Gone Barefoot show summaries (re-issue of season 3)

As promised, here's what season 3 now looks like.

#27/28 - Jan. 5, 2014: "The Pink Party" (2 hours)
The Barefoot-Johnston County Family Reunion, the official name of the "Pink Party," takes place at the old Barefoot Cemetery site on Eldridge Road in Dunn.  The first hour chronicles the incredible transformation of the 30-acre site to the location of one of the biggest single-family events in the state of North Carolina.  Days in advance, food is prepared, a dozen seating benches are set up around a huge tent, the main dining room becomes a formal ballroom and banquet room, and even the remaining farmland is turned into a simulation of a late-19th century fairground.  The second hour is a parade of characters and a beehive of activity that starts in the morning and goes well into the night.  Popeye upsets the ladies at bunco, two meals - an informal lunch and a formal dinner - are served, some of your favorite characters show their talents, and everyone dances the night away.  And somehow, the cleanup was completed in time for church services the next morning.  But - where did Hambone go?
#29/30 - Jan. 12, 2014: "Bad Bone, Good Girls" (2 hours)
The cliffhanger surrounding Hambone's whereabouts early in the morning of the family reunion is resolved.  It is revealed that she slipped out of the all-ages formal dance without telling anyone else, took off her formal clothes, slipped into redneck gear, and spent the rest of the night with the Camp Paradise cousins in a pine forest behind the property.  After seeing her with bloodshot eyes, B.W. gives her a verbal warning against any further action in the future.  Also on the show, Brandy ends her reign as Miss Idealia and watches Megan Turnipseed (former BMN Superfan contestant) win the crown; the show also honors Tonya McBrookins, a black woman from Louisiana who was allowed to enter the pageant in the 1960s, despite the rampant discrimination in the South at the time; she made the live finale only to be pulled under immense pressure from the region's political and business leaders.
#31 - Jan. 19, 2014: "More Big Doings"
With her time as a beauty queen officially over, Brandy enrolls in Lena Peacock's ballroom dancing school just north of the Peacocks Crossroads junction of state routes 50 and 96.  There, she develops a crush on a boy from eastern N.C. named Hylton Tripp.  Also, Brenda is the special guest speaker at a church the Raynors (her side of the family) has attended for generations.  Finally, Annie puts the finishing touches on her new book and prepares for a tour to promote it.
#32 - Jan. 26, 2014: "Dream House"
The treehouse project has been completed and Bryson excitedly moves in.  The house contains two chairs, a small bed, a workbench, and large spaces for play.  On opening day, Noah invites all the kids who attend the one-room schoolhouse to Bryson's new home.  Before too long, Belinda moves in with her dolls and Popeye launches a TV show from there.  In addition, B.W. ends the season as player/coach on the Meadow Indians basketball team.  Finally, Brenda shares her recipe for barbeque ribs with "all-in-one" sauce.
#33 - Mar. 9, 2014: "Superfan Winner"
(This show followed a five-week suspension due to Super Bowl XLVIII, the 2014 Winter Olympics, and the 86th Academy Awards.)
Brittany Ramos, winner of BMN Superfan, spends five days in the family home, participating in various tasks, activities, and events.  This hour chronicles the week and gives details of season 2 of the reality TV competition.
#34 - Mar. 16, 2014: "Bi Jove!"
Billy Bob and Krista Ribble come in all the way from Texas with a gift for the family: a "bi-horn," which is a hybrid creature combining a bison (commonly mislabeled as buffalo) and Longhorn steer.  The Ribbles have been pen pals of B.W. for some months.  Also, Brenda is in Memphis, TN to do a photo shoot and interview for a magazine, and Bryson and friends use the briar patch for a big game of hide-and-seek.
#35 - Mar. 23, 2014: "You Can Hear the Bells"
Preparations for the renewal of vows are in full swing.  On the groom's side, the usual bachelor party is replaced by a church service and Southern gospel performance.  Meanwhile, the Spears family holds a bridal shower with traditional music, games, and stories of the Ulster-Scot Appalachians before the attendees start the 430-mile trip to North Carolina via traditional methods.  The bride, groom, bridesmaids, and groomsmen all have their clothes handmade, mostly by Brenda and Annie.
#36/37 - Mar. 30, 2014: "The Circle Is Unbroken"
After five years together and four as a married couple, Buddy Wayne and Brittany Raylene renew their vows and hold the formal ceremony they have always wanted.  Their daughter Lizzie serves as the ring girl, Ralph brings the two back into marriage, and Hambone acts up again, pretending to object to the wedding then saying that she was just kidding.  At the reception, the first dance occurs to the music of their hit song "When the Bough Breaks."  The farm house hosts the wedding, while Long Branch hosts the reception.
#38/39 - Apr. 6, 2014: "Together In All Seasons"
In the first hour, B.W. and Brittany take their honeymoon on an eight-day cruise of the Caribbean.  They are welcomed on shore by Bertland McSween, the unofficial king of the region and the mayor of the revived city of Port Royal, Jamaica, and local music star Battimamzelle performs.  For the second hour, the couple take the "Ultimate Christmas Trip," starting at Rockefeller Center in New York City, then visiting a Christkindlmarkt and castle in southern Germany, and ending at the site in Bethlehem where Jesus Christ was born.

