My new book Before the Dew will be available soon. These are the book signings I have scheduled so far:
Brace Books, Ponca City: November 23rd 1:30 PM
Best of Books, Edmond: November 24th 12 PM
Full Circle Books, OKC November 26th 6:30 PM
Moxie, Bartlesville December 1st, 10AM
Grand Nat’l Gun Show, Tulsa December 2nd 9-5PM
Jude’s, Bartlesville December 5th 6:30-8:30 AM
Welcome back. This week I’m back in town for a medical procedure that’s about three years overdue. For those of you who like me are over fifty it’s something most doctors recommend and it’s easy. No solid foods on the day before the procedure but you can have clear liquids like broth and soup. No coffee for you though but on the good side the Miralax mixture you have to take isn’t nearly as bad tasting with apple juice as it used to be.
By now most of you know I’m talking about having a colonoscopy so the day of the test all you can have is basically water. From what I remember from six years ago, with the anesthetic there was no pain involved or side effects. Getting my body flushed out actually felt beneficial to me and getting a good report, at least on that part of my body, was a plus of course.
There is a sad note to this story and that is because the fellow who has done this procedure for me the last two times, Dr. GopiVasudevan, is moving his practice and as of the end of November he will no longer be in Bartlesville. If he’s your doctor I’d recommend giving his office a call pretty quickly because I found out that he’s filling up his schedule fast. I’ll let you know next week how everything goes.
On another note of interest to you readers I’ve recently discovered after it happened to me that you can’t shoot down a drone. Yes, even if you live out in the country with few neighbors close by, if a drone is hovering over your property and in my instance just ten feet off the ground and about fifteen feet from the bedroom and living room windows, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s office I would be breaking the law if I shot it down. With the cameras these flying machines are equipped with, I thought this had to be either a peeping tom or a thief looking for a target. I’ve contacted Senator Julie Daniels and she is looking into how you can legally defend your privacy from these intruders and I’ll let you know what she says.
On the local front I’ve heard that my friend Mike Henry’s visit to town may have resulted in the donation of some fancy new scoreboards for several of the town’s athletic fields. If you read Mike Tupa’s sports column a few weeks ago, Mike Henry and Barry Switzer have been business partners for over thirty years and they have been donating scoreboards around the state. I heard about the program while hanging out with Mike and Barry during the Coach’s Cabana TV show that I’ve been lucky enough to attend. It sounded like this would be a great opportunity for Bartlesville and from what Mike has told me, Barry usually comes into town for the dedication. Check with City Council member Jim Curd or City Planner Lisa Beeman for updates.
Till next time, I’ll see ya down the road….
P.S. If you’re thinking about a visit to the Dog Iron Ranch after reading last week’s column, they have closed the campground for the season but Will’s house is still open on most days from 10-5
My new book Before the Dew, a Memoir is about to be released. These are the book signing events I have scheduled so far:
Brace Books Ponca City: November 23rd 1:30 PM
Best of Books, Edmond: November 24th 12 PM
Full Circle Books, OKC: November 26th 6:30 PM
Moxie’s, Bartlesville: December 1st 10AM
Grand Nat’l Gun Show, Tulsa: December 2nd 9-5PM
Jude’s, Bartlesville: December 5th 6:30-8:30 AM
Hope to see you soon!
Another beautiful part of our state…..
Welcome back. Oolagah Lake which was built in 1950 is still a well-kept secret for many but not for the campers who were at Hawthorne Bluff campground this weekend. Sold out is an understatement as the “full sign” was hanging at the check-in office from Thursday through Sunday. With fall break for the kids, good fishing for the adults and great weather for all, it was the ideal getaway for a long weekend. The fall foliage has started and with the heavy rain in Kansas which flows into the Lake Oolagah, water levels are high and with all the gates open sightseeing below the dam is quite interesting. Of course, a mile north is Dog Iron Ranch, the birthplace of William Penn Adair Rogers or as we call him Will Rogers. Will was born in the house on November 4, 1879 and he became the owner of the property when his father died in 1911.
Before the lake was created the house was moved to its current location about three quarters of a mile away from its original spot to a hilltop. Nowadays it’s a museum that is open to the public. You can tour the home which has been preserved from the time when Will and his family lived there for free. Narrated movies from his days in Hollywood are playing in both the house and the rebuilt barn and the view of the lake alone is worth a trip. There is also a barnyard full of animals for kids to play with, making a visit fun for the whole family.
