In the early 80's, the hotel I worked at had a booth in two chili cookoff charity fundraisers in downtown Houston. I participated in both. Our breakfast cook Jesse tended the chili pot. The first year our booth had a M*A*S*H* theme, and was decked out in camo and all of us in fatigues. The next year Houston had gotten hit hard by the recession, so we did a rags-to-riches theme. We had folks dressed in sandwich boards and the maitre'd and I were outfitted in tuxedos and served chili to the spectators from silver chafing dishes. We participated in a good old-fashioned chili cookoff egg toss, after which we decided we should send the tuxes through the hotel dry cleaning service before returning them to the rental place.

It was here that I learned of the CASI event in Terlingua, held annually the first weekend in November. For those who don't know, CASI is the Chili Appreciation Society International and Terlingua (a ghost town in West Texas) is the home of their international chili cookoff championship. I had to go. I purchased Jerry Jeff Walker's Viva Terligua for the trip and lined up two Yankee guests from the hotel to take on the journey, circa November, 1984.

It was 752 miles from Houston to Terlingua. Our arrival was met by a two story inflatable Quervo Gold tequila bottle (had we arrived or what!) at the entrance where we were asked "Are you cookin' or lookin'?" Heck. I was there to do both! We didn't have CASI points to enter, but that didn't mean we couldn't turn up the heat!

Of course, I met up and shared a beer with Clay Henry, the beer drinking goat in Lajitas. He later became major. Unfortunately, he was allegedly castrated and later assassinated by a political rival, a sad end to my beer drinking buddy and great political figure.

We paid a Mexican a dollar to row us across the river, where we sat on a rock and ate tuna fish sandwiches we'd packed for the day. We paid another dollar to get back across. Lunch in Mexico. That was my first trip.

The cookoff was a blast and we enjoyed all of the booths and events. I've celebrated Terlingua every year since, with a pot on the stove of my own. It's difficult up here â€" all the damm Yankees want to put beans in it. When I was a kid, chili with beans in it was called goulash. I've held firm to a 'no beans' policy and continue to spread the chili gospel to this day.

I had the pleasure of meeting up with a local restaurant chain through work called Hard Times Café where I formed an instant kinship with the proprietors. It's a chili bar. Originally, they had three offerings: Texas style (meat and grease), Cincinnati (with cinnamon) and vegetarian (with a peanut base). They've since added a Terlingua version. Their restaurants are adorned in Texas kitsch, a welcome site for this homesick native.

My favorite line from London Homesick Blues:

"My mind keeps roamin', my heart keeps longin'
to be home in a Texas bar."

There's no place like home.