Who are these people and what are they doing?

Who are these people and what are they doing??

This clip was probably shot in the summer of 1963.  The guns we are using were all props which belonged to a friend of the Burnett family that had a job at Legend City.  Legend City was a new theme park, it opened in June, 1963, on the east side of Phoenix.  Obviously, the theme was the Old West.  The guns included a sawed off double barrel shotgun with aluminum barrels designed to fire blanks and a Winchester 1892 rifle, also modified for blanks only.  The shotgun had a holster rig similar to the one used by Steve McQueen in Wanted: Dead or Alive though his held a sawed off rifle.  The trapdoor Springfield .45-70, wielded by Lewis Burnett, was the real thing.  It was my first big game rifle.  I actually kept it until the early ‘70’s, when I sold it in Fort Worth.

The sock fight was shot with the camera mounted on a tripod and no cameraman.  The fighters drift in and out of frame.  Ken takes a good wallop near the end, under his left arm.  Think it pissed him off!!

The cameras we had were, I think, Bell and Howells similar to this one:

The one I am holding in the Seattle trip picture is different but that must have come later.  There is no auto exposure or zoom lens here.  With the usual bright sun in AZ though, exposure wasn’t too hard to figure.

So here is the video.  Short and quite funny, when you think about it!!

For a larger version on Photobucket, click here.

As the final step in cleaning up the office, I have pulled all of the old software and games off the shelf.  Here is the list.



 

Games:

1.  Hoyle Classic Games, Windows 3.1 and 95

2.  Sanitarium by ASC Games, Windows 95

3.  The 11th Hour by Virgin, Windows 95 or DOS, 2 copies in different boxes

4.  Myst by Broderbund, Windows 3.1 or DOS

5.  The Labyrinth of Time by Electronic Arts, DOS 3.3 or higher

6.  Afterlife by Lucas Arts, DOS or Windows 95

7.  7th Guest by Virgin, DOS 5.0 or higher

8.  Alice by Rogue, Windows 95, 98 or ME.  No W2000 support

9.  Smart Games 2 & 3 by Hasbro, Windows 95

10.  11th Hour and 7th Guest Official Strategy Guides (Books)

Non Games:

1.  Submit Wolf Pro, V4.0, by Trellian, bought at Comdex to submit websites to search engines.  Windows 95, 98, NT

2.  The Herbalist, Version 2, Hopkins Technology, Windows 3.1

3.  LandDesigner 3D Version 4, Windows 95 or 3.1

4.  The Complete National Geographic, 108 Years of the National Geographic Magazine on CD-ROM, Windows 3.1, 95 and Mac.  1909-1990’s, 30 CD Digital Library

I have boxes available to ship these to anyone interested.  All are in original boxes and seem to include all documentation.  If you are not family and are interested in any of these, email me at blog@pcsaz.com.

Information for anyone interested:

Arwen, the fluffy Tortie cat who disappeared right after Mom left for Tucson on Saturday came home tonight about an hour after Mom got home and parked her Mustang.  She’s tired but not injured or traumatized.  I think she was out in the brush just waiting for that car to show up!

Alan gets the slide rule as soon as I can ship it.

After 10 or 12 years of working out of various office spaces, we have decided to return to our roots and move the company back home.  Most of the shop material went to Chris’s house since she has a large basement and does most of the routine work anyway.  I will be doing the more complex stuff in the home office.  I already had a shop computer setup with various maintenance software and extra ports but I decided that I should reorganize the office and setup an additional workstation.  Of course that meant that I had to cleanup the office, a job that I have successfully put off for many years.  As an illustration of how long that has really been, I found a plastic 5.25” floppy case on one of the shelves!   At least it was empty.  By the end of the day, I had filled up one of our trash containers and liberated a large amount of shelf space.  Additionally, I brought a stand alone file drawer from the shop and used it to store the various parts and supplies I will need.  All in all, everything is quite neat and efficient.

While pulling down boxes and sorting old books, I ran across this interesting little item.

