Meet the Barefoot family - part 2

Here is part two of the series of Barefoot family biographies.  Part one can be found here.

These are the next three oldest members.

JENNIFER, 30
Jennifer Jill Pope grew up in Charlotte, NC in a middle-class family.  Originally, after high school, she went to the University of North Carolina, Charlotte and wanted to be a nurse.  During that time, she gained an interest in podiatry and wanted to pursue it further.  Since UNCC did not offer a degree concentration in podiatry, she transferred to North Carolina State University, which did.  After graduation, Jennifer spent three years in Marietta, GA working for Dr. James Mimms, then moved back to Charlotte to start her own practice.

Shortly after the practice opened, she met Bobby Ray Barefoot at a NASCAR fan event at Charlotte Motor Speedway.  Within two years, this was followed by a marriage and then the birth of what turned out to be their only child, Belinda.

Like other farm moms, Jennifer's passions include cooking, sewing, washing and drying clothes, and some animal husbandry.  In her spare time, she pursues a career as a novelist; she says her perfect book would combine romance, mystery, and household tips.

Fun fact: When Jennifer got married, she became what author Paul Dickson has called an "aptronym," or someone whose name matches a profession or description.  (With everyone in the house running around shoeless all the time, the name is now appropriate twice over!)

Avatar: Brandy Barefoot (not to be confused with my character of the same name), a resident of Opp, AL


BOBBY RAY, 27
Bobby Ray Barefoot is the middle son of Brenda, and the first she had with Alfred after Brenda and Alfred married.  From age seven to about 16, Bobby Ray and his brother Buddy Wayne grew up separately, B.R. with Alfred and B.W. with Brenda.  After a short time as a transient, Bobby and B.W. were reunited and moved to Baldrige Island, a new development off the coast of Africa designed as a permanent youth development and social center.  (For more on how this happened, see B.W.'s bio.)

After some time as a driver in Racing with Attitude - a race-car series combining elements of Formula One and WWE - B.R. got homesick and returned to the U.S. to pursue opportunities in NASCAR.  After working as an engineer for a few years, he was reunited with his brother as crew chief when B.W. became a Cup driver.  Twice, the duo won NASCAR's top championship title, now called Sprint Cup.  (There was one other time that B.W. won as a driver in a season Bobby missed, due to Belinda's health problems.)

Bobby is the chief steward of the barn, feeding, grooming, and breeding hundreds of animals a day.  He prepares hogs, lambs, and cattle for slaughter and cows for milking, and makes sure that, when the animals are killed, the methods are as humane as possible.  "I really hate to see them go, but what else are we gonna do?" he has asked.

When his chores are done, he and Jennifer read stories to Belinda.  He has also learned to play the fiddle.


Avatar: Travis Sampson, cast member on Survivor: Vanuatu in 2005

RALPH, 26

Ralph Landon Barefoot is the eldest son of Alonzo ("Popeye") and Gillie Ann ("Annie").  In the previous life, he worked at Barefoot's Auto Mart, a used-car dealership owned by a distant relative and some of that relative's immediate family.  Ralph was also an ordained minister and provided counseling services on behalf of the Southern Baptist Convention.  He had hoped to someday take over a congregation, but the Rapture intervened before that occurred.

Ralph is now the family pastor, giving services three times a week, twice on Sunday and the other time on Wednesday night.  He is known for his relentless work ethic and dedication to knowing more about the Bible and his faith, as well as instilling that in the rest of the family.  Another way he shares his faith is by singing Southern gospel music as a member of the Barefoot Boys.  The other members are his father Popeye, brother Harvey, and cousin Landon Jr.

In his secular life, Ralph is the family hunter and fisherman; his skills are important in bringing extra food supplies to the house.  Ralph has taught what he knows to his brothers, his sister, and to his nephews Bobby Ray and Buddy Wayne.  He is so talented that, if he wished, he could try out to be a professional bass fisherman or an Olympic-level shooter, maybe even both!

Ralph also owns three hunting dogs - Bubba, Cooter, and Diddley.

Avatar: Brett Barefoot, coordinator of training and compliance in the financial aid department at the University of Mississippi

Meet the Barefoot family - part 1

At last.  This is the kind of post that should have been here three years ago, when this whole thing got started!  First, a word on the setting is in order.

