Basher51's Bluff and Bluster

Those who know me have been asking me a weird question:  Basher, what's up with these books about prostitutes?

Yes, since last year I've been taken with the history of prostitution in the Old West.  When we stopped in Leadville on our way to the ranch I learned that one of the stores we were in had been a "parlor house".  Do tell?  I sort of let that rattle around in my cage for a bit.  When we were at the ranch one of the owners was giving us some history of the place and "St. Elmo", a little ghost town about 15 miles away.  I asked if there had been a brothel there.  Yup, there had been and the guy told me which one it was.   It's the building on the left in this picture Anyway, I've read a couple of books on the subject and it still fascinates me. The parlor houses, the brothels, the cribs, and the street walkers. In the Old West they were a very much racially mixed lot and they performed a service in a time when there were few women around. They also did it when there were plenty of women around! There were the whores with a heart of gold and there were those who were mean and criminal as the day is long. They often had the tacit approval of the local gentry who tolerated their presence as long as the madams paid the "fine" every month (it was really a tax on the service, a monthly "fee"). It's pretty interesting reading.

One of the books is "Soiled Doves:  Prostitution in the Early West" by Anne Seagraves.  It's a pretty quick read; but it gives a great deal of insight into the business practices and economics of the "oldest profession".  There's a lot of history and a ton of anecdotes about the gals.  She mentions something that has come to the minds of many who see a picture of a prostitue from the old west time:  "I wonder if that is anyone's grandmother?" Sadly, most prostitutes back then died quite young, many committed suicide. But those who survived and managed to get out of the profession did live long lives and are, indeed, someone's ancestor.

I'm currently finishing up reading a book called "Brothels, Bordellos, &Bad Girls: Prostitution in colorado 1860-1930" by Jan MacKell.  It is an in depth look at the oldest profession as it operated in cities from Denver to Salida and all points in between.  MacKell has done a ton of in depth research on who was involved, when, and where they worked.  The author even locates wome houses and buildings that, back in the day, were brothels.  Imagine the owner that finds out that their house was once a "sporting house"!

Strange as it may seem, I'm looking around for more books on the subject.  I told one of the elders at my church "Hey, guess what I'm studying right now."  When I told him he busted out laughing.  But even he had to admit that it is probably, from an historical standpoint, an interesting subject.

Highway 76 does an old favorite of mine called "Big Spike Hammer"  Enjoy!

I don't know where I heard this...but for some reason it is stuck in my head today:

"The only people who should use the "royal we" are editorial writers and people with worms."

I just spent time, wasted time, sitting on hold having some recorded voice tell me how much my call was important to them.  If it was so darned important, then why didn't they have a human being tell me that?  After I have labored through an automated call screening system in the quite vain hope that I might get directed to the proper person, can't the companies using these blasted systems at least have the common courtesy to have a human being pop in every now and then to see if there is some way to short-cut the waiting process?  Instead, I get an recording telling me that I'm important to the company.  Well, actually I'm not.

Here's an idea:  HIRE HUMANS!!!  How many of the goofballs that have bought these call screening systems have actually tried to work their way through the system?

Years ago I had the joy of trying to navigate my way through Gateway Computer's system to find the status of my daughter's laptop that had been sent in for a warrenty repair.  I actually ended up going around in a complete technological circle without ever encountering a human voice. I also never got the information that I was seeking and I was never able to leave a message to ask to have someone call me back.  I had to do some fairly hefty dectective work to discover a phone number for Gateway that didn't access the stupid system--or send me overseas to talk to someone who didn't speak English, at least no english that I'd ever heard before.  I finally sent a letter via registered and Express Mail to the VP of Quality Control for Gateway that detailed all of my angst trying to find out what had happened to my daughter's computer.  Ta-da!  A human being (imagine that!) called me back and gave me the information that I requested.  He then apologized all over the place for their worthless call screening system that had no exits whereby you'd talk to a human being.  He then offered to send me a check for $50 as a token of their apology. 

In the end, I hope that something good comes of it.

Now that work has slowed a bit I can report on my trip to Colorado.  It was great!  Caught well over 30 trout in 6 days of fishing.  Rode horses til my butt was sore and ate some incredible meals.  Here are a few pics from the trip:

The above lake was only a half mile from the ranch. Did a lot of fishing here. The lake below is Hancock Lake. It's located above the timberline about 3000 feet above the ranch. We drove up an old mining road and then hiked about 1-1/2 miles to get there. Didn't catch many trout. But loved the scenery.