This is a Frederick Post 1444P six inch slide rule.  According to Google, it was made in 1944.  I have no idea where it came from.   My memory is blank but I assume it belonged either to my Father or to Cheryl’s family, probably the latter.  I can’t think of any reason an accountant would need a slide rule but Dad did know how to use one.  He taught me.  This one even came with a leather slip case.

Of course the next decision is what to do with it?  I suppose that it should go to one of the boys?  Any takers?

I guess that wraps up the evening.  I also found copies of my old AF orders for promotion and various trips, which I scanned to pdf’s.  That reminded me that I have to continue my chronicles.  That will be coming next.

Though I stated in the previous post that I was back in Phoenix for Christmas Leave right after getting the assignment to England, I have decided that that actually happened in October or November.  Backdating from a point I am sure of, February 6, 1966, the day I actually flew to England, I know that I spent approximately 30 days at home after finishing Tech School.  That means I must have arrived back in Phoenix right around Christmas.    I also remember that I “borrowed” my brother’s car and drove it back to Denver after my first leave.  Consequently, I believe that I received my assignment to England and headed home on leave for about a week between the Basic and Advanced sections of the missile training course in October or November.  Whatever the actual date, after Basic and the first half of Tech School, I headed home to Phoenix for a short break.

My main purpose on this leave was to convince my loving brother to give me his car for a few months so I could get around Colorado.  The last thing in my mind was that I would meet someone new.  Since I was only home for a few days, I didn’t even plan a trip to Christopher.  I did, however, expect to visit Sally Walker since she lived in west Phoenix and was fairly accessible.  So at some point I called Sally and made arrangements to go over to her house.  Thus I set the trap for my own demise!

Unknown to me, Sally had been in touch with a girlfriend from Maryvale High School, one of the trashier schools in the Phoenix area.  It was located on the west side (known to us from the east side as the bad side) of Phoenix.  My own High School was Camelback, obviously the best High School in Phoenix, if not in the Western US.  Anyway, when I got to Sally’s, she informed me that she had a friend coming by that I should meet.  A short time later this old Chevrolet Corvair (Ralph Nader’s favorite car!) turned in and parked.  Out stepped this tall, willowy girl with hair down to her waist, a stunning smile and beautiful eyes.  Now, despite going to Maryvale HS, Sally was no slug when it came to looks or brains.  And, over the years, she had certainly traveled with pretty girls, Lynn and Mary Armstrong among them.  But this one set a new standard.  To top it off, the girl pulled a guitar out of the car to support her “Peter, Paul and Mary” image.  (I don’t remember her ever playing the guitar.  Just sort of carried it around as a prop.)  Sally introduced us.  “This is Cheryl Thornburg, a friend of mine from school.”  I knew then that the Fat Lady had indeed sung and the show was over!

I spent the few remaining days talking to Cheryl on the phone every night and even going out a time or two.  When I returned to Denver, we had agreed that we would continue this relationship when I came home for my final leave over Christmas, before I headed overseas.  She was quite thrilled with the idea that I was going to England and she might even be able to come visit me.  Of course, she would have to finish High School first, but that was only a year away and I would be in England at least three years.

The few remaining weeks of training passed quickly.  If I remember right, they accelerated the course a bit so we could actually finish just before Christmas.  Otherwise, we would have to take a Christmas break and then return for a week or so to finish up.  I think we were all promoted at the end of the course to E3, Airman Second Class, as acknowledgement that our training was complete.  I then returned to Phoenix to await my “Port Call” which is the term for the date that one actually departs for an overseas location, usually about 10 days after completion of tech school.  As luck would have it, the system lost me at this point and I ended up staying in Phoenix for almost a month.  But that story can wait for the next post.

In 1965, Air Force Basic Training lasted six weeks.  When I retired in 1985, it was still six weeks.  As far as I know, it is six weeks today.  As you may imagine, it is a highly structured environment with open bay barracks and the demanding drill sergeant.  It is not brutal or even particularly demeaning.  However, I distinctly remember having two thoughts while going through it.  First, within 24 hours of arriving at Lackland, I made a vow to myself that I would go back to college and get a degree. (I left the AF with a Bachelors from Syracuse University and a Masters from SUNY, Oswego.)   And, at the end of the six weeks, I consoled myself with the realization that no matter what else I did in life, I would never have to go through Basic again.  Even if I were to switch to a different military branch, there would never again be Basic Training!  (As a counter to this, six years later when I completed Officer Training School I thought, “That was interesting.  I could even do it again if necessary.”)

