Vern Woodbury...We'll miss you

A friend of mine went on his last ride today.  Vern was an incredible entertainer, both funny and serious.  He was a great father, husband and friend and will be missed.

 

Vern was won of the most popular members of the Cowboy Poets of Idaho and I was always happy to see him at any show.  I was thrilled that he was able to come to Townsend for a couple of our shows and I just wanted to post a video of his performance from a few years ago.

 

 

 

The following is a passage from a novel I've read a few times; John D. Macdonald's "Pale Gray For Guilt"  Since I first read this, I've always remembered it.  It's such a great analogy of our life on this earth.

 

     "Picture a very swift torrent, a river rushing down between rocky
walls. There is a long, shallow bar of sand and gravel that runs
right down the middle of the river. It is under water. You are born
and you have to sand on that narrow, submerged bar, where everyone
stands. The ones born before you, the ones older than you, are
upriver from you. The younger ones stand braced on the bar
downriver. And the whole long bar is slowly moving down that river of
time, washing away at the upstream end and building up downstream.

     Your time, the time of all your contemporaries, schoolmates, your
loves and your adversaries, is that part of the shifting bar on which
you stand. And it is crowded at first. You can see the way it thins
out, upstream from you. The old ones are washed away and their bodies
go swiftly by, like logs in the current. Downstream where the younger
ones stand thick, you can see them flounder, lose footing, wash away.
Always there is more room where you stand, but always the swift water
grows deeper, and you feel the shift of the sand and the gravel under
your feet as the river wears it away. Someone looking for a safer
place can nudge you off balance, and you are gone. Someone who has
stood beside you for a long time gives a forlorn cry and you reach to
catch their hand, but the fingertips slide away and they are gone.
There are the sounds in the rocky gorge, the roar of the water, the
shifting, gritty sound of sand and gravel underfoot, the forlorn cries
of despair as the nearby ones, and the ones upstream, are taken by
the current. Some old ones who stand on a good place, well braced,
understanding currents and balance, last a long time. A Churchill,
fat cigar atilt, sourly amused at his own endurance and, in the end,
indifferent to rivers and the rage of waters. Far downstream from you
are the thin, startled cries of the ones who never got planted, never
got set, never quite understood the message of the torrent."

 

Vern is gone from us now and our world is a little less enjoyable because of that.  Goodbye my friend.

 

 

I'm ashamed of my former profession

As most of you know, I served much of my adult life as a Law Enforcement Officer, in the U.S. Air Force, in Montana and in Oregon. Over 14 years wearing a badge.

 

In all those years, I served with many honorable and honest men and women who were not just there for a paycheck, but believed in the job we did. Without saying it at the time, we believed in our oath to protect and defend the Constitution and the citizens of our jurisdictions. 

 

Certainly, there were little things that most non-police citizens don't agree with. For instance, I never had to worry about getting a ticket for some minor traffic offense. My roommate got a ride to our apartment one night in another jurisdictions patrol car because of his off-duty conduct. Not arrested; just brought home.

 

But, major offenses? Hurt someone else? Forget it! You'd be arrested in a heartbeat and your badge taken for storage along with your watch and wedding ring. Violations of peoples rights on duty? Your partner might not "rat you out" but he'd sure as Hell make sure you knew not to do it again! If a supervisor did hear about you overstepping your authority you'd be in big trouble and I mean maybe not only lose your job but your freedom as well. CRIME by police officers is just not tolerated by other police officers, no matter what you see on TV.

 

That's probably one of the big reasons that this murder of LaVoy Finicum has been weighing on my mind so much this past week.

 

How could that many corrupt officers be found and work together in one place? Fifteen or twenty (or more) law enforcement personnel went along with the attack and now the coverup. Finicum was murdered, the vehicle shot up and people terrorized by the very men and women who have sworn to PROTECT us from that kind of thing! And now, all those officers are keeping their mouths shut, waiting for the furor to die down and the coverup to take effect.

 

In over 14 years of Law Enforcement, I cannot think of one officer with whom I served who would have gone along with this attack. I can think of several who would have moved to protect the innocent victims of this ambush. Why wasn't there one honest, courageous officer who would have moved between the vehicle and those shooting at it and stood to defend the two women and a man who were cowering on the floor of the truck, in fear of their lives? Why was there not one officer there who would move in and provide aid to the man who had been gunned down? Why is there not one officer who's concience has forced him to come forward and testify against those rogue killers he watched deliberately kill one man and try to kill another man and the two women?

 

I'm sad and ashamed about this. Even with the murder of Jack Yantis in Idaho and the questionable shootings and beatings we've seen by police this last year, I continue to stand up for Law Enforcement. My experience with the breed was such that I knew in my heart that most of them are good, honest, honorable and courageous people doing a dangerous and dirty job in service to their fellow men. What possible threat or bribe can buy these officers honor and integrity?

 

I've seen it postulated that the majority of those involved were hired mercenaries, not actual sworn law enforcement. Although this seems like far fetched conspiracy theory BS, I'd rather think that than think that such a noble profession has been corrupted to the point where, even in a group this large, there are no good and true officers who are willing to stand up for what they believe in and against such brutality and criminal behavior.

When are we allowed to defend ourselves?

FBI and Oregon State Police opened fire on the Finicum vehicle without provocation.

 

According to the statements of the two women who were passengers in the vehicle, some officer shot at Ryan Payne while he displayed his hands outside the passenger side window.  Either before they fled or during the flight from the first traffic stop, shots were fired at the fleeing vehicle.  Before and after Finicum was gunned down at the "roadblock", officers shot into the vehicle.

 

Both girls are adamant that no one in the vehicle shot at the police or made any other aggressive moves.

 

Victoria Sharp statement

Shawna Cox Statement

 



 

At what point are you justified in defending yourself against such an obviously illegal attack?  If the vehicle occupants HAD been armed, it seems to me that they would have been justified in defending their lives against these unlawful attacks by the police but, because They ARE police, They are allowed to attack first and shoot multiple rounds into an occupied vehicle without regard for the identities or mindset of those in the vehicle.  If any one of the occupants HAD returned fire, then would the police have been able to use that as an excuse to kill them all?

 

Because They are police; are They allowed to shoot us down without us being allowed to defend ourselves?

 

The argument rages about whether Finicum was in possession of a pistol and, if so, whether he reached for it before he was first shot.  I contend that this does not matter.  First, he did not have the weapon in his hand and so was not a threat to the officers yet.  He was covered by multiple police making it impossible for him to draw and fire at the closer officers without being shot down first.  I honestly don't care if he WAS "reaching" for a weapon.  He was not holding the weapon and thus was NOT a threat.

