Some 2023 Memorial Holiday Thoughts from Grays Hollow

Not all encounters created terrible memories

Some 2023 Memorial Holiday Thoughts from Grays Hollow

For once, the approaching holiday here on Grand Lake will not be featuring high water that will require special attention in the name of safety. So we can ponder other pressing thoughts like to blog or not to blog. Thanks to encouragement from our friends at American Bank of Oklahoma in Disney, most specifically Stacy Landon, we’re prepared to increase our time investment in Grand Times on Grand Lake with yours truly. Thanks to the American Bank Sponsorship many of you will receive our blog via e-mail, if this isn’t of your liking the unsubscribe button is always an option….The Memorial Holiday is dead ahead and here we come ready or not

 This particular holiday has a special reason for being on the calendar, as it was originally established to honor those who perished, on both sides, during the civil war. Memorial Day always stirs memories of my own military service, friends lost along the way and lessons learned.

 If I have ever grown up, which is doubted by many, credit needs to be extended to three major influences in my life. My parents were a major influence with respect to those things we learn during our youth which many call the formative years. They implanted values that have proven their worth throughout my life. The Bell System provided me with my first real experience in the corporate world, but the entity which probably influenced my life the most is the United States Marine Corps.

 As a typical near “Baby-boomer,” who never wanted for much of anything throughout the first twenty-two years of life, I didn’t perceive my enlistment in the Marine Corps as much more of an obstacle than anything else I had encountered in my short life. I was in for a rather abrupt introduction to life in the corps.

 My drill instructor really didn’t care who my daddy was, whether our family was poverty stricken, embedded in the upper middle class or wealthy. All he was interested in doing was breaking me and my fellow recruits down to zero resistance and then molding us into Marines. Until he completed the task at hand, we were known as slime balls, pukes and several unprintable names, but never a United States Marine until we graduated from boot camp. We had been transformed from a value of nothing in the all knowing eyes of our drill instructor to a valued asset of our country. And the common thread which now bound us together was simply this; the goal of the group always exceeded that of the individual.

 I have always felt the lessons I learned as a leatherneck have served me well throughout my life. The emphasis on commitment, loyalty to others, discipline and sacrifice are not taught in any college classroom I’m aware of. I know of no better way to come to realize what a great nation this is than to spend some time in a faraway place where the things we take for granted are unheard of. My time in Corps was well spent with a return on investment which is difficult to calculate by today’s standards or lack thereof. But one thing that is easily embraced is the importance of those who came before us and paid the ultimate sacrifice for the way of life we enjoy today.

 Regardless of the branch of service, we owe a great deal of gratitude to all of our veterans who answered the call. On this holiday, I would suggest at least a moment of silence to pay homage to those who gave their lives to preserve the greatest nation on the planet. The number of Americans, who saw action on D-Day to initiate the liberation of Europe or stormed the beaches at Iwo Jima, Guadal Canal, Saipan and many other distant places is dwindling. Many of today’s now generation perceive the scenes portrayed in the “Saving of Private Ryan” as merely a Hollywood production to sell movie goers tickets for a profit. The real stars of those portrayed scenes are receiving orders for a different campaign in a different locale at a rapid rate. We can’t acknowledge their contributions soon enough.

 We can now add places like Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan to the many places that have placed our troops in harm’s way. The lives surrendered there are of no less importance than those given in any other war. It warms my heart to see the outpouring of support for our service personnel in the way of internet posts and other ways of showing support for a thankless job once again well done.

 For those currently embracing the mumblings of some politicians and talking heads about isolationism, perhaps a chat with a Pearl Harbor vet, while there still are some, might be in order. Or perhaps a cruise beneath the Golden Gate Bridge, to view the gun positions installed to protect San Francisco from a possible Pacific invasion, just might open some eyes. On this holiday, originally intended to honor the loss of life on both sides during the Civil War and later expanded to include much, much more, let’s take time for a well-deserved salute, American style.

