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July 2009 Blog Posts (64)

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Biggy Billy

July 31, 2009

Last night I finished another sketchbook (the 17th) on the quest to do 10,000 bad drawings. Shifted gears and began a series of studies for a big oil painting I'm planning for our October 15 art show at Overland Gallery in Scottsdale: the theme of the show is Capturing Billy the Kid Country.





Did 12 studies. Here's another page:





Ed Mell, Gary… Continue

Added by Bob Boze Bell on July 31, 2009 at 10:00am — 2 Comments

Mini-Review: "Rancho Notorious"

This is one movie that I definitely classify as "strange on the range." With the exceptions of the truly delirious "Johnny Guitar" (only Western to my knowledge where the women shoot it out at the end, not the men) and the completely gonzo, '60's style lunacy of "Greaser's Palace," this is one of the oddest Westerns I've ever seen. That doesn't mean it isn't an entertaining, excellent film, however. Fritz Lang was one of the great film directors and Arthur Kennedy, the lead, excelled at… Continue

Added by Mark Mellon on July 30, 2009 at 5:18pm — No Comments

Tim McCoy Was The Real McCoy

July 30, 2009

As a kid I always dug Western movie star Tim McCoy. He had a steely gaze, mostly wore black and had the biggest hats in the biz. In the 1970s I met his son Terry McCoy who grew up in Nogales, Arizona on a ranch his father had in his last years.



We met several times at Durant's in downtown Phoenix where Terry held court with others in Phoenix who loved the old Westerns (I think there were five of us). I asked Terry what it was like growing up with a famous… Continue

Added by Bob Boze Bell on July 30, 2009 at 12:14pm — 3 Comments

The Most Sensitive Question in Reenacting

Well I'm starting to order stuff for the store. First let me thank everyone for their input on decorating the place. Of course I'm still working on the building and getting the stuff for the displays. I think the Fort is gonna loan me some stuff as well. They change theirs displays out regularly and might send me some of the old ones on a rotation. Which I greatly appreciate. But now its time to start stocking and clothes are my top priority now. The guns are already in my safe and ready to… Continue

Added by Sixgun on July 30, 2009 at 11:32am — 14 Comments

Through Words of the Past Comes Understanding

I will be posting Blogs on the main site starting August of 2009, they will be my grandfathers stories that he shared with my brother, my sister and me as child.



As readers, you can recieve these stories that I share on the blog any way you want to accept them.



It makes no never mind to me, because I am just sharing, as a couple of friends encourage me to do.



I will also share some facts about the Indigenous Native American peoples that can be verified by other… Continue

Added by JOHNNY RAMIREZ on July 29, 2009 at 1:09pm — 16 Comments

First Sketch: One of 10,000

July 29, 2009

Yesterday one of my favorite writers came out to Cave Creek and took me to lunch at Tonto Bar & Grill. Afterwards we drove out to my art studio (I apologized for the mess and he said, "If an art studio isn't cluttered, it isn't an art studio."). We spent a good deal of time looking through the 17 sketchbooks I have compiled on my quest to do 10,000 bad drawings. It was quite interesting to hear his take on the progression, or lack thereof of the drawings. He is… Continue

Added by Bob Boze Bell on July 29, 2009 at 11:00am — 6 Comments

U. S. Marshals Museum, Fort Smith, AR

Here is the latest on the U. S. Marshals Museum. More information will be coming forth soon. Once completed, this museum will rank as one of the very best in relation to western frontier history.

http://fortsmith.org/vp/1152.aspx

Cherokee Kid

Added by Cherokee Kid on July 28, 2009 at 12:36pm — 1 Comment

Thirty Years Later, Gator

July 28, 2009

Woke up to an anniversary. Kathy and I have been married for 30 years. Doesn't even seem possible. As she put it on the way into the kitchen, "It seems like about six years." Yes, if you don't count the teenage years (both Deena's and Tommy's and mine, which is ongoing).



Do Or Die

Harold Roberts asked about The Engine 2 Diet by Rip Esselstyn. He is a Texas firefighter (and the son of a famous heart surgeon) who developed a… Continue

Added by Bob Boze Bell on July 28, 2009 at 10:00am — 8 Comments

I reckon Im gonna blog now! Ralphs Back Porch WESTERN Radio Show

And...then he just babbled!



First, let me introduce me and Tamara Boatright and the Ralphs Back Porch show. We use today's technology to step back in time and bring our listeners some of the best in old-timey live WESTERN radio. We do this each Monday & friday night from 7pm to 9pm CST which in our world is TEXAS time and you can join us @ www.blogtalkradio.com/ralphsbackporch

Along with the singing Cowboys of yesteryear, we also showcase some of the most wonderful up and… Continue

Added by Ralphs Backporch on July 28, 2009 at 7:56am — 3 Comments

The Santa Clarita Signal Article on The Cross Town Cowboys

I thought that you all might like to read this latest article on the boys.

http://www.the-signal.com/news/article/16073/

Nancy Nyroki---Publicist, The Cross Town Cowboys

Added by The Cross Town Cowboys on July 27, 2009 at 6:39pm — No Comments

Dieting In The Middle of A Jump

July 27, 2009

Stayed close to home most of the weekend, although on Saturday night we drove down to the new Marriott at Desert Ridge for a surprise graduation party for Frank the Tank. Deena put it all together and some 25 of us had a side room where we yelled out "Surprise!" at about seven.