 

But, if officers had been shooting at his vehicle, without provocation, endangering his and his passengers lives with a negligent and possibly malicious attack, was Finicum not justified in trying to defend himself and others?

 

I maintain that, if it is true that the officers began shooting into the vehicle without any of the occupants even displaying a weapon first, then the police instigated the entire tragic incident.  The police were not threatened by anyone in the vehicle, nor was Finicum a threat after he exited the vehicle as he did not have a weapon in his hand at any time.

 

We have been focusing on the murder of LaVoy Finicum but his murder is simply a culmination of a long string of unjustified police assaults against Finicum and the other people in the vehicle.  The entire incident, from the initial stop until everyone was safely in custody is just one long crime scene.  There is no way that what we see on the current video, coupled with the statements of the two witnesses, can be construed as justification for the overwhelming police attack on these people.

 

If the police had kept their fingers off the triggers until a threat was evident then the arrests would have gone without incident and the whole situation would be over by now.

 

All the video; dashcam, body cam, the overhead that we have seen, the video that Shawna Cox says she took...everything, should be presented to a Grand Jury for intensive scrutiny.  If any of these officers shot at the vehicle then they should be prosecuted, at least for Felony Assault if not for Attempted Murder.  Certainly, no policeman who indiscriminately shoots at a vehicle containing innocent non-combatant people should be allowed to continue wearing a badge. 

Let's try "Peaceful Resistance"

I have a suggestion for all the "militia" leaders out there.

 

We know that there will be more Federal landgrabs in our future; this one for instance:





 http://www.infowars.com/texas-rancher-prepares-to-fight-back-against-blm-land-grab/

and there will be times when other citizens will be needed to try and protect people from this out of control Federal Government. The events in Harney County, Oregon have shown us that our current methods are not the best.

 

Forcing the Government to back down is not an easy task. They backed down at Bundy Ranch last year simply because They were outgunned and outnumbered at the time and decided to back down instead of calling in hundreds more agents for a pitched battle. At Bundy Ranch, the combination of helpful media; Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck and others, and the overwhelming armed force presented at Bundy's made Them step back and reconsider. The illegal actions of the BLM were obvious and well documented so They backed off. It could just as easily have gone the other way if the BLM hadn't done such stupid things that were presented to the public via internet.

 

However, the situation in Oregon didn't go the right way. The press kept harping on the "armed militants" angle. I think it likely that the Feds learned from the Bundy ranch and changed Their tactics, getting the support They needed from Their pets in the media; thus gaining a large part of the public support They need in order to do what They do.

 

So, we need to learn also.

 

The situation in Burns was supposed to be an effort to protect the Hammonds from Federal assault. Somehow, that vision was lost by a few of the protesters and it turned into a mess. I could never see how the occupation of a remote Federal facility would keep the Hammonds out of jail. In their case, I think the best help would have been providing them funds for a good attorney.

 

Anyway, I believe I have a way for us to very effectively stop the Feds in their tracks and make them replan again.

 

Four "teams" or groups at a protest.

 

The largest group are UNARMED protesters who are prepared to accept arrest and jail. Unarmed. Did I mention that? Unarmed. If you don't have the guts to face Federal Troops while you are unarmed and unable to fight back then stay home. We need courage, not violence. Any idiot can pull a trigger. Can you do what this man did?

 

 

A team of videographers who will NOT be directly involved in the protest actions. Their job is to video everything that is happening and get it to their subteam, a group with wireless access to the active cameras and internet access, so pertinent video can be uploaded at almost real time to the internet for all to see. In addition, some of the videographers, if internet is available to them, could be uploading to places like Ustream in real time.

 

A team of Lawyers, ready to work for all those arrested at the protest.

 

If this is a longterm kind of thing, like Bundy's was, a support team; cooks, laundry, computer support and that kind of thing.

 

The protesters Do Not Fight with the police. They resist. There is a difference between fighting and resisting. For instance, let's use the Hammond situation. There were 300 protesters there who could have ringed the house, sat on the ground with linked arms and not allowed the Hammonds to be taken to prison. No punching, kicking or other kinds of assault towards any officer. Just don't let Them handcuff you. Make Them do stupid things, all on camera, so the American citizens can all be witnesses to illegal government action.

When people are arrested, their attorneys are waiting for them at the jail. The court system is innundated with 300 arrests, the jails are too full to handle it and it's all on the national news. And no one could be painted as a redneck gunnut who is just spoiling for a fight. Also, it's unlikely that anyone is arrested for a felony.

 

This kind of peaceful resistance worked in the 60s to help end the Vietnam War. It worked for Ghandi. All that Government Police understand is direct action...violence. The American people don't want to see that from either side.

 

 We need this:

Not this. 

 

　

　

　

　

　

　



FBI releases some video

Here is video, released by the FBI, of the stop, pursuit and, in my opinion, murder of Lavoy Finicum.

Someone dubbed the audio testimony of Victoria Sharp over this video and it obviously corroborates what she has to say.

At https://www.fbi.gov/portland/press-releases/2016/remarks-by-sac-greg-bretzing-at-a-press-conference-to-address-the-ongoing-situation-at-the-malheur-national-wildlife-refuge , you can read the FBI Agent's statement about this incident.  The only thing he really says differently from Victoria is that she claims there were multiple shots at the vehicle and he doesn't.  It would be nice to see the vehicle before it gets fixed up.

So, let's examine what Victoria tells us.  She says that, at the first traffic stop, the police shot at Ryan Payne without provocation but missed.  This caused fear in those left in the vehicle and Finicum drove away, not knowing he was headed into a roadblock.  Police were firing indiscriminately at the vehicle, knowing full well that the road was blocked ahead and knowing that there were non-combatants in the vehicle.

Once LaVoy drove off the road, he got out of the vehicle with his hands in the air.  At one point, as he's staggering through knee deep snow, he drops his hands towards his body.  At that point, for sure, he's shot by at least two officers, one in front and one behind and he goes down.  Then, still without any attack from the suspects, the police begin firing at the vehicle again.  We see flash-bangs going off and if you watch closely you'll see at least one passenger side window blown out.  All this with no firing from the vehicle towards the officers.

Much of my own police training was in the use of force and especially the use of deadly force.  To deploy deadly force...shoot someone...that suspect had to have three things:  the ability to cause me or someone grievous bodily harm or death.   The opportunity to cause that harm or death and he had to place someone in jeopardy of grievous harm or death.  It's not that complicated.  He's carrying a pistol.  Ability.  His possible victim is in range of that weapon and the weapon has been deployed...taken out of the holster.  Opportunity.  But, if he never raises the weapon to shoot, he has NOT placed anyone in jeopardy and so, deadly force cannot legally be used.  Let's be clear here.  Contrary to the hopes and prayers of most Liberals, simply possessing a firearm is NOT a capital offense.  If the weapon was under his jacket he could be charged with a misdemeanor for Carrying a Concealed Weapon but even that is not justification for summary execution.

