Visit with Jim, Kit Carson

Picture: Another one from the photo walk last Saturday.

To town earlier today to go to the post office and the grocery store. Took the time to do some walking: from the post office to town center then west and south to Jim's house. Stopped in for coffee and a twinkie (haven't had one of those for many a year), conversation and a few more of Jim's stories. He has a lot and I always find them interesting and entertaining since they inform me of times in these here parts that I wasn't part of - raised in South Bend and then travels to Japan and California and Washington before coming back to the Midwest in 1975. Jim spent fifteen years listening to other people's stories as he bar tended. Told me about a guy you could always tell when his stories were getting to be tall tales rather than the scout's honor's truth; think he said his name was Speedy. Well, Speedy, once he got to the point where he was embellishing, or about to embellish, he would always start his fingers drumming on the bar and just keep a drumming till he finished up with his story, or the tall part of his story. Jim had to chuckle in remembering Speedy. Long time ago, it seems. I had to agree as he was referring to the early to mid 70's when our own kids were just babes in the woods and the world, of course, was a much simpler place. (I can hear my grandparents laughing at the thought of life int he '70's being simpler.)

Speaking about far gone times: Did you catch the Kit Carson story on PBS last night? It was a goodie. I really didn't know the man, have never read that much about him. Married to three women during his life but never did spend much time with them - he was out riding around the country doing one thing and another - trapping, surveying, guiding, hunting Indians. The Navajo don't think much of him as he was more than instrumental in rounding them up and getting them on a march that reportedly killed one third of the 9000 that started.

Diane's getting dinner on the table; best I head that way.