The Magnificent Seven (1960)

One of the greatest westerns of all time and a personal favorite.

Based on Akira Kurosawa's classic "The Seven Samurai" "The Magnificent Seven" brings together a wonderful cast and takes us on an adventure to save a small Mexican village from the oppressing hand of Calvera (Eli Wallach) and his dreadful bandits.

Having had enough of Calvera's baddies, the tired villagers set out to find a gunfighter who can help them.  They happen upon Chris (Yul Brynner) who reluctantly agrees to lend a hand and then sets out to recruit 6 other men to join in the quest.

Soon he has men knocking at his door and before long he has his team.

Vin Tanner (Steve McQueen) signs on right away after helping Chris with a tussle in town.

Rugged, quiet tough guy Charles Bronson plays Bernardo O'Reilly a gunfighter of Irish-Mexican heritage.

Lee (Robert Vaughn) who seems cool and collected but fights losing his nerve when the battle begins.

Chris' old friend Harry Luck (Brad Dexter), believing Chris is really after treasure also joins up.

Fast and deadly with a blade, cowpuncher Britt (James Coburn) also joins in the action.

Finally Chico (Horst Buchholz) joins after initially being rejected but staying persistant.

Eventually the "Seven" train the village how to fight and then fight along side them as they defend their village and their livelihood.

GREAT STUFF!

Classic Westerns

I really love westerns!
Any western actually.  I tell my wife if it has a horse a gun and a cowboy hat I 'll watch it.  To me there is not much that is more relaxing than sitting down to a western a snack and an ice cold pop!

Anyway, this post starts a series of just plain putting my thoughts down about westerns I have watched throughout the years.  Starting with John Wayne of course.  Why am I a huge John Wayne fan?  Hmm, well that started years ago.  My Dad watched The Duke and through the years we have enjoyed some wonderful time together with John Wayne.  My Grandmother watched The Duke, my wife and I have watched many John Wayne movies together through the 20+ years we've been married and even some when we were dating.  We even use to go over and have a John Wayne night with my wife's Grandmother before she passed away.  The Duke has given me many adventures and memories.

I have had a wonderful time watching him...

...search for hidden treasure


...go against the odds


...solve the mystery


...kill the Plummer brothers in Lordsburg

...have a shootout with his father


...fight off claim jumpers


...fall in love with a Quaker girl


...lead the cavalry


...search for his kidnapped niece


...breathe his last inside the walls of the Alamo


...fight along side his brothers


...track down Lucky Ned in between drunken staggers


...befriend Billy the Kid


...cowboy with cow BOYS


...go out in a blaze of glory



Yep, in my humble opinion, which truth be told nobody really cares about, nothing is more relaxing than a western adventure with THE DUKE!

Proverbs 21:2-3 NASB

Every man's way is right in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the hearts.

Just Rambling -- Dancing!

Ya, dancing.  Ok, not the kind of thing you expect a Rambler to ramble about on a guy site, right?  Well, bare with me on this one...

I am a Dad.  The other day my oldest daughter (15 years old and becoming a woman much faster than I like to admit, I still see her like the picture above, my little girl) came to me and said, "Dad, you should come to the next dance and dance with me" (she goes to a monthly cotillion dance class, very proper and modest).  Now I love both my daughters with all my heart but... well, here's the thing, I don't know the first thing about dancing... I don't want to know the first thing about dancing... not only that but I'm a pretty big guy, ok, an overweight guy, and the last thing I want to do is get in front of a bunch of people and fumble around trying to figure out how to dance. 

My answer to my daughter?  "Sure sweetheart, I'll go to the next dance and dance with you".  I think she was as stunned as I was, well, maybe not quite as stunned as I was, but I think she was stunned.  As for me... I immediately panicked!  What in the world did I just commit to?

All I could think of was that part in the movie "Courageous" (and if you haven't seen the movie courageous, that is a great movie) where his daughter asks him to dance with him and he doesn't and well, I don't want to spoil the movie for you, let's just say he wishes he had.  I didn't want to be wishing I had missed this opportunity.

Final thought... Sieze the day for your kids are only little once, blink and they will be all grown up.

So I practiced a little and now I can dance like this...

Pretty Good Eh?

On the Lighter Side of Life - Man Rules to Live By?

I received this in my email at work one day.  Now understand, no I DO NOT agree with all these rules (shhh, my wife reads this blog so I have to be careful) but I thought they were pretty funny anyway.  Lighten up and just have fun with them...

The Man Rules
We always hear 'the rules'
From the female side

Now here are the rules from the male side.

These are our rules!

Please note.. these are all numbered '1 '
ON PURPOSE!

1. Men are NOT mind readers.

1. Learn to work the toilet seat.
You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down.
We need it up, you need it down.
You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down.

1. Sunday sports, It's like the full moon
or the changing of the tides.
Let it be.

1. Crying is blackmail.

1. Ask for what you want.
Let us be clear on this one:
Subtle hints do not work!
Strong hints do not work!
Obvious hints do not work!
Just say it!

1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

1 Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do.
Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument.
In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 Days.

1. If you think you're fat, you probably are.
Don't ask us.

1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one

1. You can either ask us to do something
or tell us how you want it done.
Not both.
If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

1. Whenever possible, Please say whatever you have to say during commercials.

1. Christopher Columbus did NOT need directions and neither do we.

1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings.
Peach, for example, is a fruit, not A color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.

1. If it itches, it will be scratched..
We do that.

1. If we ask what is wrong and you say 'nothing,' We will act like nothing is wrong.
We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.

1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, Expect an answer you don't want to hear.

1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine... Really.

1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as baseball or motor sports.

1. You have enough clothes.

1. You have too many shoes.

1. I am in shape. Round IS a shape!

1. Thank you for reading this.
Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight.

But did you know men really don't mind that? It's like camping.