So, let's give the police the benefit of the doubt here.  Let's say that he WAS reaching for his weapon; not reacting to multiple body hits or just opening his jacket to show them where his weapon was.  Let's pretend he was reaching for it.  Ability is there and he's working on opportunity.  Still hasn't put anyone in jeopardy yet.  Since half the state and federal cops in Oregon had their sights on him at the time, prudent officers, who cared about the law, would have let him fully commit and get his weapon up before they all blasted him out of his shoes.  So, just using this video as evidence, if I were on the shooting board, I would vote that the shooting was unjustified; i.e. Murder.  Guess it's a good thing for them that they'll be investigating themselves, huh?

As to opening fire on a vehicle full of unidentified and non-combatant people; well, there is NO justification for that.  Simple attempted Murder and in one case, Ryan Bundy, felony assault as he was hit by shrapnel and slightly wounded.

Whatever their actual goals were in this stop, these were some of the sloppiest cops in existence.  If they wanted to make some arrests with as little violence as possible; the stated and laudable goal, then they obviously screwed that up bigtime!  If they were planning to execute Finicum and Bundy and eliminate the witnesses, which I don't believe for a minute, they blew that, too, by leaving everyone but Finicum alive. 

In my opinion, based on this video and my former training and experience, no law enforcement agent at that roadblock, state or federal, who fired their weapon, has any business remaining in law enforcement.

The murder of a non-aggressive rancher in Oregon yesterday is a profound incident in our nation today. It isn't getting the media attention it deserves because it paints our all-powerful Federal Government in a bad light.

"They" are showing us that They can do whatever They want. The Mainstream media reports what they are told to and the Fed Police can do as They like. One of those arrested was Peter Santilli. Was he an armed protester? Was he one of those occupying the Fed property? No. He was an "Alternative Media" reporter. As in, not Mainstream Media but someone who reports what is happening, not just what the Fed tells him to report. Result? He's in jail now too. Doesn't this make you go...Hmmmmm?

I agree with the underlying issue that the "Bundy" group was protesting; unconstitutional Federal Land Grabs and the peripheral issue of the unfair imprisonment of the Hammonds. I never thought the takeover of the Malheur Wildlife Refuge buildings was a good idea. I thought it took attention away from the Hammonds. On the other hand, it DID bring the situation to National attention.

But, the occupation of the Federal facility and the rhetoric involved is not the issue we should focus on today. The problem that should be at the forefront of National attention is the outright murder of a good man.

LaVoy Finnicum was not a known criminal with a long rap sheet and multiple convictions. He was a Rancher, husband and father with no criminal record. He was not fighting with police at the time of his murder, nor did he threaten them in any way. LaVoy Finnicum was truly a "Hands up, don't shoot" situation and he was gunned down, for no reason, by Federal troops at what amounted to a traffic stop.

Victoria Sharp was in the car that Finnicum was driving and she says that none of the occupants of the car even touched their weapons during the encounter. None were carrying "long guns" and none tried to "shoot it out" with the Feds. One of the things she says really struck me. Ryan Bundy, with his hands out of the car window, made his head visible while trying to talk with the Feds. Without provocation, They shot at him but missed. Anybody heard of Ruby Ridge? Anyway, here's Ms. Sharp's story:

Here are some other websites with some additional info:

http://unclesamsmisguidedchildren.com/refuge-occupiers-ambushed-by-the-feds/

http://www.bluemountaineagle.com/Local_News/20160113/members-of-armed-group-occupying-refuge-meet-with-grant-county-sheriff-in-john-day

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/27/us/oregon-armed-group-arrest-bundy.html

http://tvoinews.com/featured/blood-sacrifice/

 

My understanding is that the Grant county Sheriff, Glenn Palmer, has expressed his opinion that this should be handled by local Law Enforcement and not the Federal force. With that, I would wholeheartedly agree.

What I would like to see happen now is for the Oregon Sheriff's Association all get together and take over the handling of this. Let the Oregon Sheriff's, who actually have jurisdiction, make this a local issue and get the Feds out of it.

For one thing, who investigates yesterday's murder? Do the Feds now investigate themselves and find it justified? The local Harney County Sheriff, David Ward, should be handling this whole thing.

I'm back again

Let's get this show back on the road!! I've kind of gotten used to doing my writing on Facebook as it's so easy there to make contact with so many people at once. But I'm planning to get back into keeping up this blogsite again.

As I look through the last few posts, I like what I was posting before and have every intention of doing essentially the same things.

I'll be posting opinions of current events, interesting stories I've heard or experienced, travels and travails as they happen and just basic "stuff".

Comments are welcome and I will allow negative comments, if presented with taste and respect. Remember, I'm an old fashioned "Old Guy" and not thrilled with profanity nor am I willing to give a forum to someone who is abusive or combative. I'll be doing my best to not insult the readers, although I know my opinions will likely offend some. There is a difference.

I'm also willing to entertain the idea of presenting posts from others who have things they want to say. Just e-mail me your proposed post to easygibson@gmail.com and I'll look it over.

Things you've seen or done out there in the world. Reports of Cowboy or Western shows or gatherings. Reports of pool tournaments or even good matches you have watched or in which you have participated. Anything like that expands the view from here and gets more content available to those who read this. Pictures are always good.

Lets have some fun. Let's be entertaining, informative and even a little controversial.

VERY BASIC communications advice

I spent a fair amount of time deciding what I wanted to do for personal communications. First, I considered what I want to accomplish.

I'm not greatly interested in communicating with the big world. I just want to keep in contact with my close group,family and friends and CB radio or the GMRS/FRS bubble pack radios meet my goals just fine for little expense.

But, in doing all this research, I read many posts and articles advocating an amateur (Ham) radio license and some radios to go with it so I started reading up on that. There is no longer a requirement for morse code to get your basic (technician) ham license, there is just a written test covering FCC rules and some basic radio and electronics information; most of which I have learned in 16 years of working on computers. I took the test and got my license.

Most ham radios are semi-expensive but I could afford an HT (handi-talkie) made in China that uses the VHF and UHF frequency bands. I bought the Bao-Feng UV-5R, got a better antenna for it, a battery replacement that plugs into my cigarette lighter and a magnetic antenna for the car; all for about $100 and kind of spread out these purchases over a month or so. There are several models of these. I have two UV-5Rs with better antennas, extra batteries, external mic and cigarette lighter battery. I would also recommend the programming cable as the keyboard programming is kind of a pain.
(http://baofengtech.com/compare)

On the 2 meter band (Very High Frequency or VHF), 144MHZ-150MHZ (give or take) the local Ham clubs have repeaters set up. These are non-government,privately owned and maintained. They link together giving me reliable communications from Great Falls to Billings to Vegas and Tucson, all with my little 4Watt HT! I was thrilled.

