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Sunday, August 30, 2015

THE CLOSING OF THE ROY ROGERS MUSEUM


I wrote a blog post about Roy Roger's on his birthday (9 month's ago) and another one about Trigger in 2010 (one of the first posts I wrote!) Today, I report the sad news that the Roy Rogers Museum in Barnson, MO has closed its doors and all the wonderful items in the collection have been auctioned off. 

Mike Fry wrote this piece about the event and posted it on facebook. I found it very interesting and hope you will, too. However, I don't come to the same conclusions he did about my generation. We, as a general rule, failed at our most important job...raising the next generation! We over-indulged them and didn't pass on the morals and values that we were taught. One example is our television programming and movies. Hollywood once felt the obligation to improve society. Now they seem bent on destroying it.




THE END OF AN ERA.......

The Roy Rogers Museum in Branson, MO has closed its doors forever.

The contents of the museum were sold at a public auction.

Roy Rogers told his son, if the museum ever operates at a loss,

close it And sell the contents. He complied.
Note the follow-on article truly the end of an era.

Here is a partial listing of some of the items that were sold at auction...

Roy 's 1964 Bonneville sold for $254,500, it was estimated to Sell between 100 and 150 thousand dollars.

His script book from the January 14,1953 episode of This Is Your Life sold for $10,000 (EST. $800-$1,000).

A collection of signed baseballs (Pete Rose, Duke Snyder and other greats) sold for $3,750.

A collection of signed bats (Yogi Berra, Enos Slaughter, Bob Feller, and others) sold for $2,750.

Trigger 's saddle and bridle sold for $386,500 (EST. 100-150 K).

One of many of Roy 's shirts sold for $16,250 and one of his many cowboy hats sold for $17,500.

One set of boot spurs sold for $10,625.
(He never used a set of spurs on Trigger).

A life size shooting gallery sold for $27,500.

Various chandeliers sold from $6,875 to $20,000.
Very unique and artistic in their western style.

A signed photograph by Don Larsen taken during his perfect game in the world series against The Dodgers on Oct. 8, 1953, along with a signed baseball to Roy from Don, sold for $2,500.

Two fabulous limited edition BB guns in their original boxes with numerous photos of Roy, Dale,
Gabby, and Pat sold for $3,750.

A collection of memorabilia from his shows entertaining the troops in Vietnam sold for $938.
I never knew he was there.

His flight jacket sold for $7,500.

His set of dinner ware plates and silverware sold for $11,875.

The Bible they used at the dinner table every night sold for $8,750.

One of several of his guitars sold for $27,500.

Nellybelle sold for $116,500.

A fabulous painting of Roy, Dale, Pat, Buttermilk, Trigger, and Bullet sold for $10,625.

One of several sets of movie posters sold for $18,750.

A black and white photograph of Gene Autry with a touching inscription from Gene to Roy sold for $17,500.

A Republic Productions Poster bearing many autographs of the people that played in Roy 's movies sold for $11,875.

Dale 's horse, Buttermilk (whose history is very interesting) sold below the presale estimate for $25,000. (EST. 30-40 K).

Bullet sold for $35,000 (EST. 10-15 K). He was their real pet.

Dale's parade saddle, estimated to sell between 20-30 K, sold for $104,500.

One of many pairs of Roy's boots sold for $21,250.

Trigger sold for $266,500.

Do you remember the 1938 movie The Adventures of Robin Hood, With Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland?

Well Olivia rode Trigger in that movie.

Trigger was bred on a farm co-owned by Bing Crosby.
Roy bought Trigger on a time payment plan for $2,500.

Roy and Trigger made 188 movies together.

Trigger even out did Bob Hope by winning an Oscar in the movie Son of Paleface in 1953.

It is extremely sad to see this era lost forever. Despite the fact that Gene and Roy 's movies, as well as those of other great characters, can be bought or rented for viewing, today 's kids would rather
spend their time playing video games.

Today it takes a very special pair of parents to raise their kids with the right values and morals.

These were the great heroes of our childhood, and they did teach us right from wrong, and how to have and show respect for each other and the animals that share this earth.

You and I were born at the right time.

We were able to grow up with these great people even if we never met them.

In their own way they taught us patriotism and honor, we learned that lying and Cheating were bad, and sex wasn't as important as love.

We learned how to suffer through disappointment and failure and work through it.

Our lives were drug free.

So it 's good-bye to Roy and Dale, Gene and Hoppy, The Lone Ranger and Tonto.