Me at Hancock Lake.

On the hike to Hancock Lake.

I did get lucky. This is a 10" rainbow that I caught at a lake near Leadville. The biggest on that I caught was 14".

I just found out that on Sunday August 10th Gilbert Brown will be racing in a celebrity match race with "local TV and Radio personalities" at Slinger Speedway. (Disclaimer:  I am a chaplain at Slinger Speedway, but not employed by or affiliated with the track).

Now, whom at Fox6 would be good drivers to run in this race?  Personally, I think that Bev Taylor might make a good driver.  Like most drivers that I've met she is calm, focused, passionate about what she does.  Then again, from what Kim Murphy says, she's got a lead foot and seems like she could race and have a good time doing it.  Ted Perry also comes across as a guy who could wrestle a car around the high banks of Slinger.

Will any of the Fox6 folks strap into a car and race on the 10th?  H-m-m-m-m. we'll have to see.  Which Fox6 personality should drive in Gilbert's race?

I shoulda posted this earlier.  Perhaps this will inspire yet today:

Well, I took Mr. Glock to the gun club today.  Mr. Springfield Armory XD45 came with us as well.  Nothing like a little pistol practice to remind you of how this nation is blessed.  You ever consider how many countries have outlawed what I did all by myself today?  A lot of places, if you are a law abiding citizen, you are prohibited from owning a handgun (much less 2 of them!).  Only the criminals can own them--and they do--and they use them.

The Glock was not my best today.  I kept a solid pattern of low and to the left. The diagnostic target said that meant that I was jerking  the trigger a gripping too tightly.  But no matter how I changed things, the pattern remained.  I tried shooting off a bench rest and it still persisted.  So, I took a break and picked up brass (spent shell casings) and put them in the recycle bin for the club.  Then I went back at practice.  Still the same.  This is now officially irritating me!  So, I switched to my XD45.  Incredible!  Dead on accurate shooting even though the 45 is more powerful round.  What's going on here?  Then I noticed one little thing that I was doing differently:  The grip is on the 45 is longer than the Glock's.  So, with the 45 my left index finger doesn't wrap around the outside of the trigger guard.  But it does on the Glock.  Hmmmmmm, I wonder.  Sure enough, if I wrapped the finger around the trigger guard I shot low and left; not wrapping it I was centered. 

One little thing can make that huge change.  Isn't that interesting?  Isn't that kind of like life?

After I finished shooting I was so enamoured of my Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms that I swept up the entire bench area of the rifle range.  It also allowed me to clock an hour of club service time towards my annual minimum of 15 hours.  I really need to get to the club more.

And now to sit out on the porch and clean my pistols.  I wonder if my daughter is going to bring her boyfriend over today?

Here it is, the 4th of July right around the corner, and I've been to the pistol range exactly once this year and shot probably a dozen rounds at the most.  My Glock and my Springfield XD have got to be getting lonely!

Typically I like to celebrate the 4th of July with a little pistol shootin' at the range.  I gotta get there this 4th. Last night I even had a dream about shooting where a guy corrected my grip.  Perhaps that's a omen of things to come?   I've found that if I don't practice my grip and my draw that my accuracy goes down the tubes in quick order.  Getting the right grip on a consistent basis is no small matter.  Too much pressure with the lower fingers, too much of your trigger finger pulling the trigger, even a slight turn of the wrist, can send your shot every other place but the target.  I have a diagnostic target that I'm going to set up and take a whack at.  The club that I belong to doesn't allow us to draw from a holster. So, I need to practice that in the basement with dummy rounds.

If I get a chance to get to the range before the 4th, I'm going to have to do it.  I bought that darn club membership just so that I could go to the range when I felt like it and not have to drive all the way to The Shooters Shop and pay $15 for the privilege.

Dang!  I can't believe that I wasted all Spring on work!

Boxcar Wille doing "The Wreck of Old 97".  It's a true story.

(Note that in the photo montage there's a picture from Kaukauna, WI!)

The lilacs have sprung!!!

Let's see:  The races have started at Slinger, the first air show of the season is this weekend in Janesville, and the lilacs are smelling sweet as ever!  Hey Baby!  It's Spring!!!!!