In addition, High Frequency (HF) radios and antennas are available which will provide good long range communications through what we CBers call "Skip"; bouncing the signal off the ionosphere. Those are a little more expensive but I'm saving my nickels to get one soon.

So, I now have a good SSB capable CB radio in the house and all vehicles, another UV-5R that I can set up in a car with a magnetic antenna or I can put the long "rubber ducky" antenna on it and carry it anywhere. I also splurged on Ebay and got a VHF mobile radio for my main vehicle.
When I'm at home, I just connect another magnetic antenna (I live in a metal trailer house) to a UV-5R and have a serviceable base.

Here's a rundown on basic radios available to us.

CB: Citizens Band: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens_band_radio): No license required. We all remember these. CB was a big deal in the 70s but cell phones have made them less popular although most truck drivers still have and use them and there is a big hobby group who try to "skip" signals for distance (DX) contacts, mostly on the SSB channels. CB is good for between 5 and 15 miles and you can have mobiles in your car, walkie talkies in your hand and base stations in your house. They are easy to find but on the expensive side. A CB with SSB channels will run over $200 plus getting a decent antenna. The system in my house cost me about $350 and I was buying on Ebay. SSB radios aren't as easy to come by locally but they are worth it.

MURS: Multiple Use Radio Service (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-Use_Radio_Service): No license required. Maximum legal transmit at 1watt. Five frequencies available. Iine of sight signal. This is a pretty good way to keep in local/close contact. A legal MURS radio will give you about one-two miles of communication range with a compact HT type radio but there are only five frequencies to choose from and I'm not sure where to buy the radios.

FRS: Family radio service (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_Radio_Service):
No license required. These are the bubble pack radios you can buy at sporting goods stores, Walmart, Amazon and so on. The radios that have a stubby little antenna and 14 channels are FRS radios. Legal transmit is .5 Watts (500 milliwatts), giving you about the same range; maybe a little less, as the MURS but these radios are easy to find and fairly inexpensive.

GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Mobile_Radio_Service): Need a family license that requires no test but does require $85 for the FCC. These are also the bubble pack radios you find all over. If you find one that says it has two power ranges and/or has 28+ channels, this is a combination of FRS and GMRS in one handheld. GMRS has a lot of capabilities over FRS but GMRS requires a license. Licensed GMRS users can use up to 50 watts of transmit power, repeaters and radios with better antenna. If you check the fine print on the package of the little handi-talkie radios you just got from Amazon, it will tell you that you can't transmit on the GMRS channels without a license but I think the FCC is going to be kind of overwhelmed soon and I'd be surprised if the licensing thing lasts much longer.

The Baofeng radios are all programmable for MURS, FRS, GMRS and Ham frequencies. Certainly they provide much more transmit power than is legal for FRS and can for MURS. Also, they are not really type accepted by the FCC for those frequencies. They are only legal for licensed Amateur radio users to use on the approved Ham radio frequencies on the 2 meter and 70cm bands; VHF and UHF.

One of these little radios can be programmed to use everything listed here except CB if you want. It just isn't legal.

In addition, they can be set up as police scanners as you can program in the police frequencies. I strongly suggest, if you are going to do this,that you get the CHIRP software and a programming cable so you can tell the radio NOT to transmit on the police/fire/public service frequencies as it would be easy to accidentally do so when you are listening and I can guarantee a visit from the FCC if that kind of thing happens!

So, you can buy a nice little walkie talkie for around $40 which can be programmed to work with other radios you may have already gotten, can listen to Public Service agencies and can be used on ham radio frequencies, basically any VHF/UHF frequency, and will provide decent transmit power and communication range for almost any scenario.

After going down this road myself, I will say that I recommend getting your Amateur Radio license, joining a local Ham Radio club and learning more about this hobby. As I said at the beginning, I figured that CB and GMRS would meet my goals but I found that there is a lot more about radios and communication that I want to learn and be involved in.

When I was hiking in the mountains of Montana last summer I was often in areas where I had no cell coverage. Face it, in Montana, I'm often in my car on the freeway without cell phone coverage! But, now that I can use the VHF repeaters that are available almost anywhere, I am almost never without reliable communication. That can literally be a lifesaver if you travel much and the knowledge you gain in using these radios might serve you and your group very well in an SHTF situation.

Facebook has kind of taken over for the blog, I guess. I leave comments there quite often but forget to put anything here. I'll try to do better.

City Permits and Property Ownership

I really don't fit in in this world at all. I went to a City Council meeting yesterday. They had a public hearing about some changes to the zoning ordinances. As we all browbeat the council, I was reflecting, internally, that we were arguing the wrong issue.

It isn't the changes, it's the EXISTENCE of the zoning ordinances. What gives the city the right to make me ask "Mother, may I?" for ANYth...ing I want to do on MY property?! How have we been so complacent as to allow our "public SERVANTS" to dictate whether we can have a fence, a garden, a shed or anything else on the property WE OWN?

It isn't that Townsend, MT is any different than Helena, Bozeman, West Yellowstone or White Sulphur Springs. It's that, somehow, we have surrendered our private property rights to the government. It's wrong and now it's too late. I could go on and on but it doesn't make any difference. I think I'm the only one who thinks this is not right and I guess I should just shut up about it and learn to go along.

When you think about it, real property is actually the embodiment of socialism in our country.  All real property is owned by the state (government) and we just are allowed limitted use of it as long as we keep up the rent payments.  Try not paying your taxes (Rent to the state) for a while.  You'll get evicted.  The city tells us what we can and can't do on our own property and we go blissfully on, with the illusion of freedom.   And, there's nothing we can do about it now.  It's such an accepted situation that no one is going to get it changed, even if we wanted to try. 

When the city clerk was talking about permit charges yesterday, it was all i could do to keep my mouth shut.  What value do I get for paying a fee to the city so that I can put a shed on my property?  If I burned that money, I'd at least get a little heat out of it.  More leeching off of the populous by the government.  And so many people can't see why I'm so indignant about it.  Fees to the government...nothing new and won't be changed.

Springtime in the Rockies

It's been a great Montana spring so far. Lots of sunshine but also a reasonable amount of rain to keep things green. It looks like it's going to be a great summer.

I handled sound for the Motherin' Up Gathering in White Sulphur Springs, MT last weekend and had a lot of fun with all my friends who come so far to perform.

