Ruby at the Park

 

I took Ruby for a walk in the park after a recent rain.  It was beautiful.  The air was fresh and the rain had freed the leaves from the trees, carpeting the park in a most picturesque way.

We usually walk at a pretty good clip during our walks, but I asked Ruby to sit for a few photos first.  Her confusion shows in her expression as she is wondering why I had her sit when there was a perfectly good walking path right in front of us.

So she sat like a good girl but every little motion caught her attention.

Is that a dog over there?

We then went on our normal walk and when we were finished I asked her to pose again.  She was more accepting of it this time because I wasn't keeping her from her walk - now posing was saving her from going back home.

She sat there very politely.

Perhaps she thought I was stretching this out a bit long.

We moved one more time and just as I had her sit again, a light rain started to fall.  Her expression says it all - why on earth are we sitting here in the rain?

But she remained a good girl.

And now she's just annoyed with me.  She's not much for getting wet, so I told her she had been very good, gave her a treat and we returned to the car.  

It was a very unusual and pleasant afternoon!

And now my dog thinks I'm crazy.

Happy Thanksgiving 2021

Dave, Mateo, Troy and my wife.  Filling their plates!

Corn and mashed potatoes?

Decisions, decisions.

The feast

The cook preparing the feast

Back Fence Has Been Replaced

In the spring of 2021, we had very strong winds in San Diego that pushed our back fence over a bit.  It leaned at a 15 degree angle in the spring and by the end of summer, it was more of a 35-40 degree angle.  The only thing holding it up at all were the vines growing on it.

In April 2021 we received bids for a new fence but they all had a 6 month backlog of work, meaning they couldn't install our fence until the fall!  But they finally did and it looks great.

In the mean time, wood prices had risen dramatically so there was a surcharge on the lumber.  I had the fence re-bid by other contractors and they told the same story - higher wood prices meant a higher fence price.  And if I switched conractors, I would go back to the end of their 6 month wait list!

So I stayed with my original contractor and he did a fine job.

It looks straight as an arrow.  Once the wood dries out, I'll repaint it the original color.

That might be awhile though as we are now in the rainy season and in-between rains we've been having moist nights.  

 

Melvin and Delvin Drum

 

I came across this touching father-and-son picture in a photo album I inherited from my parents.   The photo was developed in September 1959, there is nothing written on the back, and I couldn't identify the people in the photo.  So I asked my relatives.

They said this photo shows Melvin Drum and his son Delvin and was probably taken in the town where they lived: Perryton, Texas.  My ancestors arrived in Ochiltree county, where Perryton is located, before 1910.

My grandmother grew up in a family of 11 children - 5 girls and 6 boys.  The age range was so great that the only female sibling left at home while she grew up was her sister Mae, so the two sisters became very close.   Mae had a daughter Thelma who married a man named Drum.  Thelma and her husband named their son Melvin Drum.

My father had just joined the Air Force in 1959 and was stationed in Nebraska, so it is likely he visited his mother in the Oklahoma panhandle that year and visited Melvin and his family in Perryton located about an hour away while he was in the area.  That is probably where he took this photo.

This piqued my interest so I did a bit of research this week.

In 1979 Melvin became a deputy in the Perryton Police Department.   By 1987, he was Chief Deputy and his son Delvin, the little boy in the photo above, was also a deputy for Perryton.

On Saturday March 28, 1987 in Perryton, Alvin Crane and his wife Linda were having a domestic dispute.  Alvin broke the windows on his wife's car with a shovel and the police were called twice.  In the afternoon of that same day, Linda went to a 91-year old woman's home to perform her job as a practical nurse.   Alvin showed up, so Linda called the police for the third time that day.

Delvin was on duty and Melvin heard the call on his scanner.  Knowing his son would have to handle the situation, Melvin sat a red flashing police light on the dash of his unmarked car and drove to the 91-year old's house.  He was the first to arrive and was not in uniform but had pinned his badge to his western style shirt.

Before he could exit his car,  Alvin Crane approached and shot Melvin in the face at close range with a 16 gauge shotgun.  Melvin died at the scene.  Alvin fled before Delvin arrived and discovered his 57 year old father had been murdered.

Roadblocks were quickly set up throughout Texas and Oklahoma.  Alvin Crane was captured a few hours later near his home in Beaver County, Oklahoma.   Alvin was convicted and sentenced to death.  The state of Texas carried out the sentence on Tuesday, October 12th, 1999 at 6 PM.

Melvin was the first - and hopefully last - officer to die in the line of duty in Perryton.

Delvin Drum died of cancer 7 years after his father's death.  Delvin was only 39 years old.

The last time I saw them I was 1 year old so I have no recollection, but my relatives speak very fondly of Melvin, Delvin, and the rest of the Drum family.  They were - and are - a great bunch of people and we're proud to have them in our family tree.

And that's the sad tale behind this sweet photo.   Rest in peace, Melvin and Delvin.  You are not forgotten.

Troy and Mateo's Birthday

Troy and Mateo's birthday party was held at their aunt's house recently.  A good time was had by all!

Here is the birthday boy, Mateo.  He turned 10.

Here is the birthday boy, Troy.  He turned 12.

Preparing for the pinata.

The kids are anxious!

Almost time!  For videos, see the bottom of this post.

Reviewing their take from the pinata.

 

Ruby's In A Hurry

Ruby Was Concerned

 

While laying in the grass during Troy's football practice,  I looked up to see this. 

She was just checking on me!

An Evening With A Friend

We had dinner with a friend we've known for decades.  First she took a photo of us...

Then we took a photo of her with my wife.  Great to catch up!
 

Cocina del Charro

We went out to dinner at Cocina del Charro last night to hear Jimmy and Enrique play.  Quite a peaceful, enjoyable evening.

Stillwater: the town and the movie

 One of my two "home town"s (Marysville/Yuba City in California being the other) is about to become famous worldwide: Stillwater, Oklahoma. A movie titled "Stillwater" debuted at Cannes in July and received a five minute standing ovation. Matt Damon, who stars in the movie, attended the debut and was moved to tears by the ovation. The trailer for the movie is linked below.

The first time I heard of the town I was fifteen. As with most military families, we moved every four years when my father was given new orders. We would know months in advance that we were moving, but the Air Force wouldn't decide where until a month or two prior to the move. They gave my dad his orders: Stillwater, Oklahoma. We quickly did research on that town, getting ahold of a map from somewhere (not easy in pre-internet days). When we arrived, it was like no other town I'd ever lived in. I was in culture shock for a good year. But I grew to love the town and its residents. Good, solid, loving people. You deserve this film, Stillwater!

By the way, it is a fictional story that looks to me to be loosely based on the real Amanda Knox story.

Oh, and all of those architectural studies shown a few posts back? Those were done at OSU in Stillwater!

Independence Day

 

We had a great time at an afternoon party at a friends house on July 4th.  Here are Dave and the boys playing a bit of b-ball.

Troy and Teo enjoying the pool.

Old pros in the pool by now!

Which one of us is wetter?