The restaurant served $17 pizzas and fried calomari (sp?) and I didn't have one bite. I have been on the Engine Two diet for 27 days (they recommend 28 days avoiding anything with a… Continue

Added by Bob Boze Bell on July 27, 2009 at 9:30am — 3 Comments

Lewis and Clark Discover Google Maps!

Added by Meghan Saar on July 26, 2009 at 10:00pm — 2 Comments

Fort Bowie, Arizona

Past and present merge at Ft. Bowie, Arizona

Old photo, courtesy of National Park Service, Ft. Bowie, Recent photo by Byrl Keith Chadwell



Fort Bowie, Arizona and the inspiration for the poem Columns of two:



South of Wilcox, Arizona off of Highway 186, along the old Butterfield stage route, is a place called Apache Pass. Here is a little water source called “Apache Spring”. The Butterfield trail was constructed… Continue

Added by Byrl Keith Chadwell (B.K.) on July 26, 2009 at 8:18am — 1 Comment

The Old Bison's Dream Home Is For Sale

July 25, 2009

Got an email from The Old Bison earlier this week. He is moving to Scottsdale and selling his spectacular home north of Austin, Texas.



As he put it, "We designed it for two working historians, with more built-in book shelves than most people want. It’s all on one floor and (the big selling point) overlooks Lake Georgetown and the adjacent park greenbelt. In normal economic times, we could have got more than $700,000 for it. Now, we are about to bring it down… Continue

Added by Bob Boze Bell on July 25, 2009 at 3:00pm — No Comments

Draw As If The New York Times Is Watching

July 24, 2009

Big rain last night. Very cool and wet out this morning. In the old days, before air conditioning, a morning like this must have seemed like heaven sent.



Got a comment on yesterday's blog regarding my quest to do 10,000 bad drawings:



"If you slip up and do a good sketch, do you count it or not?"

—Hugh Howard



I've done so many bad ones, when I slip and do a good one, I give myself the benefit of the doubt and count it as a… Continue

Added by Bob Boze Bell on July 24, 2009 at 8:30am — 14 Comments

Due Diligence

July 23, 2009

Meghan Saar and I had a conference call with Mark Boardman this morning to go over ideas for 2010. Mark came up with an added value concept to add to Classic Gunfights. I can't tell you how many people have contacted me to ask how they can get into Cottonwood Springs or Mattie Earp's gravesite, or Mickey Free's home (both of them). Mark wondered if we might give all that info when we run the gunfight. You want to see where Curly Bill Brocius bought the farm? No… Continue

Added by Bob Boze Bell on July 23, 2009 at 3:00pm — 4 Comments

US Marshals Museum

This is going to be a must visit site when completed. Received from Jessica this date:



Hi Glenn-



I’m so glad people are interested. It is going to be an amazing facility.



I wanted to let you know that we are in the process of building and designing our website. It should launch at the end of August. Our website is: www.usmarshalsmuseum.com. Please feel free to direct folks to that or to me.



We’ll post regular updates as well as all sorts of great… Continue

Added by Cherokee Kid on July 23, 2009 at 8:53am — 1 Comment

9,500 Bad Drawings And Counting

July 22, 2009

Today I hit another milestone: the 9,500th bad drawing on my quest to do 10,000 bad drawings. Here 'tis:





Tabulated that, at the rate I'm currently going, I will hit the magic number of 10,000 sometime in September, but since we are going to Buenos Aires on the first of September, to celebrate our anniversary, and to meet up with the kids, I have some urgency to finish before we leave. Tabulated my odds and… Continue

Added by Bob Boze Bell on July 22, 2009 at 4:31pm — 8 Comments

A Tutorial On How To Get Into A Packed Movie Screening

July 22, 2009

Being in the media has its perks and one of them is that we often get preferential seats at concerts, clubs, movies and sometimes even restaurants. However, it's not always as choice as it may sound. Case in point: when I was in morning drive at KSLX FM radio in Scottsdale, our station sponsored comedian Dennis Miller at the State Fair. Miller was a big deal at the time and this was a big deal for the station. We got an interview (actually a phoner) with Dennis and the… Continue

Added by Bob Boze Bell on July 22, 2009 at 3:30pm — 1 Comment

Zane Grey's "To the Last Man" is Classic and Unforgettable

Zane Grey's "To the Last Man" may arguably be the finest western book ever written. Based on the Pleasant Valley War in Arizona, Grey also includes other controversy.



So enthralling, thrilling and exciting is Zane Grey’s classic To the Last Man, that it is difficult to know where to begin when discussing this amazing western/historical fiction novel of the bloody feud between sheepherders and cattlemen that raged in Pleasant Valley in Arizona’s Tonto Basin.



Love and… Continue

Added by Becky Coffield on July 22, 2009 at 10:57am — 4 Comments

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