Texas Tidbits: Forty-Seven Years Ago in Dallas...

The 35th President of the United States

Today is one of those dates that when something historic happens, you recall exactly where you were and what you were doing. On November 22, 1963, I was in first grade at Springdale Elementary School in Fort Worth, Mrs. Gill's class. The school is about 32 miles from where the tragedy took place in downtown Dallas. Dallas, Texas, the United States and the world changed forever on that sunny November afternoon 47 years ago. It's a time so long ago, but it is still fresh in our minds, like it happened yesterday.

A young, dynamic President died that day and America, with echoes of I Love Lucy, Ozzie and Harriet and Leave It to Beaver ringing in our ears, lost her innocence and the city of Dallas would, for decades, be known as "that place where President Kennedy was killed". Thankfully, Big D would become one of the biggest cities in the country, home to Fortune 500 companies and as well-known for the Dallas Cowboys as it was as "that place where President Kennedy was killed". But the thing that made this horrible incident resonate so loudly with the American people was that it was immediately brought into our living rooms by a still-young medium called television. Never before in our nation's history had a history-making event been brought straight into our living rooms. We could actually see Dealey Plaza and Parkland Hospital, where the President was declared dead. We could see the pink dress the First Lady was wearing, her husband's blood splattered all over it. These images allowed us all to "be there" as events unfolded around the assassination. Two days later, as the nation and the world watched, Jack Ruby mortally wounded the President's accused killer, Lee Harvey Oswald, on live TV. It was almost surreal. Can this be happening before our very eyes? Or is it a horrible nightmare from which we would awake and everything would be fine?

Years later, I met a man we'll call Bill. Bill was the man who took his neighbor to work on November 22, 1963. That neighbor was carrying a package with him as he got into Bill's car. He said it was curtain rods. The neighbor's name? Lee Harvey Oswald. My friend, Bill, was an unwitting accomplice to history. I knew Bill for many years before moving out of the Metroplex and he never mentioned that day to me. I found out about it through one of Bill's family members, who is still a close friend of mine.

I forgot to mention earlier that my Mom and two sisters were shopping near downtown Fort Worth the day of the assassination and the were amongst hundreds of people who watched the Presidential motorcade as it headed out of Fort Worth after President Kennedy's speech to some group or another. I don't even know if either of them even remember this or not.

Those are my thoughts about November 22, 1963. Please share yours with us in the comments. We'd love to hear from you.

***Thanks for the linkage to The Blogmocray!***

***I deliberately did not link to any video or photographs of the killing of President Kennedy. We've seen them all ad nauseam.***

Some Things To Be Grateful For

Life is a crazy thing. Just when you get set in your ways or life gets a bit predictable, WHAM(!), it hits you right in the kisser and all sorts of excitement follows. Excitement like a broken elbow, falling in love, a 2000 mile bus ride, a new daughter (ready made), a new baby and marriage, all in a faraway land. In a nutshell, that's exactly what happened to me starting six years ago today.

It Started Here.

Some background: I used to hang out in the chat rooms on AOL when I had a little free time. And believe or not, I developed some friendships which endure to this day. One of those "friendships" went a little deeper than the others. Twice as deep as a matter of fact. Their names are Heather and Isabella. Heather and I were friend on AOL for a while before we actually spoke to each other on the telephone. That's where the broken elbow comes in. In November, 2004, a few months after my Dad died,  I moved to Colorado to spend some time with and to help my Mom with some stuff. A few weeks later, on the 21st, I called Heather to talk to her for the first time. It's a bit hard to see in the photo, but from that door way on the left, there are twelve steps to the front door of the house. I was at the top of those steps when it happened. I tripped and went assholes and elbows tumbling down them. As I fell, I threw the phone into the street below and I heard it crash. As I'm falling, I am thinking, "Dammit, I just broke Mom's phone!" The fall was in super slow mo, like you see on a football game. After making sure I was still alive, I went inside, my conversation on the phone with Heather obviously over, holding my left elbow and the attendant flood of blood that accompanied it, and my Mom was freaking out when she saw me. Before I go any further, NO I WAS NOT DRUNK!!! Long story short, I broke my elbow in five places. By the way, the phone scattered all over the street below and Mark, my step dad, found all the pieces, re-assembled them and that phone works to this day. Heather later told me that when the phone went dead, she thought that I did not like her much because I hung up on her. Little did she know.

