Young Guns

"You ask about my consience
And I offer you my soul.
You ask if I'll grow to be a wise man
Well, I ask if I'll grow old.
You ask me if I've known love
And what its like to sing songs in the rain.
Well, I've seen love come
I've seen it shot down
I've seen it die in vain."
- JBJ, Blaze Of Glory

I can remember being those boys like I can remember the taste of dinner. It was easy to imagine ourselves bigger than life in a place like that. Legends. Renowned.

So much lay ahead of us - the good, the bad, and the ugly, distance and direction, love and loss, potential and regret. No, we didn't go down in a blaze of glory. We simply kept following the trail.

This one's for you, pardner.

A Poem For A Frame

Tattering plaster.
Left out in the rain.
Too grand for good use.
A castaway frame.

Profile embossed.
Its charm. Its appeal.
Held a portrait? A mirror?
Their absence conceal.

Found by the road.
Hung on nails in the sky.
Holding one final masterwork.
My family and I.

Evacuation!!

Here's what it looked like today when we evacuated. Very scary. We had no idea the fire was as close as it was until we turned out of our driveway. At this point we had not had any evacuation requests from officials. It seemed like nobody expected it to get like this so quick.

We were blessed to have a premonition that this would threaten us. At the first reports of a fire a few miles away, we started to load our car with the necessary items. Within an hour we were ready to roll without a minute to spare. Thank God with us that we were all safe and sound.

At this writing, we still aren't sure our house is safe. We've seen it on tv but aren't sure it's out of the path.

By the way, you should have seen how great our kids and the cousins performed under this scary pressure. We were a tight knit team when we left the house.

God is good.

Epic

I found a little brown, leather notebook on the shelf in the blue room. The following is an exact transcription from the original text. Attempts have been made to maintain the integrity of the original, so all punctuation and spelling are as they were written. Some words that were illegible have been transcribed as they appear.

This is The Epic.

Sat 12 Noon
Off for Mountains
Isaac, Freddy, Becky, Annie, Robbee, Andy, G.Pa
Ken & Mandy & Lincoln – will meet us at camp. Stopped at Renos – Good lunch – got gas film ice cream ice & off for camp.
Long train delay at Mojave – finally off about 2 p.m.

Mandy (crossed out) Becky drove the truck and made it most of the way tot the top. we saw crows a roadrunner a baby jack rabbit & an old one on our way here.
Made it to our camp side 5 p.m. Ken & kids came about 5 30.


Took 8 of us to put our dumb tent up.
Had a good supper hamburgers & peaches & peas & corn – roasted mushmallows at 9 p.

Sunday AM –
Great breakfast bisquits eggs & bacon juice & coffee then had church services – Ken Beck GP & Mandy on one side of creek – the others on opposite side. Isaac introduced Freddy who delivered an excellent sermon & lesson.
Robby will have the service tonight.


We took off at 10 AM & climbed & climbed really a long way


to highest part of mountain to east.


Then a scary trip back to creek where where we all refreshed our selves with cool water to drink & bath.


Back to camp at 330 P for sandwiches & cold drinks – guess what? We killed a rattler. Isaac nearly stepped on it and we got the kids back & killed it. – mass hysteria –


Drove in rain on highway Thundering now
Beautiful cloud formations – many infernal flies – large spider
Mosquito bites – all whittled – many mosquitos tonight – we ate in the camper
Pork chops – corn mashed potatoes apple sauce – well recieved by all.

Good church service taken from Revalations & John & Robbee made the sermon – had nice hymns too. Really a blessing the way Freddie & Robbee lead us today – I think of the scripture re a small child shall lead.


Andy found a big piece of obsidian – our only artifact.
Robby & Freddie to do dishes tonight – Becky is tired – she took a couple of hard falls today.
All saw (Jager?) & quail today.

