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.
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time out

I am taking time out from blogging for awhile, seems the only people looking at this is someone using oriental language that get a kick out of posting porn photos.
Understanding that this wonderful country of ours prides itself with all our freedoms, there are times when a little restrain would be appropriate.
The supreme court just struck down the hand gun ban in Chicago and today advocates of gun rights are parading around like Rambo in Hermosa Beach CA. I'm all for the right to bear arms, I too enjoyed hunting animals, not human beings. Having been the victim of armed robbery twice and having a ten year old nephew blown away with a shotgun given to his 12 year old brother I don't care if I ever see another gun. I would like to see statistics of how many armed civilians have actually stopped a crime in progress or shot a person in self defense. The second amendment to the Constitution with the understanding of the English language should not be interpreted with so much confusion, it seems so easy to eliminate the phrase "well regulated militia" leaving a wild west mentality to gun toting fools.
As I sign off this posting my thoughts and prayers will be for all those in the gulf states suffering from this disaster and pray that our leaders will find a solution quickly.

Fathers Day

This old tear jerking song by Jim Reeves always brings loving thoughts, remembering my Father and the love he gave to his family. With only a grade school education and living through the great depression he managed to provide for a wife and three boys. We never acheived any wealth only a home filled with love for one another. My father always said a man don't deserve any thing he ain't willing to work for, always do you best and be thankful for whatever your reward might be. As I grew in age my Dad was always looking out for my well being even though at times I didn't realize it. When I ventured out and got into trouble he could talk to me and make me wish he had beaten me instead. When he felt my wrong doings were only a growing pains of a young man he would cover up so my mother would not know just what I'd gotten myself into.
My father first worked as a motion picture projectionest, a trade he learned as a young man and moved from town town in Texas and then to Colorado. While in Colorado he began a painting business where he painted signs and houses. When his health began to keep him from climbing ladders he purchased some printing equipment and self taught himself and opened his printing business in the home. His last years on this earth was a lonely time for him missing my mother who had passed before him and caring for his pet cats.

Reunions?

Thanks for the world of internet I am able to keep up to date on the happenings in and around my favorite place in Colorado. By visiting www.pagosa.com the latest events with beautiful photos of the place where I grew up come to life.
One of the upcoming events mentioned is a class reunion for any all who attended school in Pagosa Springs, this will take place on July 3rd. I'm sure this will be a memorable event for all who can attend. I recall attending a similiar event in 2000 and cherish the memory of meeting up with some old fiends. I just couldn't understand how my class mates all got so old! Oh how is wish I could be there to join in the festivites and compare wrinkles and gray hair but I don't beleive any '57 class memebers are around any more.
When I departed that part of the country in the 50s there was not much to keep youngsters attracted to the area. Congratulations to the new generations for bringing the beauty and potential for continued growth to such a great little town.
As this older population of which I am a proud member of begins to perish my prayer would be for the conservation of the natual beauty of the San Juan mountians and the home of my favorite comic charactor "Red Ryder" the town of Pagosa Springs.

Good Music

Seeing this music posted on You Tube of the Music filling the mountain air of Pagosa makes me wish I was young and roaming those hills and streams. There was never any such entertainment for folks to enjoy as I was growing up there in the early 50s. The only place to catch any live music was to go to Pine Grove Inn or one of dances at the old Bales one room school house. My favorite place to catch up on the latest tunes of the day was over the AM radio stations late at night. Many nights my father would open my bedroom door and yell turn that thing down! There was great country music stations that came in loud and clear late at night from Del Rio Texas, thats where I memorized the lyrics of many tear jerkers with a country twang. Oh, it wasn't only the country station that keep my ears glued next to the speaker, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Sinatra, Doris Day, Ella, Bennett etc, etc. Even today those tunes can make feet want to get up and swing or hold a sweet smelling girl in my arms and sway to some love song that could bring tears to any eye.

Spring Time

Welcome to spring! Once the snow and mud disappear its a wonderful time to get out the camera and go flower hunting. The picture here was taken one spring when I vacationed in Pagosa Springs and took a day trip over Wolf Creek Pass to visit the old mining town of Creede.

As a youngster I never really took the time to smell the flowers or even notice the beauty God placed before me. This time of year to a young boy in the 50s only meant that soon school would be over for the summer. It would be time for finding work for spending money and looking at all of the out of state license plates to figure out who traveled the furtherest.

Thinking back to one of those memorable times when I needed to earn some spending money. Standing on main street, leaning against the rails above the pool hall steps with hands in pocket and hoping some good looking girl would notice me. Suddenly a pick up pulled up and a rough voice called out my name and asked if I wanted to work. Not really knowing what I was agreeing to I was eager to go along with Floyd Bramwell. Floyd needed help on his ranch branding calf's. The only ranch work I had ever done was bailing hay and had no idea what I was in for. I was told that I would be the flanker on a team and had to hold the hind legs while the animal was branded and castrated. The first smell of searing hair and flesh began to turn my stomach and when the other part was done I lost everything I'd eaten for a week. I will always owe a debt of gratitude to all those ranchers who taught me the value of an honest days labor.

I recently read an article in the Durango Herald of the huge land sale of a ranch in Pagosa for

millions of dollars. I was surprised to learn that the same ranch was one I remember being owned by Lucy Turner. After researching the history and seeing how it was transformed from a working ranch to a Paradise for the wealthy I have to agree that "Bootjack Ranch" is a very prestigious beautiful place to visit. Its funny to me that for as long as I can remember tourist have come to San Juan mountains proclaiming its beauty to the world, packing up their belonging and coming to change the very beauty that brought them there in the first place. The wildlife have been driven from there breeding grounds only to learn to forge for food within the city trash bins.

I guess thats why never returned and chose to stay in a concrete forest, my heart breaks every time I visit and see that forest and grazing fields have been taken over by developers. Even fishing and hunting is no longer a sport with all the electronic gadgets to find the poor creatures.

Mother's Day

"MOTHER"

What a beautiful word to give title to the one who suffers a life time for her children. I have been blessed by enjoying the love given by my Mother and the Mother of my children. God, called my loved ones home much too early and as years pass, the empty feeling in my heart never goes away. On this upcoming day of remembrance I hope everyone takes the time to wrap arms around their living Mothers and praise them for all the years of giving.

One day in 1963 I was reminded just how special my Mother was when she was chosen as "Queen for a Day" on a television show. She was chosen for the story she told of the love of my older brother who had lost a leg in a hit and run auto accident while in the Navy. This accident ended his quest for a naval career. She lost a battle with liver disease at age of 65.

The Mother of my children passed away at age 37, no one could really fill those shoes . My children and I still wonder how we made it though so many years without her.