 For me, my Marine Corps roots are special and I can still remember the incessant laughing of my uncle Kermit, a USMC veteran of the invasions at Iwo Jima and Guadal Canal, when I proudly told him I had enlisted in the Corps. Perhaps I was just destined to serve in an organization which was born in a tavern a year prior to the Declaration of our country’s Independence. Just goes to show you that not all ideas conceived in a bar are bad. Perhaps I’ll visit Tun Tavern in Philadelphia someday……If only those walls could talk. And I’ll raise my glass of Scotch, of course, and proclaim to all those present or who have frequented the tavern in the past. “Here’s to checks for wars, written by politicians and cashed by the men and women wearing the uniform of the United States of America.”

 See Ya’ Around the Pond!!    

Gene Gregg: A One-of-a-Kind Grand Lake Pioneer

 Our friend Gene Gregg, who ran Airport Resort, or in recent years known as Tera Miranda, for some fifty years, passed away last weekend at the tender age of 96. Don’t know of many people on this lake more respected far and wide than Gene. A gathering will be hosted by Gene’s son Shane at Doc’s at Shangri-La on Saturday, March 4th, getting underway at 1:00 PM to swap stories about the late, great Gene Gregg. Just maybe the history of those Cat Hats will finally be revealed.

I was fortunate enough to spend some time with Gene authoring an article for Grand Times on Grand Lake about the history of the resort and that of Golda and Gene Gregg. I’ve elected to include it on our blog in honor of a truly unusual man as follows:

From the time the last log fell into place and Grand Lake began to fill with water, there have been some influential Lakers who contributed, and not in a small way, to what Grand Lake has become today. And many of them came from the most unexpected places. The first two owners of Airport Resort, renamed  Tera Miranda in later years, were tied to aviation. The Andrews and Swinney families both had connections to aviation, which resulted in a grass airstrip which spawned one of Grand Lake’s first resorts.

The Andrews were the first owners and were instrumental in bringing power, telephone service and other much needed improvements to the Island. The resort was first popular with flying enthusiasts, which generated the demand for a café as fly-in breakfasts were becoming popular. As many as 25 planes were observed at one time.

The Swinney's were the next owners and took the resort to a different level as they constructed a new restaurant, swimming pool, new cruiser docks and access roads. They brought the resort a long way.

In 1961, three couples, John & Linda Stewart, Richard & Sherrill Mercer and Gene & Golda Gregg purchased the resort. The Greggs became the face of the resort for over 50 years. Gene and Golda were both educators from Kansas. Their only exposure to Grand Lake had been summer vacations on an annual basis for about ten days. The trail which led from educator to marina and resort owner was an interesting one.

According to Gene, public education was in the process of implementing something called Progressive Education and his superintendent dispatched him to a related meeting. When he returned and expressed his opposition to the plan, his superintendent suggested he find something else to do. He joined Beach Aircraft as a recruiter until the purchase of the resort was finalized in 1961

In the early years, the operation had a small number of boat docks, a 40 X 40 repair shop, a small café and 12 cottages. Improvements were made immediately with most of the cottages being replaced with cedar cabins and the boat docks being replaced with slips up to 54 feet in length. The restaurant was redesigned and expanded utilizing cedar and stone. The shop operation was expanded to accommodate large cruisers for woodwork requirements and anything mechanical including OMC, Volvo, and MerCruiser stern drive work. It had become a good size marina operation.

And even though Gene was and is an extremely skilled craftsman with an “I can fix anything” mentality, the legacy he leaves in his wake is far more important and teaches a lesson all could learn from. In today’s "win at all cost" society, as demonstrated by the negative political ads we have recently been bombarded with related to the recent elections, Gene would have no part of it. His competitors were not adversaries, but more like co-workers with the objective of getting a customer’s boat ready by the weekend. And Gene had the reputation of stocking about every part or parcel of mahogany that might be needed for a woody.

Former TowBoatUS owner, Wade Silzer has known Gene Gregg for as long as he can remember, and Wade says, “I dealt with Gene on many occasions looking for hard to find parts and even repaired his auto-start home generator at one time. Even though it was a tough one to diagnose, I refused to charge him for the repair because he had done me so many favors over the years. When I started to leave, we shook hands and he had two $100 bills waded up in his hand and refused to take them back. Just a class act.”

He added, “Since my Dad hauled boats we did a lot of business with Gene because he had the foresight to bring the first travel lift to Grand Lake and we, and everyone else around here, used it for assembling and breaking down boats for transportation.”

