. . . to announce Monday is my BBL’s birthday! I have now known her for 2/3rds of her life! And I’m happy to still be able to say our seemingly not-so-long ago meeting remains the most fortuitous event in my life.
During the year my BBL made her entrance, the world also experinced the births of NBC’s The Today Show, Bob Costas, George Strait, Dan Aykroyd, Patrick Swayze, Jimmy Connors, Christopher Reeve -- even John Goodman AND (shiver) Roseann Barr!
But to me, she was the true talent born that year and has continued to play the leading role in my show ever since the day I met her. Here’s wishing many, many more candles in y(our) future, my Beautiful Bodacious Lady!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
2 Towns & the Tale of a Trail of Hope 'Tween Them
Last St Patrick’s Day I found myself with a little extra time during a drive from Lubbock to Amarillo. Jumped off the I-State to wander to and through the town of Tulia, Texas. Why? No idea, other than I had never been there before -- and the name sounded vaguely familiar.
I went through the center of town almost before I knew it. Turned around at the Senior Center. Tulia had already given me the feeling it might have a lot of seniors among its citizens; however, the lack of any sign of life surrounding this very nice facility was, in retrospect, a little disturbing.
Returned to what I perceived to be the city’s main intersection (marked by the stop-and-go light at one corner of the Swisher County Courthouse) and parked the Hertz rental. Got out and read the County was established in 1890 (as inscribed on a huge granite boulder sitting on the corner of the courthouse property – along with its proclamation of Faith and Courage – Endurance and Success (sounds a lot like HOPE to me) and that “Law, Order, Education and Christian Principles have sustained Swisher County people.” I walked clockwise around the courthouse square, past the building that said it was the Tulia Pharmacy (but it was actually a print shop) with a poster in the window advertising the two upcoming (?) March 30th performances (5 and 7:30pm) of the Culpepper and Merriweather Circus. Not sure, in retrospect, the ad was for the this year (since the circus hasn't updated it's website since 2008).
The next thing I saw was a Washington monument-looking oblesisk standing smack-dab in the middle of the intersection. If that wasn’t unusual enough, the marker/monument/obelisk heralded the official route of the Ozark Trail. Some verbage (I think on a nearby historical marker) said something about the Trail being a promotion of a Northwest Arkansas resort. What the . . . .?
I have never laid claim to being a geographical genius, but I had always associated anything “Ozark” to be at least two states east of where I was standing. I took a more careful look at the intersection and its streets. One street was “Broadway”-- very aptly named because it was a VERY WIDE brick paved street—actually more like a boulevard. It had obviously been conceived and built during more prosperous (or, at least, more hopeful) times. It was all curious enough for me to “file away” to investigate later.
Which I did—albeit haphazardly and without any sense of haste. Eventually I learned [God bless Al Gore for inventing the Internet] that the Ozark Trail Association’s efforts predated the legendary Route 66 (which actually followed a good part of the Ozark Trail--just not through Tulia). Found out communities lobbied to have the OTA and similar endeavors routed through their towns. Local merchants, anticipating the lucrative commerce opportunities of all those folks passing by their businesses, funded the upkeep and marker placements. [As you might imagine, this practice did not always serve to create the most direct route to anywhere.] And it also definitely helped to have an ultimate destination to aim the increasing population of automobiles – which an entrepreneur by the name of William Hope Harvey was happy to provide.
Seems around the turn of the century, he started building a resort just outside of Rogers. Arkansas. He saw fit to name it Monte Ne (a moniker supposedly contracted from Spanish and Omaha (Indian) words meaning “mountain waters”). He also “unselfishly” served as the president of the OTA. One can only imagine how strong the attraction of a destination with lush green, hilly terrain, an abundance of trees and water might be to anyone who found themself with an automobile in dry, flat, dusty Northwest Texas.
And, as coincidence would have it, I would find myself there at the other end of the trail a couple of months later! [To be continued]
I went through the center of town almost before I knew it. Turned around at the Senior Center. Tulia had already given me the feeling it might have a lot of seniors among its citizens; however, the lack of any sign of life surrounding this very nice facility was, in retrospect, a little disturbing.
