The art festival was a blast.

Had a great time at the Luna de Montana art festival. Met a few famous artists who appraised and actually bought one of my daughter's and sister's paintings! They are so excited about it. My sister Elaine and Lillian, and my daughter Melanie brought some of their paintings to display at the museum.  He, (John Higgins, famous artist) said that Elaine's paintings are worth from 1500 to 2500! Lillian sold four of her paintings and Melanie sold one of hers. He said they have quite a talent and he thinks they should start showing their work at art shows. They also had a silent auction and I won a painters easel for Melanie. The show started with a noted opera singer. She was accompanied with a pianist who plays for the Hermosillo orchestra. They performed for nearly an hour. She sang  absolutely beautiful and flawless, but after a few songs I could tell that the crowd was getting restless. It was all in a different language and sort of monotonous. After their act, the food was served and then my son Lafe played five songs on the piano. He was quite nervous but everybody loved it and gave him a standing ovation. He then played for my daughter Brooke as she sang Josh Groban's Remember When It Rained. Her third song was Hallelujah (Ill Divo version) and when she was done, the audience was on their feet and I noticed most of the adult men, including the Secretary of State, were wiping the tears from their eyes! She sang five songs, the last one was Selena's No Me Queda Mas to which the crowd went wild and gave her another standing ovation. When she sat down, the pianist came over to our table and asked if she would sing I Will Always Love You, and he would accompany her on the piano. She consented and after a few other acts, they  ended the show with that song and another standing ovation. Then it was off to the Plaza to dance the rest of the night away with a live band. Everyone had a wonderful time.

The Luna Montana is here!

Today is the last day of "La Luna Montana" (The Mountain Moon) art festival in Huachineras, a small town about thirty miles from here. This evening at eight pm, my daughter Brooke and son Lafe are going to sing and play piano at the Museo de Arte. Tickets are two hundred pesos ($18) per person. This includes entrance into the museum, a gourmet meal and performances from several artists. Brooke will sing four or five songs including, "Hallelujah" (Ill Divo version) Foolish Games, No Me Queda Mas and Remember When It Rained (duet with Lafe jr. on piano)  Lafe will play several pieces on the piano. It's going to be a blast! This will be their first performance in front of a large audience and they are a little nervous to say the least. I will post some of the performance on the web so you all can enjoy it.

In need of more funny and frank sayings from the mouths of babes!

Back to business! I still need more funny stories from your children. If you have written them down in journals or just stored them in your memory and want your child to be "famous" then email me or post them here and we'll go from there. I know this doesn't reach very many people, but you can help by sending this message to everyone you know and they can do the same and pretty soon the whole world will know...wow cool huh?

I get a lot of mothers who tell me "Oh my child just said something so dang funny the other day...but I forgot what it was! My advice...grab a pen and jot it down in your journal immediately, that way whenever your feeling down and discouraged and you need a laugh, you'll always have something that will make you smile or burst out laughing. Also, when I get on my knees and beg you for MORE stories, you won't say "huh....I forgot what my incredibly intelligent child said...but I do remember, it was sooooo funny."
(Pic) "Oh dad you're just takin sooo long on the 'puter, I think I'll take a siesta for while."

Took delivery of our first cows ever on Oaxaca!

We bought 70 heifers from our friend Dave Hill to take a stab at the cattle business. Sure hope goes good for us.

Of Murder, Mayhem and Mexico. A plea to the lost souls who murdered Benji and Luis.

    I ask you ungodly inhuman murderers. Were you not born of a mother and father? Did they not love and nurture and protect you from birth. Did your mother not give all her strength and nearly die to bring you into this world? Do you not have children of your own to love and to protect? Children who if kidnapped or harmed by any man, you would be willing to die to keep them safe? How can your minds become so full of maggots that you have no conscience whatsoever? You care not for the life of another but you still would protect your own with your life. Do you really believe you will ever live in peace or be free of that horrible feeling of guilt that engulfs your debased mind with the lifestyle you live? Do you not know there is a Great Creator out of whose mouth flows eternal justice and that one day you will stand before him and be held accountable for your crimes against your fellow man? Can you not see that those around you who live by the gun, usually die by the gun? Do you not feel the longing somewhere in your heart to repent and account for your crimes? Or is your conscience so seared and black that you delight in the hellish demon within you and you live every moment to make your life even more degrading and miserable then it already is?