Farewell to Sky King and Superman and Sgt. Friday and don't forget Pat Butrum and Gabby Hayes.

Thanks to Capt..Kangaroo, Mr. Rogers and Capt. Noah and all those people whose lives touched ours, and made them better.


It was a great ride through childhood.

HAPPY TRAILS MY FRIENDS

Anyone under 50...won't understand or care!

Saturday, August 29, 2015

IN THE HEART OF A MUSTANG

My newest novel, In the Heart of a Mustang, is available NOW in ebook format. It is available exclusively for Kindles. Click here to order:

 http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=In+the+Heart+of+a+Mustang

It will be available in print in September. I'll keep you posted about the release day.

Sunday, August 23, 2015

ABOUT MUSTANG SALLY AND HER FRIENDS


In the Heart of a Mustang will be released soon!

My newest book which is titled "In the Heart of a Mustang" is about a boy who is told that his father was a brave and virtuous man, a soldier who traded his life to save the lives of countless others. He was the man that Hunter needed to emulate. The only problem is the whole story is a lie, all of it. The truth, which Hunter discovers as he begins  his sophomore year of high school, is that his father has actually spent the boy's entire life in jail, paying his debt to society, but not mending his ways.

Meanwhile, a wild mustang mare is rounded up by the BLM. The spring rains had been sparse, the forage on the plains even more so. The mare and her herd are rescued from certain starvation and placed for adoption. In a sandy corral at Promise Ranch, a home for troubled teenage boys, the boy and the mare meet. A weathered, old cowboy brings them together - a mentor for one, a trainer for the other.

The bond that forms between boy and horse becomes one that saves the lives of both.



The wild mustangs that roam the western United States are descendants of Spanish or Iberian horses that were brought to the US in the 16th century. The modern horses are now a cross with Quarter Horses, draft horses and any other horse that has been lost or let loose. They are now considered a breed of their own.

The name mustang comes from the word "Mustango" which means "ownerless beast" or "stray horse."

They are popular as riding or ranch horses due to their stamina and speed. In addition, their study legs make them less prone to injury. They come in a variety of colors. Mustang Sally, the star of "In the Heart of a Mustang" is a dun...a light tan body with black mane, tail and legs. See her picture on the cover:

In the book, I give you lots of information on how the horses live and how to train them.

Here is part of what you will learn:
The horses live in grassland areas of the western United States. They must remain on public land that is controlled by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM.) They are allowed to run free on 34 million acres over several states. 

The mustangs live in herds. Most herds consist of 1 stallion and 8 mares with their young. Each herd is led by the stallion and one mare (I call her the "Alpha Mare.")When in danger, the mare leads the herd to safety while the stallion will stay and fight. 

These horses are protected under the 1971 "Wild Horse and Burro Program." It has been updated and amended many times since then. The BLM has set the appropriate management level (ALM) at 26,217. As of March 1, 2015, there were 58,150! As of July, 2015, 47,000 mustangs are being held in holding facilities at a cost of $43 million! 

In the book, Smokey, the ranch hand at Promise Ranch, adopts 12 mustangs. The adoptions in Arizona take place in Florence, AZ at the state correctional facility. There are generally around 500 horses and burros available. Adoptions take place on Fridays by appointment. It costs $150 to $700 per horse paid to the correctional facility and another $125 for a BLM fee. You must be pre-approved to make an appointment. You can call the BLM at 602-417-9421 or by downloading the app here: 

http://www.blm.gov/style/medialib/blm/wo/Planning_and_Renewable_Resources/wild_horses_and_burros/adoption_application.Par.32707.File.dat/BLM_4710-010.pdf

BE WATCHING FOR THE RELEASE OF

IN THE HEART OF A MUSTANG

I'LL ANNOUNCE IT HERE!



Sunday, August 16, 2015

MY NEW BOOK IS ALMOST HERE!

I am excited to announce that my newest book is almost ready for release! I just got the front cover back from the designer. Isn't it cool! The back cover isn't ready yet. The interior editing and formatting is done, however.

The book is titled: "In the Heart of a Mustang." It is a young adult novel about a boy who gets in trouble with the law and is sent to a ranch for troubled teens. There he meets a wild mustang mare that has been adopted from the BLM. An immediate bond forms between the two. The boy learns a lot about himself as the old ranch cowboy teaches him how to train the horse. As tragedy befalls the boy, the mare saves his life. He, in turn, must save her.

You are going to love this story! My next post will be about mustangs.