Who's Doug?

Doug grew up in the Davis Mountains of far west Texas. In 1992, he set out to play music, and for the next 7 years traveled and lived in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Tennessee. He honed his entertainment skills on fiddle and guitar and as a songwriter; first comedic, but quickly moved into Western Swing dancehall style! During the early years, he worked side jobs framing houses, and wrangling on a dude ranch. There he acquired a new best friend and sidekick: a smart McNab/Border Collie pup he named Holly-peño. She performed in his music shows and appeared with him on national television a number of times. She could sing, say “I Love You”, and even play the fiddle! All just for the reward of playing ball! In 1998, Doug picked up chainsaw carving for an additional source of income and another expression of his artistic talent. Ready to settle a little in 2002, he (and his soon-to-be-bride) built a workshop, storefront, and home base just outside the Austin city limits, becoming a community icon in his great-great-grandparents’ hometown of Manchac Texas. He named his shop “Cattlelacs” after his topless, vintage Cadillac painted like a Texas flag with giant cattle horns on the hood. In 2009, a genius wood-worker by the name of R.L. Blair showed up in the Austin area and joined in Doug’s exploits. Known far and wide for his 40-year expertise in the chainsaw carving business (and contract work done for world-wide Disney© theme parks), R.L. brought a dynamic that enhanced Doug’s ideas and mentored Doug’s skill levels with wood, vehicles, and all things constructively creative! In addition to classic and outlandish vehicle renovation, musical touring and chainsaw carving, Doug also hosted at his shop a weekly songwriter gathering, and recorded a weekly radio show with live musical guests titled “Behind The Lines”. For 13 years, Doug produced and hosted an annual 1-day music event that he named “Calfry”; which boasted a tasteful lineup of his favorite bands, along with chainsaw carving demonstrations and a calf fry cookoff.

After a few fun years of music and art along a bustling county-road-becoming-a-major-highway, it was time to move on. In 2017, Doug started to disassemble everything he had built there in Manchac and launched into full-time travel with his wife and 2 children. He converted a 35-ft school bus into a traveling home for his family. They explored around the US, where Doug competed in chainsaw carving competitions and festivals, and left carvings for sale in fellow chainsaw carvers’ shops. In early 2020 after finishing a Cummins diesel engine swap into his vintage 4x4 ambulance/camper van, the family drove south into Mexico with an adventure planned to go all the way to Panama. And maybe back. But with world events and pandemic border closures outside their control, they returned to Doug’s original hometown of Fort Davis Texas, regrouped, and setup a new base camp.

Currently in Fort Davis, a tiny tourist town in the scenic mountains of the northern Chihuahuan Desert, Doug carves wood sculptures at his new shop on the quaint main street downtown. His mother paints in the art gallery next door, and his father continues to build chuckwagons at his workshop and home a few blocks away. Doug also entertains with his full band around the “far out” west Texas region.

For more information about Doug’s father Glenn Moreland & Texas Cowboy Outfitters, see texcowboy.com