Thanks for staying with me as time goes by…….
Down The Road with the Original Buffalo Dale
Welcome back. As today is the first day of spring, I am reflecting on just how fast time goes by, especially when you’re traveling. Just in this past month alone, I have taken you to a professional basketball game in Oklahoma City and introduced you to Kevin Durant. I covered two Oklahoma State ball games in Stillwater that I hope were interesting reading along with interviews with Travis Ford and a previously little known freshman, Marcus Smart. By all accounts Smart will probably be the second or third pick in this year’s NBA draft if he decides to go pro.
I’ve also brought you some stories about murder this month. These stories always seem to generate the most feedback from readers, especially the true ones! Time is a precious thing. A man I truly admire, Waite Phillips, once said that “the only things we keep permanently are the ones we give away!” That quote which is just one of dozens of epigrams that Waite kept in his pocket everyday expresses the fleeting nature of life and it is the starting place for this week’s column.
I was fortunate enough to play a small role in the photo workshop which Jerry Poppenhouse organized last June at the Express UUBar in New Mexico. Jerry and several professors from the photography program at OSU-IT led the workshop and it was a huge success. After the workshop Jerry organized an exhibit of the photos that the participants had taken and published their work in a popular coffee table book. The workshop was so successful that a second one is planned for June 13-15.
This is where Waite Phillips’ quote comes in. Already known as a generous supporter of worthy causes around the world, the present owner of the UUBar is clearly following in Waite’s footsteps. This week on behalf of Bob Funk, I was proud to present the first Express UUBar Ranch scholarship to Ricky Cuellar. Ricky was selected by his teachers at Bartlesville High School and he will receive an all expenses paid trip to the ranch to attend the workshop. Ricky will also tour Philmont Museum and get a chance to hang out with the hundreds of scouts who come there every summer from all over the country. He’ll hike the high country and see elk, deer and bear. At night he’ll learn about the important role that the Cimarron area played in the development of the west. Buffalo Bill, Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp and the killer Clay Allison were all guests at the nearby St. James Hotel. I’m sure after he hears these stories that dreams of their legendary exploits will fill his head when sleep catches up with him. It will be a great trip for a young man and without the help of people like Waite and Bob it would never have happened.
Jerry tells me there’s room for a few more people on this trip so if you’re interested call the UUBar at (575) 376-2035 and ask for Kathy.
Another story that I wrote about a few years ago had to do with the medical procedure known as “colonoscopy.” I personally had one done when I turned 50 and followed up with another at 54 and then that was it. Well now at 61 I’m overdue and I bet many of you are too.
Dr. Gopi Vasudevan told me it’s easy to forget about this procedure because you don’t have it done frequently but he warns that this is still a very important test. I remembered that the stuff you drink before the procedure didn’t taste very good and that you couldn’t eat much except clear liquids for a day or two. I also remembered that the procedure itself was painless and it only took about half an hour. Once home I slept like a baby. So why had I put mine off? Being busy or afraid is no excuse. +No, I’ve faced much more danger in the wilds. Money? No most insurance companies cover colonoscopies and there’s even a special program to help if you’re uninsured and can’t afford it. For some reason it’s just an easy thing to put off but I’m not doing that any longer and you shouldn’t either. Call Dr. Vasudevan or get a referral from your primary care doctor, it might just save your life.
I’ll end this week with another of Waite’s epigrams and till next week I’ll see ya down the road…
“Real philanthropy consists of helping others outside of our own family circle, from whom no thanks is expected.”
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