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Mortared Again

Coffee cup shakin’ in his hand, Thousand-yard stare, poundin’ sand. Bad dream robbed him of his sleep, Wonderin’ if his soul will keep. The mortars from the tube they pop, Don’t know where the rounds will drop. They’re walkin’ toward his lonely post, He’s prayin’ that he isn’t toast. Then he wakes up with aContinue reading “Mortared Again”

Runnin’ the Border

Running the Bo It’s been five long years since we moved away from the border. I miss it, but it’s still only 20 miles away. It is a wild and crazy place, full of contradictions. Cultures collide, then mix and sometimes even meld. People are sociable, opinionated and thorny as the Cholla cactus.Continue reading “Runnin’ the Border”

Boot Camp

Hi-O-Lay! “Blee-Blee-O-Leh, Hi-O-Leh, Hi-O-Lay,” a song I still can hear, Though the rest of Sixty-Three, really ain’t all that clear. Gunny Buell countin’ cadence, beneath his Smokey Bear, Chest full of ribbons, though we never asked him where. There at the Depot, the Grinder was his home, Never let him catch you, lettin’ your eyeballsContinue reading “Boot Camp”

The Great Glasgow Jailbreak Glasgow, Montana 1903

I first heard the story from Tom (T.H.) Markle sixty years ago. As a young man he had come West to seek his fortune. He got off the Great Northern passenger train in a little place called Glasgow Montana one morning in 1903. Glasgow had started off as a railroad siding in 1887, but hadContinue reading “The Great Glasgow Jailbreak Glasgow, Montana 1903”

Royal Enfield Bullet:

The Bike That Wouldn’t Die There have been many great motorcycles over the years. The Crocker, the Knucklehead Harley, the Triumph and BSA Twins and the Brough Superior were all ahead of their time. They introduced new technologies, went faster and looked better than their predecessors. They all faded into the dustbin of historyContinue reading “Royal Enfield Bullet:”

Section 2, Row 7, Site Number 1

The band it was ‘a playing an uplifting martial beat, He maybe had a sweetheart, young and soft and sweet. His mother she stood bravely, holding back her tears, Surely he would be OK, in spite of all her fears. Hissing and ‘a huffing, the train blew off some steam, Rollin’ to the platform, likeContinue reading “Section 2, Row 7, Site Number 1”

The “Laid Down” Engine

Today is the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500. As a 13 year-old I listened to the 1958 race on KLTZ radio in Glasgow. The year before there had been a technological revolution in cars. Someone got the idea to lay the Offenhauser engine that dominated the race on its side. This lowered the profileContinue reading “The “Laid Down” Engine”

100,000 Miles at 100 Miles an Hour!

Caliente Means Hot In the Fall of 1963, Beatlemania was sweeping the land. Meanwhile, Ford’s Lincoln-Mercury Division was engaged in a spectacular stunt to prove the power and endurance of it’s sporty 289 V-8 equipped Comet Caliente. Five Comets would attempt to circle the high banks of Daytona Motor Speedway for 40 days and nightsContinue reading “100,000 Miles at 100 Miles an Hour!”

Long George Francis

The Outlaw and the Schoolmarm They said he rode with Curry, but we can never tell, but at the ridin’ and the ropin’ we knew he did excel. Perhaps he had a long rope, an orphan calf or two, those farmers and the ranchers never had a clue. Tall and slim and fitted out inContinue reading “Long George Francis”