Gammon's Gulch - John Wayne Movie Set

13 miles from our RV Park, in a stark desert area, lies Gammon's Gulch where John Wayne made some of his western movies. The movie set is now managed by a Wayne family member. We drove out to Gammon's Gulch mid afternoon yesterday, down one of the roughest dirt roads we have traversed, to find the set closed, but I took some photos (see below). We will return this week and take the tour and I'll have better photos then. It is so much like so many of the John Wayne movies we all have seen. I expected him to swagger out of the saloon and greet us.

Horse Shoeing Competition in Wilcox, AZ

Fascinating visit to a World Championship horse shoeing competition as dozens of farriers from across the west competed in Wilcox, Arizona. We met new friends yesterday (Fred and Karen from Idaho). He was (now retired) a farrier (blacksmith)before he retired. They invited us to go with them to the shoeing competition today and we are so glad we did. It was a enlightening and exciting day at the competition. The guys in the competition (see photos below) were given a 1" thick,
2" wide x 10" long piece of steel. They had to make the shoes (heating to red hot and pounding the steel), prepare the horse's foot (no little task) and fit the shoe (nailing it on -- usually six nails). Took about an hour for the process. The shoes have to fit perfectly for the farrier to score good points. These guys are men(!); most hard as steel and experienced farriers. Fred explained the process to me and Helen all during the competition which made watching that more interesting. Then Helen met two old sheriff's deputies (see photo).

Once back at the RV Resort, the four of us enjoyed a glass of wine outside our Laredo. We discovered that Fred and Karen are Methodists and active believers. She was high school teacher. They took in a young black boy as a foster son when he was in Karen's 8th grade class. He had no winter coat and no ball shoes (he was an outstanding athlete) and was a straight 'A' student. His mother was a prostitute, but his grandmother had tremendous good influence on him. He became a part of Fred and Karen's family and Karen was his advocate when the University of Missouri offered him a scholarship. He graduated with honors, married and now, at 33, has an outstanding family.

Fred and Karen have been very active in the Democratic party and thus, with their foster son, were thrilled with Obama's election. We discussed politics with them, but there was no judgement on their or our parts. They shared with us the predudice their foster son experienced in Idaho(sounded a lot like Mississippi -- years ago, thank God!) which explained, in part, their intolerance with racism and their political leanings. When we talked about our experiences in ministry in Mississippi in the 60s, a bond seem to grow between us. There were some tears all around.

Golf & Country Jam Session

Yesterday, with my friend Charlie from Montana, I played the best Arizona course I've played yet -- San Pedro GC. Great fairways, outstanding greens, well kept and well managed championship course. Shot 87 and glad to get it. 3 pars, 1 birdie, 12 bogies, 2 double bogies. Greens were like ice and few level putts. That's my story and I'm sticking to it ! A little 'local knowledge' would have helped, though.

Last evening, Helen and I went with friends from Canada to a country singing jam session. Seven guys and one woman who played an auto-harp. She was my favorite, singing songs like Loretta Lynn. A 93 year old guy played an electric guitar and he probably was the best musician in the group. Another guy sounded like 'the man in black'. They jammed for two hours and when we left they were still going. Quite an experience.

150,000 Books in Her Living Room!

Yesterday, with friends from Montanta, we visited the Singing Wind Bookstore. It's a bookstore unlike any you've ever seen. It's located on a ranch miles from town (Benson) and you drive down a dirt road to get to it. It's a working ranch, horses, cattle, tractors, etc., and is owned and managed by a 90 year old woman who still rides and ropes and leads the ranch work. Years ago she (with a Master's degree in library science) wanted to do something to preserve good western literature. She received $600 for babysitting a couple's dog and used that money to begin buying books and began with a single shelf of books. Today her 'bookstore' holds 150,000 volumes and she knows where every book is and what it is about. You name the subject and she has a shelf of that subject. The living room contains four walls of books and there are four floor to ceiling shelves in the middle of the room. Another room holds countless shelves of books. She won't buy or sell "western shoot 'em up" novels. Twice a year a festival is held at the ranch with as many as 300 persons from around the world attending. Novelists, poets, historians, etc all come there at various times. You drive up, ring the big dinner bell hanging out front and walk on in. It's an experience just to visit. We ended up buying a $100 worth of great books. Thomas Hardy is one of my favorite poets and I found a biography of him I've never seen. We visited the bookstore with my new friend, Charlie (see post several posts below) and his wife, Pam. Pam is a headhunter and is in town to help find a president for a nearby college.