We will be holding our 11th annual Townsend Cowboy Entertainer Gathering at the Townsend Fire hall on June 2nd. Pancake breakfast, Day shows, Roast Beef/Pork dinner and Night show. A whole day of activities, all to benefit the Broadwater Rural Fire District.

My comments about the e-mail I just posted

I have to say that I'm in full agreement with the writer. I haven't even gone to the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in a couple of years and the last time I did it was because I had a paid gig there.

I played my gig and I played at the Open Mic stage at Duncan Little Creek Gallery that Billy Rose hosts. I never even went to the Convention Center and only crossed the parking lot to the Folk Life Center to visit with friends at the bar. I just don't have that much interest in seeing all the same "Big Stars" that grace the Elko stages.

In my opinion, the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering would be a much better show with more and equal if not better performers if they would go back to their roots. Put the lesser known performers up. Take my night show list from the Townsend Gathering or take the list from the Cowboy Poets of Idaho show in St. Anthony. The audience would be just as entertained...maybe more so and the Elko Gathering would go back to doing what they started.

If you want to see good authentic Cowboy Entertainers then come to St. Anthony, Idaho in April, White Sulphur Springs, MT on Mothers Day weekend or the Townsend Cowboy Entertainer Gathering June 2nd.

An e-mail that was forwarded to me about Elko

I got this in a forwarded e-mail, originally from Vickie Mullen of
Snohomish WA

Western Folklife Center Board of Directors,


As a long time member of the folklife center, a 27 year attendee of the gathering, and active person in the industry it brings me no pleasure to be the bearer of bad news. The Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko has been a great source of inspiration and joy for me. I have spent the past month really trying to understand and collect information from a variety of individuals and performers. The consensus has been that the gathering for the past few years has been not meeting the needs of its followers.

Why is attendance down? The easy and short answer is to blame the economy and that to some extent is true, but the problem I feel goes deeper. The gathering seems to have lost its soul. The very essence of why it drew people like moths to a flame. The excitement and wonder that each new year would bring. This is the first year that ticket buyers have come from shows and just said they were awful. Then they start to reflect, that the programming seems to make no sense anymore, that it is a stretch to find the positive. Free shows seemed to be more entertaining than highly priced ticketed ones. That the midnight dance was punctuated by police cars and broken bottles littering the parking lots. Hotels rates were way to high and the Stockman's at $109.00 per night was an outrage.

In mid-February I attended and set-up at the Spirit of the West gathering in Ellensburg WA. It had that magical quality of authentic performers, activities, and audience. The town seemed to be welcoming and glad we all came. The trade show I exhibited in was very profitable. Some of the people in attendance talked about not going to Elko any longer because the folklife center just doesn't seem to "get it" anymore. So my quest has been since then to try to get to the bottom of "get it".

Elko's gathering is important enough for me to share my interpretation of findings. The magic comes from the mix of people. The cowboy world seems to be divided as "us" and "them". Too many of "them" are running the gathering, on the board of the gathering, and do not seem to know the difference. For those outside the cowboy and buckaroo world but on the fringe they come to town to see real ranch folks to be amongst them to try to understand the culture. They are really interested and respectful of ranching ways. For example one topic we all talked about was how excited and thrilled we all are to see horse slaughter brought back to the US. That it is currently something that we all support. Now if you are reading this and gasped or disagreed you don't get "it".

To many of us the gathering seems to be run by folklorist who wish to change the ranching culture to what they believe. Not embracing the reality of everyday life. Advertising, programming, the entire event seems to slant to a very liberal and cerebral look at Cowboys. That is not an authentic picture of the industry or its people. When you lose the authentic nature of a gathering you lose the soul and a downward spiral follows. Credibility is lost and a positive outcome as well.


Please consider going back to the basics. Put on a gathering of those who work and live in the west. Like the Wild West Shows of the past if it portrays as real, others will come to see it, if not it is just an audience looking at an audience. Bring back the hats and boots.
Sincerely

Vickie Mullen
Hitching Post Supply
www.hitchingpostsupply.com

Here's a link to info about all the reliv products
http://www.relivingpartners.com/products.php

24k energy drink

I've been using Reliv products for a couple of years now and have posted info about it before here and on Facebook. The products are great and have helped me to feel better, lose inches from my waist and just feel healthier.

The company came out with a new product last year and I'm becoming a "missionary" for it too. It's called 24K and it's an energy drink that has good healthy ingredients with no sugar or caffeine.

You don't need me to order it for you. You can get it at www.my24kvip.com and enter the code 24kezgibson

I'm weird but comfortable with it

As I’ve whined about on here before, I am primarily nocturnal. Most people are not. The “normal” person is a diurnal (Daytime) creature. I don’t feel well if I have to get out of bed before the crack of noon. It’s not that it hurts me, but I just don’t feel well in the early morning. And, by early, I mean anything before 10AM! Everyone (except others like me) laughs at me when I gripe about getting up “early” at 7 or 8 in the morning. Most of you just don’t understand.

Also, I watch all those with “good jobs”, heading in to work at 8, herding themselves home at 5, working in the same cubicle day after day, doing the same things in the same way with only eventual retirement as an incentive. They feel so lucky because they have good, steady jobs.

The regular life model just doesn’t appeal to me. I’m glad that I have reduced my commitments to the point where I can live on very little so I can try to make it with music, fix a few computers, play some pool and just be semi-retired while I can still enjoy it. If I were doing the day-to-day cubicle thing I’d wind up running screaming down the street. As I look at how others live, I begin to understand alcoholism and other drug addictions!

Winter is here

Last summer (can it only be a couple of months ago?!) I overheard a lady in West Yellowstone say: I hope it doesn't snow until December this year. I really didn't like last winter." I was astonished. I couldn't help but interject: "Are you kidding?" She looked at me and replied: "No. It was really cold and snowy last winter." I said: "You do know that this is West Yellowstone, Montana, right? You'll have snow on the ground here from Halloween until Fathers Day." She said: "Oh no, no one wants that." I just shook my head and said: "Sorry ma'am but you moved to the wrong place. You should consider Tombstone or Yuma."

What do these people think? That the West Yellowstone they see in the summer is what it's like here year around?

Anyway, the snow didn't stay on the ground here in Townsend yet but it looks like West has it's foundation already. Wish I was there instead of here even with the cold and snow.

Criminals at Black Sands Spring!