After Basic, most of us went on to technical training of some sort.  In my case, tech school was at Lowry AFB in Denver.  Since I had selected Electronics as my career area, I was set to become a missile maintenance technician.  These missiles were the little guys, air launched and carried by fighter aircraft.  They were also limited to air-air use and were called AIM-7,9 etc.  The AIM stood for Air Interceptor Missile.  Later of course, air launched missiles became much more varied as technology changed and new capabilities were developed but in 1965-69, I dealt with AIM-7 Sparrows and AIM-9 Sidewinders.  Mostly we learned how the missiles worked, how to assemble and disassemble them and how to handle them SAFELY!

Compared to Basic, Tech School was luxurious!

Initially, we were still sleeping in an open bay barracks but the bunks were arranged with lockers giving us some personal space.  After school and on weekends, we could wear civilian clothes and go to the various recreational facilities on base like the theater, bowling alley, library and Base Exchange. (The AF calls it a Base Exchange or BX.  The Army refers to the same thing as a Post Exchange or PX.)

As an item of interest, the red cans on the uprights were cigarette butt cans.  There was no prohibition against smoking in 1965.  You will also note that the floor reflects everything.  We waxed and buffed that SOB every week!

Of course we spent a lot of our off time doing homework.  All of us took the coursework seriously.  Of particular note in this picture is the head in the lower right corner.  That’s Dave Smith, a very good friend at the time.  Dave was the only real competition I had academically.  He was very intelligent but also a little lazy.  He spent very little time studying but still always came within a point or two of me on every test.  Still, I did manage to stay ahead of him in the class ranking, which became very important near the end of the course.

The missile course lasted about 8 months.  During that time, new barracks were completed and we all moved into dorm style rooms.

During the first part of the course, we learned basic electronics and things like how to use a multimeter to measure resistance and voltages.  Our lab gadgets included plug-in circuit boards and components that we could use to construct circuits and test results.  One of the cooler things we learned was how to charge a large capacitor and then leave it in the drawer for the next class.  If you picked it up without discharging it with a screw driver, it would knock you on your ass!  Not dangerous but very funny to a 19 year old, and some 20 something's too since our instructors showed us the trick!

I mentioned earlier that staying at the top of the class was important to me.  The reason for this is that follow-on assignments were awarded based on class standing.  First choice went to the first ranked student and so on.  Initially, I wanted this choice so that I could stay in the West.  All of the missiles we were learning about were used by NORAD and all of the assignments were in the States.  Then, as always happens in the military, things changed.  The class immediately ahead of us received their assignments and Pow! three people were going to Europe.  Two had assignments to NATO in Germany and one had an assignment to RAF Lakenheath, England.  My God!  We could go to England!

From about the Fourth Grade on, I had been an avid reader.  When I became friends with Pete in the Seventh Grade, my reading interests broaden even more.  By the time I finished High School, I had read most the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Sherlock Holmes at least twice, several Thomas B. Costain novels and even The Lord of the Rings, which most people had never heard of in 1965.  I was fascinated by English history.  Now I might actually be able to go there.  My motivation and study efforts surged and in early December, it all came together.  Our list of assignments came down and there was one slot for RAF Bentwaters in Suffolk, England.  Despite pleas and whines from a couple of classmates, (If they had had any money, that would have been offered as well!) I signed the acceptance form.  It was only a couple of weeks later that I found out how momentous this was when I was back in Phoenix on Christmas leave and met this beautiful, exotic 16 year old who indicated that she would do virtually anything, including marry me, for a chance to live in England.  After two kids and 42 years of course, I think there may have been something else there as well?

