Out of the Past

In the past I have related things I liked and enjoyed in my life, besides collies who will like always have their say here.  As those who know me or have read my blog know I love history.  Recently, with my new job supplying me with free cable TV I got to see a TV show I haven’t seen in over 40 years.  Daniel Boone… while other kids may have been Crockett fans, not me I liked Boone.  Not dissing Davy, just Boone was more to my liking, more of the strong, rugged individualist that was strongly family oriented and silent and humble.

 

As I watched the show I found I still loved it, but for many other reasons than when I was a kid.  While of course it was hollywoodized a bit, Fess Parker did a good job at portraying Boone for he was a fighting man who really tried to make peace, would rather not kill (he claimed to only have killed 3 times in his life and when you consider what he went through, that is rather amazing) and he loved the Native Americans and their ways.  He actually got into trouble with many settlers for they claimed he was an “Indian Lover.”  He was in a way, for while he did fight with certain tribes and lost many a family member in these wars, he befriended many more and actually thought they were getting a raw deal.  He was known for his love of justice and was many times referred too on the frontier for solutions to problems in the area of justice.  This is well portrayed in the show.

Later of course I also became a Buffalo Bill fan… but Boone … well 20 years ago I made a pilgrimage to his recreated Boonesborough in Kentucky and visited his grave (he has two you know… LOL….some of his remains are in Missouri and others were moved back to Kentucky in the 1840’s.) and visited his and Rebecca’s kin fort site called Bryan’s Station.  The Bryans and Boone’s friendship and kinship actually started before Daniel and Rebecca married and it lasted for generations past them as the two families intermarried for a long time.  They lived together through the Carolinas, in Kentucky and into Missouri.  Bryan daughters married Boone sons and Boone daughters married Bryan sons just not in Daniel’s line but his other sibling lines.

Those familiar with the TV show remember that Rebecca Boone was played by Patricia Blair who looked like what one would imagine a Irish descended Lass would look like.  Well, while Fess Parker did look something like Daniel, Patricia was not what Becky Boone looked like,.  Descriptions of her were that she was almost as tall as Boone, who was around 5 foot 8 inches tall which was tall in those days and since she was around 5 feet 7 she was a tall woman for her time!  She also had dark hair and was very beautiful by all accounts.  Just a side note, it is known that was also a fine shot and when Daniel was away would shoot her own game …..

But, I digress.   Seeing the show brought back a lot of memories.  It also made me rekindle my interest enough to do some more reading on a childhood hero of mine.  Interesting he was 50 when he founded Boonesborough and if you want to read a story that hollywood wouldn’t even dream to pass off as real, read about the siege of the Fort.  How 30 some men held off almost 500 Native Americans is not only astounding but it will make your hair stand up on end.  One of the settlers ran for help on the night of the biggest attack and he lloked back from a hilltop and said the flames, the firing guns and the smoke lit up the Fort like daylight and he figured it was all over and the smoke gave it a eerie look of death….  but hang on they did!  While it was brutal and hard fought the siege had its moments of humor.  The Indian who bared his bottom at the Fort insulting them to only be shot in the behind by a marksman who was sick of the insult and laughter brought up big cheers from the Fort. A war of words commenced and insult flew….. some of nasty but lots of it in a good natured teasing manner which makes one wonder at it all.  Of course the Indians did get a payback when they wounded Boone’s daughter in the backside.. Jemima never lived that one down…..

While Boone was a boyhood hero of mine, he is now someone I respect for he was a common person.  He fit in with the normal everyday ppl and he didn’t flaunt who he was.  His wife and he were regular everyday ppl who were part of the society around them, not some wealthy family who led by reason of wealth or power.  A interesting man to be sure.  I can highly recommend that if you ever go to Kentucky visit his Fort, his grave and the whole cemetary at Frankfort for it is fascinating, the capitol building in Frankfort and Fort Harrod and the lonely, but beautiful site of Bryan’s Station.  What a brave group of people who took on the elements, hostile tribes, the British, wild wolves and more…..yet not only survived but overcame it all.  There is something to be learned from it all…….  In today’s world they like to condemn ppl such as this, but hose who read Boone’s history realize he was fair and equal in his dealings with all ppl….  especially the Native Americans, for he right along with the Natives was robbed of all of his land many times…. that is why he left Kentucky……  But, he was also a forgiving man….. I think he would sort of be humbled and sort of stunned at how he is considered a hero by many ppl today….

 

A quick tour of the Fort and then that corny famous song….  🙂

 

 

 

-Everybody knows it was his collie that actually took on the Natives and got all the game!!! Tell the truth old Booney was a great collie…. what?  Dad, that is my story and I am sticking to it… well, he was part scottish…. Dad… stop ruining my story!