Pass this to as many men as you can -
to give them a laugh.

Pass this to as many women as you can - to give them a bigger laugh.

Disturbing - A Side of Computeres I Have Never Even Thought Of.

I have to say, I find this quite disturbing.  Essentially what is being said in this presentation is that any computer can be hacked.  There have been implanted medical devices for years, but in 2006 they started being controlled wirelessly so that of course you don't have to do surgery every time you want to upgrade or repair the device etc..  Well, as you can imagine these devices are now susceptible to hackers.   Researchers have successfully done things like stop pace makers.  YIKES!!

They also talk about cars and the ability to hack a car's wireless network and do things like apply the brakes, disable the brakes, show the car going slower on the speedometer than it really was going.  WOW!  Also able to wirelessly unlock the car, start the car and then walk up and steal the car.  This is indeed some crazy stuff!

Go here to see the larger video on youtube.com

My Favorite Bogie -- Treasure of the Sierra Madre

What an awesome movie!  Bogie plays an ordinary guy, down on his luck, stranded in a mexican town and waiting for a break.  He meets a couple of guys and embarks on a journey to find gold.  But greed and desperation raises its ugly head and the results are indeed ugly.  Bogart's transformation from down on his luck humble street bum to adventurous gold seeker to over-the-edge paranoia who would do anything to protect his share of the riches is both fascinating and unsettling.

The great Walter Huston (Father of Director John Huston) is animated and wonderful as always but Bogie stands out in this movie like no other movie he ever made in my opinion.  A very exciting south of the border gold seeking adventure complete with Mexican bandits...

murderous intentions...

exciting gunfights...

much suspense...

and a stark raving mad Bogie!

What more could a guy ask for?  Oh, maybe some buttered popcorn and an ice cold pop.  Gotta love it!

Love of Reading -- The Shopkeeper

 The Shopkeeper by James D. Best

Found this eBook for free on Amazon and it is turning out to be a really fun book with a unique western storyline (which is hard to find these days).

Steve Dancy is a shopkeeper from the east who sells his shop and goes seeking adventure in the old west.  He is not a gunfighter but it turns out he is really good with a gun.  Our hero is not all that he appears.

So far I am really enjoying it and there are two more after it, can't wait.  Go Here to read a full review of this enjoyable western novel.

Look Back to Yesteryear: Chisum - Original Trailer

One of my all time favorite John Wayne westerns is Chisum (even named my dog Chisum but he passed away last year).  Do yourself a favor, sit down to this great movie and have a relaxing evening!  Buttery popcorn will help too.

Click Here! to see the original trailer.

My Very First Blog Ever!

Me in a nutshell!
Truth be told you couldn't fit me in a nutshell cause I'm a fairly large guy, but... I think you get the idea.

What to write about?  Well, I thought I would just give you a hodge podge about me and what interests me and you can decide from there if you even want to waste your time here or not.  :)
I will probably post images and make comments about the following:

1. Books
I love to read.  I enjoy all kinds of books from Christian fiction to fantasy to spy novels to westerns (one of my favorite genres) to biographies to Christian non-fiction to ... to... to... I love to read!

 2. Movies
My favorite actor is The Duke (John Wayne) with Bogie (Humphrey Bogart) coming in a close second (not too close but close).  However, I love older movies (pre-1990) and will probably comment on many of them as I watch them and will even give my thoughts on newer movies if I find them interesting and worth the time.

3. Computers and Technology
I love computers and new technology.  Pictured above is a tablet I can't wait to come out, the Asus MeMO 370T.  As I mentioned, I love to read and I do read on electronic devices (although I still love the feel of a great book).  I currently own and read on a Sony e-Reader and love it but I think I will give it up for this little beauty when it comes out.

4. America
I love my country and am proud to be an American, however politics stress me out.  :)
I will probably comment once in a while about things going on in our world, however for the most part I want this blog to be more about fun things not stressful things.

5. Religion
Well now that is a scary word isn't it?  I am a Christian and I love Jesus with all my heart, however I don't see myself as religious but rather as having a personal relationship with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Now, as you can see from this list, I am a pretty down to earth ordinary guy and enjoy all kinds of things, and my relationship with Jesus is one of them.  And although I have this section at #5, he is in fact #1 in my life.  As the title of this blog says "Just the Ramblings of An Ordinary Guy", this blog is about things that are interesting to me and that fill my life, and Jesus definitely fills my life, so periodically I will spend time on Jesus, Family, Country and the things that make America great!  Freedom to worship at a great church and believe in a caring and forgiving Lord is one of those great things!  Picture above is an old church in Silver City, Idaho, in the Owyhee mountains where we camp and 4-wheel a lot.

6. Camping, 4-Wheeling (ATV), Outdoor Life
I love camping, there is not much that makes better family and friendship memories than camping and my family and I go each year 3 to 5 times / year.  We also love to ride 4-wheelers in the mountains around our area called the Owyhees. I will definitely be posting family outings / adventures, history of the Owyhees and other mountain areas, outdoor pictures or sites that interest me etc.

7. Firearms (Especially those of the Old West)
Yes, I enjoy shooting firearms and will always enjoy shooting firearms.  That's just the way it is, if you don't like such things this site is probably not for you.

9. The Wild West
I really love western history and will be posting different things ranging from ghost towns to western gunfights to anything western related, I love the old west!

My wife Chantel and I at Disneyland having a great time!

Like I said, putting me in a nutshell would be an interesting task. :)

My gorgeous daughters.  Sarah (15) and Emily (11)

Well that's me in a nutshell, not a very interesting guy, just ordinary, hope you enjoy what I write about, if not, I surely understand, but I hope to interest and hear from some of you out there in cyber-space!  See ya there.