Happy Trails - One Less Dog In The Hunt

December 5, 2019April 11, 2020

Crisp Morning, Warm Fire

There’s nothing like rolling out of a sleeping bag on a cool crisp morning, starting a fire in the camp ring, and placing that pot of coffee on to boil. As the fire begins to take off, you rub your hands together and begin to absorb the heat of the growing flames.

As the pot heats up and the anticipation of that warm, dark liquid grows, you begin to put together the rest of the morning’s meal.

The scent of bacon frying drifts through the air, eggs sizzle in the cast iron pan, biscuits brown, and the sounds of nature wake up along with you; it just seem to be the right way to begin a day. Voices speak in quiet tones, careful not to awaken the rest of the day before its time. You find yourself wishing those you’ve gathered with to start a day in such a wonderful way were closer, that you could get together more often, and that you could begin each day the same way.

September 12, 2019April 11, 2020

Peace At Last

There’s this little place nestled between the mountains; a small community cradled in a lovely green valley which seemed to be lost to time and tedium. It’s the kind of place that is so wonderful that you want to keep it all too yourself, but it’s also so incredible that you just can’t keep the secret. I know; I’ve lived the struggle. It even entered my writing by giving me the starting place for a novel.

When a friend introduced me to the place, I immediately felt like it was my soul’s home. It was quiet and peaceful. Just being there seemed to recharge that place inside which holds the essence of life. While the soul absorbed the energy of nature, the eyes took in the beauty; the nose took in the fresh scents; the ears took in the calming sounds; the mind marveled at creation. And relatively few people seemed to know of its existence. Full disclosure: My friend’s family was introduced to the place by someone else who had discovered it, and so its presence was slowly passed on.

May 28, 2019April 11, 2020

Goodnight

My all-time favorite movie is Lonesome Dove, which is based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Larry McMurtry. In addition to enjoying the four part series, I’ve read the novel more than once. The nearly six and a half hour epic runs at my house at least a couple times a year, usually more. It’s a story of the epic journey of two former Texas Rangers who are determined to be the first to drive cattle from Texas to Montana. Through the course of their travels they encounter devastating obstacles, the loss of life, and incredible disappointment.

The sweeping scenes of wide open frontier and the life along the trail are some of the best ever recorded. The interactions of the characters creates depth and authenticity. The relationship between Woodrow F. Call and Augustus McCrae is so tightly woven that it is often used as an example of true friendship. As dramatic as Lonesome Dove paints the story of human relationships, and committed friendship overall, it falls short of the depth which can be found in non-fiction.

March 21, 2019April 11, 2020

Road-trip

Sometimes spur of the moment road-trips are the best kind. This trip was a four day, sixteen-hundred mile whirlwind of a trip from Oklahoma to South Dakota. We had a wide range of travel from Pierre to the Black Hills. Stops at Myril Arch’s Cattleman’s Club Steakhouse in Pierre, the Murdo Pioneer Auto Museum, The Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis, Wall Drug, Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park, and the Badlands highlighted the trip. Additionally there were plenty of back roads and exploring.