Occasionally, I have overheard young people today lamenting about a lack of opportunity regarding careers and lifestyles.  As anyone my age will attest, that’s a joke! I usually respond that “Yeah, when I graduated from high school, I had four choices.  Go to college, or decide whether to wear blue, green or white!  I chose blue!”

After high school graduation, I enrolled in Phoenix Junior College in the Liberal Arts or General Studies curriculum.  I had no idea of what I wanted to do and no particular interest in going to class.  By the end of the year, I had barely passed most of my courses, except Spanish, which ended with a “D”.  At the same time, I worked for a lawn service part time, that’s killer work in the Phoenix sun, and was making a little money.  I owned a 63 Ford pickup and had enough to buy reloading supplies and shooting gear.  It should be noted that the reloading and shooting hobby has stayed with me all of my life.  I don’t do much of either anymore but I still have all of the gear.

I spent the summer of 1964 at Christopher working around the trailer park and as a short order cook in the cafe.  In the fall, I enrolled in a couple of evening courses at the college and began a full time job as a stock boy at Rhodes Department Store.  By the end of the year, I had dropped out of college completely and realized that the draft board would be after me shortly.  I was a 19 year old male, in excellent health, and Viet Nam was getting serious.

Most of my memories of this time are pretty fuzzy, but I do clearly recall a couple of things.  As I began to get serious about the military, I was all pumped up from watching various combat TV shows.  Even though I had begun talking to the AF, I decided one day that I should look into the Army.  I was actually on my way to see the Army recruiter, driving down 3rd street, when my testosterone levels returned to normal. I realized that I was temporarily insane and immediately turned around and went home.  From there on, it was strictly the Air Force for me!

The other incident that stands out in my mind is the time I poached a Wild Turkey.  For someone who was obsessive about the hunting laws, this was a soul wrenching experience.  In the winter, times were tough at Christopher.  Ralph Clark often slipped into the woods on horseback and popped a cow elk with a .22 to provide meat.  I decided to contribute to this effort so on a snowy day in early 1965, (I was spending my last few weeks of freedom at Christopher) I set off to see what I could find.  As luck would have it, I encountered a large flock of turkeys and managed to bring down a big gobbler with my .22.    Though he was very tasty, I still feel guilty about it 44 years later!  No criminal mind here.

The actual process of joining the Air Force was pretty routine.  I do remember that I aced the Air Force Qualifying Test (AFQT) and was told, truthfully, by my recruiter that this made me eligible for the Electronics Career Field.  I signed up for that, passed the physical and after the usual delay, left Phoenix for Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas on 12 April 1965 as an Airman Basic.  I had no idea at the time that I would leave the Air Force 20 years later, on 30 April 1985 as a Major.

A group of us went to Wickenburg on Friday to hike around the Hassayampa River Preserve on Saturday May 8, 2009. Debby Castro drove one car with Jeri Turner and me. The other vehicle was driven by Deena Kohls and had Rea Spangler, Tammie Kelly and Randi Buys. Jeri lives in Jerome so we all met up at her house to travel over the hill to Prescott and down Hwy 89 through Yarnell to Wickenburg. Very pretty trip, but a little too much winding road for some of us (at least one got queasy, but she will remain nameless). After settling into our rooms, we headed out for dinner. The food was tasty and plentiful so we decided to walk around a bit afterwards. Wickenburg has bronze statues scattered around town so we went in search of them. We found horses, cowboys, and other assorted characters as well as Gila monsters and roadrunners lurking where you would least expect them. Once back at the Inn, we went down to the pool for a dip, followed by a soak in the Jacuzzi. There we talked with 2 women from Ireland who were musicians who were most interesting. Who would have thought one would run across Irish lasses in Wickenburg, AZ!

The next morning we all gathered and after breakfast headed out for the Preserve. There, we were offered the services of a volunteer to guide us around the various trails and give us some historical background of the area. He also had interesting facts on the different flora and fauna we encountered along the way. We went up to a lookout area, along the river, both as it is currently and where it was before a flood in 2004 changed its course. There is also a lake, Palm Lake that is being allowed to revert to a more natural marshy state.