When Arrowhead Yacht Club’s Joe Harwood was asked about Gene Gregg, he immediately asks, “Is he still wearing that Cat Diesel hat and spitting chewing tobacco into that cup he always carried around with him? It really didn’t matter whether he was at the controls of his travel lift or selling fifty-plus foot Trojan Cruisers at the Tulsa Boat Show, Gene was always Gene and a more genuine human being, willing to help anyone, I have ever met. Truly a kind-hearted soul.”

Tom Berry, who was hired to handle the accounting function when Golda Gregg elected to retire in 1982, but ended up being a jack of all trades, was as close to Gene as anyone over the years. When Tom was asked to describe his years in the Gregg employment he was an emotional challenge, but the respect can’t be hidden. Tom says, “As fair as any man a person could ever hope to meet or work for and he would never ask an employee, or anyone else for that matter, to do anything he wouldn’t do himself.”

A good example of that work ethic is described by Grand Lake Towing’s Paula Silzer when she recalls her first meeting with this Legend of the Lake like this. “Wade and I were standing around killing time at the Tulsa Boat Show when I saw this older gentleman scooting around on the floor with a paint scraper removing the tape on the floor used to define booth space. I asked Wade who that was and he informed me that was Tera Miranda’s owner Gene Gregg. I went over and introduced myself, sat down on the floor, and spent the afternoon removing tape from the floor, laughing and cutting up with Gene. I don’t think he ever remembered my name, so he always just called me darlin.”

Gene has had a huge impact on this lake and he hung with some of the most influential movers & shakers from days gone by like Virgil Duncan, who developed Port Duncan, Charles Davis at Shangri-La and Carlos Langston, who built Port Carlos from scratch. Everyone who attempts to chisel out a living on this lake in a few short months annually, owes Gene and some of his pals a huge debt of gratitude.

Humility is definitely one of Greggs attributes and when asked to sum up his 50 plus years at the helm of Tera Miranda, he picks up that tobacco cup, ponders for a moment and says, “You know, we had some pretty good years and then we had some lean ones.”

Perhaps he is best described by the old cliché, “No brag, just fact!” Rest in peace old friend.

See Ya’ Around the Pond!!

 

 

 

 

 

                         

 January is Boat Show Season

 

January is Boat Show Season!

January has always been a big month for boat shows and Grand Lake...the landscape has expanded significantly with three big shows this month....Two in Tulsa, The Oklahoma Boat Expo, which opens this Friday and the historic Tulsa Boat, Sport & Travel Show, which is traditionally staged the last week in January. There's also a mid-January show in Oklahoma City. Info on the Oklahoma Boat Expo, which is the early bird, as described in their press release is as follows:

A total of sixteen boat dealers, the state’s two largest RV dealers and a variety of other tourism businesses highlight the first and biggest boat show of the year in Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Boat Expo is this weekend (January 6-8) at Tulsa’s Cox Business Convention Center. Show hours are 11:00-8:00 Friday, 10:00-8:00 Saturday, and 10:00-5:00 Sunday, including a VIP evening Friday from 4:00-8:00 p.m. with free beverages and food while supplies last. The Oklahoma Boat Expo, presented by the Northeast Oklahoma Boat Dealers Assocition, is Tulsa’s premier watercraft and outdoor expo. It is not only the newest show, but also the single show that has captured the enthusiasm of virtually all of Oklahoma’s biggest boat dealers. 

The Oklahoma Boat Expo, presented by the Northeast Oklahoma Boat Dealers Assocition, is Tulsa’s premier watercraft and outdoor expo. It is not only the newest show, but also the single show that has captured the enthusiasm of virtually all of Oklahoma’s biggest boat dealers.



Participating dealers represent more than 40 different brands of vessels – kayaks to personal watercraft, bow riders to bass boats, tritoons to luxury yachts, as well as a variety of wakeboard and wake surf boats and equipment – all in one location for the gigantic three-day show. While you’re there, check out a great selection of motorcycles, side-by-sides, four-wheelers and luxury recreational vehicles – as well as a variety of offerings from many other exhibitors.