I am a third generation West Yellowstone resident. My Grandfather worked on the railroad into West and my Grandmother worked in the dining hall. My Grandfather and his brothers logged in this area for many years and my family worked at the sawmill. I grew up here and was raised with a reverence for this area in particular and our surroundings and environment in general.
I don’t get to live here year around anymore but I have been blessed with the opportunity to live and work in West Yellowstone during the summertime so that I can still enjoy my real home as much as possible. When I am here I spend as much time as I can in the outdoors, fishing, hiking and just enjoying our “Yellowstoneland”, soaking it in so that I can carry some of it back north during the winter.
As I have driven, hiked and biked around this summer, I have been disgusted by the number of beer cans, candy wrappers, cigarette butts and general trash I have seen along our back roads and trails. I have taken to carrying a sack just for such things wherever I go but the contempt people seem to have for our area has saddened me. Then, on the morning of Sunday, Aug 7th, 2011, I encountered a scene that was utterly ridiculous.
As I drove into the Black Sand Spring parking area, I noticed smoke rising from the firepit and I saw beer cans, beer bottles, vodka bottles, cigarettes…the whole parking area strewn with trash and litter! Obviously, a big party had been held there on Saturday night and everyone just walked away, leaving the mess for the rest of us to enjoy. I cleaned up as much as I could and I put the smoldering fire out but the whole thing sickened me. I can’t express the disgust and loathing I feel for all of you who were at that party and left that mess behind.
What’s really bad is that, on reflection, I realize that it was most likely West Yellowstone residents who did it. I seriously doubt that our tourists know enough about the area to hold their party at Black Sands so these were probably at least summer residents. I certainly hope that none of our few permanent residents would leave such a disaster behind but; well, who knows anymore.
The complete contempt, disrespect and carelessness shown by this group is hard for me to even imagine. Leaving a fire burning in the forrest? Scattering your garbage and leaving it behind? Come on!! I don’t have to explain the concept of “pack it in, pack it out” any more than I have to explain why litter is a bad thing. Ask any little tourist kid about it if you don’t understand and they can help you.
Presumably, you moved here because this is such a beautiful area and such a nice place to live and then you treat it like this? I can’t speak for everyone but in my opinion, if you have no reverence or respect for our land, such utter disregard for other people, creatures and our environment…go back to where you came from! Scatter your beer cans in your own living room or on the streets of your home town. Leave your fires in your city parks.
I’ll bet many of you were sitting around, cursing Montana for their handling of the Buffalo situation while you decried Man-made Global warming and other environmental issues.
I am happily cooperating with Law Enforcement to try and identify those involved. The trouble is that if they are found and cited, they will only be fined or do some little jail time. I only wish banishment were still an option!

On summer hours

I haven't been posting this summer because I'm living in my camper in the West Yellowstone area and it's not easy to get internet access very often for very long.

I've been playing daily at the City Creamery on Canyon Street in West. It's a sattelite shop of the Virginia City Creamery. I've basically done as well here in tips and CD sales as I would have at the Virginia City Cafe and I'm not using nearly the gas! In my pickup/camper at 8MPG, this makes a big difference.

Still doing Parade Rest Ranch on Mondays and Fridays as I have for several years. So far, it's been a pretty decent summer.

Our Medical Attitudes

I had the "opportunity" yesterday to deal with some Doctors and some of the attitudes and problems in our Medical system became very clear.

First, Doctors continually advocate our constant contact with medical professionals. Regular checkups, respond to Medical facilities when there is ANY possible sign of problems. You should have a regular provider who has seen you enough to know you. Whether or not you are sick, you should be constantly seeking medical advice. No wonder everyone "needs" health insurance or coverage of some kind and also no wonder the prices are so ridiculously high.

I had chest pains yesterday afternoon and, since I was in Helena and at the ER for another matter anyway, I checked in to the ER. I will first have to be very positive about the conduct of hospital personnel. The didn't ask about insurance (don't have any) or ability to pay. They took me into an ER room and got me ready for whatever might happen. Within ten minutes, I was IV'd and hooked up to all the machines with my blood work being done and my ECG completed and printed. Very quick and efficient.

Later, however, in comes a nurse with some medications for me. She told me that they hadn't found anything wrong yet but they wanted to give me some meds to rule out other problems. What I heard from this was: "We don't know that there is anything wrong with you but here are some drugs anyway." I wouldn't take the meds.

Eventually they admitted that they couldn't find a problem. and they sent me home. I still had the tightness in my chest but it apparently wasn't dangerous. I can accept that. Could be muscle tension or many other things. They had shown that the heart was fine and not in danger.

Then, my friend had some necessary prescriptions to fill but she doesn't have insurance either. So, the pharmacy discounted 20% of the prescription price. Any idiot can see that, if they can discount 20% for the uninsured then the sticker price MUST be over 20% higher than necessary, just to get more out of insurance companies.

So, here are the current conclusions. First, medical care is available to everyone without regard to insurance or ability to pay. So much for the need for Obamacare. But, on the negative side, we Americans are far too dependent on out "medical professionals". Why do we need to be going to Dr.s when we are not sick? Why this constant care situation? And, the Doctors are prescribing medications when they are not really needed just to make us believe we are in need of constant services. A vicious circle.

If we were going to Doctors only when needed then insurance would be more affordable, thus more of us would have it and Doctors would not be worrying as much about non-payment. If drug prices were not so overinflated then, again, insurance prices would be less and it would be more affordable to the "working class" people.

Beartooth NBC TV spot for the Townsend Gathering

For the 10th annual Townsend Cowboy Entertainer Gathering we will be doing things a little differently this year. We will not be doing the three day, Day-Show/Night-Show format. Instead, we will be having the Pit Roasted Pig dinner, followed by a Night Show which features the performers we've had the most requests for over the last ten years. Remember, proceeds from all the Gathering activities go to the Broadwater Rural Fire District!

Saturday, June 11th, there will be a Pit Roast Pig dinner held in the School Cafeteria beginning at 5PM. This will be hosted by the Rural Fire personnel and we are asking everyone to pre-purchase tickets to the dinner/show so we know how many we will be feeding.

A local artist, Mariah Saltzman, will open our show at 6:30PM. The main opening ceremonies will be at 7:00PM with the posting of the colors and an opening prayer. Then John Westbrook and Larry Gibson will get together again for the first time this year. John will be coming all the way from Virginia!

Wayne Nelson will be here from American Falls Idaho.

Our final act will be the High Strung Band from Cove, Oregon. Of all the performers we've had here in the past ten years, this family has gotten the most response and we are happy to see them back in Townsend again.

Dinner/show tickets are pre-sale @ $18 per person. If you want to come to just the show; show tickets are $8 for 13YOA and older. Please call either Larry Gibson @ 406-266-3946 or Joann Shindoll @ 406-266-5771

Follow up to Charlie Ray Music

Although I have talked with numerous other performers and promoters, i have found no one who has had any dealings with Charlie Ray. My personal decision has been to not sign with him for anything. If anyone has had positive dealings with him or has a different take on this whole thing there are lots of us out here who would like to hear from you.