I think one of the most interesting parts of the day was watching other volunteers band birds they caught. This apparently happens twice a month and they document information about weight, length, breeding status and other information about the birds. It is quite an undertaking and one of our group even got to release one of the birds after all measurements and information was obtained! Randi was excited about that. By then the temperature was heating up and we called it a day so we decided to go to lunch. After all, we had hiked ALL MORNING and needed to replenish our bodies with more food! This time it was hamburgers for most and salads for two of us, I was still feeling guilty from such a substantial dinner the night before! This trip was hardly over and we started thinking about what adventure we might pursue the next time, stay tuned . . .

Pictures are here.   Photographed and written by Cheryl.

As most of you probably know, I am generally an “Early Adopter” when it comes to new computer technology.  When W98 was replaced by W2000, I installed it early on and never went back to ‘98.  Ditto with XP.  I actually installed Vista before it was even available to the public, thanks to craigpost’s MSDN subscription.  That, however, turned into a disaster.  Most of my critical applications didn’t work!  I did finally get a Vista computer running to my satisfaction but it was after Labor Day, 2008.  (Actually, Vista 32 and Vista 64 now perform quite well on my hardware though I have to tweak a couple of policies to keep it from annoying me!)  Anyway, I have once again jumped into the fray and installed RC1 64 bit Windows 7 on my little used quad core desktop.

If you have been following the press, W7 is getting great reviews.  I actually downloaded a beta and installed it on a separate hard drive on my shop computer but never really got a chance to play with it.  Now, Release Candidate 1 is available.  If you are running Vista, you can actually do an upgrade.  Since my home machine boots to either XP or Vista, depending on how I set the boot order, I decided to take the plunge and just upgrade my Vista 64 system.  I opted for the 64 bit version since it sees more RAM and RAM is cheap!

The computer in question is an older Core 2 Quad running at 2.4Ghz.  It has 8GB’s of RAM and a couple of terabytes of hard drive space.  The actual system drive is 250GB.  I downloaded the RC1 release, converted it to a DVD and then ran setup from within Vista.  The only software the installer didn’t like was Microsoft’s own Windows One Care, so I uninstalled it.  There was also a driver problem with my old Multitech external modem but I only use that for faxing so I ignored the problem.  I have a Courier V Everything modem on the shelf which I will try in the next day or two.  There may be built in drivers for that.  Multitechs aren’t exactly mainstream in the consumer world.

The installation took a couple of hours but went without a hitch.  When it was done, the computer came up with Windows 7 64 bit Ultimate installed.  The Vista it replaced was also 64 bit Ultimate.  While I haven’t tested every installed app (there aren’t a lot)  what I have tested works just fine.  I also installed a brand new Sonicwall Global VPN Client, just released this week for 64 bit operating systems, and it worked flawlessly.

So here are a couple of first impressions: 

The graphics are incredible.  I have an older GeForce video card, dating back at least 3 years, but the display is far better than my MacBook and quite equal to a brand new iMac 24” computer that I have here.  (It’s not mine. Belongs to a customer!)  My screen is a 22” Viewsonic so it is not as overwhelming as the 24” Apple but the colors are just as intense.

Boot time is excellent, but the Vista 64 installation was no slouch.  I haven’t actually timed it but I believe the Windows 7 system comes up faster than my MacBook.  If I have time, I will test it against the iMac as well.  In actual use, the Windows 7 seems a bit faster than the Vista 64 but they both make my XP installation on the same hardware seem kludgy!  My Vista 32 bit notebook with it’s T9300 proc and 4GB of RAM actually tests faster, 4.7 versus 3.4, but that is determined by the video card.  The notebook has a much newer GeForce mobile graphics adapter.  May be time to order a new video card since RAM and Processor scores are 2 points higher on the desktop!

Look and feel are identical to Vista, which isn’t bad once you adjust.  The annoying “Are you sure you want to do this?” warnings are minimal.  The task bar at the bottom has changed a lot.  Looks like the Apple Dock though it only shows open programs.  I like the Dock on my Mac.  Don’t have to have regularly used programs all over the desktop.  Just park them in the Dock.