Gone Barefoot show summaries (re-issue of season 2)

And now here is what season 2 would look like.

#14 - Jan. 6. 2013: "Checkers or Wreckers"
The premiere of season 2 takes place at the new short-track made of red clay dirt in Bentonville, the town in Johnston County which had been known as site of one of the last major battles of the Civil War.  B.W. climbs into a 1930s-vintage race car and competes against other local drivers in a 150-lap main event.  After a night of beating, banging, and bad tempers, the race ends unlike any other in motorsports history!  We also see flashbacks from a pre-race visit B.W. makes to the Singing Grove in Benson, where his fans celebrated his NASCAR championships and reality-show music competition success.
#15 - Jan. 13, 2013: "Perfect Harmony"
Three of the boys launch a new Southern gospel music singing group, as Popeye, Ralph, and Harvey start the Barefoot Boys.  When Bobby Ray declines to join them, Popeye walks all over the neighborhood to try to find the fourth singer, until Landon Jr. (Alonzo's nephew) says yes, and the group starts rehearsals.  Also, Harvey returns to football by joining the local team of Meadow High School alumni, and Ralph updates work on renovating the church.
#16 - Jan. 20, 2013: "School Daze"
Belinda and Bryson are transferred from the Meadow School to the new family-based Overshot School, a one-room facility located on Meadowbrook Road.  Buddy Wayne drops him off on the first day, and learns more from teacher/uncle Noah and his wife Elma.  (By the way, all 21 students are related to him: his brother, his niece, 11 cousins, and eight aunts and uncles.)  Also, Popeye discovers the dice game called bunco and finds he's very good at it, and .
#17 - Jan. 27, 2013: "Bible Bowl"
TV host Jack Gray brings his classic game show "Bible Bowl" to Ralph's Long Branch church, and Hambone joins some friends for a girls-vs.-boys matchup.  The outcome hinges on a crucial final question!  Also on the show, Annie finds a professional purpose for the house's mud pit and Bunky celebrates his birthday.
#18 - Feb. 10, 2013: "There She Is!"
(There was no episode the previous week due to Super Bowl XLVII.)
Brandy enters the Miss Idealia pageant as part of the Confederate Fall Festival.  Her immediate family (Bunky, parents Daniel and Laurie, and brother Blake), and also her coach Annie, travel to Stone Mountain, GA to watch her compete against representatives of other Southern farm families.  They meet CSA president Lyman Bowling Jr. and his family at the Idealia mansion at which they live, participate in the Harvest Parade, then go into the high-stakes contest.  Brandy wears a one-piece swimsuit despite great reluctance, rocks a homemade gown, and shows off her ballroom dancing skills.  In the end, it all comes down to a very tense moment on stage.
#19 - Feb. 17, 2013: "Welcome to the Family!"
Beth, a baker and cousin of many of the family members, announces that she and her boyfriend Trey Johnson are adopting a son, Jordan.  A party is held to welcome Jordan and many of the 13 are in attendance.  But these aren't the only adoptions, as Melinda - another cousin - finds "forever homes" for many lost dogs.  Meanwhile, Ralph attends a fund-raising for a church charity in Arkansas and meets fellow TV star Willie Robertson.
#20 - Feb. 24, 2013: "Reign on Me"
Brandy performs the usual duties of a reigning beauty queen and keeps a diary along the way.  Among the events she attends are the opening of a new communal farm house at the site of a former military base in Georgia, the World Cotton Picking Championship in Mississippi, and the famed hollering contest in Spivey's Corner (not far from the family farm).  Among the contest entries is James Minson Barefoot, a fourth cousin of hers.  "It's crazy, I just can't get rid of that name," notes Brandy.