Eighteen months later, in May, I hopped a bus out of Denver and headed east towards Maine. Nobody knew where I was or if I was dead or alive. After a cross country ride, I arrived in Augusta, Maine on Saturday, May 13, 2006. I am still here. Isabella, my ready made little girl, was just shy of four years old. She's now eight years old and I am her Daddy. Bailey was born on February 1, 2007 and Heather and I got married on February 16, 2008. I wasn't really sure what to expect when I got here, but I am grateful to God that things turned out like they did. I never was much for doing things the conventional way.

This story epitomizes that "life thing" I opened this story with. I was a ramblin', gamblin' man (literally...I lived at the casinos in my town in Colorado) one minute, and the next I am 2000 miles away with a new family and a new life and I ain't complainin'.

These last six years have been a blessing that seven years ago seemed impossible. Heather has smoothed some of the "rough edges" that I had before coming here, Isabella has changed my life in ways she won't understand for a few years and Bailey the Three Year Old is Daddy's baby girl.

Thank you Heather for making my life whole again. I love you. Thank you, Issy for being the best first little girl that a Daddy could ever have. I love you. And, Bailey, you have made our little family complete. I love you. And, God, I hope that this story gives another man hope about having a family when life looks like it has passed him by. Let me encourage you, my brothers, I was 49 years old when Heather, Isabella and I became a family, and 50 years old when Bailey completed our little group. Just remember, that God will steer you in the right direction when the time is right, so never lose faith or believe that He has forgotten you. He hasn't, He just does things His way and you have to accept that.

I love all three of my girls and wouldn't trade them for a Kingdom and all it's gold. they are much more precious to me than that. I love you Girls. And, dear God, thank you for such a wonderful gift to celebrate at this time of year.

How Time Flies and a Right Hand Turn

On the Way Out

I got a question for you. Has this year gone by as quick as a hiccup? I ask that because as I get older time seems to zip on by, except when I go shopping with my wife, then five minutes feels like a week and a half. I just looked down at my desktop clock and the date reads "11/21". How can that be? It just doesn't seem possible. Alas, the calendar does not lie.

And numbers don't lie either. Numbers like, you know, Election Results. :) I just feel like reminding the dumbasses that voted for O'Bumbles, that their guy is an unmitigated disaster as our Chief Executive. Unemployment over 9%? Check. Failure of the so called stimulus package? Check. Trillion dollar deficits as far as the eye can see? Check. Once again, I pose this question, how does that Conservative ass taste you pinheads? Oh... and have a nice day. :)

As you've noticed, I've been writing about my kids quite a bit lately. There's no particular reason, it's just that reasons to do so keep jumping out at me, so I write what I feel. I hope you don't mind. I deliberately put the election results as the first post today. I did it because, I feel like we have gained a little more control of our nation and I'm much more positive about what the future holds for my children. Granted, there is still much work to do, but I like the change of direction we took with the recent electoral enema Obama and his fellow travelers received. But, I ain't gettin' too excited, there's still plenty of shit to be flushed before we can even take a quick breath.

I believe in the people of this country and their desire for the freedoms and liberties we sometimes take for granted. I think that the results of the mid term elections prove that when we see our rights being trampled upon by idjits like the current resident at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, we, the people, sit up and take notice and then hit the sorry bastards (Liberals) with a clue by four, at which time, they sit up and take notice, then cry about how misunderstood they are. What a bunch of pansies.

Maine Minutiae:Toby Went to School Yesterday (UPDATE)

In this post from yesterday, I told you about how I was the guest reader in my 8 year old daughter's second grade class. I read Merry Christmas, Curious George to the students. I knew a few of the kids because they live in our neighborhood. So, I wasn't too much of a fish out of water.

The children seemed to enjoy my rendition of the book because I changed my voice to match the characters in the book. It seems the kids love a little ham  :)  I kept them in rapt attention.

