Banner Photos....
I look at the photos in the top banner logo on this site daily. It occurs to me occasionally that perhaps some readers wonder who the folks are in the pictures. Perhaps you can't see them clearly or just don't know. So let me tell you.......
From the left the pictures are 1] Julie and me with Gen. Tommy Franks taken a year of so ago in Midland. We were presenting him with one of the photos that Joe Galloway and I sell online. 2] Me with Gen. Hal Moore and Joe Galloway at a book signing at Ft. Hood 3 years ago. Hal was played by Mel Gibson in the film "We Were Soldiers", Joe was portrayed by Barry Pepper. Hal and Joe wrote the book the movie is based upon. 3] Julie and me with Bruce Crandall and wife Arlene in Midland 2 years ago. Bruce was the helicopter pilot in "We Were Soldiers" and was played by Greg Kinnear. 4] Me with Chuck Yeager at the CAF. Chuck was, as you know, the first man to fly faster than the speed of sound. 5] Me with actor Sam Elliott in Washington D.C. 4 years ago. Sam starred in "We Were Soldiers" playing the role of SGM Plumely. 6] Julie and me with Pat Simmons, founder and lead guitarist of The Doobie Brothers. Taken in Odessa last summer. 7] Finally, me with Mike Hossack, drummer for The Doobie Brothers.
And the Picture of the Day is a breathtaking shot of a bridge over the Mississippi River near, I believe, Natchez Mississippi taken in 1964. Note the paddle wheel steamer under the bridge. Even as a young photographer I had a knack for the good shot!
Friday, August 26, 2005
Duchess.....
In mentioning my dog companions of the 1960's I would be remiss in not noting as the picture of the day, our other dog, Duchess. Duchess was our first golden retriever and the pet that gave my Dad a fondness for dogs that had not been there previously. Duchess was, like most golden's, a sweet dog and one summer she stayed at home with Dad while the rest of the family was on vacation in Missouri. Apparently she followed him around everywhere he went endearing herself to the lonely father.
We had Duchess during some of the same years as we had Frisky, mostly because my little sister, Susan, felt that since I, her older brother, had a dog that so should she. Duchess had one litter of jet black pups before she was "fixed" which must have been a big deal to me as I have a multitude of pictures of them from all angles and poses. They were extremely cute.
I remember the 4th of July that we kids were throwing "cracker balls" on the patio. Cracker balls were the little colored balls with a small amount of black powder inside that exploded when thrown against hard surfaces...like patio cement. They looked amazingly similar to Trix cereal. That's probably what Duchess thought the day she tried to eat one and had it explode in her mouth, a muffled pop. She was OK, but I don't believe that she ever ate anything off the ground again.
We had Duchess through my high school years and when I went away to college in 1967 little did I know that when I left that would be the last time I would see sweet Duchess. She developed a terminal illness and had to be released from her pain while I was away. I think even my Dad cried at her passing.
In mentioning my dog companions of the 1960's I would be remiss in not noting as the picture of the day, our other dog, Duchess. Duchess was our first golden retriever and the pet that gave my Dad a fondness for dogs that had not been there previously. Duchess was, like most golden's, a sweet dog and one summer she stayed at home with Dad while the rest of the family was on vacation in Missouri. Apparently she followed him around everywhere he went endearing herself to the lonely father.
We had Duchess during some of the same years as we had Frisky, mostly because my little sister, Susan, felt that since I, her older brother, had a dog that so should she. Duchess had one litter of jet black pups before she was "fixed" which must have been a big deal to me as I have a multitude of pictures of them from all angles and poses. They were extremely cute.
I remember the 4th of July that we kids were throwing "cracker balls" on the patio. Cracker balls were the little colored balls with a small amount of black powder inside that exploded when thrown against hard surfaces...like patio cement. They looked amazingly similar to Trix cereal. That's probably what Duchess thought the day she tried to eat one and had it explode in her mouth, a muffled pop. She was OK, but I don't believe that she ever ate anything off the ground again.
We had Duchess through my high school years and when I went away to college in 1967 little did I know that when I left that would be the last time I would see sweet Duchess. She developed a terminal illness and had to be released from her pain while I was away. I think even my Dad cried at her passing.
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Frisky......
As I may have mentioned, my Mother was recently cleaning out the office in their home and came upon a box of my old mementoes which contained news clippings about me, letters to and from them, but mainly a treasure trove of old photos. Some of these photos I had not seen in probably 30 years, some perhaps longer.
