AF2011 Double Barrel Pistols!

In the world of "Guy Stuff" this is pretty darn amazingly cool!  I would love to fire one of these on the range.  I bet these will not be cheap.

Check it out here!

I thought this was a pretty clever display.  My youngest daughter loves Stitch. Can't wait to go to Disneyland again this year for vacation with my family! My oldest daughter will be 16!  WHERE HAVE THE YEARS GONE!  Disneyland is one place I love to just be a kid.  This picture was taken from disboards.com.

John Wayne's 1953 Corvette (51st)

Saw this at a car show recently, pretty cool. I have read many many books about John Wayne but this was the first time I knew anything about this cool Corvette that the Duke bought, in 1953 brand new off the line, the 51st Corvette built. That's pretty cool!

Seems he was too large for it and his head stood above the windshield so he gave it away to his friend Ward Bond.  Wasn't Ward Bond about as tall as the Duke, not sure, have to look that one up.  Anyway, this is not my photo but we did get pictures of it.  Had a great time at the car show with friends and family. Cool Fun!  Go here and here to learn more, although I will say there is not much out there about it.

Old Time Radio

When I was a kid I remember one day laying in bed in the attic of our small house where my Dad had built me a room, complete with pull down stairs I thought this was one of the coolest places in the world (The Beach Boys song "In My Room" comes to mind).  I was listening to my radio on one of those single flesh colored ear buds (anyone remember those) and across the airwaves came KNX 1070 News radio (I still remember the jingle) and the sound of a creaking door.

I was totally engrossed, totally captured and totally glued to my radio as E. G. Marshall came on with his disturbing voice and said "Come In, Welcome, I'm E. G. Marshall".  He then introduced the show and off on an adventure, thriller, mystery I would go.  At the end he ended the show with "Until next time, pleasant... dreams?"

Oh man, you cannot believe the excitement when I found this show and I couldn't wait until next time, I listened faithfully every night that I could from then on out for several years.  I believe this was around 1976 or 1977 and the show ran from 1974 to 1982 and produced 1,399 shows.

This experience started my life long love of Old Time Radio and even to this day I find comforting memories in listening to my favorites... CBS Radio Mystery Theater, Suspense, Yours Truly Johnny Dollar, Gunsmoke, Have Gun Will Travel, Burns and Allen, Abbott and Costello and many many more.  I'm not old enough to have heard these old radio shows when they originated but I am old enough to have heard CBS Radio Mystery Theater when it was still on the air and oh such wonderful memories.

Here's a funny little story.  I remember traveling with my parents somewhere, no idea where but the people we visited had a cassette of Abbott and Costello that they gave me.  Well I had a little walkman type radio of some sort, and I had some headphones.  And you remember how the show starts out with Costello screaming "Heyyyyy  Aboooott!!!!"  Well my Dad was pulling out of the driveway and I turned on that show and that little cassette player must have been turned up all the way and that sound came over the headphones loud enough to scare my Dad half to death.  He thought he had run over a kid or something.  Like I said, great memories.  I can laugh about it now but I don't think my Dad was real happy at the time.

If you would like to experience some of these shows, try the following free sites:

Old Radio World
Internet Archive - Old Time Radio

ENJOY!

A Great Deal...

 
As a promotional deal, Ashampoo is giving away their full version Burning Studio 2012 (a $49.95 value).  This is no Nero in my opinion but a pretty good burning studio, I've used it a few times and am impressed.  Go here for instructions how to obtain it.  Hurry, I'm sure it will expire soon!

San Quentin (1937)

I've been watching Bogie lately, so consequently that is what I end up writing about.  Just finished San Quentin starring O'Brien, Bogie and Sheridan.  Not a bad little movie, storyline is a bit week but it's not bad.

The prisoners of San Quentin are getting out of hand under the iron fist and cruel treatment of the Captain of the yard (Barton Maclane).  The Warden sees this as a problem and hires a new Captain of the yard, Captain Stephen Jameson (O'Brien) to clean things up and regain the trust of the prisoners.


Bogie plays Joe 'Red' Kennedy, a mouthy little punk criminal who gets time in Quentin.  His sister is May (Ann Sheridan) a singer who believes her brother has just gotten a bad break in life.  O'Brien works with Bogie and for a while Bogie tries to reform but when the other prisoners lie to him telling him Jameson is only treating him good because he likes his sister, Bogie breaks out of Quentin to get back at O'Brien.

In the end Bogie gets shot trying to escape the police, but not before realizing that Jameson is "all right".

If you enjoy Bogie like I do, this is a pretty good movie.  If you are trying to turn someone on to Bogie, I wouldn't start them out on this movie.

Go here for a more detailed description of this movie.

TV Westerns

When I was a kid in the 70s there were still a lot of TV Western re-runs out there.  Some I suppose may have been syndicated but mostly the TV western was gone by the 70s so whenever I could find a re-run to watch I was in heaven.

As a kid, my preference for make believe playing in the back yard or with my neighborhood pals usually gravitated toward cowboys, which is kind of interesting because I have heard my Father say that his tendency as a kid was toward playing Army.

Anyway, like anyone I had my favorite TV shows so for fun I thought I would list them and maybe do some write-ups on some or all of them, the research would be fun and nostalgic.