While you’re over that way be sure to check out the old original town of Oolagah where there’s a history museum and a life size statue of Will on Main Street. He was the most popular man in American when he died on November 4, 1935 and for all you fans on November 2nd-4th the Will Rogers Museum in Claremore, the Dog Iron Ranch and the Friends of Will Rogers organization are throwing a birthday party for Will and we are all invited. Call the museum for all the details.
As for me, I’ve been staying on the old Dog Iron Ranch for the last two weeks. It’s a place I often come to write. Not as remote as Waite Phillips’ Philmont Ranch in New Mexico where I often travel to, Oolagah Lake is still a bit off the beaten track in places. As Waite used to say, “We do our best and most constructive thinking when alone, for it’s only in silence that God speaks to us” and this seems to work for me too.
I’ll end this week with one of Will’s epigrams:
“A man only learns in two ways- one is by reading and the other is by association with smarter people.”
Till next time, I’ll see ya down the road….
Welcome back. My absence over the past four weeks and the rumors about where I might have been may have some similarities with another missing man whose disappearance you may have heard of. Here is his story, told in the first person.
The date was Wednesday November 24, 1971, Thanksgiving Eve. In order to conceal my identity I paid cash for a one way ticket at the ticket counter of Northwest Orient Airlines in the Portland International Airport. A frequent flyer, I took a seat in the back of the plane, ordered a bourbon and lit a cigarette which in those days you could do. I was dressed in business attire wearing a black raincoat over a dark suit, starched white shirt and black clip on tie.
The plane was one third full when we took off and shortly afterwards I handed a note to the flight attendant. Printed in neat capital letters, the note stated that I had a bomb in my briefcase. I let her peek inside the bag where she could see eight red cylinders I had attached to a large battery. I told her straight out that I wanted $200,000 in U.S. dollars, four parachutes and a fuel truck standing by in Seattle to refuel the plane. If all my requests were met the passengers could go free. When the plane landed in Seattle all my demands were granted and true to my word all but four people were released. The pilot, the co-pilot, a flight attendant, a flight engineer and myself all stayed on board. After take-off I told the four to get into the cockpit of the plane. I ordered the pilot to keep the plane at 10,000 feet, to cruise at the minimum speed needed to stay in the air and to keep the cabin depressurized and not to come out of the cockpit until we landed.
Moving to the back of the plane, I opened the rear doors to the outside. It was dark but in the shadows I could see the planes following us, two F-16 fighter jet behind and others above and on either side. It took about fifteen minutes to put on my parachute and tuck the money away. I knew I would have to free fall a long way to avoid detection and without any further thought I jumped.
This is one of the most written about aviation mysteries ever. Could I have survived the jump from a jet plane? If I did survive how did I get away? It was all wilderness along the plane’s route.
47 years later, after countless FBI probes, investigations by the Army and local Sheriffs’ departments searching the ground beneath the plane’s flight pattern along with offers of big rewards, the cloud that has covered this fascinating story just might be lifted. Now returning from a mysterious disappearance myself, could it be that I am D.B. Cooper, the man they are looking for? To find out the answer to that question and the reason for my disappearance, call Matt Tranquil, the Publisher of the Bartlesville Examiner Enterprise at (918) 335-8200.
Next week it’s another ‘who am I?” with a local twist. Till then I’ll see ya down the road…..
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P.S. If you are interested in reading more about this story check out Marla Wynn Cooper’s book abut the man she says was her uncle. You can download the kindle version by following this link.
https://www.amazon.com/DBs-Niece-Raw-Unedited-hijacked-ebook/dp/B01ICHR4XI.
Welcome back. Cattlemen from all over the world will descend on Oklahoma this coming Friday and Saturday as the 28th annual Big Event Cow Sales once again comes to Yukon where a hundred-thousand-dollar cow is not unusual. Express Ranches, which hosts this very important cattle auction, is the largest operation of its kind in the country. You regular readers know I’ve written about this sale and the great people I’ve meet there for the last few years.
These folks are the ones who raise the beef we eat and they are truly as American as you can get. Entire families come to the sale, not only to buy cattle but also to experience the hospitality that Oklahomans offer visitors. In addition to the friendly people, the folks I’ve talked to also enjoy visiting the many museums and other attractions the state has to offer, adding their dollars to our tourism revenue.
