The Ranch Life Today was our last day at Red River Ranch. We will all roll out of here literally heading off to all the compass points some time tomorrow morning. Some may leave before breakfast if they are trying to get home in one day. That would be Mark & Jeanne, who are heading due south 557 miles to Phoenix. That’s a long day on a bike, but at least it’s a Harley dresser.…
Open Range As you all know, I chose to call my blog The Old Lone Ranger when I launched it in 2019. The reference is not so hard to figure out. Most men of my age probably watched a lot of TV cowboys, and few titillated us more than The Lone Ranger. There was both an air of mystery about him and a strong sense of righteousness. He was open-minded enough to have a Native…
The Gang’s Almost All Here This is our first real gathering since COVID. Twenty-three of us on a motorcycle ride in Southern Utah have come together for five nights in a classic Western Lodge set on a lazy river with Cottonwood trees and a large pasture in front with a small herd of American Bison. This lodge has fifteen rooms, a large three-story Great Room and a good-sized dining room with an old model railroad…
Mothers Day This morning my sister Kathy and I received a text from my sister Barbara with a picture of my mother’s grave marker. The marker is a bronze image of our mother in her youth, her DOB and DOD spanning 100+ years, and the expression of love, “We will look for you always.” It still, four years since her death, brings a pang to my heart. I feel the need to examine that sentiment…
Homebody Betty For eleven years we had Cecil and he followed the nature of his Bichon breed and could never be left alone, even for a few hours, since his high anxiety nature would cause him to do strange retaliatory things. For instance, once when he left alone for a few hours, he jumped up onto the kitchen table and peed all over it. That sort of action can only be designed to pass a…
A Day in the Life Today my son Thomas arrived for an eight-day visit with us here on our little hilltop. We have both been very excited about this day for a long time and kept our fingers crossed that the gods of aviation would not throw any snafus in his way West. He was scheduled to arrive at 11:13am, which meant that he would be coming out the door more or less at 11:30.…
The Homecoming In another six weeks or so, Kim and I will drive into the driveway of 313 Warren Road in Ithaca. I have had that address as one of my homes since 1996 when I took a long term leasehold on the property and renovated it to my liking. Since then I have used the house for a decade as a vacation home and Alma Mater gathering spot, for another decade as a weekly…
Earth Day Today I am advised through multiple emails and social media posts that it is Earth Day. I am somewhat surprised that Earth Day began in its current formal form in 1970, when I was sixteen years old. That means that Earth Day is fifty-one years old this year. For my entire adult life e have been focused on environmental issues. I also remember the summer of 1971 when I spent that summer before…
Same Time Next Year In the last story I posted I referenced two Alfred Hitchcock movies that figured prominently two noteworthy venues which seem to be forever remembered as the places where those movies were shot. In the case of Bodega Bay, I’m guessing that movie (The Birds) may have been the best thing that ever happened to that little nothing of a burg. The movie was filmed 58 years ago and people are still…
Making a Music Video Kim has always had and still has a passion for music. From singing and dancing in the girl’s room in Kindergarten to studying theater at Indiana University to doing the Broadway musical roadshow circuit to playing cabaret to being Board President of Singnasium, Kim is all about music. She is constantly taking classes at Singnasium. Here favorites have been jazz singing and scatting with Gabrielle Stravelli. She is currently taking a…