The 16 exhibiting boat dealers include Bill’s Marine, Cross Timbers, Elite Watersports, Grand Lake Boat Sales, Indian Hills Marina, MarineMax, Nichols Marine Shangri-La, Nichols Marine Tulsa, 918Boats, Shawnee Watersports, Sundown Marine, Toons Eufaula, Toons OKC, Tulsa Kayak, Tulsa Powersports & Outdoor, and Ugly John’s Custom Boats. HydroHoist Boat Lifts and Shangri-La Resort will also be among major exhibitors at the Oklahoma Boat Expo, as well as two of the area’s largest RV dealers - - Wade’s RV and Tulsa RV.

Details of this great show, including dealer information, all available models of boats, discount ticket offers, and discounted hotel rates at the downtown Tulsa Doubletree by Hilton are available on the show website www.okboatexpo.com.

We'll have info on the Tulsa Boat, Sport & Travel Show as their opening date draws closer.

See Ya' Around the Pond!!

 

Christmas on the Pond, Chapter 2022

The Christmas season seems like the perfect time to bring the ‘ol blog out of storage and yeah, and me sort of out of retirement. We don’t have a schedule in mind, but when the urge strikes, beware! This can’t be blamed on Covid, but our friend John Saied is a totally different matter!! I know this is rather long, but here’s to 2023…..

 

In spite of the distractions, it’s a slower time on Grand Lake now, with many of our weekend friends spending a majority of their time in the metroplex. It affords those who make a living in this recreational environment we call home, a chance to reflect on a year gone by, and to look ahead to the future.  As I write down these thoughts, I’m reminded today is such a day, like so many others in previous years.

The last few weeks have featured some drought-buster rain, higher than normal temperatures while the nights, when not cloudy, have featured a beautiful moon shimmering on my great big ‘ol pond. And now an Artic front is just around the corner and I can’t think of a better setting to stimulate thoughts about the “Reason for the Season” and to contemplate “Peace on earth, good will towards men.”

From my family to yours, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and yours the merriest of Christmases and the happiest of New Years. It truly is a season of love and cheer. Let us never lose sight of the opportunities the season presents for healing of all types; and may it be the best one you’ve ever had.

Without the baggage, which seemingly becomes more attached with each passing birthday, every New Year seems to offer a fresh start, if not for but a few hours on New Year’s Eve. The New Year has always brought with it an excitement about things to come, resolutions to be made and even sometimes kept, but always with an eye out for the better things tomorrow holds. It’s a human thing I like to call the renewal of the spirit…..so let’s get going.

Many years ago, when I started closing these ramblings of thoughts with a parting of “See Ya’Around the Pond,” I had some readers inquire as to why I would refer to this great body of water as a pond…and the answer is simple. I was born and raised on the red clay flat lands surrounding the Oklahoma City area of our state. The biggest bodies of water I was familiar with were the red colored farm ponds south of Oklahoma City. My Dad had an 80 acre spread where he raised a few head of white-faced cattle and played farmer and rancher….Kind of a throw-back to his roots near a remote place called Faxon, Oklahoma.

It was on that spread where he taught me about hunting, fishing, farmin’, ranchin’ and a hundred other things my city friends would never know existed. How tadpoles became frogs, where the quail hung out in the mornings and afternoons, and that any job was easy when compared to stacking bales of hay ten high in a tin barn on a one hundred degree Oklahoma day. But my fondest memories are of the times we spent around those ponds filled with that ugly red water.

We never owned a boat, and my Dad had never learned to swim, but I was always drawn to the water. I can remember spending hours shooting bull frogs with our air rifles and dragging them home for Mom to cook their legs in a skillet. When we were out of Dad’s sight, we would wade the pond’s waters catching crawdads and tadpoles.  And there were birds, rabbits and even skunks, which left a lasting impression from those days around the pond.

As they say, everything is relative. It doesn’t matter if the shoreline is 1300 miles or 130 feet, the draw is obviously the water and all those who call it home….or is it that positive/negative ion theory? I can never keep it straight, but there you have it.

Lessons from the Pond Tutor!

This will mark the 27^th Christmas I have spent without the guy who served as my “Pond Tutor.” There was never a doubt about who the patriarch of the family tree was. He led by example, and was a wonderful Dad and husband along the way. He had a full life with few regrets, but he still leaves a huge void, especially at Christmas time.