Finally, it looks like MS is not going to make the same marketing mistakes with W7.  The RC license goes until July, 2010 so I have lots of time to play.  By then, the final version will be out.  Also, as an MS Partner, I subscribe to the Action Pack which means I get copies of most MS software virtually free.  When Vista was released, they only sent Partners the Vista Business Upgrade version, which meant that you had to have XP installed to install Vista.  That was unusable.  I actually bought a couple of OEM Ultimate copies, which cost me more than a one year subscription to the Action Pack.  MS remedied that in summer 2008 and we got the complete library of Vista releases but by then the damage was done. 

Is W7 better than Leopard?  Quien Sabe?  I really like the way Apple handles applications installs.  Just drop the executable in the Applications Folder and you’re done.  To remove, simply delete.  W7 looks good though and I prefer the way Windows handles media files but that is probably a function of familiarity.  I also like the whole Remote Desktop Protocol system.  Installing VNC on a Mac is much more complicated.

So if you have a fairly new PC with Vista on it, download Windows 7 and enjoy. 

As I commented in the first installment of this series, Mom and I made a day trip over to Christopher last week.  We were quite surprised to find that the old trailer park was gone!  Of course we had seen changes over the years.  A big storm in the early ‘70’s had flooded the creek and washed away many of our childhood landmarks.  I remember one small pool above the park that had a really large trout, 24 inches or more, hiding in it.  I stalked that guy many times but he didn’t get that big by being dumb and other than an occasional glimpse of him darting under a submerged log, I never got close to catching him.  After the storm, he probably ended up downstream in the box canyons or pummeled to death on the rocks.

Other changes along the way included the Walkers turning over Mountain Meadows to a church.  It’s a church camp now.  Christopher Creek Lodge didn’t change much but it is no longer owned by the Ashby family.  The complete history is here.  After the kids grew up, I believe that Olive moved away for awhile but she returned, this time married to John Matus, and started the Creekside Steakhouse and Tavern.  That is still there.

John and Olive ran this for years and I had several great meals there.  We also met some of the others there from time to time.  She finally sold it and retired, moving into Payson.

In addition to the restaurant, Olive also added rental cabins.  I took the boys and BJ’s retinue over there one weekend in the ‘80’s.

Another feature that is still there, though much dilapidated, is the concrete slab Olive and Jim put in while we were still kids.  The slab was behind the old store and cafe, had a roof over it, and was used as a nighttime gathering place and party area.  We had a big campfire pit, somebody’s record player, and lights.  We could play “rock and roll” and those that wanted to could dance.  The only early pictures I could find showed the Campfire Couch with us sitting on it.

I’m on the end, next is Pete, serving homemade ice cream, then Sally, Lynn and a girl I don’t remember.  Today, this is all that is left of the slab.

The old store and cafe is in the background but it is an empty real estate office now.

The trailer park itself is all gone.  According to the woman we talked to, it was sold about 5 years ago and then everything removed.  All that remains is the empty ground.

This is where the family trailer, old bunkhouse and hanging out place used to be.  The stump we dynamited would have been off to the right.

The old road running up to the store is still visible but there are no trailers or even water and electrical connections left.

Some things don’t change, however.  We drove up to the top of the rim, a favorite pastime in my teen years, and the view is still breathtaking.

The country below is still desolate and empty.  Lots of hiking to be had down there.  Which brings me to a final story.

On one of my last trips to Christopher before joining the Air Force, Ken and I arrived after dark on a Friday night.  Dr. George Armstrong, the kids’ father was over from California visiting.  We all knew each other.  He came over just about every summer, usually to bring the kids back to mom.  He was a pilot and had his own Beachcraft Bonanza.  Anyway, shortly after we arrived, Lynn said she wanted to talk so she and I hopped in my pickup and took off for the top of the rim.  Lynn and I were very close but were never romantic.  More brother/sister.  We were probably gone a couple of hours and just sat in the truck talking while enjoying the view.  Didn’t even drink beer in those days.  When we got back, Dad was fit to be tied!  His 16 year old daughter had just taken off with a 19 year old guy and “parked!”  When he started in, I thought Olive was going to have a stroke from laughing so hard.  As is the case with most moms, she knew who was fondling her daughters and it wasn’t me.  Anyway, she finally convinced Dad that everything was fine and he didn’t have to horsewhip me.  We all had a good laugh and went to bed.  Now, if it had been Ken with the truck and Lynn or even worse, Pete…..

