A Fathers Day Story

     To many I suppose it was just another day, but to me it was very special because Dad and I were going fishing.  We stopped at our usual station for worms, soda, gas, and of course our candy bars, a Hershey for me and a Butterfinger for him.  This was back in the days of service stations, and the young man who filled our tank also washed our windows.  We drove off and had not driven but a couple of miles when a great big bug hit our clean windshield and left a yellow blotch about an inch in diameter. Dad looked at it and with his special grin said, "I bet he doesn't have guts enough to try that again."
     We kept going and in time arrived at a creek that was chock full of trout ranging in size from  4 to 6 inches. I started fishing. Dad had no interest in this kind of fishing so he read a book he had brought along.  After about an hour I tired of it and we headed out to one of Dad's favorite trout streams. When we got there he baited up and on his first cast he was into a very nice size trout.  That is when Dad reached into the Bob Bet bait box only to learn that I had used all the worms on those tiny trout.  It was about fifty miles to the closest bait store. Dad didn't even get mad, he just said it was partly his fault for not paying attention.  That was one of the best fishing trips ever, with a man who taught me the three most important lessons of my life: to love the feel of a good book, to love fishing, and that family was and is the only damn thing that matters.
     

Coke Bottle Geography

     Many years ago before soft drinks came in cans or plastic they came in glass bottles, Coke came  in a green bottle that had a unique feature. They stamped the name of the town where it was bottled on the bottom of the bottle.
     I had a U.S. map in my room in which I would place a stick pin for each location I found on my Coke bottle.  It was a combination of good taste and education at the same time, I guess you could say  that the coke helped education go down smoothly.

A lesson from dad

My dad was not what I would call a sentimental man, but he was a man who could put his thoughts into words.  He told me one time "let the tears fall when they want for they are the pain leaving your heart"

Facebook (11)

One year ago today God needed a special angel. The job of this angel would be to teach other angels how to be big sisters when their time on earth came. This angel would have to teach the others patience, caring, and most of all love. God pondered who to choose for this difficult task and finally decided that only one person would fill the bill. That person was Sylvia Walkup, she was my sister and I will miss her till the day I die

SYL PART ONE

Where do I start to tell the story of one of the most remarkable women I ever knew? My sister Sylvia taught more about love by example than anyone else I ever knew could teach by lecture.

I guess the best way to tell them is in chronological order, so return with me now to those thrilling days of Greeley in the early 1950s.

Syl usually took me to the movies at the Kiva theatre on Saturday afternoons, where else could you see six color cartoons, a serial, and the main feature for a quarter?

On the Saturday closest to my seventh birthday we went to the movies and as we left she said she had a surprise for me. We went down the corner to Weldorado drug and had a hamburger and a coke, then we started up eighth ave. towards home, we passed Earls barber shop and Salzmans shoes, the next store in line was Steeles western wear and we went in.

I was kind of surprised because we didn't usually stop there, Syl told me to sit down and let Mr. Steele measure my foot. after he did they left for a couple of minutes and then came out with the most beautiful pair of Acme cowboy boots I had ever seen, they were bright red and had white eagles on them.

I tried them on and they were a perfect fit. Syl bought them out of her baby sitting money and I don't believe my feet touched the ground until I got home and showed them to everyone in our family, all the neighbors, all my friends, the peoples at pop Biggs store, and anyone else I could show them to.

I wore those beautiful boots so much they had to be re-heeled three times and re-soled once.

I don't remember any other present I got that year but I will never forget those boots . THANKS SYL

MY OWN ROCKET

How do you spell freedom when you are nine years old? BIKE!!! Mine was a red and white rocket from the Gambles store-no fancy gears or anything like that. Mine was a bike made for the wear and tear that only a nine year old boy in a small town can give a bike
I remember well the 26 inch tires balloon tires, the tanks on the sides, the long horn handle bars, and even the tear on the black leather seat I put there while learning to ride it.
I also remember riding down the steepest ditch banks I could find, riding four other kids, my midnight ride to the police station when my cousin got hurt, and so many other great rides including the ride to Meeker Junior High the first day of school when a bunch of my friends and I rode together because of the Porter Gang.
Mainly I remember the freedom, the ability to get away from everybody and everything. Just getting on my bike and going, leaving all my problems far behind.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE A BIKE FOR SALE??

SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT THE FOURTH OF JULY

With the fourth rapidly approaching I thought the following to be time appropriate.

Independence day is for most people a day off work, a day for picnics, family time, and fireworks. For me it is also a day of getting in touch with my thoughts, to think about the rights we have because of where we live.

I believe we take many of the rights we have for granted, the right to travel unimpeded, not just from town to town or state to state but anywhere in this beautiful country we choose. In many countries of the world you are not allowed to leave your home area without state issued travel documents.

Here in America we have the right to complain about the government and the people who run it. We even have the right to choose who runs the government by voting, this is not so in many parts of the world.

Here in America we have the right to challenge laws we believe are wrong, the recent passage of the conceal and carry law ( whether you agree with it or not) is a prime example.

Here in America we have the right to education, and to choose how much education we receive, admittedly some people have to work harder to achieve higher education than others ( I worked three jobs at once while in college) but with determination a college degree is available to all who desire it and are willing to do the necessary work to achieve it.

Here in America perhaps the greatest right we have is the right to choose how we will live, the right to improve ourselves and our situations. No one in this country is required to stay poor or to stay in a menial job. If we are stuck in a dead-end job we have the right to quit and to go on to a different field of endeavour. Sure it may take hard work, long hours, or even changing the amount of education we have, but in America we have that right!! Bill Gates was not born a millionaire, he became one by hard work. W. Clement Stone who was one of the richest men in America started out selling newspapers on a street corner in Chicago.

So on this Fourth of July I urge all of you to take a look at your situations in life, and if you are not satisfied, to take the necessary steps to change it. It is after all one of the many rights we have because we live in this land of rights, this land we call The United States of America.