The location is on the southern edge of Johnston County, North Carolina, about 40 miles southeast of Raleigh, the state capital.  It's in the unincorporated community of Meadow, but the ZIP code is in Newton Grove, in bordering Sampson County.   The Barefoot family (whose last name originally described peasants in England so poor they could not afford any kind of footwear) has lived on that property and in surrounding areas since at least the 1820s.

They stay there through all kinds of events, past, present, and future, until the "glorious appearance" of Jesus Christ that ushers in the "new Heaven" and "new Earth" spoken about in the Book of Revelation (Rev. 22:1).  This is the world Christians eagerly await, one without war, pain, suffering, or death.

But there's a twist: The new world the Barefoot family now lives in is exactly the same as that of 1921.  I chose that year because that was when the first North Carolina State Gospel Singing Convention took place in Benson.  It's an event that symbolizes the small-town nature and religious fervor of the area.  It was also the last decade when the United States as a whole had more people living in its rural areas than its urban ones.  That way of life would be forever changed in subsequent decades by technology, migration to urban areas, and the need to participate in a larger global society.

Among other things, that means no electricity, no running water, and an urgent need to be self-reliant.  More on that in the posts to come.

For now, I begin a four-part series developing the 13 characters who live in the Barefoot house.  (As B.W. explains in the first episode, "who made 13 an unlucky number?  After all, it's a baker's dozen and the number of colonies that started our great country.")  I begin with the three oldest.

ALONZO ("Popeye"), age 58
Alonzo Hoyt Barefoot is the elder statesman of the family.  His nickname came from his facial resemblance to the famous cartoon character and his love of the water.  Popeye is known for his practicality, quick wit, and laidback approach to life.

When Buddy Wayne went through his turmoil after his parents separated, Popeye came in as his "father figure."  Popeye took B.W. to his first NASCAR race, instilling in his "son" the love that eventually led to B.W.'s championship career.  Popeye was paid back in spades with a lot of the money that B.W. won in NASCAR, which he used to save some of the family property from development. 

Today, Popeye helps B.W. run his farm; his biggest job is to train the mules that are used to help plow and plant the land, and are also used in transportation to nearby homes and villages.  He also plants the seeds and maintains the fruit orchards.

Popeye is also the family historian and the organizer of the Barefoot-Johnston County Family Reunion, popularly known as the "Handy Jam."  It's a summer block party honoring John Hannah "Handy" Barefoot, who first bought the land on which the current extended family lives just after the American Civil War.  Handy's descendants, wives, and close friends are all invited to attend.  As many as 150 people have attended, representing the last six generations before Jesus Christ's return.

His hobbies include crossword puzzles, playing card and dice games (his favorites are contract bridge and bunco), and sailing on board his own boat, the Lillie Belle.

Avatar: Brack Maggard, co-owner of the #09 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team.  This is based on a picture taken when he was a driver in the ARCA Racing Series.  I then used Photoshop to get rid of the picture "noise."


GILLIE ANN ("Annie"), 46
Gillie Ann Beasley Barefoot, who everyone calls "Annie," is Alonzo's wife. Her original life ended when she was killed in a car crash while going to the convenience store to buy more cigarettes and beer.  These addictions was especially unfortunate given that Annie was a former beauty queen and college student.  However, Annie lost her job while the local textile mill closed and she had no other skills.  (Of course, tobacco and textiles are traditionally the biggest industries in North Carolina, where the family is from originally.)  Annie left three children at her death, and a huge hole in Popeye's life that B.W. would fill later. 

Since this family was organized, her new passion has been to make everything beautiful, whether it's people (she preps Brandy for beauty pageants and operates an in-house spa), plants (she maintains the front yard full of wildflowers), or animals (Annie keeps lambs and fawns as pets).

Annie also founded the Barefoot Mommas' Club, in which she, Brenda, Jennifer, and guest wives from the extended family meet for activities that include quilting, knitting, and themed parties.  She considers her biggest challenge to be teaching traditional skills to the new generation, especially her rambunctious daughter Hambone.

Avatar: Emily Barefoot, real estate agent with Ellis Barbour and Company in Dunn, NC

BRENDA, 44

Brenda Gayle Raynor Barefoot lived a hardscrabble existence in Benson, NC, where she grew up.  She dropped out of school in 10th grade and bounced from one job to another.  A family friend, concerned about her constant mood swings and lack of attention, had her admitted to a hospital.  There, Brenda was diagnosed with Fragile X Syndrome, an intellectual disability caused by the failure of an "X" chromosome to develop fully.  By this point, Brenda already had two children and was about to have a third.  Tired of the antics of her husband Alfred (whose name B.W. never utters publicly, preferring instead "birth daddy"), she broke up with him; however, an official divorce did not occur.  Although she was an admirable single mother, Popeye helped her with "father figure" obligations.  Just before the Rapture, a court finally ruled a de facto divorce giving Brenda sole custody of B.W. 