As in past years this Friday night after the sale there will be a big steak and shrimp dinner outside under the biggest tent I think I’ve ever seen. After dinner the thousand plus guests are always entertained by someone famous in the country music business and this year is no different. I first met Vince Gill in 1997 during Bartlesville’s Centennial celebration when he was the headliner for the Grand Finale Concert which was held on Bruin Field. In those days I was doing a lot of personal security for many entertainers around the country and Vince was just one. A few years earlier in 1990 he had his first big hit with “When I Call Your Name” which won both the Country Music Association’s Song of the Year Award and a Grammy and when he came to Bartlesville he was a hot ticket.
Of course, nowadays most of Vince’s fans know he has gone on to win 17 more CMA awards and four more song of the year awards. No one else has ever done that and when you throw in 20 more Grammy, well all I can say is he’s still big stuff and from knowing him just a little bit I can tell you he’s also a comic with great timing.
It’s all happening in Yukon, Oklahoma this weekend and although it’s hard to get a ticket for Friday night if you’re not buying a cow, the Saturday auction is free and open to the public. Don’t worry if the weather is bad the barn where the auction is held is more like a museum and its full of trophies won by youth who have made it big in the cattle business. It’s worth the visit just to see the ranch and the Express Clydesdales whose barn is right on the property. I’ve told you enough so call your banker, tell him you want to buy a cow and I’ll see you there.
For me, with a new book coming out soon its nonstop as I’ll also be at the Tulsa Fairgrounds Saturday and Sunday for the big Grand National Gun Show.
Locally on Friday morning either in the paper or on the radio you’re going to hear the name Mike Henry. Mike’s the guy who produce’s Barry Switzer’s TV show Coach’s Cabana and he will be in town Friday. Rumor has it that Barry will be with him and it’s a good bet the pair will be at Arvest’s Friday Forum and at Dink’s or Sterling’s for lunch.
Thanks for reading and till next time I’ll see ya down the road……………….
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Welcome back. I recently returned from Pittsburg, Kansas which is the home of Pittsburg State University and was also the home of the Four State Farm Show. Friends, these are the folks who feed us all and I was honored to be invited to be a part of the show. Of course they had all kinds of balers, mowers and rakes but they also had skid steers building and tractors of all kinds and sizes. Metal building contractors were thick and there were several types of generators on display.
The three day show included numerous demonstrations and lots of good food. Although the organizers had me in a booth autographing books, I was able to check out a demonstration of an irrigation system which was quite refreshing in the 108 degree heat.
I soon discovered that this farm show wasn’t just for local farmers. Folks I visited with came from around the country to see the state of the art equipment available for growing food. I’ve also got to say that you would have a hard time finding a friendlier bunch of Americans. Yes, the cattle pens and brush hogs, the roto mixers and the stock trailers are all behind me now in my life but I can’t remember when I’ve spent a more interesting weekend in quite a while.
This was the 44th year for the Farm Show and the vendors and equipment covered twenty-five acres. I’d never heard of the show before and when I got the chance to talk with Lance Markley who is the show coordinator I learned that next year the date of the show will be moved to May 3rd, 4th& 5th to beat the heat. Lance is also the publisher of Farm Talk which is a must read if you farm.
Farm Talk is the main sponsor of the Farm Show and thumbing through it I found more than one thing I needed. Farm Talk isn’t a newspaper, it’s a farmers’ and ranchers’ paper with articles and tips written by experts in these fields. They cover everything from droughts to floods and bugs to fertilizer. If you want to about the grain market or maybe wheat futures, this is your paper. Looking for a seminar on raising cattle or horses? This is where you’ll find one.
Agriculture may not be something the average city dweller thinks about regularly but Farm Talk is definitely an interesting read. The paper is based is Parsons, Kansas and can be a bit hard to find in our area so if you want a copy give ‘em a call at (800) 356-8255.
I thought I’d leave this subject with a few quotes from a Farm Talk column by Mark Parker listing the signs that old age is edging up on you:
‘A young farmer mentions something “going viral” so you suggest he call the vet.”
“In the city you ask a kid if there’s a phone booth nearby and he says “What’s a phone booth?”
“This YouTube thing, it’s something you inflate right?”
Till next time I’ll see ya down the road…………….
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Today Joe Washington will be signing books at Best of Books in Edmond. Afterwards I’ll be moving on to the R&K Gun Show at the OKC Fairgrounds.
Welcome back. Now after nearly 80 years, name of the author is almost lost in time but her writing about the life story of one man in particular is still read daily. Her name was Eva Gillhouse and like me, during the writing of my book Footprints in the Dew Eva sat day after day interviewing her subject. Unlike my subject though, Eva’s book would be about a man of the law.