New Reliv Comment

Ok. I've been semi-interested in these Reliv Products for quite some time and have posted info about them before. I've finally come completely around to being a "missionary" about them.

I'm a diabetic. Not seriously so but I have pretty high blood sugars which the Doctors want to control with drugs. For quite some time I hadn't been going to the VA Doctors for personal reasons. But I started back again about two months ago and went back on the Metformin drug which is supposed to lower my blood sugar.

When I first started taking the Metformin, I felt terrible. My head felt huge and heavy and all I wanted to do was lie in bed. It took two or three days of regular drug use for these feelings to subside but I never really felt all that great. also, my blood sugar really wasn't going down much.

I got a little more serious about Reliv's product for diabetics; "Glucaffect" which I had been taking a little of for a long time. I read more about it and found that Reliv reccomends three to four scoops of Glucaffect per day for someone trying to get their sugars under control. I had only been taking one a day. So, I started doing what they said and watching my blood sugars carefully. I found that my blood sugars normally went down noticeably after I drank a Glucaffect shake. during this time, the Doctor had prescribed doubling my Metformin dose to try and get my sugars down. I went through two more days of reaction to that and kind of decided that my body didn't like Metformin. As a personal experiment, I went off the Metformin entirely, going through two days of withdrawl as a result.

For a week, I did nothing but take three to four Glucaffect/Now shakes a day but no drugs. When I checked my blood sugar after that week, it was the same as when I was taking the drugs, but without the drug reactions. I felt very well.

I've now been off the Metformin for over two weeks, using just the Reliv products. My blood sugar levels are lower. When my sugars are at their highest, the are lower than the highest while on drugs and the lower readings are lower than when I used the drugs.

Bottom line? The drugs weren't working and the Reliv products seem to be.

So, I have been doing some research. My conclusions? The current medical community efforts are to drug away the symptoms of most diseases. Drugs to lower the blood sugars, to relieve (mask or hide) pain, lower cholestorol and lower bblood pressure. Drugs...and more drugs into our bodies.

Our bodies are capable or fixing themselves with the right nutrition. If we give our bodies what they need, our bodies will often heal themselves. Instead of hiding the symptoms, the body can often naturally fix the underlying problem. My blood sugars are going down, not because Glucaffect makes them do so but because my body is beginning to function more correctly. This process takes time. It isn't an instant fix but a long road. It has taken me over 50 years to get to the condition I'm in now. It will take a while for me to get back.

Drugs appear to be an instant fix because they force our bodies to respond unnaturally but they often are only hiding the true issues.

Reliv products are not medicine. they are not drugs nor does the FDA agree that they help us in any way. Reliv products are simply food . Check it out. www.relivingpartners.com or www.reliv.com . Read and learn as have I.

Back Again

I like to stay up late at night (way into the early morning hours) and sleep late in the daytime. I don’t like to deal with morning. This is very anti-establishment! Remember the movie “True Grit”? Matty finds Rooster still in bed and says; “I’ve never seen anyone in bed at 10:00 who wasn’t sick.”? Well, that’s the prevalent attitude of society.

I remember how disgusted my Grandfather was with my father’s sleep habits as they were much like mine. Granddad was pretty disdainful of anyone who slept ‘til noon.

Joann doesn’t understand. She often is sarcastic about my sleeping habits. She doesn’t like my staying out in the bars until closing time and sleeping until noon or even later. To her, these are signs of poor character or even downright disreputableness

Well, I just happen to run on a different schedule than the rest of you. I not only like the pool-playing life of late nights in the bars but I just like being out at night. I love the smell of a cool late night. The stars and the moon are my favorite lighting. It’s not uncommon for me to sit out in my yard at 3AM, just enjoying the night.

But, getting up in the morning is almost painful, even if I go to bed early for a change. My eyes hurt and my mind is as sluggish as my body until I’ve been up for a while. Even while running my computer repair business, I like to get started late in the morning. Often, computers that I bring in to the shop don’t see me until after midnight.

Also, just recently, Joann was disdainful of my lifestyle, saying: “Other people have lives. They don’t sit around playing on the computer or watching movies all the time.” I have an answer for this.

Other people don’t have “lives”. They have jobs. Think about it. Most of us are tied to our possessions; indentured to some employer for most of our waking hours (usually daytime again) with no freedom in sight. Working to try and pay off all the “things” we have and hoping that we can save enough to retire one day when we are too old to really enjoy it.

I’ve decided not to do that. Look at my present situation. I am sitting quietly in my house (mine, by the way!), watching a video while I write down my thoughts. Later, I will take a nice long walk down by the lake and then go play some pool for a while. It’s my choice, not the choice of some employer. The only real problem I have right now is that I have wasted so much money gambling that I may have to take a regular job for a while to replenish it.

Another Montana day

Not much for me in the music world this time of year. I was hoping to get a gig in Elko during the Big Gathering but that doesn't look like it will fly. Oh well. There are a couple of local pool tournaments I'll play in to make a few bucks and I'm back to fixing computers once in a while.

I'm using the time to learn some "new" songs to put in my list. There are several that I have been meaning to get together for years but I never just sat down and worked on them.

That brings up another of my profound insights. I have often wondered why it bothered me to see "performers" doing a karoke kind of show. I know of one locally who not only has the music playing in the background but he has a screen with the lyrics scrolling by! It offends me because of how hard I have to work to get a good rendition of a song arranged. I spend hours learning the lyrics and chords, getting a good strumming pattern going, even a little bit of lead, now that Westbrook has abandoned me.

All the Karoke guy has to do is learn to read!

Anyway, here's a couple that I'm working on:

Dirty Old Man by George Hamilton IV
Lucky One by: Alisson Krause

What I really need to do is get some writing done. A couple of new originals wouldn't hurt anything.

It's good to be home but it sure is cold. We haven't gotten into the really terrible cold temps this winter but we are staying around zero a lot. I've never minded Montana winters and this one is ok. It just seems that my furnace runs a lot and that will mean a pretty interesting power bill later this month! We Montana folks would really like to be included in this Global Warming thing!

Population growth

I had some deep thoughts as I was driving for many hours. Partly about the differences between Arizona and Montana. Both were settled initially because of mining and then cattle/agriculture. Both have lots of wide open space, a history that is similar and so on.

I think that Montana has more natural resource to offer, with actual rivers with flowing water, more grass and fewer thorny plants and our most unpleasant insect is the Mosquito. But Arizonas population has boomed, with two very large cities (Phoenix and Tucson) and several which rival our "big towns" of Great Falls and Billings.

Why all the industry and growth in Arizona compared to Montana? The most obvious answer is weather. People seem to be more comfortable in the extreme heat of Arizonas summer as opposed to the extreme cold of a Montana winter. Actually, the southern Arizona winter weather is pretty much what I expect during a Montana summer which brings up the old joke: "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in Montana."