Brenda is the best cook, by far, in the house; although all the older females know how to cook, it's her recipes that make up the majority of the family dinners.  Her signature dishes are Memphis-style ribs, peanut butter pie, and cake batter flavored ice cream.   She organizes the washing and housework schedules for the whole complex, and is also a member of the Mommas' Club. 

To unwind, she listens to gospel and country music on a hand-cranked record player.

Avatar: Kim Blitchington, former teacher at a Montessori school in Columbus, OH

Idealia 'remodeled'

UPDATE 7:58 pm PT: This is the 10th and final revision of this post today.  I went through a lot of names and even added and threw out entire states (sorry, Delaware and Maryland) to make sure I got it exactly right.  Whew!

UPDATE 9/15/2012: Net gain of one name and loss of another border state.  This should be the final list.  Double whew!

UPDATE 10/30/2012: Added 11 more last names and eliminated geographic origins.  I did so after sketching the place on a mythical map and filling it in.

UPDATE 12/2/2012: Finally removed the "Bellflower" name redundancy and added Bankhead and Wimberly for an even 68.

UPDATE 12/7/2012: Lightfoot is in, Littlebridge is out.


Last week, I reviewed The Buddy Wayne Chronicles five years after I wrote it.  I shared what I wished I could keep and I could throw away.  One of my mistakes was my description of Idealia, the portion of heaven in which Buddy Wayne Barefoot and his family live.

In the original book, I divided Idealia into four main residential areas.  They were Little Ireland, West Country, The Bottom, and Hill Country.  Barefoot and his family lived in Hill Country.  There was also a central marketplace area.

There are two main problems with it:

• As I wrote on Friday, the thing looks suspiciously like a theme park, and does not have the reverence of an eternal place of rest and reward, as this is.
• The areas were built with the pretense of being a studio set for a television series, My Ideal World.  I should have realized that the implication of this was a tool for ministry to be used by someone who had died (similar to 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper).  The real circumstances were to be much different: Barefoot and his family and friends were supposed to participate in the Rapture and the Great Tribulation, as described in the book of Revelation that ends the Bible, with Idealia opened up to them during the Millennium, the intervening period that many Christians believe will occur after the battle at Armageddon.  For the life of me, I don't know why I didn't think that on that day in 2007 that I wrote and published it.  Maybe it was my inability to express the gravity of the situation to a public audience.  Maybe it was my rush to get it published at the height of my hatred of NASCAR and my desire to get B.W. out of racing as quickly as possible.  (Strangely, I haven't stopped watching NASCAR in the years since; in fact, I watch every Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series race, and I watch most Camping World Truck Series races.)

So what would Idealia really look like?  It is a oblong-shaped "island" with a geography similar to the Southern United States.  Residents would be descended from these Southern families.  There are 68 in all; their family homesteads cover 8,525 acres and the total population is a little over 900.

The list below is presented counterclockwise, from northeast to southwest and back again.

• LIGHTFOOT
• BLOW
• BULL
• BASS
• McCLAMMY
• SMALLS
• BIRDSONG
• PEACOCK
• SPIKES
• BELLFLOWER
• WIMBERLY
• SNOWBALL
• HOGG
• PLUMPKIN
• SMELLEY
• BUCKLES
• McBRAIN
• BOB
• BRISTER
• BLACKSHIRE
• BOOTY
• POTTERFIELD
• FLIPPER
• RAPP
• RABBITT
• BODKIN
• BLIZZARD
• BUTT
• BOBBITT
• BARBOUR
• BELCHER
• POPPLEWELL
• SIDEBOTTOM
• BOWLING
• SPEARS
• BARNHILL
• SPARKS
• BIBB
• BUGG
• DINGLEBERRY
• McBUNCH
• BEANBLOSSOM
• BALDRIDGE
• TURNIPSEED
• HOOTER
• BLANKS
• BOBO
• BANKHEAD
• LAUGHINGHOUSE
• LOONEY
• ROCKETT
• PEPPERS
• BEAVERS
• BLITCHINGTON
• BROOKSHIRE
• McPATTER
• McLAMB
• BAREFOOT
• BUFFALOE
• BRICKHOUSE
• TIMBERLAKE
• BELK
• LEAK
• BATTLE
• CRABTREE
• BOOZER
• BOATWRIGHT
• BRAYBOY

As you can tell, many of the surnames are vocabulary words or phrases.  For some reason, residents with this type of name settled in bigger numbers in the South than in any other part of the U.S.