Returned to what I perceived to be the city’s main intersection (marked by the stop-and-go light at one corner of the Swisher County Courthouse) and parked the Hertz rental. Got out and read the County was established in 1890 (as inscribed on a huge granite boulder sitting on the corner of the courthouse property – along with its proclamation of Faith and Courage – Endurance and Success (sounds a lot like HOPE to me) and that “Law, Order, Education and Christian Principles have sustained Swisher County people.” I walked clockwise around the courthouse square, past the building that said it was the Tulia Pharmacy (but it was actually a print shop) with a poster in the window advertising the two upcoming (?) March 30th performances (5 and 7:30pm) of the Culpepper and Merriweather Circus. Not sure, in retrospect, the ad was for the this year (since the circus hasn't updated it's website since 2008).
The next thing I saw was a Washington monument-looking oblesisk standing smack-dab in the middle of the intersection. If that wasn’t unusual enough, the marker/monument/obelisk heralded the official route of the Ozark Trail. Some verbage (I think on a nearby historical marker) said something about the Trail being a promotion of a Northwest Arkansas resort. What the . . . .?
I have never laid claim to being a geographical genius, but I had always associated anything “Ozark” to be at least two states east of where I was standing. I took a more careful look at the intersection and its streets. One street was “Broadway”-- very aptly named because it was a VERY WIDE brick paved street—actually more like a boulevard. It had obviously been conceived and built during more prosperous (or, at least, more hopeful) times. It was all curious enough for me to “file away” to investigate later.
Which I did—albeit haphazardly and without any sense of haste. Eventually I learned [God bless Al Gore for inventing the Internet] that the Ozark Trail Association’s efforts predated the legendary Route 66 (which actually followed a good part of the Ozark Trail--just not through Tulia). Found out communities lobbied to have the OTA and similar endeavors routed through their towns. Local merchants, anticipating the lucrative commerce opportunities of all those folks passing by their businesses, funded the upkeep and marker placements. [As you might imagine, this practice did not always serve to create the most direct route to anywhere.] And it also definitely helped to have an ultimate destination to aim the increasing population of automobiles – which an entrepreneur by the name of William Hope Harvey was happy to provide.
Seems around the turn of the century, he started building a resort just outside of Rogers. Arkansas. He saw fit to name it Monte Ne (a moniker supposedly contracted from Spanish and Omaha (Indian) words meaning “mountain waters”). He also “unselfishly” served as the president of the OTA. One can only imagine how strong the attraction of a destination with lush green, hilly terrain, an abundance of trees and water might be to anyone who found themself with an automobile in dry, flat, dusty Northwest Texas.
And, as coincidence would have it, I would find myself there at the other end of the trail a couple of months later! [To be continued]
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Geronimo's Farewell
I was having breakfast Tuesday morning after a short walk to the little Donut Café not too far from our abode. Feeling good that I had chosen mild exercise and a cheese and mushroom omelette over the deathly (but much tastier) chocolate frosted concoction with sprinkes on the top, I opened a left-over section of the Big D Mourning News that was lying on the table. It was the section that contained the obits – which is the section I usually do my best to avoid reading.
There, among the other poor departed souls (most of whom were pictured at least 20 years ago in their suits/uniforms/formal attire, etc.) was a photo of a 58 year old guy in a T-shirt that proclaimed “My Batteries Are DEAD!” At least I think that’s what it said ‘cause the resolution of the photo wasn’t all that great. But the letters D E A D were extremely legible.
I would like to think he selected this photo on purpose – kind of a farewell gag by a guy with the first name of Geronimo (really!). If he indeed had a sense of humor like that, I would have liked to have known him. Regardless, it made me smile and feel a bit more alive than I had a few minutes earlier. R.I.P.
There, among the other poor departed souls (most of whom were pictured at least 20 years ago in their suits/uniforms/formal attire, etc.) was a photo of a 58 year old guy in a T-shirt that proclaimed “My Batteries Are DEAD!” At least I think that’s what it said ‘cause the resolution of the photo wasn’t all that great. But the letters D E A D were extremely legible.
I would like to think he selected this photo on purpose – kind of a farewell gag by a guy with the first name of Geronimo (really!). If he indeed had a sense of humor like that, I would have liked to have known him. Regardless, it made me smile and feel a bit more alive than I had a few minutes earlier. R.I.P.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Thanks Again For Our Freedom
A heartfelt "thanks" goes out to family members, friends and associates - and their family members - and ALL who have served and sacrificed to perserve our freedom.
I don't even want to contemplate what our way of life might be like today without having had the benefit of their contributions.
"Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves; and, under a just God, can not long retain it." - Abraham Lincoln - April 6, 1859
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