Read Full Post »

A Hallie and Trevor Memory

years ago when I was walking Trevor and big Hallie we were going along a trail enjoying the quiet and the beauty of the forest.  Suddenly, there was a bunch of noise and several feet in front of us a Turkey took off in flight and flew a hundred feet or so and landed in the woods behind some brush.  We froze and Trevor and Hallie watched the Turkey fly with interest.

Then, on the floor of the woods more noise and off ran a turkey across the leaves and ground.  Now as you know Turkeys are some of the ugliest birds one can see and this big bird was no exception.  As it ran it swayed side to side and its eyes were huge, its red and blue bald head sticking out like a sore thumb and the gizzard and its wattle and snood flopping from side to side as its stride made it look like a clown on stilts trying to run.

Now, it was absolutely one of the most ridiculous things I had ever seen.  I had to laugh….. and then I looked down at Trevor and he was looking on with his mouth dropped open and his eyes then turned to me and he looked like he was laughing.  Hallie, however, was miss expression. She looked at that Turkey running and then looked up at me with her eyes wide and she rolled them and then gave me a look of “now that was the stupidest thing I have ever seen!”  I laughed so hard at her expression that I had to sit down on a nearby stump.  She was right…. it was rather dumb looking…..

Hallie; Did you see that?  It is the most ridiculous thing I ever saw!

 

 

 

 

 

–

–

–

We see a lot of Turkeys  on our walks.  Another memory of Trevor and Hallie and seeing Turkeys came along another trail.  We came up on a big group of Turkeys crossing the trail going into to a low wallow on the other side that was full of short ferns.  As they crossed we kept walking and the collies watched them as we came closer and closer as they crossed.  It was a large group and they finally all made it into the wallow as we came within ten feet.  Then… up popped another turkey and and was on the left side of us moving up the trail so it could cross further away from us.  However, it looked strange…. it was hopping and then it came up on the trail and I saw it had only one leg… and was hopping trying to catch up with the other turkeys. So, we stopped and let it cross and it hopped down into the wallow and disappeared with its friends.

We took off again and Trevor sort of watched with interest but Hallie, like normal was intrigued.  So, when we came up whee they had crossed she stopped and looked into the wallow and I could see her moving her head looking.  So, I looked and as I watched I could see the Turkeys hunkered under the ferns I could see their heads moving as they all hunkered down and were looking between the leaves up at us to make sure we werent coming it after them…

I clicked and said ‘Hup” which is the word we use to let the collies know they need to move and off we went.  However, Hallie kept looking back to see them and was all eyes after that looking for more and for her favorite thing to see.. squirrels! 🙂  So, those are a couple of great memories of the wild turkeys we saw on the trail.

 

Hallie:  Eee gads.. turkeys are sure ugly!

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

Trevor- wow!  I never saw anything so funny…. hey turkey you need to grow some feathers to cover up that face…. eeeeewww

Read Full Post »

More Hiking At The Nature Center

As we head along the trail from the hut where Trevor and I sat and became friends… we come up to a trail on the left…. to the right is a special place we will come back soon to see, but to the left is a trail I call Niamh’s trail. She loved this trail and all of the collies love strutting down it for it is rugged, hilly and beautiful.  Cedars everywhere… high ground on the right, lower ground which is a swamp to the left as we walk on this low path….. When I walk this trail I love the beauty and adventure but I always become a bit sad for I remember Niamh…..

This is a place where they teach students about nature and the trail goes on behind these seat stumps….

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

We are going down the trail and you can see the slant of the ground and its always green with pines and cedars all year….

=

=

–

–

–

–

–

Lil Hallie and Lad looking at it all and enjoying it immensely….

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

The trail ends here and swing up a steep hill to the right… but here are the twin Cedars we love to see. Actually they are 3 Cedars as you can see if you look closely that the one on the left actually was two trees which grew together… 🙂  We have picnicked under here and rested and enjoyed the beauty.  It is fun when it is just the collies and I, or my family with us or when my friend Georgia goes with us.  Soo, I will have to take my friend with us for she loves walking too… since it is getting into the walking season here it wont be long before we go several times a week again… 🙂

–

–

–

–

–

These Cedars are huge for Cedars… if you look closely the one on the right was broken off in a big storm years ago, but she still lives and thrives which makes my day everytime I see her.

–

We will now head back to where Niamh’s trail began and we will go to a spot Trevor and I discovered together…. or as I call it, Grandmother Cedar…..   its a special trail to get there and I can’t wait to show you the matriarch of the nature center….