Monday 10 AM
Good sleep – good breakfast – eggs bacon O.J. Hot cereal corn chips etc. going for hike
1 hr then to Kern River – hope our camp is all here when we get back. All OK boys climb trees & play catch Becky washes & cleans the camper over & over & over & Mandy lays around all time dreaming about whatever 14 year old girls dream about –


Monday eve
Glorious day – had a nice hike & drove to Kern river – stopped at the store for candy bars & chips – drove on to the river – made hot dogs for lunch while kids got muddy in the river –











so beautiful the clouds black & ominous Thunder & lightning. We put the canopy up & I made noodles & beef with cheese gravy. Pear halves & cakes. Kids are playing catch. Freddie thought he’d seen a snake & showed me where there was a little movement in the dirt. I dispatched it with the shovel & it was the fattest toad I’d ever saw. I felt bad because it was by the toilet and it had kept the bug numbers low – Nice soft rain & no bugs tonight


Annie says:
Tonight Lincoln and Andy are going to sleep in the camper (maybe) the rest of them are sleeping in the tent. And are going to have a great time and Annie is going to sleep in the camper with Becky. Have a great fire going in the rain. + Quoted Annie.
Hornets rough – I showed Annie how to train one so they wouldn’t sting. (With my fist!!)
Annie kicked Lincoln in the eye & made him cry – Andy and Annie comforted him & covered him with a towel while he bawled in the rain.

Tues AM
Finished breakfast Blueberry pancakes Bacon eggs & O.J.
Cleaning up camp & camper – Made a long close line for the sleeping bags _ tent let in about 1” of water on the floor & I really believe I could build a tent 2 people could erect & that would shed a little rain!
We are going to go on a desperation hike for artifacts after while – then we’ll eat lunch & head for lake Isabella.
Its a glorious day. We began it with swell prayer by Isaac Annie & Lincoln –


He has asked 55 times how far up the mtn we are going on our hike & I refuse to answer the 56th time.



Had a great short hike! no artifacts. Surely must be around somewhere. Maybe hit a (borvings?) next time.


We all had a good lunch prior to leaving for lake Isabella.
We’re off through breathtaking scenery.
Arrived at the (bicoray?)
(Becky’s handwriting) 4:00 gassed up in Isabella #21.75 60906 17 gal.
(G.Pa’s handwriting) about 2 PM and traveled through Onyx where terrible damage has occourred from Monday nights storm. One man dead by lightning and houses crushed by rocks & mud.
We saw beautiful Golden eagle, swallows hawks etc. Many squirrel & Beck saw 1 grey.
Isaac saw a jack rabbit.


We went to the T Shirt shop & got our T shirts & at 4 P started for home – 40 miles of unbelievable roads up and down because the canyon toward Backersfield is closed by rockslide. Got a good look at great hawk who soon tired of our eavesdropping & slid off the tree top he’d alighted upon.
Steadily droned on toward home stopped at grapevine for good dinner – good faire & happy trip
Praise the lord home at 8 30 P. to warm welcome. – Looking forward to (Alysaps?) Friday with howard.

Fourteen Funny Years Of Love

"I was nauseous and tingly all over. I was either in love or I had smallpox."
- Woody Allen

It's always funny to tell people we met singing karaoke in El Torito. They find it romantic, and odd, and sad, and sweet, and I think they all wish they met singing karaoke too.

Fourteen years ago TONIGHT, we went on our first date. It too was a bit of a shambles in the romance, expense, and intense departments. Then, as we sat on your floor laughing and looking through your photo albums, we somehow knew that in fourteen years, we'd still be crazy in love.

Happy first date baby.

The Desert of London Town

London Bridge Anchor

He came to the desert of London town
Gray miles long;
He wandered up and he wandered down,
Singing a quiet song.

William Blake, by James B.V. Thomson


With a grand total of 34 hours of layover, I enjoyed a nice slice of London life. A desert to be sure in the human sense, but an oasis of culture and stories long told.

Blue Bells At Shakespeare's Globe

St. Paul's Cherub

St. Paul's Impression on the Sky

St. Paul's Impression on the People

City Bustle

Ringers at Ready

Queen's Garden

Shy Queen Consort

Paddington Cathedral

We Got Annie!

"In the cookies of life, sisters are the chocolate chips."
~Author Unknown

Happy Birthday 1-14-14-9-5!

Fisherman's Luck

"Pitch a lucky man into the Nile, says the Arabian proverb, and he will come up with a fish in his mouth!"
- NATHANIEL PARKER WILLIS

I remember fishing with my Grandpa. I remember catching nothing. I remember pouting.

My Grandpa seemed to always have good luck when fishing, even when he didn't catch anything. But he didn't measure fisherman's luck by the number of fish caught. He measured luck in jokes cast, prank victims hooked, and smiles reeled in.

Happy Saint Patrick's Birthday Grandpa!