Born on October 26, 1860 in Hartford, Connecticut, his father moved the family to Kansas along the Santa Fe Trail while he was young. It was just after the Civil War and at 8 years old the boy watched as former Confederates, called regulators, shot his father eight times on the front porch of their house killing him. That was in 1868 and although he was still a child after that he became the best shot the soldiers at Fort Gibson had ever seen. You see the boy had been cursed.
“My boy may an old man’s curse rest upon you if you do not try to avenge your father.”
This statement was made to him by his father’s best friend as they laid his dad in the grave. When he got older he moved to Indian Territory and grew to be a man, all the time searching for the men responsible for killing his father.
The man Eva wrote about would become a top cowboy, a scout for the Calvary, an Indian fighter when he had to be and Deputy United States Marshall under Judge Parker, the so-called “hanging judge” in Fort Smith, Arkansas. He brought in cattle rustlers and murders, many slung over their saddles killed when they refused to give up peacefully He had a lightning fast draw and up until the day he died in 1958 at the age of 98 Eva said he never lost his memory or that draw.
You may have guessed the man’s name by now, but if not here’s a couple more clues. In 1923 he gave permission for Oklahoma A&M which nowadays is called Oklahoma State University to use his photograph for the design of the college emblem. The University’s beloved mascot was based on this photograph as well. New Mexico State University and the University of Wyoming also received permission to use his likeness.
This well-known man’s name was Frank Eaton or as he is more commonly known to thousands of college students and graduates, Pistol Pete. And yes, he did catch up with the regulators who had killed his father and lifted the curse.
A Veteran of the Old West: Pistol Pete is hard to find but your Bartlesville Library has a copy. Eva Gillhouse did a wonderful job researching and writing the book even though today she is mostly forgotten like so many of us writers.
Next up Shawnee, Oklahoma where the oldest hamburger chain in the country started and where I will be working at another trade show. The following week I’ll be close to home at the R&K Gun & Knife Show in Tulsa. Before long the college football season will be starting too and once again I have the good fortune to be doing some book signings with Joe “Silver Shows” Washington and rumor has it he’ll be in Bartlesville soon. I’ll let you know.
Till next time I’ll see ya down the road…………….
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Welcome back. In his book of epigrams the great Waite Phillips wrote many things one of which was “the only things we keep permanently are those we give away” and Waite gave a lot away. Of course there was land, I’ve written about the Philmont Scout Ranch often. Money, yes, he gave away millions of dollars and even more importantly, by his actions he inspired thousands of others to follow in his footsteps.
This phrase “the only things we keep permanently are those we give away” can apply to small acts of generosity as well as big ones. I learned this two weeks ago when one of G.B. Williams’ heirs brought me a very old photograph of what is now the Rogers State University Building when it was under construction. Some of you may remember that G.B. was one of the leading builders in the area for many years. When the photo was taken only the steel framework of the building had been completed and a large crowd had gathered to watch the building going up. Of course at the time there was no Phillips building or Arvest drive-thru bank. No Weeze’s Café or even paved streets. The photo had been sitting in G.B.’s office for years until his death and then it was stored in a box until it was given to me.
In search of a permanent home for the photo, my first thought was the Bartlesville History Museum although I thought they might already have similar photos in their collection. However when I contacted them they were very excited so I called G.B.’s daughter about the donation and she was all for it. Two days after dropping the photo off at the museum, a letter arrived thanking me profusely as this turned out to be the only photo in existence of an important part of Bartlesville’s history. The photo is not on display yet but if you tell the staff you want to see the item that was recently donated by the G.B. Williams family, they will show it to you. Yes, this is just a small example of putting Waite’s beliefs into action and now the photo is available for all to see. You may also have something laying around in your house that does not mean much to you but would be as good as gold to the History Museum, Woolaroc or the Dewey Hotel.
This epigram of Waite’s was not the only one he believed in and his son Chope remembered he carried a type written list of them in his pocket every day of his life. For fifty years he never went anywhere without that list in his pocket and as Chope said, it must have been important to him. Here are just a few words from a man who led a very successful and useful life and whom I admire and look up to:
“The man who never makes mistakes never makes much of anything.” Waite Phillips
“Greediness, in all its various forms, is one of man’s worst enemies and also the source of many others.” Waite Phillips
“A man only learns in two ways-one is by reading and the other is by association with smarter people.” Will Rogers
“We do our best and most constructive thinking when alone for its only in silence that God speaks to us.” Waite Phillips.
Till next time, I’ll see ya down the road….
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