Dac Crossley's Western Blog

San Antonio, back to you

Back from a 10-day vacation in Texas, charging the batteries, traveling with an old friend. San Antonio and the little La Villita, where it was accordion day. Zydeco and Mariachas, a cold beer in the shade, the soft syllables of Texas English mixed with the melodic Tejano Spanish -- it felt like home. Breakfast in the Menger House, and the Alamo Plaza, and Houston and Commerce streets, and the Riverwalk and Jazz at Cullom's.

High school reunion celebrated at Fredericksburg; old friends and old coots. The Hill Country, and Hwy 16 through Bandera Pass. The Medina River, and the Sabinal, and the Frio river of fond memory. Then south, down I-37 to the Corpus Christi skyline, where we feasted. Padre Island and Mustang Island. Chicken fried steak as only Texans can do it. And a final Whataburger, not sold outside the confines of the Lone Star State.

a birthday dinner at the Gafford Ranch with the old crew -- Weston Prejean is my senior by three weeks. And Artie Bowers; she and I were the only two red-heads at Kingsville High. Red no longer, but still aflame! All sitting around the table, trying to hear each other. Age comes to us slowly, but with the crush of finality.

Finally, back to San Antonio, and one more margarita with Tometta before we parted ways. Until next time.

The Horses of our Heroes

If you’ve read “Guns Across the Rio,” you know that Nacho Ybarra’s horse was “Fogata,” and Whitey Wilson’s horse was “Cimmaron.” (If you haven’t read “Guns Across the Rio,” shame on you!).

You old-timers who remember the Saturday Morning 12-episode serials, will recall “Tom Mix and Tony,” “Gene Autry and Champion,” and – of course – Roy and Trigger, and Dale Evans and Buttermilk. (Remember the name of Roy’s Jeep, and his dog?). This one will challenge your childhood memories – Will Rogers and Soapsuds.

Little confusion about “Old Whip.” A famous Texas horse, owned by Mr. Vince (of Vince’s Bayou and Vince’s bridge). Old Whip got away at the Battle of San Jacinto. Santa Anna mounted him and tried to escape, but the swamp stopped him. Erasmus “Deaf” Smith recovered Old Whip and rode him back to the Texan camp. (Houston commandeered Old Whip after the war. A judge finally ordered that he be returned to Vince).

Any other questions?

He Rode Off Into the Sunset...

Okay, fans of the Old West, see if you can match these Western heroes (and a Girl of the Golden West) with their own steeds. (And a couple of off-the-wall horses, too).

Roy Rodgers Cimmaron
Dale Evans Comanche
Will Rogers Saracen
Gene Autry Old Whip
Tom Mix Champion
Sam Houston Buttermilk
Pancho Villa Fogata
(only Fifth Cavalry survivor) Soapsuds
Deaf Smith Tony
Whitey Wilson Seven-Leagues
Nacho Ybarra Trigger

How did you do? Let me know...

Under the Liberty Oak

Paige Mercer Cummins is my writing partner. We learned about fiction together, in Harriette Austin's Continuing Ed courses. We read aloud, tore each other to pieces, exchanged manuscripts and put them back together. We do joint book signings under the Southern Scribes banner (that's www.southernscribes.us/)

Under the Liberty Oak is Paige's first novel, a mystery set on the South Georgia coast. In the summer of 1964, two little girls would sneak out of the First Babtist Children's Choir to listen to gospel singers at the little church down the street. Forty years later, Brittan Lee Haworth returns to Liberty, Georgia, to help solve the mystery of her best friend's disappearance all those years ago. She's assisted by FBI Agent Andrew Zellar, who is investigating civil rights violations from that long-past time.

But sometody doesn't want Brittan Lee to remember. Or to be involved. Or -- to survive.

I'm happy to recommend Under the Liberty Oak, even though it's not a Western. I think Paige is the new Eugenia Price, who made her repuation with romances set along the Coast.

Under the Liberty Oak is listed among "Dac's Books" on the left side of my blog. Click on the book's image for more information, reviews of the work, and a sample page, all courtesy of Amazon.com. And -- notice that Amazon has bundled our two books together, special price.

Spur Awards

The Spur Awards, given annually for distinguished writing about the American West, are among the oldest and most prestigious in American literature.

And, Guns Across the Rio has been nominated for a Spur Award, in the categories Best First Novel and Best Short Western Novel.

(Now, this is an egregious bit of self-promotion, but if we don't salute ourselves, who will?).

Onward, Western Writers of Americda.

An Inconvenient Truth

Rented the movie from Netflix and played it last night. I wish I could force some of my conservative friends to watch it through (including my two sons!).

I liked Al Gore's earlier book -- Earth in the Balance. He has the credentials. He made an excellent little (1-1/2 hr) movie.

I've followed this argument for the past decade or so. At first, the naysayers argued that it wasn't happening. Then, finally, it might be, but people aren't resonsible. Now, they're saying it's getting warmer but it's good and we'll all adapt. Sure, we will. We survived the great depression. A series of wars. Natural catastrophies. How about taking action now, to prevent things like this?

Denial is still out there. I listen to "talk-radio" when driving in the car. (It's the only thing on AM, here in good old Athens, supposedly the home of the Georgia Liberals). From Rush, and Neal, I hear that the glaciers aren't really melting, and scientists don't know how to measure temperature. Nice try, guys. Makes you wonder -- what else are they spinning out of any form of reality?

Gore's movie presented the frequency of glaciation very nicely. I learned, as many of you probably did, that there were four glaciations. Turns out -- a period of glaciation every hundred thousand years, more or less. Probably explainable by the earth's tilt and wobble. Wow!