#21 - Mar. 3, 2013: "Hunting History"
For the first time, a woman is invited to what had been an all-male ritual: the daylong social hunting event.  Hambone is rewarded for both her earlier effort in the skeet shooting challenge and her interest in the "redneck" lifestyle by tagging along with Ralph, Harvey, and Bobby Ray to go after whitetail deer and "roadkill" animals (e.g. squirrel and possum).  Also, Popeye's brother Labell visits the house with his wife Allene and all 20(!) of their children.  Finally, B.W. and Brenda consent to have a specialist assess Bryson's educational development; they are concerned about delays due to his being reborn as a seven-year-old after he had earlier died in infancy.
#22 - Mar. 10, 2013: "Milestone Day"
Family and friends gather to celebrate the debut of Jennifer's new book, Black Crow in the Window.   As she promised, it combines elements of history, detective drama, and romance.  The case takes place in early 20th century New Orleans; Ella Littlebridge tries to find a local version of Jack the Ripper in the notorious Storyville section as jazz is being created and falls in love with Beau Brummell Young, a handsome mulatto.  Also, the results of Bryson's assessment are in; it is recommended that Bryson drop out of regular school for more instruction at home until he reaches appropriate grade levels.  Finally, B.W. announces that he plans to renew his wedding vows to his long-distance wife Brittany Spears (a bluegrass singer known professionally as Brittany Raylene).
#23 - Mar. 17, 2013: "The Crafty Life"
The Barefoots prepare the house for winter by canning fruits and vegetables that they have gleaned from the farm and the briar patch and making quilts, blankets, and even socks and other footwear (in case being barefoot becomes uncomfortable).  Meanwhile, work begins on designing the treehouse for Bryson, as B.W. and Bryson tell Harvey their design ideas, and the moms assemble Thanksgiving and Christmas crafts.
#24 - Mar. 24, 2013: "The Roots of Man"
To commemorate the start of hunting season, B.W., Popeye, Ralph, and Bobby Ray spend a weekend replicating the hunting and gathering lifestyle that dates back to the beginning of humanity.  They even dress up in loincloths and wear animal bones; Ralph quips that "the only things we didn't see were dinosaurs."  Also, Bryson is re-tested and this time he is allowed to join the other students at Noah's school; and Bunky is taught the "Southern accent" by Hambone and Annie.
#25/26 - Apr. 7, 2013: "Brittany and Buddy: A Love Story" (2 hours)
(There was no episode the previous week because of Easter.)
Here, Brittany Raylene tells her life story about growing up in rural Kentucky with a family of bluegrass performers, how she met B.W., and how they had to elope due to both family's disapproval (the Barefoots due to Buddy's earlier divorce, and the Spears' due to her age).  Now living with their separate clans, the two reunite in North Carolina for Thanksgiving.  By the end of the show, they agree to renew their wedding vows because, as Brittany says, "we all would like the chance to get it right."

Gone Barefoot show summaries (re-issue of season 1)

As promised, here is the revised season 1 show summary list.  I basically took the eight episodes of "season 1" and the first five of "season 2" and put them together.

From this point forward, the idea is that 13 episodes aired per season and that new seasons started with the calendar year.  That is because it was linked to a fictitious TV channel, BFT (Barefoot Family Television, formerly BMN TV), which I "launched" on Jan. 1, 2012.

Episode numbers are for the entire series.  Eventually, they will be numbered from 1 to 91, as in 13 episodes over 7 seasons, 2012 to 2018.