Of special interest were photos taken on my first Kodak Brownie camera which used the old 140 type film that produced smallish, square black and white snapshots. I was 11 or 12 years old when I snapped these images of dogs past, trips to New Mexico, and the backyard on Douglas Ave. as it was when we first moved to Midland in 1960. Sometimes when I stare at these old remembrances I really almost go into a trance thinking of the way things were then. Sometimes I almost want to cry.
I will share some of these memories with you and for my Picture of the Day this Wednesday I present you with my dog and boon companion Frisky. We got Frisky when we lived in New Orleans in 1957. In those simpler times kids and dogs could and did roam freely in the extended neighborhood and so Frisky was with me everywhere. I remember riding my bike daily to the Bayou St. John with Fisky running right at my side while my friend Mike Lancaster and his dog Rex followed along.
In the 1950's dogs were let out front to roam and somehow always seemed to come home. Usually there were no problems but when I saw Frisky's picture once again after all those years I was reminded that once he did get hit by a car while out. He managed to make it home and then spent a week under my parents bed. When he came out he was fully recovered from the collision.
Frisky moved with us to Midland and seemed to love it here in West Texas, espcially after he learned to scale the cinderblock wall encircling the backyard. He could walk on the top of the wall like a trapeze artist and soon learned that if he walked all the way around the fence he could access the roof of the house. Thus, Frisky spent many a happy hour perched on the top of the house surveying his neighborhood domain.
Frisky was with us a long time, but I'm ashamed to say I can't remember exactly how long....when it was that he passed away. As I grew into my teenaged years I probably spent less and less time with him and thinking about that makes me very sad. I try to do better with my dogs as an adult.
As I may have mentioned, my Mother was recently cleaning out the office in their home and came upon a box of my old mementoes which contained news clippings about me, letters to and from them, but mainly a treasure trove of old photos. Some of these photos I had not seen in probably 30 years, some perhaps longer.
Of special interest were photos taken on my first Kodak Brownie camera which used the old 140 type film that produced smallish, square black and white snapshots. I was 11 or 12 years old when I snapped these images of dogs past, trips to New Mexico, and the backyard on Douglas Ave. as it was when we first moved to Midland in 1960. Sometimes when I stare at these old remembrances I really almost go into a trance thinking of the way things were then. Sometimes I almost want to cry.
I will share some of these memories with you and for my Picture of the Day this Wednesday I present you with my dog and boon companion Frisky. We got Frisky when we lived in New Orleans in 1957. In those simpler times kids and dogs could and did roam freely in the extended neighborhood and so Frisky was with me everywhere. I remember riding my bike daily to the Bayou St. John with Fisky running right at my side while my friend Mike Lancaster and his dog Rex followed along.
In the 1950's dogs were let out front to roam and somehow always seemed to come home. Usually there were no problems but when I saw Frisky's picture once again after all those years I was reminded that once he did get hit by a car while out. He managed to make it home and then spent a week under my parents bed. When he came out he was fully recovered from the collision.
Frisky moved with us to Midland and seemed to love it here in West Texas, espcially after he learned to scale the cinderblock wall encircling the backyard. He could walk on the top of the wall like a trapeze artist and soon learned that if he walked all the way around the fence he could access the roof of the house. Thus, Frisky spent many a happy hour perched on the top of the house surveying his neighborhood domain.
Frisky was with us a long time, but I'm ashamed to say I can't remember exactly how long....when it was that he passed away. As I grew into my teenaged years I probably spent less and less time with him and thinking about that makes me very sad. I try to do better with my dogs as an adult.
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Down at the FUMC...
Things were hopping down at the First United Methodist Church [the FUMC] this morning. By the way it's the 120th anniversary of the FUMC this year which may not seem like a long time if you live in England but in West Texas anything that's been around for 120 years is a big deal. Those Methodists ranchers were a devout lot and led the pack in setting up a church. The Presbyterian sheep herders weren't far behind.
People make a church and I had to laugh at several comments made to the person seated in front of us this morning. We were seated far to the rear in order that Julie could make an early exit in order to go home and start dinner for our parents who were coming over at noon. The older gentlemen in the next pew was by himself, but apparently he was not without a bevy of good buddies. One man passed him by, stopped, and then came back and said, "hey Bill good to see you......when did you get out of jail"? Shortly thereafter another older man strolled by and casually said to Bill, "you know you'd get a lot more out of this if you'd move to a pew near the front". Good natured banter which just struck me as humorous.....
And now a feature not seen in a long time, the "picture of the day". Or, perhaps better titled, "the picture of whenever I feel like putting a new one up". The POD can be found at: Stream Views
Things were hopping down at the First United Methodist Church [the FUMC] this morning. By the way it's the 120th anniversary of the FUMC this year which may not seem like a long time if you live in England but in West Texas anything that's been around for 120 years is a big deal. Those Methodists ranchers were a devout lot and led the pack in setting up a church. The Presbyterian sheep herders weren't far behind.
