tobacco. A good place to get away from their wimmen folks. 

Of course it wasn't air-conditioned, but still it was a great place to browse on a drowsy Georgia summer afternoon.The cash register was the kind that rang up with a ca-ching, and there was always one of the Antopolsky brothers behind the counter, doing the books or sorting inventory. 

I became acquainted with Daniel, one of the brothers, when I was there looking for brushes. Daniel was helping me look through their brush stocks, and he found out I was an artist. It turned out that Daniel had just returned from backpacking around the world, and he had a lot of stories to tell. I am a sucker for stories. We would always have a chat when I dropped by, and although I rarely bought anything, we became friends.  

Daniel confided that he was engaged to a French doctor who was doing her visiting residency at the Augusta Georgia Medical University, and when they were married, he would return with the doctor to live in France. After that, I didn't see him for a year and a half.Then he looked me up when he came back to Augusta to visit his  brothers. He seemed happy with his French life and filled me in on his domestic arrangements,  He also told me how when on vacation, he saw women and girls of all ages, suntanning topless on their backs on the French beaches." Grandmothers, teenagers and in-betweens, Jennifer–––fried eggs on their chests, all of 'em. A long beach of fried eggs. Oeufs frits!"  Not erotic, according to Daniel.

When I was writing this story, I tried to find a photo of Antopolsky's Hardware and darned if I didn't run into a bunch of articles about Daniel being an "Outlaw Country" musician and songwriter. He toured with Townes Van Zandt and even saved him from an overdose. He was also one of the rare Jewish country songwriters/singers. Daniel had big write ups in the Atlanta Constitution Journal, the Rolling Stones magazine, the Guardian, NPR, Ken Burns and  BBC.   
I had no clue.....

Turns out Daniel is still living and raising chickens in Bordeaux with his wife Sylvia and twin daughters and he's still writing his songs. I'd love to hear him sing, And I'd ask him to tell me more stories in his Georgia accented French.

Just to hear how he sounds.

To hear Daniel today click here

Jennifer Carrasco is a longtime West Seattle resident and internationally recognized muralist whose work combines historical depth, mythic storytelling, and botanical elegance. With decades of experience painting large-scale trompe l’oeil and chinoiserie murals for clients ranging from Tommy Bahama to private collectors, she brings a distinctive Northwest voice to decorative arts. Her artistic journey has taken her from Peace Corps service and teaching in the Philippines to NEA residencies across the globe, and long ago she chose to make West Seattle her home.