Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Happy Trails To You


Once again this old memory is loosing one its favorite times when as a young boy I would strap on my pearl handle six shooters and ride the hills of Pagosa Springs. No I didn't have a palamino like Trigger or dog like Bullet but with enough imagination I didn't need them, just my trusty old cocker spanial.
There were times I would tire of being Roy and decide to be Red Ryder with one of the Martinez boys being Little Beaver.
While veiwing the morning news on NBC, my eyes glued to the screen and grew misty with tears as the story unfolded of the Action in NYC at Chrities selling of all the memorbella from the Roy Rogers Museum.
As the years passed and I became a grown man, the memories of the Saturday Matinees watching Roy, Dale, Gabby Hayes and Son's of the Pioneers chasing the bad guy across the screen never faded my mind. I was lucky enough to live in Califorinia after my military service and be close enough to visit the Roy Rogers Museum in Apple Valley. My Children were able to also share some of my childhood memories by visiting the museum. The year the Museum was leaving the Apple Valley site I took my wife to the museum and to our amazement Roy was there in person and even allowed us to take his photo. All the years of seeing him on in the movies I picuted him as being a tall man but he really was just an average height but the warmest smile and personality.
I wish our youngsters could have such an example of character to look up to instead of the horror and sexual depictions put out as entertainment.
>

2 comments:

  1. I didn't realize that the whole museum was closing! Now that's a part of pop culture history that should not disappear like this. I remember Grandmama and Papa telling the story of how Aunt Naomi tore the radio apart looking for Roy Rogers inside it! Someone who made such a cultural impact should not be erased from the American memory. This is a sad day if you ask me.

    ReplyDelete
  2. So where are the pictures of you and Roy?

    ReplyDelete