My 10 favorite TV western shows as a kid:
1. Wild Wild West (by far this one was number 1)
2. Rifleman
3. Gunsmoke
4. Rawhide
5. Maverick
6. Have Gun Will Travel
7. Bonanza
8. Lone Ranger
9.  Little House on the Prairie (stretching it a bit I know.)
10. Big Valley

My 10 favorite TV Western shows 35 years later, some of which I didn't even know about as a kid, but I sure enjoy them now when I can find them:
1. Wild Wild West (Yes, still!)
2. Wanted: Dead or Alive
3. Magnificent Seven
4. Gunsmoke
5. Rawhide
6. Maverick
7. Have Gun Will Travel
8. Rifleman
9. Bonanza
10. Big Valley

Anyway, I'm no TV Show expert by any means, unlike kids of today I spent more time outside playing than inside watching TV but I may jot my thoughts down about a few of these classic TV Westerns in the coming days, stay tuned...

What were your favorite TV westerns and memories from your childhood, I'd love to hear from you.

Randolph Scott -- Another Favorite of Mine!

This Statler Brothers tribute makes me want to write some stuff about Randolph Scott, another favorite western star of mine.  Maybe I will, stay tuned.  Not a very good picture but a great song.

When Eagles Dared: The Filmgoers History of World War II by Howard Hughes

Here is another bit of pretty cool news, Howard Hughes has released a new book called When Eagles Dared.  It is a history of 150 WWII film classics and the historic events that inspired them.

Following is the press release:

"When Eagles Dared" tells the stories of the historical events of World War II and the films that have depicted these events on cinema screens, presenting a guide to history through cinema that compares the cinematic myth with the historical reality. Illustrated with rare posters and stills, it gives us a unique view of this war through the lenses of over 50 diverse films that have shaped our perceptions of the conflict, including "Downfall," "Patton," "Tora! Tora! Tora!, ""Anzio," "The Thin Red Line," "Letters from Iwo Jima," "Stalingrad," "Battle of the Bulge," "Cross of Iron, " and "A Bridge Too Far." The book portrays the men and women who participated in World War II, from the evacuation of the Allied forces from France ("Dunkirk") through to the battle for Berlin and beyond. Each chapter discusses historical events as they unfold and illustrates how these episodes subsequently have been portrayed onscreen by filmmakers. Events discussed include the war in the skies ("Battle of Britain" and "The Dambusters"), the sea ("Sink the Bismarck!), " and the North African desert ("The Battle of El Alamein" and "Tobruk"). There are "special mission" movies, including "Where Eagles Dare" and "Inglourious Basterds, " classic tales of ingenuity ("The Great Escape"), and human endurance ("The Bridge on the River Kwai").

I have read a few of Mr. Hughes books (Once Upon a Time in the West and Crime Wave) and he is pretty fun to read.

The Big Trail (1930) & Barbarian and the Geisha (1958)

--WALMART EXCLUSIVE --

20th Century Fox will release Raoul Walsh's The Big Trail on Blu-ray exclusively at Wal-Mart on May 8.  Also available on the same date will be John Huston's The Barbarian and the Geisha.

Now I am a huge John Wayne fan and this is big news.  Barbarian and the Geisha, while not anywhere near one of The Duke's better films, has never been released on DVD in the US, so for us John Wayne fans, this is exciting.

 The Big Trail which gave John Wayne his very first starring role (no John Ford did not do that for the Duke, Raoul Walsh did) is a wonderfully large movie of the outdoors using an experimental process in 70mm widescreen cinematography called Grandeur — and it is a breathtaking film.  Many people say Duke is inexperienced and insecure in his acting but I see a lot of John Wayne's traits showing in this movie that made The Duke... well... The Duke.


Next is the Barbarian and the Geisha which was hampered from the very beginning with problems and reportedly Duke and John Huston did not get along very well at all, however Duke being the professional that he was refused to quit his contract and followed through even though he saw disaster coming.  Being a Duke fan I like the movie, however most people see it as one of his worst, right up there with The Conqueror they say (I like that movie too).

NOW, here is my personal wish, if ever there was a John Wayne movie that deserved a complete re-master (the DVD release was just AWFUL!) and belonged on Blu-ray, that movie is John Ford's Quiet Man.  That would be amazing!

Incredible Bogie in Petrified Forest (1936)

Like many actors of old, Bogie started in the theater not in Hollywood movies.  In fact he spent many years working hard in theatrical productions making very little.  It was while working these theaters that he landed the role of Duke Mantee in the theatrical performance of Petrified Forest.

If you can imagine, Playwright Robert Emmet Sherwood had originally suggested Bogart for the part of Boze Hertzlinger, the ex-football player who can't quite let go of his past and grow up, but producer-director Arthur Hopkins had a better idea that turned out to be genius.  Hopkins who made a point of seeing everything on Broadway each season and had seen Bogart in the play "Invitation to a Murder" noticed his silent moments in the play more than his actual speeches, "when he was quiet, time seemed to stand still" he said.

Well Bogie was cast as Duke Mantee the escaped convict and from there the rest is, as they say, history.  The part of Duke Mantee that he played in the theater and later in the Hollywood movie production shaped the type of character that Bogie would play for the rest of his life.  He may have wanted to do "more desirable" acting parts but he was good at the menacing gangster and his fans loved him that way.  I too am glad he stuck with the character because one of my favorite genres is the Gangster movie and that genre would not have been the same without the larger than life Bogie!

Over the years Bogart has become one of my favorite actors, second only to the larger than life John Wayne!

Treat yourself to this little gem, Petrified Forest, Bogie, Buttery Popcorn and an ice cold pop!  Oh Yeah!

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.