–

–

–

–

This is a picture from a very long time ago with Niamh….. it has to be at least 13 years ago……  a collie’s lifetime… it makes me pause since Niamh has now been gone 7 years…. you would think I would not miss her as much as I do…..

 

Read Full Post »

At The Nature Center-2

 

Yesterday, we posted the first of our trip into the Nature Center, so if you missed it do check it out. 🙂

Coming up to the Enchanted Forest you can see off to the left a strange looking Pine Tree where we enter….

–

The Enchanted Forest is beautiful and when you walk into it the silence is deafening.   The Green of the trees and the moss on the ground makes it glow green if the light is right, the red bark, the red pine needles on the ground make it glow red if the sun is at another angle… it can also be dark and mysterious if the sun is at another angle or if it is cloudy….  in the fog it is mystical…..

It is a favorite spot of ours…

–

As you can see it has a path through it but we have walked through it off the path and it is fun. Lots of hidden fallen trees,  lots of animals hidden in the fallen trees, squirrels live here and many birds, yet they stay very silent in here.. I think it is their refuge from everything…

-Imagine this with a myst lying low to the ground or in the fog.. those are my favorite days…

–

–

–

–

–

One spot with moss…..

=

=

–

–

–

–

–

–

Notice the light is changing for off to the left it is turning a red glow, while straight ahead you can the see the faint remains of the green glow leaving…… the forest floor has a lot of moss on it and walking on it is so soft and even your walk can be silent….

–

–

–

–

–

—

Here we are just outside of the Enchanted Forest on the trail.. we will re-enter in a little while.. but now we have somewhere special to go way up off to the right….  more on that tomorrow….

Read Full Post »

Our Walk At The Nature Center-1

The other day it was cold, rainy and windy and we packed up Lil Hallie and Laddie to go to the nature center for a walk.  We have walked at the nature center for 20 years…..Lil Hallie walked with Trevor at the end of his life and Laddie learned walking from Trevor when he was a puppy.  This was our first trip there since before Trevor passed and I had some mixed emotions.  It is sort of like letting go the last part of Trevor…. I miss him everyday and its hard sometimes, but life has to go on.

Do, we packed them into my truck and off we went.  Hallie in the back looking out the back window like her grandmother Hallie did, Lad with his head between the front seats looking at where we are going and whining on and off as he is impatient.

We pull up and Lad perks up and by his face I know he recognized the place after all these years.  Lil Hallie did too….  We unloaded them and headed for the trail with lil Hallie trying to cut of Lad and guide him where she wanted him to go (her grandmother Hallie did this to Trevor all the time!) and Lad watering everything in site and then strutting ahead of lil Hallie (just like Trevor did to big Hallie) so it was eerily a deja vu moment!

As we came up on the opening in the pines I could smell pine and the wonderful fall smells. The pines are much prettier than in the picture for they are tall and green and it gives it a mysterious dark look as we walk the curvy trail into the forest.  Ah, the cool crisp air felt good and my mind thought of Trevor and I missed him but I also wanted to make this fun so I said a prayer under my breath and talked to him and move along.

–

–

–

–

–

As we moved around the curve into a small glen Lad was trying to figure out what to water as lil Hallie looked up and then smiled her glee!  As you look on the ground you will see between the plants these little pine like plants growing up about 4 inches high. I do not know what they are called but I sure would love to have some in my Japanese Garden at home.. they are so cool….

–

–

–

–

–

–

As we rounded a bend we came back into the woods and ahead of us you can see the trail curves left or right.  To the Right I call it the Hallie and Trevor trail… it is curvy, hilly, narrow and since it was wet very slippery. So we went to the left towards the enchanted forest…..  Lad as you can see is looking back for I stopped to take the picture and he is impatient.. LOL

–

–

The color is past the prime at the nature center while we are at the top of our colors 12 miles south of here…

–

–

A mile down the trail we are coming up to a bend in the distance.  Around that is the entrance to the wonderful Enchanted Forest….. Nimah loved strutting through here.. Trevor would do his twinkle toes power walks and lil hallie and lad moved in unison at a quick pace…. on this trail one time I found a dead Red Tail Hawk….  look into this picture in the center and you will see two trees the trail bends just past there and the world changes…. the enchanted forest you see is a pine forest full of red pines and it has moss, red pine needles and black dirt with fallen trees and depending on which angle the sun is at it will be dark, or glow red or glow green.  The enchanted forest is also unique in that when you enter it is deadly quiet… like someone turns off the sound… strange.. but I love it there.. especially in the fog…. or in the snow….. it is fantastic.. and tomorrow you will learn more about it and see it…

Read Full Post »