Five years on, a self-review

It's hard to believe that it's been five years since I first wrote and published The Buddy Wayne Chronicles.  At the time I finished it in late 2007, I had high hopes for it.  I thought I would sell enough books to pave the way for me to become a full-time author.  At the very least, someone would have noticed my book who would be able to nurture me and improve my work.

Unfortunately, neither happened, as only five books were sold and my royalty check was less than $10.

In 2010, I wrote a "followup" volume, My Ideal World.  At that point, writing had become a hobby and I didn't care if I never sold a copy of the very thin book.  As it turned out, I didn't sell a thing.

So what went wrong?  Actually, my failures were both financial and critical.  On the financial side, my attempts to sell the book to the NASCAR community was a failure.  I wrote drivers, teams, even media, and no one bit.  As for family and friends, only a few were interested.

Then again, my book could have - and should have - looked a whole lot better.  Yes, I've said it, and I'm willing to critique my work.  That's because I want to point out the mistakes I made, which I could learn from and apply if I ever write another book.  (In fact, some of those lessons have been applied here.)

So, chapter by chapter, here's what I think:

• Table of Contents - Thought of including one, but I forgot.  Bad start there.:(
• Introduction - Here, I laid out the final climactic scene, B.W.'s last auto race, and then launched back to what brought about this point.  Pretty well done.
• Chapter 1 - In "An Awakening," I detail how and why B.W. left NASCAR.  Good, but then I described Idealia, and that was my first big problem.  My description made it look like a second-rate theme park instead of what it really should have been - a community of Southern farm families, based loosely on a map of Ireland I saw at a pub in Long Beach, CA which details the places of origins of various Irish families.  I've drawn one, and if I knew how to upload it here, I would do so.
• Chapter 2 - "A New Beginning" better describes where B.W. lives and tells his detailed backstory.  This should have been improved with a description of the 12 other family members who live with him in his new abode.  You'll meet them in detail in future posts.
• Chapter 3 - "Starting Over" describes the My Ideal World TV show (which I later reorganized into the "reality show" Buddy Wayne: Coming Home), as well as the farm house and one-room schoolhouse.  Maybe the last two items better fit in chapter 2.  The story about poop in the water may have been gratuitous, but it did introduce a character similar to Bryson.
• Chapter 4 - "Going to the Mat" describes a wrestling match B.W. went to.  It represents my desire to wish things were different, and nostalgia for a past love of mine.  No change.
• Chapter 5 - "A Down-Home Life" can best be described as 10 pounds of stuff in a five-pound bag.  First, I introduced a character I have since renamed La'BooTeasha Littlebridge, one of two strong black characters.  I felt I needed such characters, not only because I'm African-American, but also because of the tortured history of the rural experience (first as slaves, then as sharecroppers).  The homemade milling machine was one of the best parts of the book for me. Then, I fleshed out "cousin Bunky" by describing his TV show, his favorite hangout (modeled after Universal CityWalk) and even his lingo.  This should have been two separate chapters.
• Chapter 6 - "Lead Us Not Into Temptation" is my introduction to Blinky Blink.  Since then, I have remade him into a clog-dancing, rapping hybrid instead of the controversial figure in the book.  It gave me an excuse to publish my lyrics to "Southern Rhapsody," however.
• Chapter 7 - "Plotting a Return" describes B.W.'s farewell race and the track he was to compete on.  Except for dropping the Bowling Hill Speedway banking to, say, 26 degrees from a ridiculous 36, I'd keep everything as is.
• Chapter 8 - "Finding Time for a Friend" is about Bubba Ray Lumpkin, the second strong black character I made up.  He's had a diminished role in my life since then, as I don't talk about racing anymore and he's still a race car driver.  Oh, and the lyrics to "Bluebird" are interwoven into the chapter.
• Chapter 9 - "Jillbilly in the Barn" is the introduction to "Bluegrass" Brittany Spears.  This is my favorite chapter, and I plan to read it again when I have the time.
• Chapter 10 - "Riding Shotgun" returns with Buddy Wayne, Bubba Ray, and marital advice.  Most, if not all, of this chapter is unnecessary.   Anything I kept should have been in chapter 9.
• Chapter 11 - "Cold Feet and a Cold Heart", B.W. "divorces" Shayla McLamb and wants to marry Spears, but is denied.  This is due to the "marriage of the lamb" in the Book of Revelation being the only one allowed.  Later I realize it's only symbolic and I change it in the epilogue.
• Chapter 12 - "Cousins at the Crossroads" provides pre-race coverage and some background information.  The title implied a B.W.- Bunky rivalry that I unfortunately played up a lot.
• Chapter 13 - "Race Day" is just what it says - a complete review of the Heritage Cup, climaxing with the incredible move that won the race for B.W.
• Epilogue - Shows the post-race celebration and describes a fictitious Daytona 500 to symbolize the NASCAR world he left behind.