For those of you who have lost loves ones over the past year, I share your sorrow. For those of you with sick or aging loved ones, don’t leave any unsaid words put off for another time. I’m always reminded of the lyrics from old recording artist Glen Yarborough’s song; “A friend lie dying and I could have said, raise your head and I’ll try to show you Spain. Now he’s gone and I’ll never have the chance again.”

My Dad knew I thought he was a special Dad. We had a few differences along the way, but he knew I loved him. I’m grateful nothing was put off till another time. Let this Christmas season serve as the inspiration to leave nothing unsaid…..And you know what I’m about to say……

See Ya’ Around the pond!!!

 

One of Grand's Own to be inducted into Oklahoma's Music Hall of Fame

Certainly, one of the things separating our great lake from many others are the amenities Grand Lake has to offer. Lakeside restaurants, clubs and other gathering places which feature live music may well be leading the way along with easy lake access, real estate developments and the largest concentration of boat dealerships in the southwest. Tunes are what makes many places prosper and perhaps the most recognizable musician on Grand Lake is none other than Don White, who has dominated the music scene since the early nineties.

The "Hall" recently announced their 2022 inductees, which includes Don Byas, Randy Crouch, Mike McClure and Don White. Tickets to the 25th Anniversary Concert and Induction Ceremony are available at www.cainsballroom.com. The event is scheduled for February 27th. And we're just proud to know ya' Don White!!

In 2018, when contacted about being a subject of our Legends of the Lake series, he relied, “Yeah, legends come about by living the longest.”

Perhaps, but playing and associating with some of the biggest stars in the business and spending over a decade in Nashville rubbing elbows with performers like J.J. Cale, Leon Russell, Mark Knopfler, John Mayer, Willie Nelson, Tom Petty, Johnny Rodriguez, Freddie Fender and more doesn’t hurt either. Don likes to say, “A lot of cuts that sold under a million copies.”

He’s come a long way from when his dad bought him that first toy guitar in Tulsa, Oklahoma. There were many bands and gigs before settling in to what has become his signature brand of music on Grand Lake…some rock from days gone by with country lyrics mixed in for good measure.

But for many years his roots were in Tulsa, Oklahoma where he attended and graduated from Central High School and later attended Northeaster State University in Tahlequah. Though he landed an accountant’s position with Sinclair Oil after three years of college, he says, “I wasn’t much of an accountant, but thanks to the girls in the steno pool helping out with my work, I lasted three years.”

Soon music was the centerpiece of his life and he played in some of Tulsa’s best-known establishments, including Toby’s Club, which in the end helped show Don the way to Grand Lake. He recalls, “Yeah, Estell Mooney would come in the club and listen to us play from time to time. This was prior to establishing Mooney’s where it is today, but he kept telling me I should be playing on Grand Lake. My first lake gig was in the early nineties for Sue and Junior Bailey at their Lakeview Supper Club and there have been many more since then.”

Grand Lake has become a big part of his and his wife, Debi Holcomb White’s life. Debi is one of the more successful realtors on Grand Lake with Butler Real Estate. They own property near Disney Point and Don admits he once thought Grand Lake was just for the rich and famous.

He says, “When I was a boy I thought you had to be rich to live on Grand Lake. Now that I do live here, I have confirmed that I was right. I feel I am rich, not in money, but in friendships, atmosphere and the relaxed feeling the lake life provides.”

As Don said, “One of the downsides of living long enough to be a legend, is losing some friends along the way. J.J. Cale, who played in our first band is one of those. Eric Clapton planned to do a tribute album for Cale and asked me to be part of the project. I sang three songs on the album and played the guitar on three tracks. The album is titled “The Breeze,” an appreciation of J.J. Cale with Eric Clapton and friends with special guests. I felt very special to be invited to participate in the project.”

Don is a mainstay on Grand Lake, but still plays in Tulsa at various places and really enjoys playing with his son Stephen. Father and son have been playing together since Stephen was in the fourth grade at Eliot Elementary. One of Don’s favorite memories is attending a talent show at the grade school and watching Stephen perform Rocky-Top. Don says, “When he was finished I blurted out that kids really talented.  Who does he belong to?”