Upon finishing the book, I opened up the floor for questions from the class. The first question came from Jade. "Will you come back again?" After exchanging a "what do I say here" look with the teacher who nodded her approval, I said that I'd love to come back anytime it was OK with the teacher. The kids seemed to like that answer. I'm thinking to myself at this point, "I got 'em eatin' outta my hand". As it is wont to do, with the next question, reality slapped me up side the head with a clue by four. A cute little girl asked me, "Issy said you brought gingerbread, did you?" A vicious blow to my ego. They just loved me for the gingerbread I brought along for a treat. Ah, what the heck. It's a small price to pay to see all those wide-eyed kids hanging on my every word as I read to them.

I'd like to thank Ms. Smith and her students for having as a guest reader yesterday. It was privilege and an honor to be a part of your class for a few minutes. next time I get the chance to read to you all again, I'll try to make it closer to recess time, so us kids can go out and play kickball together. :)

Texas Tidbits Extra! Santa Elena Canyon by Bob Zeller

My good friend, Bob, over at Texas Tweeties, has posted one of the most amazing photos I have ever seen. Click on the following link then click on the photo Bob has posted to enlarge it. In the bottom left hand corner (at about 7 o'clock in the photo), you'll see a tiny dark figure. That's a full grown man! Bob has taken what could have been a good photo and made it an amazing work of art. Check it out and you'll see what I mean.

Texas Tidbits: A Look at the Other Side of the Battle of the Alamo

I have always held the Battle of the Alamo in the highest of regard. It was fought by Texicans who were trying to preserve the rights afforded them by the Constitution of Mexico of 1824. We all know the basic facts of the story, but few of us know many details about the battle. One of the best ways to learn about what went on at the Battle of the Alamo is to get the observations of the participants. I found some of these first hand accounts at an interesting web site, texasescapes.com, that has all sorts of fascinating history about Texas. It's worth the time you spend there, so if you find Texas History interesting, you owe it to yourself to stop by the place.

Here's an excerpt from a letter written by a Mexican soldier who was a member of Santa Ana's army, "Mexican Soldier to brothers of the heart - San Antonio de Bexar: The attack was made in four columns, led by General Cos, General Morales, Duque de Estrada, and Romero. I marched under the immediate command of General Cos and tell you what I saw. The rest of the letter can be found here. I never really thought of the way the soldiers of the Mexican Army saw this battle in particular and the Texas Revolution as a whole, but I feel inspired to learn more about that perspective of the war. You'll be able to learn so much more about the Battle of the Alamo right here. There are many resources from which to choose. It's some great stuff.


While we can easily find first hand accounts of the battle from the Mexican side of things, getting an eyewitness account of the fight from the Texican side is a bit more problematic. However, I have a good place for you to start - at this link featuring letters from the Alamo. Incredible stuff there.

I'm sure as it gets closer to March, that I'll repost much of this information and a ton of new stuff as well. The Battle of the Alamo, as tragic as it was for Texas, it was equally important for Mexico. Both sides of the issue deserve a fair shake as to the way they perceived the battle and the war. And we'll do just that in the coming weeks and months.

Maine Minutiae: Toby Goes to School (Again)

Monkey Business in Second Grade

I am going to do something today that if you'd have told me I was going to do it a few years ago, I would have told you that you were nuts. I would have been wrong and you would not be nuts. This is momentous occasion, not only in my life, but in the life of my 8 year old daughter, Isabella. Dear Old Dad (that would be me), is going to Grant Avenue Elementary School this afternoon to read to Isabella's second grade class. For such a special event, Issy her own self, after much study and thought, has chosen for me to read Merry Christmas, Curious George. I was thinking more along the lines of a couple of articles from Bassmasters Magazine, but Issy failed to see the educational value of tying Palomar knots or working a spinner bait parallel to a weed bed. At any rate, Curious George beat out the Bassmasters. I've got to have a long talk with that kid about priorities. Sheesh.

So at 12:45pm EST, I will stand in front of Ms. Smith's second grade class and extol the virtues of Curious George and Christmas for a little while, I'll be coolest Dad in the whole dang second grade. It may not be my rendition of Merry Christmas, Curious George that wins the day with the class, but the chocolate fudge brownies I'm taking with me should earn me a couple of "cool Dad" points.

I have done this sort of thing before, many years ago when I was a radio DJ kinda guy, but oddly enough, I've never done it for one of my own kids' classes. I'm sure it'll be a load of fun.

Now, I've just got to figure out how to incorporate spinner baits and palomar knots into a story about Curious George and Christmas.

***Some names were changed to ensure privacy and safety***