Just to get all of you in a proper frame of mind for Memorial Day" weekend, this is a picture of Terry and Heath fishing the Anchor River in September 1981. He has a stick and bobber but I do not see any sign of fish. The person you see in the background is Shana walking the banks. Heidi was most likely taking a nap or sitting in the truck sneaking candy! Just to put things in the proper perspective, I was still in the Navy and two years from retirement. Seems so long ago, so much water under the bridge since then. Speaking of the bridge, it is still under construction! They assure us that it will be open in time for my birthday!
Speaking of the Navy, which I was before I got side tracked about the bridge. I am really disappointed that out of ten comments to my posting from yesterday, no one commented on the picture that I posted. That is unusual!
As well, no one got the correct answer to why the campground is called the
"Hole In the Wall". I figured, since it has become a gathering place I should shed a little light on the subject so all of you can appreciate the deliberate naming of the area. Someday, it could have historical significance. One of many of my favorite western genre movie stars was Robert Redford and Paul Newman. The characters portrayed in the movie were real, the movie portrayed their life and death. All of you gave me a copy of the movie for my birthday one year. The name of the movie is "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid". They had quite an elaborate hideout which they always returned to after a train or bank robbery. The law could never find it and it became a haven for those people of lesser character. They named their secret hideout, the "Hole In The Wall". Now you know the rest of the story! If you have never seen the movie, it is a great western with a lot of humor as only Paul Newman can do. As an antidote, the movie was filmed in Durango using the narrow gauge railroad. One scene in the movie where they jump off the cliff to elude the posse was filmed at Bakers Bridge on the Animas River where Shane and I fished when we lived in Durango.
Speaking of humor, "Butch" continues to give us a constant smile. Although, your mother was a little shook up, she did laugh out loud after it was all over with and "Butch" was not around. He spent the afternoon with us on Tuesday. Heath and Erica were working with the loader in the campground, so he and I went down to see what they were doing and so he could have a ride on the loader. He and I returned home. Heather also came up to the house after she got out of school and after I came in from working, I walked past my recliner and it kidnapped me for a quick nap. I was awakened by Terry, shouting at me that Hunter was missing. He had went out to play and was only out of sight for a few minutes. Terry was taking Heather home, so I headed to the snow plow, he likes to play in it. Not there, so he must be inside "armies House", not there either. I am calling him while trying to figure out where he would be hiding or playing. Ah, the new "multi-purpose building",he likes that but he is not there either. I head for the bluff over looking the pit, calling his name, then I hear a whimper and look down! He is about 3/4 of the way coming up the bluff, crying with big tears falling down his cheeks. It is muddy, he is muddy and crying! Just as he gets to the top of the bluff, I hear his mother tearing into the yard with grandma right behind her. By this time, we are out on the lawn as they all come piling out of the cars, I thought they would be happy that I found him - but they were reading him the riot act, which was a the second one that he had in the past minute because I had just finished with him. Then the rest of the story came out, which still brings a smile to me. He saw his dad and mom working in the campground so he went down there wanting another ride on the loader. They were just finishing up for the day and ready to go home. They had a assumed he had his grandmothers permission to go down to the campground and go home with them. So they let him ride home on the loader. When they get home, Butch heads down the driveway, not bothering to respond to their calling him to come back. They think is running away from home. Erica gets in the truck to follow, Hunter is running down the road with the Chevy right behind him, but he takes a short cut knowing that the Chevy cannot follow. He cuts down over the bank and into the campground, crosses the campground and is coming up the other side to our house when I intercepted him at the top of the bluff. He had actually cut across the campground faster than Erica drove around to the house by road so you know his little feet were moving. He knew that he was going to be in trouble with Grand Ma for leaving the yard and was trying to get back to safety before she discovered it from his parents. I have no concept how he was going to explain his running away from his parents. I would have given anything to see him coming across the pit, he must have been flying! It is so great being a grandfather and being able to laugh at some of the things that the little people do! Revenge is sweet! Perhaps with our own "Butch" it is very appropriate that the campground be called the "Hole In the Wall".