#1 - Jan. 1, 2012: "Meet the Family"
Buddy Wayne Barefoot is raptured into Heaven and goes through the Great Tribulation and Millennium periods.  Once that occurs, he is welcomed to his new home in rural North Carolina by guardian angel Mary Elizabeth "Biddy" McBiddlewhiskers.  B.W. is then introduced to his new eternal family.  In all, 11 people are introduced, but Biddy teases that there's someone else he wants B.W. to meet.  After the usual televised tension, the 13th family member is revealed to be Bryson, B.W.'s stillborn brother, prompting one of the most famous lines in reality TV history: "My Bryson is back!"  A welcome feast and prayer session ends the episode.
#2 - Jan. 8, 2012: "It's Our House"
A tour of the new house is shown, emphasizing the features that make it a traditional rural American house.  Among other things, there is no electricity, running water, or indoor plumbing.  However, a home irrigation system is installed.  We also find that sleep can be uncomfortable in the Barefoot household, as six bedrooms are somehow crammed into a small space and Hambone has to sleep in the barn due to being the odd person out.
#3 - Jan. 15, 2012: "It's Planting Time"
B.W. hand-sows the ceremonial first seeds of the season.  Later, he shows us the barn where there are not only animals, but also primitive farm equipment pulled by mules and other animals.  Belinda and Bryson pluck fruit from the orchards, while Harvey establishes the workshop on the second floor of the dwelling.
#4 - Jan. 22, 2012: "Outside and In"
Brenda, Jennifer, Annie, and Brandy establish the Barefoot Moms' Club for social interaction; they immediately start a quilting club.  Annie also establishes an in-house beauty parlor in which all the makeups, hair treatments, and shampoos are made from natural ingredients.  Also, Bryson and Belinda start school at the Meadow School facility; it's a temporary location while a one-room schoolhouse is planned for them and their relatives.
#5 - Jan. 29, 2012: "Shootin' the Breeze"
When the days' work is done, the dining room becomes the site of storytelling, games, and talent exhibitions as the family makes up its own fun.  At the end, B.W. sings "Poor Ol' Mule" on her guitar and Hambone performs the body percussion that led to her nickname.  Also on the show: Popeye, the family historian, seeks public records from Johnston County to answer questions about the past, and Jennifer shows the skills she learned as a podiatrist.
#6 - Feb. 12, 2012: "Just One of the Boys"
(There was no episode the previous week due to Super Bowl XLVI.)
Ralph, who is skeptical of Hambone's redneck ways, challenges his sister to a contest of shooting a .45-caliber rifle at clay pigeon targets.  The contest has some simple stakes: whoever loses has to wash all the clothes on a pre-arranged day that Brenda has off.  It all comes down to the final shot!  Meanwhile, Brenda finds a battery-powered radio and cassette player to listen to her favorite songs, and B.W. visits Brandon McLamb, his publicist, who lives on a nearby property.
#7 - Feb. 19, 2012: "Worth a Hill of Beans"
At the end of the fall, B.W. grows his first crop of bean blossoms, which aren't really blossoms at all but more closely resembles broccoli.  Flush with that success, he finds wild versions of wheat and corn at a nearby briar patch, which surprises him because he had been told such crops were extinct.  Ralph washes the dishes after his loss the previous week and wears a woman's apron while doing it, and Brandy and Hambone begin to do battle while milking their cows.
#8 - Feb. 26, 2012: "Smellie and Booger"
Belinda has a dollhouse, which we take a look at for the first time.  And what a time for it: the nine-year-old prodigy is organizing a "marriage" of two of her favorite dolls: Sarah Michelle MacSmelliefoote and Benjamin Jeremiah Boogerberger.  It's filled with moments both hilarious and dramatic.  Also, Brandy finishes her first homemade piece of clothing, and a hollering exhibition is followed by a ceremonial hog-killing.
#9 - Mar. 4, 2012: "Branchin' Out"
Ralph purchases the Long Branch church two blocks from the family property, and moves services there.  The opening is attended by all 13 residents as well as dozens of their distant kin and their friends.  The Barefoot Boys perform vintage hymns, and everyone dresses in American colonial-to-Civil-War era costumes.  Also on the show, Hambone comes together with some new friends to play Bible trivia.
#10 - Mar. 11, 2012: "Are We In or Are We Out"
The Barefoot Moms' Club runs its first-ever fashion show!  They are joined by several guests to show off what they have designed.  In the spirit of the close-knit traditional community, the designers model their own clothes as the common room is turned into a runway.  In addition, Bobby Ray introduces us to some of the family's prized farm animals, and Popeye visits the former home of his great-great-grandfather, "Pink" Barefoot; the former cemetery is now his immediate family's home and is used for extended clan and community events.
#11 - Mar. 18, 2012: "It Only Looks Scary"
The Barefoot family celebrates October Harvest and Heritage Day.  It's like Halloween, without the scary parts or Satanic references.  They do dress in costumes and tell stories of how they either died or nearly died during their original time on Earth.  As part of the festivities, B.W., Brenda, Bobby Ray, and Jennifer take a hayride; meanwhile, Bryson marks the day by joining some male classmates in tying up teacher Shirley Mae Crabtree as a prank.
#12 - Mar. 25, 2012: "Giving Thanks"
For the first time, "the 13" celebrate Thanksgiving.  In the largest gathering to date, all of the rest of the immediate families are there, with the glaring exception of Alfred, Buddy and Bobby's father, who unfortunately went to Hell.  The usual elements are there: large amounts of food, storytelling, and entertainment.  We also see Brenda's insider tips on preparing the perfect holiday meal, and Ralph runs his first service at the church he now owns.
#13 - Apr. 1, 2012: "Our First Christmas"
This time, "the 13" are joined by only a few distant relatives and family friends.  All the traditions are observed: special message about the birth of Jesus Christ, a formal dinner, a performance of carols from the Barefoot Boys, and gifts.  B.W., for example, gets a replica NASCAR race car resembling that which will debut in the 2013 Sprint Cup Series season.  To top it all off, Biddy arranges for them to speak to Jesus Himself!