A career well done, which started out on the road traveling throughout the Midwest and even up in to Canada. Over the years there have been friendships and heartaches, like playing with Gus Hardin during her first and last performances. Helping get a new nightspots like Sharky’s Club off the ground and becoming one of Grand Lake’s most popular gathering spots.  And finally learning there’s riches as measured in dollars and then there’s riches measured in quality of life.

Congratulations Don for an honor well earned. 

See Ya’ Around the Pond 

 

Reasor's Sale is about so Much More than a Grocery Store

The news last week that Reasor's Food Stores were being sold to a bunch unknowns from Texas triggered some thoughts that go way back. I was reminded of a column I had written long ago about the man, Larry Reasor, and what he had brought to the table for the South Grand Lake Community. And even more than that he was all about fun. The column as written in 2013 is as follows:

Remembering Larry Reasor’s Grand Lake Contribution

As I perused an article in the Tulsa World this week about the “Right Stuff at the Right Price” guys, Reasor’s Foods, preparing to commemorate their 50^th anniversary in business, I couldn’t help but be reminded of founder Larry Reasor’s influence on the South Grand Lake area. Old Lady Grand will celebrate her 73^rd anniversary come August of this year, and if memory serves me correctly, Reasor’s Foods has been here propping up the sales tax collections for at least 35 of those years. But his influence went much further than filling the coffers with sales tax dollars to transform the town of Langley.

The first time I ever saw Larry Reasor was in a television commercial on Tulsa’s channel 8, as the guy definitely had a knack for the unusual when it came to marketing his food store operation. The commercial opened with the following statement:

Larry Reasor, outstanding in his field….and the camera panned to an open field and there was Reasor, standing out in the middle of nowhere. I don’t even remember the punch line, but we all know the hook had something to do with shopping at one of his stores…And back in those days, they weren’t on every corner like they are today. It was a sad day when Larry Reasor died at the age of 70 in early 2004 for the Reasor’s family, including all their employees, Grand Lake and many others than the charismatic Reasor came in contact with throughout his life.

I personally became acquainted with Larry after inviting him to join me in being the MC of one of the early day Christmas celebrations near the Pensacola Dam. It was probably during one of my stints as president of the then South Grand Lake Area Chamber of Commerce and we were trying to establish an off-season event to breathe a little life into the December economy. It was bitterly cold that night and area churches were to bus their choirs over to the lake patrol parking lot to sing Christmas Carols as part of the program. Legendary former chamber executive director Barbara Conner was serving hot apple cider for fortification, but ‘ol Larry and yours truly weren’t having anything to do with that. In between the buses transporting the seasonal singers, we would trot over to the then popular Lakeview Supper Club for some fortification….And I’ll never forget how the man handled that night….never a negative word and even had me conned into thinking that’s exactly where he wanted to be.

In his 2004 obituary, Grand Lake is never mentioned, but it was a very special place to Larry Reasor. Not unlike Tulsa Chiropractor Rick Husky, who I have described on more than one occasion as a frustrated musician in a chiropractor’s body, Reasor had a love of music. After he had become a wildly successful grocer and could probably do anything he wanted, he chose to spend a lot of time on Monkey Island performing in a jazz group at Shangri-La in the glory days. I’m told he also got into horse racing and breeding, but he sure seemed to enjoy his new found entertainment career to the max…..But embracing the uncommon, or would that be unheard of, was not unusual for Mr. Reasor as long time Langley store manager Charlie Scott still calls him to this day.

Since Reasor’s relocated from the old metal building, just South of the NAPA store in Langley in the early eighties, I can’t recall a Memorial Day Holiday weekend Larry Reasor couldn’t be found at his Grand Lake store glad handing, sacking, consulting customers on a cut of meat or helping them select the very best possible produce. He wore a name tag, which immediately let the shopper know who he was, but he also stuck out his hand and introduced himself. He left no doubt as to who was the driving force behind the success of Reasor’s. And most of those shoppers came from the metroplex where they had no idea who owned the store where they might normally shop.