    I ask you insects of hell. Have you not read history? Do you not know that what you sow, you reap, in this life? Do you not realize there is always someone bigger, meaner and more evil then you who will do unto you what you have done unto others? I beg you with all the energy of my soul to fall on your face and repent of your crimes before the great issuer of justice damn’s your soul to eternal torment. Change your evil hearts and beg God and man to forgive you. Spend the rest of your life serving your fellow man and maybe, just maybe Righteousness will pass by you and not require your soul in hell for eternity!

Chapter Twelve. The Big Family

Rounding the corner, we could see Danny lying on the ground. Jared, Lon and a few others were already there. When I was close enough to see my brother, I had to quickly sit on the ground to avoid fainting. It was a gruesome scene. -"Call an ambulance, hurry! ordered Dad as he gathered Danny into his arms "We already did," said Jared who was now feeling guilty for loaning his bike. Danny's face was scraped and bleeding. His scalp had been torn completely off his head and was hanging there full of dirt. He was unconscious so Dad began talking to him trying to bring him back. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he held his son's head and carefully cleaned the dirt from his skull. "Danny, I'm right here son, you're gonna be ok, you understand, your gonna be ok," he choked through his tears. Every few minutes Danny would jerk his body and scream a bloodcurdling yell, but he would not open his eyes or answer Dad. Several minutes went by and the police arrived and began to write a report of the accident. Dad continued to hold Danny in his arms talking to him unceasingly. Fifteen minutes and still no ambulance. "Where is the G....damn ambulance!" he screamed at the police officer. "They're on the way sir, just hold on a few more minutes," answered the policeman. "Well  we called them a half hour ago and we may not have a few more G....damn minutes!" Forty five minutes later, the ambulance arrived. Dad was furious-----------In the hospital, the doctor said that since it was a head injury and he was unconscious, he couldn't give him anesthesia. So Dad held him down while they sewed on his head and Mom had to wait outside of the surgery room and listen to his screams. It broke her heart----- It took five hours of surgery and one hundred and ten stitches to sew up Danny's scalp. Mom stayed with him night and day for two weeks until he finally came out of his coma and began talking to her. "Danny, can you see me, this is mom," she said earnestly. "Yes," was the weak reply. "Well what do I look like?" she asked hoping he was all there. "You look like an ape," he said groggily. Guess he wasn't all there...yet.

California was the shizle!

I went up through the San Joaquin valley and saw all the millions of acres of almonds and grapes and walnuts and  pomegranates and...and...wow that valley is one of the most productive in the world! Stopped at several pom and grape orchards and visited with the owners, it was pretty cool.

Vacation!

I'm going to California today to check out Pom Wonderful's operation. I will be gone for a few days so don't have too much fun everyone, I'll be back!

I need suggestions on a title for my book.

    It has been five years since I started writing my books and they are all...except one, nearing completion. The problem I have is that every time I read a chapter or two, I want to change it a little here and there and so I'm never going to finish if I keep this up. I should just give it to someone to edit it for me and then be satisfied. I still haven't decided on a name either....any suggestions? My first book is an autobiography of myself and family. We have had a very interesting life. From moving to Mexico and living in a tent for twelve years and traveling over a dirt road for five hours that resembles a cow trail to many other experiences that most would find shocking and incredible. My next book is a collection of true sayings from the mouths of little children that are downright hilarious. Each saying will be accompanied by a cartoon type caricature depicting what the saying is about. My last project is a book about the circumstances surrounding the kidnapping and assassination of two peace activists in the state of Chihuahua Mexico. The title of my first book is The Big Family, but I want to change it so I need some suggestions. The next one is titled Kids Who Tell It Like It Is. I might change that one also. Any ideas? The last one is Of Murder, Mayhem and Mexico. That one I like so we might keep it that way.