So that concludes this trek down memory lane.  I have put all of the pictures in albums.  You can see them here.  There is a main gallery and a sub-gallery.  Enjoy.

Supporting Players:

As you may have guessed, having a regular place to go up in the pines was very attractive to our small group of friends in Phoenix.  I've already mentioned Pete, since he was my constant companion from the 7th grade on through High School, though I think his first trip with us to Christopher was in 1962, after I had my own car.  There were two other neighborhood friends, Billy Webb and Lewis Burnett, who hung out with us regularly.  I don’t remember Lewis traveling with us to Christopher while I was still around but Billy did a lot of outdoor stuff with Ken and I.  His father was a regular outdoorsman and took Billy and I on a lot of adventures.  Billy was with us the first summer that we met the Armstrongs though I don’t remember him going with us much after that, though he probably did.  Anyway, I have found only a couple of pictures, none at Payson.

Billy Webb

This was shot on our back porch at the house on 33rd street.

  Lewis Burnett

This was shot out at Sugarloaf, another favorite place for us to wander.  I may discuss it in more detail later.

The other players around the trailer park included Dale Ashby, who I have mentioned and, later, a young man named Ralph Clark.  Ralph just showed up one summer, I have no idea from where, and stayed on for a number of years.  He was probably in his mid-20’s and sort of a jack-of-all trades.  I don’t know what his relationship with Olive Rose was but he was a trusted member of the community.  He generally supervised the various building projects we worked on and kept things going.  I know that he was knowledgeable about horses and knew construction.

Here he is working on a shoe for Mary’s horse, who’s name I now remember as MaHa.  As I said, he also supervised construction.  We spent one summer building a central bathroom and wash house which required laying a septic system.  One of the requirements of that was to blast some rock out of the way.  As an illustration of how times have changed, I was sent into Payson one day to buy a case of dynamite.  At 17, I simply walked into the local building supply store, ordered the dynamite and some caps to be charged to the Creekside account, put it in the back of my pickup and drove back to Christopher!  No forms, no questions, just picking up supplies.  Those were innocent times. 

When we were done with the construction, we still had one stick left over so Pete, Ralph and I decided that we would remove a big Ponderosa stump that was in the middle of the park.  The stump was probably 4 feet across and stuck up a foot or two above the ground.  One morning we carefully dug a tunnel under the stump, shoved the stick of dynamite, a cap and some fuse back under there, lit the fuse and ran.  When it went off, the whole park shook, people came running to see what had happened and the stump didn’t budge an inch!  I noticed when we were over there this week that the stump was gone.  Probably rotted away over time and was buried with a bull dozer.

This is the only picture I can find that includes Dale Ashby.  Here he is with Danny relaxing in the shade under a tree.  Dale stayed at Christopher and worked for the Forest Service.  He still lives up there and is good friends with Ken.

The last friends that I remember from this time were the Stolsteimer kids, Kay and Ken.  Their family showed up one summer on vacation and joined our group.  They had a really nice Jeep, which turned out to be important.  While on a trip to the swimming hole one weekend when Ken and I weren’t there, Ken Stolsteimer rolled the jeep down an embankment.  His sister Kay broke her back and was a paraplegic from then on.  I think he was 16 or 17 at the time and she was younger.  They seemed to adjust quite well and still participated in our activities but I have never heard what eventually happened to them.  This is one of the few pictures I have.  Kay is the dark haired girl in the middle.  She is in a wheel chair with Lynn, Mary, Sally and Ken around her.

That pretty well wraps up the cast of our teenage years.  Astute readers will note that Cheryl is not included.  I actually met her through Sally on my first leave from Air Force tech school in December, 1965.  That story will wait for another day.  For the last part of this series, I will talk about our return to the area last week and how things are so changed.