My plan to shut down "Gone Barefoot" and re-organize episode summaries

As I posted a month ago, I wanted to re-focus my efforts on any news related to the Barefoot characters.  So, in that spirit, here is something of major importance that I wish to share:  The Gone Barefoot "reality TV" series I created would now be in its seventh and final season.

I set the debut date as Jan. 1, 2012, and the plan was to create 13 episodes each year.  I have later decided to cut the series off at seven seasons, as seven has traditionally used in the Bible to denote completeness - for example, the seventh day of rest after God created the heavens and the Earth.  Therefore, the series will end after 91 (13 x 7) episodes.

Although I have posted the show summaries before - type in the "Gone Barefoot" phrase in the search box to read them - I realize that I now have to re-organize the episodes so that they fit into 13 episodes each.  I plan to start that process sometime in the next week, and post the new summaries later this spring.

(DVD cover created in Nabawia Oliveira's InDesign class, ABC Adult School, 2013)

Dream Season simulation won't be published

After some consideration, and with reluctance on my part, I have decided that the NASCAR dream season simulation that I am still in the process of finishing will not be made public.  This will be for my own enjoyment and amusement, and for three reasons:

• The original dream season summaries that I created cannot easily be found online.  They were created some nine years ago, and although the forum it was on still exists, I simply don't have the time or effort to find it again.
• I am busy contributing to other websites like the forum spun off from the506 site which covers sports broadcasting (and begun with NFL maps), so I think that should be my public persona for now.  Heck, I have tweeted only infrequently in the last few months, haven't posted on Facebook in quite some time, and haven't created a new YouTube video in three years!
• Most importantly, I want to re-focus any new posts to this blog on the Barefoot family characters.  Oh, since I'm thinking about, maybe the next post should be B.W. standing next to a replica of a U.S. Legends Cars race-car with the vintage Dale Earnhardt #3 look, which I would create by importing an Adobe Photoshop program.  That would be timely, given that Austin Dillon drove car #3 to victory at the Daytona 500 today.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

NASCAR Dream Season still on hold, won't be posted here - but where?

I've had another change of heart on the NASCAR Dream Season project.  I am far from finished in compiling the information I need.  Furthermore, I have concluded that this blog isn't a perfect fit for presenting it, either.

Right now, I am still trying to calculate the numbers required for the race results, and I am focused on that.  At my current pace of about three hours a day, five days a week, it will take at least two months to complete, ending it just around the start of the Daytona speedweeks to open the 2018 season (climaxing in the historic 60th running of the Daytona 500; tickets available online here.).