People make a church and I had to laugh at several comments made to the person seated in front of us this morning. We were seated far to the rear in order that Julie could make an early exit in order to go home and start dinner for our parents who were coming over at noon. The older gentlemen in the next pew was by himself, but apparently he was not without a bevy of good buddies. One man passed him by, stopped, and then came back and said, "hey Bill good to see you......when did you get out of jail"? Shortly thereafter another older man strolled by and casually said to Bill, "you know you'd get a lot more out of this if you'd move to a pew near the front". Good natured banter which just struck me as humorous.....
And now a feature not seen in a long time, the "picture of the day". Or, perhaps better titled, "the picture of whenever I feel like putting a new one up". The POD can be found at: Stream Views
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
 | School Daze..... It's back to class time at St. Ann's Catholic School. Starting one day before the public schools, it does seem like the summer vacation was very short and had just started. It went quickly. Julie and Jack were off to England for two weeks right out of the chute, then Jack and I made an effort to play tennis in the mornings, followed by Jack's visit at his Dad's for two weeks and then with a little piddling around time, vacation is over. Being of the "old school" it does seem to me that ending summer vacation in the middle of August is a tad too early. Of course being "old school" means I went to an old school, one without air-conditioning which made it all but impossible to attend classes in August. |
This year Jack is starting the 6th grade at St. Ann's. A time of some reflection for me, since my family moved to Midland between my 5th and 6th grade years and I started school for the first time here at Bowie Elementary which was, and still is, just down the street from my house. I have returned to the old neighborhood and so still get to see the children strolling down the same sidewalks as did I all those years ago. But Jack is a St. Ann's kid and proud of it. This year he gets more choices in his uniform attire, between red, green or blue shirts. The younger kids have to wear yellow. A choice in colors is a newly acquired status symbol for a young man growing up. And he has grown just this summer looking noticeably taller and more, dare I say, teenager like. Even my Mother mentioned his growth spurt. Tonight we will stand him up against the back of the door in his room, mark his height and compare it to last years altitude. I'm thinking the gain will be an inch or more.
I hope Jack's year in the 6th grade will be as memorable as mine, I came away with many blessings. We still talk about my teacher Ms. Lucia Pearl Penny, a professional old maid school teacher who loved her kids. In those days we said the pledge of allegiance with no qualms and the last thing we did before going to lunch was to listen to Paul Harvey News on the radio. We knew the rest of the story. I met two of my lifelong best friends that 6th grade year at Bowie Elementary and learned my love of art there too. I was on the committee charged with drawing a full length mural on the wall [OK, on paper on the wall] depicting the history of Midland. I learned perspective on the project. No, not philosophical perspective, but how to draw using perspective to correctly show distance.
Oh to be back in those simpler times. Enjoy yourself Jack!
Sunday, August 14, 2005
When it rains, it....deluges!
Mid to late August in West Texas is normally the driest time of the year. The dog days where during many years one is lucky to see a cloud. It has been that way for the last 8 or so years accentuated by the drought we had been in.
I say had because as I sit here on a Sunday afternoon it has just rained almost 1.5 inches at the Bedford Dr. estate. This in the last hour or so, on top of the half an inch we had accumulated since the early morning hours. Fire crews are out rescuing inattentive drivers, the draw is overflowing and more rain is expected.
Normally I would rejoice in the deluge and the goodness it brings to the land, but the Bride and son are driving back from New Mexico in the yellow bug and I fret about their well being. At least her Dad and Mom are on the road with them in another larger vehicle, but the flat lands are notorious for flooding even in remote stretches. I pray that the Good Lord watches over them.....more later.
5:30 update: The bride just phoned and she and Jack are safely back inside the city limits of Midland. Thank you Lord, and now the rain gauge out back reads, 2.5 inches!
Mid to late August in West Texas is normally the driest time of the year. The dog days where during many years one is lucky to see a cloud. It has been that way for the last 8 or so years accentuated by the drought we had been in.
I say had because as I sit here on a Sunday afternoon it has just rained almost 1.5 inches at the Bedford Dr. estate. This in the last hour or so, on top of the half an inch we had accumulated since the early morning hours. Fire crews are out rescuing inattentive drivers, the draw is overflowing and more rain is expected.
Normally I would rejoice in the deluge and the goodness it brings to the land, but the Bride and son are driving back from New Mexico in the yellow bug and I fret about their well being. At least her Dad and Mom are on the road with them in another larger vehicle, but the flat lands are notorious for flooding even in remote stretches. I pray that the Good Lord watches over them.....more later.