He was also there on a majority of other holiday weekends as well doin’ his thing. As the years rolled by and being a regular Reasor’s shopper, I would run into him from time-to-time. It had been years since that memorable and bitterly cold night we had spent together during the Christmas holiday season, but he never forgot and he always greeted me by name. It was a sad day when I learned of his death in 2004.

Larry Reasor would have been 79 years old had he not died from complications from back surgery and a related infection. We’ve witnessed a technology explosion never seen before since his death, but there’s a lot the I-Phone/I-PAD totin’ younger generation could learn from a guy like Larry Reasor….Relationship will never be replaced by gadgets and gigabytes.

I try to avoid going into Reasor’s on a Friday prior to a holiday weekend, but inevitably I will have forgotten something we just have to have for a successful celebration….And when I check out, almost out of habit, I look around as if to say, “Where’s Larry?” Great guy, great lake and great memories.

Congratulations to Jeff Reasor and all the great Reasor’s employees as they celebrate their 50^th anniversary this weekend. According to the Tulsa World, there will be a special section in this weekend’s edition dedicated to the new and old Reasor’s from 50 years gone by.  It’s an American success story with a bit of Grand Lake flavor mixed in for good measure.

See Ya’ Around the Pond!  

 

Rainbow Bridge to the Rescue..Again!

 

Rainbow Bridge to the Rescue…AGAIN!

In this life, we will all have just a few very good friends, that in a pinch, we could count on and that in itself may be why some wise old sage labeled the dog as man’s best friend. Or, if my readers have a sense of humor, it can be stated like this: Lock your dog and your wife in the trunk of your car and see which one is happiest to see you a couple of hours later? Dog and man, like hand and glove, have had an amazing relationship since the beginning of time.

And to some people, that four legged critter might just be a dog, but to a vast majority of us it runs much deeper than that. In my seventy-plus years, I’ve loved more dogs than I can count, but while I can’t be absolutely be sure of the number, I am absolutely sure I received more love than I gave. Ours have mostly been strays that found us out in the boonies here on Grand Lake, rather than us scrolling through the American Kennel Association ads for some high falutin’ dog as my dad would have said. And they have all been special in their very own way.

After losing one of my very special dogs, I had named her “Rat Faced Ruby” due to her long snout, I wrote a column about finding her after she had a terminal run in with some of the neighborhood coons. It was as though we had lost a family member and the loss of Ruby was tear-jerking experience for this 6’4”, 250 plus pound guy. One of our readers read my account of Ruby’s downfall with the coons and sent me a copy of the poem Rainbow Bridge. It brought a smile to my face and eased the pain and reminded me of all the good times we had enjoyed. It goes like this:

Rainbow Bridge

There is a bridge connecting heaven and earth
It is called Rainbow Bridge because of its many colors

Just this side of the Rainbow Bridge there is a land of meadows,
hills, valleys with lush green grass

When a beloved pet dies, the pet goes to this special place
There is always food and water and warm spring weather

The old and frail are young again
Those who are maimed are made whole again

They play all day with each other
There is only one thing missing

They are not with their special person who loved them on Earth
So each day they run and play until the day comes
when one suddenly stops playing and looks up !

The nose twitches !
The ears are up !
The eyes are staring !
And this one suddenly runs from the group !

You have been seen, and when you and your special friend meet,
you take him or her into your arms and embrace
your face is kissed again and again,
and you look once more into the eyes of your trusting pet

Then you cross the Rainbow Bridge together, never again to be separated

Recently I had the chance to return the favor, as an old friend lost her beloved Taco to complications of old age. While the pain of finding one’s faithful companion drowned by coons was certainly painful, it has to pale in comparison to that final trip to the vet when that unavoidable decision has been made.

Yes, there was Rat Faced Ruby, Tuxedo, Smokie, Bitsy, Daisy, Homer, Honey and several more before the current sitting King Canine of choice, Radar, who came to us as a rescue dog. Before that Pistol Pete ruled our place. Pete’s had been through three back surgeries. My republican friends always ask, “So just how much have you spent on just a dog?” To which I reply, “Don’t figure it’s any of your damned business.”

There’s just something very special and unique about a rescue dog…..Maybe they just appreciate a second chance for a better life.

See Ya’ Around the Pond!!