Helen and I are going back next week and I'll take some photos of the bookstore and will post them next week.

Today I'm playing golf with 'Charlie' at San Pedro Championship Golf Course.

Weather here in southern Arizona is 30 degrees presently, going to 70 today with all sunshine for today and the rest of the week.

Joy of our lives!

Sitting in southern Arizona for these weeks, enjoying various tourisee stuff, I’ve been thinking much about our grandchildren. Erica is 17 now, driving her own car, doing really well in school as she always has. Band, cheerleading, various clubs, scholarship student, etc. I remember our time together at an Eagles concert in north Atlanta. I’m so proud of her and not surprised at her continuing achievements. Aaron, 15, my special buddy, following his heart; band, drums, scouting, friends, baseball, etc. I miss spending time with him, remembering our walks down the hill to the creek behind our Cumming home, our several NASCAR races together, watching him play baseball (‘mighty mite!’ they called him), working on a project in my shop, etc. Emily and Molly – we were with them from August til January and truly enjoyed getting to know them better. Em, 14, cheerleading, snowboarding, ‘A’ student, taking her to youth group on Wednesday evenings, etc. Mo, 9, what a riot she is! Funny, sharp as a tack, pretty as her sister, great sense of humor, hassles her big sister and keep us straight! I don’t know my grandkids in Connecticut -- Oliver, Graham and Audrey. We babysat Oliver many nights when he was an infant. Hope to get to know them better someday. We keep “all” of them in our thoughts and prayers everyday and, especially when we open the refrigerator door at all times of the day and night, and see them all smiling at us from the photos on the door. They are the real joy of our lives!

The Valley of Vision Prayer

For years Helen has used "The Valley of Vision -- A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions" as her devotional reading. Recently we added the prayers to our morning readings and prayers. The prayer below is a sample of the collection.

CONTRITION

O Thou most high,
It becomes me to be low in thy presence.
I am nothing compared with thee;
I possess not the rank and power of angels,
but thou hast made me what I am,
and placed me where I am;
help me to acquiesce in thy sovereign pleasure.
I thank thee that in the embryo state of my endless being
I am capable by grace of improvement;
that I can bear thy image,
not by submissiveness, but by design,
can work with thee and advance thy cause and glory.
But, alas, the crown has fallen from my head:
I have sinned;
I am alien to thee;
my head is deceitful and wicked,
my mind an enemy to thy law.
Yet, in my lostness thou hast laid help on the mighty one
and he comes between to put his hands on us both,
my umpire, daysman, mediator,
whose blood is my peace,
whose righteousness is my strength,
whose condemnation is my freedom,
whose Spirit is my power,
whose heaven is my heritge.
Grant that I may feel more the strength of thy grace
in subduing the evil of my nature,
in loosing me from the present evil world,
in supporting me under the trials of life,
in enabling me to abide with thee in my valleys,
in exercising me to have a conscience void of offense
before thee and before men.
In all my affairs may I distinguish between duty and axiety,
and my my character and not my circumstances chieflyl engage me.

Poor Golf and Prayers

My friend and I played a golf course in Sierra Vista yesterday. More accurately, we endured 9 holes. The course was not in good shape and the wind was howling at about 20 mph, both of which made playing a 'not fun thing'. So we stopped after 9 holes.
On the way home (back to the RV resort 30 miles north of the golf course) I asked him if he was a 'person of faith'. That led to an interesting 20 minute dialogue. He is not a Christian, but a man of deep faith. His faith, however, is centered in his high moral standards which he seeks to live faithfully day by day. He sees great value in Native American religion, but not the rattling of gourds, etc. The 'higher power' he recognizes is not the God to which Christians look and in whom believers cast their eternal hope. He believes Jesus was an historical figure who lived a high moral life and urged others to do likewise, but he would not call Jesus the Son of God, for he does not believe in God's existence. His family was/is fundamental Baptist and I believe that environment led to his skepticism about the Christian faith. He heard as a youth the attacks by Christians on non-believers and that soured him about Christianity. But I heard an echo of 'hunger' in him that I trust the Holy Spirit will nurture. So I'm asking, if you have a free moment, pray for my friend Charlie.

Today Helen and I are cleaning and straightening Texas Molly II. Tonight we dine with our Canadian friends next door. Today in our devotional time, Helen read from a book of prayers from which I will soon select one and put on this blog. Til then, I'm hoping you all have a wonderful day. Larry