Later, I will go back to the race result pages from the last five years to figure out more information I need to write complete summaries.  That will take even more time.

During this break, I have decided that I want to re-focus the blog on direct information and concepts related to the Barefoot family farm characters.  I don't know when the mood will strike in that area, but when it does this will definitely be the place it will be posted.

As for the NASCAR summaries, I have two options:
*I could put the results on a second, separate blog if Blogger allows me to do so for this purpose.
*I could record videos (my Dell Inspiron has a webcam, but I've never used it since I bought it in August 2016) and then post it to my YouTube channel (not updated since 2014).

Thanks for your patience and understanding.

A P.S. to stratonascar: Thanks for your new Google+ account and following me as you looked forward to seeing the summaries.  I know that you live in northern California, and I hope you buy tickets to the next race at Sonoma and enjoy yourself.

Oops! My Dream Season project has hit a roadblock as I start over

It's been a while - the beginning of September to be exact - since I launched my best guess as to who would races and championships in a mythical NASCAR season in which the best of the best drivers in history "compete" against each other.  I ran the simulation - and wrote reports on them - based on a set of rules I put together here.

Unfortunately, those rules turned out to be flawed, leading me to scrap my work and start all over again.

The biggest problem has to do with the stage-racing format that NASCAR began this year in all of its top series.  If you read that post, you noticed that the results of the stages depended on the historical data of all the drivers in those particular races of those particular series.  Many of them had such records to fall back on, but many others did not, and the consequences were obvious in some cases:

• Herb Thomas, a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame (class of 2013) for his great success in the 1950s, was given an automatic last-place finish in one of the races of the Can-Am Duel at Daytona because his career effectively ended before the track opened.  Per the rules, the only chance he had to make the Daytona 500 in my scenario was to have a fast-enough lap in Sunday's previous qualifying.  He did not, and therefore, he failed to qualify.  Most importantly, the purpose of the qualifying race - to determine who would make the main race among those not yet locked in - was defeated.
• Adam Petty - one of my other full-time drivers in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series - is locked out of receiving any chance at stage points due to having made one career start in that series. (More races were planned, but he was killed in a race practice crash in May 2000). 
• Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne, and Justin Allgaier similarly had limited opportunities to get stage points due to having few (Logano and Kahne) or no (Allgaier) career starts in the Camping World Truck Series, for which they "race" full time.

So what I will do from now on is to base all race results on the same criteria used for the supplemental statistical data - averages from the five-year period from 2012 to 2016.  Whatever finishing positions were attained by drivers in the same starting positions over that five-year period will be averaged together and the driver corresponding to the position with the best averages will win the stages and the race.  Points will be awarded to the 10 best averages after each stage and to all drivers in descending order at the end of each race.

Playoffs will be conducted under the rules outlined on the original page and the procedures will not change.

This week, I replayed the first nine MENCS races.  While full reports are pending, here is a glimpse based on my calculations:

• Dale Earnhardt unfortunately does not get the Daytona sweep.  He still wins the Daytona 500 and the Advance Auto Parts Clash (the latter is the only race still completely using historical data, as that was available for all drivers), but he falls to third place in Duel race #1.  Jimmie Johnson is the new winner, and Ned Jarrett finished second.  However, had Earnhardt won race #1, he would have finished 18th in the "Great American Race," and would have had to beat the new five-minute crash clock just to get that; he would have been one of 17 cars involved in the "big one" toward the start of stage 3.
• Two drivers earned "perfect scores"; that is, wins in both stages then in the race itself  - Earnhardt in the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond, and before that, Davey Allison in the O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas.  Under my original rules, Allison would have received no stage points as he never started there.  In fact, he was not even alive when Texas Motor Speedway opened in 1997; he had been dead for four years at that point.
• Teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon had taken over the championship lead and were separated by just three points.  The key to their success was by dominating the stage points; Gordon was first with 95 points while Johnson was second with 88.  The battle to accumulate race points was very tight.

I plan to replay the Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series races next week, and then the writeups will resume shortly after that.  In the meantime, I will delete all the posts reflecting past results.

(Construction barricade picture courtesy Uline)