5:30 update: The bride just phoned and she and Jack are safely back inside the city limits of Midland. Thank you Lord, and now the rain gauge out back reads, 2.5 inches!
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Miss Ellie....
Barbara Bel Geddes, Miss Ellie, is gone. Barbara died Monday at the age of 82. Miss Ellie was the only consistantly good hearted soul on "Dallas", only losing her cool when one of her family members got completely out of control...which come to think of it was at least once an episode.
Dallas was a smarmy soap opera and now days I would probably not watch something of it's ilk. But when it originally aired I was a resident of Dallas [the city not the show] and the filming occured at many locales I was very familiar with including the First International Building which was where the Ewing Oil empire was based. I was based there too. In fact the real estate company that I worked for leased the building and so, many times, we could get great viewing opportunities of the filming when the general public was excluded. I don't think I ever saw Miss Ellie [she wasn't usually invited to the Ewing offices!] but I did see J.R. [Larry Hagman] and Bobby [Patrick Duffy] and Cliff Barnes [Ken Kercheval] on many occasions when they were filming street scenes in front of the building.
I once ran into Larry Hagman at a country and western bar on the Greenville Ave. strip. The name of the bar escapes me though I remember it was at the corner of Greenville and Lovers Lane. Larry was in rare form making the rounds of the tables handing out "J.R. Bucks", fake one dollar bills with his picture in place of Washington's. Fun times though I, and I think Larry, have given up that wilder side of life. It's interesting to catch "Dallas" reruns sometimes today and remember my life in Big D in the early 80's. Miss Ellie was a part of that and Barbara Bel Geddes seemed like such a nice woman among a pack of thieves. Thanks for the memories.
Barbara Bel Geddes, Miss Ellie, is gone. Barbara died Monday at the age of 82. Miss Ellie was the only consistantly good hearted soul on "Dallas", only losing her cool when one of her family members got completely out of control...which come to think of it was at least once an episode.
Dallas was a smarmy soap opera and now days I would probably not watch something of it's ilk. But when it originally aired I was a resident of Dallas [the city not the show] and the filming occured at many locales I was very familiar with including the First International Building which was where the Ewing Oil empire was based. I was based there too. In fact the real estate company that I worked for leased the building and so, many times, we could get great viewing opportunities of the filming when the general public was excluded. I don't think I ever saw Miss Ellie [she wasn't usually invited to the Ewing offices!] but I did see J.R. [Larry Hagman] and Bobby [Patrick Duffy] and Cliff Barnes [Ken Kercheval] on many occasions when they were filming street scenes in front of the building.
I once ran into Larry Hagman at a country and western bar on the Greenville Ave. strip. The name of the bar escapes me though I remember it was at the corner of Greenville and Lovers Lane. Larry was in rare form making the rounds of the tables handing out "J.R. Bucks", fake one dollar bills with his picture in place of Washington's. Fun times though I, and I think Larry, have given up that wilder side of life. It's interesting to catch "Dallas" reruns sometimes today and remember my life in Big D in the early 80's. Miss Ellie was a part of that and Barbara Bel Geddes seemed like such a nice woman among a pack of thieves. Thanks for the memories.
Monday, August 08, 2005
Friends....update
This morning I received a personal call from the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the honorable Gordon Mansfield. Gordon and I had a very nice conversation and I could tell that Gordon is as sincere as they come about doing the right things for veterans. He promised to personally look into my case. I cannot ask for more. I hope to have the privelage of meeting Gordon at the Ia Drang reunion in Washington over the upcoming Veterans Day weekend.
This morning I received a personal call from the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the honorable Gordon Mansfield. Gordon and I had a very nice conversation and I could tell that Gordon is as sincere as they come about doing the right things for veterans. He promised to personally look into my case. I cannot ask for more. I hope to have the privelage of meeting Gordon at the Ia Drang reunion in Washington over the upcoming Veterans Day weekend.
Friday, August 05, 2005
Friends.....
Posting to the journal this week has been non existant due to....well, reality. Sometimes when things seem to be sailing on a smooth course, unhappy reality reaches up and just smacks you in the face.
I learned this week from Midland Memorial Hospital that the Veteran's Administration was balking at paying the extensive costs for my heart rebuild late last year. I have had no reason to doubt over the years that the Veteran's Administration would be there as my major medical provider. The reason for the "problem" is a long and involved story, but basically is rooted in the fine print of recent changes in the VA system mandated by congress. Changes designed to save money by shortchanging veterans including changes that affect the payment of "fee based" services. That is....emergency services performed outside of a VA hospital, which is what my case involves. And I have to add that I do not blame the Veteran's Administration where my care at their hospitals has always been superb. The problem is the trough swilling politicians who control the purse strings and who never miss an opportunity to raise their own salaries and benefits packages while violating promises made to veterans.