I also wrote a followup on some aspects of the book, including B.W. being allowed to marry Spears.  Unfortunately, I have been unable to find it, either in the PDF file or any of the four hard copies I have.  Maybe Lulu lost it somehow.:(

So there's my self-review.  A pat on the back in some places, some self-criticism in others.  What do all of you think?

The 'namesake' who helped launch a political career

Today, while at the Cerritos Library, I stumbled across this passage from the biography of Nikki Haley, governor of South Carolina.  The book is called Can't Is Not an Option: My American Story.

First, some background: Haley, who was born in India to Sikh parents but moved to the U.S. as a child, was a successful businesswoman who in 2004 was running for public office for the first time.  It was for a seat in the 87th district of the South Carolina House of Representatives.

...We had a friend, John Barefoot, who was Googling around trying to find out as much about [longtime state legislator Larry] Koon as he could to help out with the campaign.  He came across a book called The Stupidest Things Ever Said by Politicians.  There, on page thirty-eight, was this: "Women are best suited for secretarial work, decorating cakes, and counter sales, like selling lingerie."

John took the quote to my women's business group, NAWBO, and the group didn't hesitate.  It reprinted Mr. Koon's statement on a black background in archaic-looking script and put it out.  The women of the district were furious.

Haley received enough votes to enter into a runoff against Koon; she went on to defeat the incumbent by 55 percent to 45 and took office in January 2005.  After five years in the legislature, she ran for governor in 2010 and won, becoming the first woman and non-Anglo governor is the state's history.

Today, Haley is considered a rising star in the Republican party and will be among the speakers later this month at the Republican National Convention in Tampa.

Although there are no doubt some other people who played major roles in Haley's successful candidacy, John Barefoot's role should not be overlooked.  And wherever he is now, no doubt he is pleased.

UPDATE: Here's a recent story about budget cuts Haley has ordered.  Her actions drew praise from online columnist Eric Erickson at RedState.com, which is predominantly read by Republicans.

Barefoot surname "battle of the bands"

This is a spinoff of the Barefoot collection page I made last year.

I have found two modern rock guitarists with the surname.  Ben Barefoot and the Hand Shakes are based in Perrysburg, OH and Jonathan Barefoot and the Bulrushers are in Encinitas, CA.

Here are songs from both of them.  What do you think?
*Ben - "Nothing Is As Beautiful As You"
*Jonathan - "A Portrait of the Idiot Who Claims to Be an Artist"

Goodbye, "Sheriff Matlock"

This is a statement from my character on the recent death of television star Andy Griffith.

Andy Griffith was Sheriff Andy Taylor.   He was Benjamin Matlock, champion lawyer of the little guy.  He was a husband, father, grandfather, and friend.

Best of all, he was "Sheriff Matlock," the best good ol' Southern boy in the world.

When I wanted to know what the right thing was, I turned to Andy Taylor, Barney Fife, Aunt Bee, Ernest T. Bass, and the rest of the good citizens of Mayberry.  Those of us who live in North Carolina considered them to be just like our families, and for good reason.

And like me, Andy made sure to call the Tar Heel State home, even in the midst of his fame.  When he retired to Dare County, near the Outer Banks, he blended into the community as if he never starred in two of the most popular TV shows of his time - and still two of the best examples of family entertainment ever created.

Goodbye and God bless, "Sheriff Matlock."  The world will remember you and the examples you set as long as your shows are on TV.