Since I am not what you'd call a big fan of cities, I'm all for some more cold and snowy Montana winters. Yay for sub-zero temperatures!!

Home from Arizona

Well, I finally made it home from my journey around Arizona. It was a good trip. I had a great time, learned a lot and maybe even lined up more for next year which was the whole idea in the first place.

I left Townsend on the 3rd of December, right after getting back from the hunting camp and I headed to Wayne Nelson's house for the night. As usual, Wayne and I talked until way late before we finally gave it up and went to sleep for a while.

The next evening, I played at the Cowboy Corral in Elsinore, Utah, along with several other great poets and pickers, including Sam DeLeeuw, C.R Wood and David Anderson. I didn't make anything there but we had a great time together. I played pool for a while at the Detour bar in Richfield, Utah but couldn't get any cash games going so I gave up and went to my room.

The Days Inn Motel in Richfield was the most expensive room I payed for on the whole trip at $49.60. I managed to stay under $40 everywhere else. In figuring my total costs for the trip, if I had used my pickup camper, thus not staying in motels or eating out, the added gasoline costs would have doubled my total trip cost. If I were staying down there longer or going farther, maybe it would be worth it but the better gas mileage from taking the camper off made it actually cheaper to stay in motels and eat in cafes.

Anyway, I had moved on from Richfield on sunday morning and went to Flagstaff, Arizona. On the way, south of Page, AZ, there is a senic lokout where some Navajos have a jewelry and crafts stand. They were all huddled in a shelter made of umbrellas, wearing coats with hoods, wearing their gloves...all of that kind of thing. I was in jeans and a T-shirt. I teased them a lot about being cold at somthing like 60 degrees.

I like Northern Arizona a lot. It's empty, pretty and wild. Lots of open empty dessert populated by primarily low income people. I fit right in.

In Flagstaff, I went to Uptown Billiards and rented a table. I was just practicing by myself and noticed another guy doing the same. I asked him if he wanted to play some for a little bit of cash. He asked me how much and I said: "Cheap. I don't have a lot. How about a race to 5 for $20?" He kind of laughed at me and said: "I might for $200 or $100 but not that cheap." I told him I'd play a race to 5 for $100 but he just kind of waved me away so I went back to practicing alone. About 20 minutes later, after watching me practice, he came around and said that he'd play for some if I wanted. That kind of scared me a little. He's obviously wathced me practice and then offered to play so I only played a race for $50. The guy was terrible. After the first two games, I started laying back, giving him some room to play cause I wanted to keep hiim at the table. It didn't work. I won 5-3 and he quit and left.

I made it to Mesa the next day and settled in at Bev Hunsakers. She was nice enough to offer me the use of her trailer, parked in the back yard so I could afford to hang out for a while.

I won 3rd in a 9ball tournament at Main Street Billiards in Mesa collecting a few bucks and meeting some of the local players. I like Main Street Billiards. It's a nice, open, clean, upscale pool room with (I think) 42 tables. Mostly 8' or 9' rentals and a row of bar boxes. The tables are all well maintained and the whole facility is clean and pleasant. There are a few people who play for cash but I didn't see any big games and never managed to get any cash games there but it sure is a nice place for practice. Check their website for tournaments and specials.

A guy I met there recommended Kolby's Corner Pocket on University Ave in Tempe. I checked it out and it is a really good room also but for different reasons. The tables aren't as nicely maintained and the room isn't as clean but the prices are good for both table time and food and there are a lot of cash games there. I was watching some guys playing One Pocket for $200 a game and I got a few low dollar games there. Won sopme, lost some, came out even at the end of the stay. Nothing memorable.

Wednesday, I played my gig at the Palmas Del Sol East in Apache Junction. The activities director is new and was not the one who had heard and hired me so I could tell she was a little apprehensive about what my show might be like. Everyone had a great time, though. I sold some CDs and she invited me back next year so I must have done something right.

I went out to the Queen Valley area and got some pictures of the dessert and the Superstition Mountains. It would be nicer country if it weren't so close to the Phoenix area. Big cities do not endear me to an area.

Thursday, I played at ElDorado of Sun City in Sun City, AZ. It was another great gig and everyone was happy. I met a couple of ladies there who are from here in Townsend! What a small world! I know their family well.

I headed south Friday, down from US 60 to Florence and then to Tucson. It was a great drive with lots of dessert vistas to enjoy until I got into Tucson. Some of the worst traffic I dealt with on the whole trip was in the Tucson area and I was really glad to get to I10 and head East on the freeway. I went to Sierra Vista and stayed the night then went to Tombstone for the day. Tombstone is like a SW Virginia City except that it's a little more commercial. I talked with the managers of a couple of bars/restaurants there and might be setting up next winters gigs.

I went straight from Tombstone to Flagstaff and stayed there for Saturday night. I couldn't get any cash games so I just gave up and went to bed.

Sunday, I headed north again. Just south of Page, I took 89A to Kanab instead of staying on 89 to Page and Kanab. What a great side trip! Vermillion cliffs, Glen Canyon, the Kaibab plateau! It was really pretty and well worth the little bit of extra time. If you're going that way anyway, take that cutoff and bring your camera.

I checked into the Days Inn in Richfield, Utah again. I told the lady there that even if she did have the lowest rates in Richfield, they were still more than I had paid anywhere else. I was thinking about going out and shopping around a little more but it was too much trouble so I accepted the rates and went to the room. It hadn't been cleaned! I went to the top of the stairs and asked the lady if I was the only one staying in that room. She said: "Yes, Why?" and I said: "Because somebody's been sleeping in MY bed." This was at 6:00PM. Anyway, they put me into another room so they could clean the first one.

Monday was a 12 hour run from Richfield to Helena and then home, getting home about 10:30PM and thus winding up my journey.

I posted pictures on my facebook page but some of them are here also.

Home again for a day

It's been a fun week in Hunting Camp. I was only cooking for four this week so it was a lot easier than the first week. Also, shooting time is later so I get to sleep in until 0500hrs each day now! Of course, Daylight saving time will screw that up this weekend.

Tuesday morning, I had gotten everyone fed and out of my tent and had gone back to sleep for a while. They had all left. I awoke to grunts, squeels, thumps and clatters outside my tent. When I went outside, I found that a small herd of elk had come within 20' of my tent before they realized their mistake, then with a hearty "Oh Shit!!" (in elk, of course, but I understood the sentiment) they took off for the timber. In this picture, the elk tracks are circled and you can see my tent in the background.

I'm home for a day. Getting laundry done and cleaning up a little before I head back into the mountains. I'll probably be gone two weeks this time unless this new batch of hunters fills out their tags quickly.