I have to say that when I learned of this "problem", it sent me into the grandest of funks. But as I've learned, one can either do little or nothing and feel sorry for himself, or one can go into action. Personally, action makes me feel a little better anyway so.....the day after learning of the "problem" I went to the VA Regional Hospital in Big Spring to learn the details for myself. The "problem", in simple terms, is a grand government Catch-22. If you have had no medical problems and haven't used the hospital services within two years, then when you do need services you are not entitled to them. In other words, in a time of VA austerity, the idea is that all registered veterans should visit the hospital once a year whether needed or not. The staff in Big Spring wanted to help but said they are locked in by "law" on this concept.
I left thinking that I would visit my congressman's office about the situation. I still might, however for the time being fate intervened. I happened to get a call from my good friend Joe Galloway in Washington. As we talked the thought occured to me that with all his conections Joe might know someone within the VA heirarchy that I might speak to. And in fact he did...the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs who just happens to be the Chief Operating Officer of the entire VA Medical System.
Joe provided the Deputy Secretary's personal office email address and I composed a respectful email letter outlining my "problem" which I sent this afternoon. I sometimes forget what "going to the top" through a personal recommendation will do for a situation. Within 30 minutes I had an email reply from the Dep. Secretary's personal assistant saying that he was out of town but that she had asked one of the senior staff members to look into my "problem". Literally 30 mintues later the staff member called me asking for all the details of the "problem" and promising all the help they could provide. Additionally Joe tells me that he has written a personal note to his friend, the Deputy Secretary.
Truthfully I was reluctant to write this narrative as the outcome of the "problem" is still in doubt and the reality is that it may not yet be solved to my liking. But, I had to say that this has reminded me that even when things look dark, if one has friends and family on his side and a willingness to take action, there is hope.
Posting to the journal this week has been non existant due to....well, reality. Sometimes when things seem to be sailing on a smooth course, unhappy reality reaches up and just smacks you in the face.
I learned this week from Midland Memorial Hospital that the Veteran's Administration was balking at paying the extensive costs for my heart rebuild late last year. I have had no reason to doubt over the years that the Veteran's Administration would be there as my major medical provider. The reason for the "problem" is a long and involved story, but basically is rooted in the fine print of recent changes in the VA system mandated by congress. Changes designed to save money by shortchanging veterans including changes that affect the payment of "fee based" services. That is....emergency services performed outside of a VA hospital, which is what my case involves. And I have to add that I do not blame the Veteran's Administration where my care at their hospitals has always been superb. The problem is the trough swilling politicians who control the purse strings and who never miss an opportunity to raise their own salaries and benefits packages while violating promises made to veterans.
I have to say that when I learned of this "problem", it sent me into the grandest of funks. But as I've learned, one can either do little or nothing and feel sorry for himself, or one can go into action. Personally, action makes me feel a little better anyway so.....the day after learning of the "problem" I went to the VA Regional Hospital in Big Spring to learn the details for myself. The "problem", in simple terms, is a grand government Catch-22. If you have had no medical problems and haven't used the hospital services within two years, then when you do need services you are not entitled to them. In other words, in a time of VA austerity, the idea is that all registered veterans should visit the hospital once a year whether needed or not. The staff in Big Spring wanted to help but said they are locked in by "law" on this concept.
I left thinking that I would visit my congressman's office about the situation. I still might, however for the time being fate intervened. I happened to get a call from my good friend Joe Galloway in Washington. As we talked the thought occured to me that with all his conections Joe might know someone within the VA heirarchy that I might speak to. And in fact he did...the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs who just happens to be the Chief Operating Officer of the entire VA Medical System.
Joe provided the Deputy Secretary's personal office email address and I composed a respectful email letter outlining my "problem" which I sent this afternoon. I sometimes forget what "going to the top" through a personal recommendation will do for a situation. Within 30 minutes I had an email reply from the Dep. Secretary's personal assistant saying that he was out of town but that she had asked one of the senior staff members to look into my "problem". Literally 30 mintues later the staff member called me asking for all the details of the "problem" and promising all the help they could provide. Additionally Joe tells me that he has written a personal note to his friend, the Deputy Secretary.
Truthfully I was reluctant to write this narrative as the outcome of the "problem" is still in doubt and the reality is that it may not yet be solved to my liking. But, I had to say that this has reminded me that even when things look dark, if one has friends and family on his side and a willingness to take action, there is hope.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)