HOME ON THE RANGE

"Ride 'em cowboy," was the expression running through my mind as I toured the NATIONAL COWBOY AND WESTERN HERITAGE MUSEUM, in Oklahoma City, OK., recently. If you are in the area, a visit there is a MUST.

In my early years, I was fascinated by the image of the cowboy. Western movies were the first movies I remember seeing. For a nickel (yep, five cents), I saw stars like TOM MIX, HOOT GIBSON, KEN MAYNARD, TIM MCCOY and others. Every year our Century Theatre ran a 12-week series called THE COVERED WAGON, starring Tim McCoy, Each chapter ended with that stentorian call to "Circle the wagons," as protection from the marauding "Injuns." We could hardly wait until the following week to find out what had happened.

While some of the actors had distinguished military careers (MCCOY, GIBSON, and GENE AUTRY), GENE AUTRY 's career was probably the most versatile and successful of all. He was the first singing cowboy --his famous song was "RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER." He is the only celebrity with five stars on the HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME. He was an astute businessman, owning radio and television stations and the LOS ANGELES ANGELS baseball team. He was so esteemed by the ball players that a Number 26 was retired in his honor at the park.

So, dear reader, if you want to enjoy some "REAL OLDIES," get some Western videos or CDs. They will cost you more that a nickel but, you will find them to be great entertainment.

More, later.

P.S All of the men listed here are members of THE COWBOY HALL OF FAME, at the above museum, in Oklahoma City.

BUY ME SOME PEANUTS AND CRACKERJACKS

So goes the line in the song, TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME, sung during the seventh inning "stretch" at major league baseball parks. I began singing that song as a youngster playing pick-up games on the city commons.

During those early years, my dad would occasionally get free tickets to major league games, from a firehouse neighbor. That allowed the two of us to buy peanuts, crackerjacks, hot dogs and soda, while we watched baseball greats like the Yankee's Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Bill Dickey and others, playing the Philadelphia A's, at Shibe Park.

In addition to playing ball, I amassed a collection of bubblegum baseball cards, each card showing a player's picture and statistics. I also made scrapbooks containing newspaper articles of sporting events. When I left home to be married, I put them in my mother's care for a later pickup. The day arrived to pick up the cards and books, only to discover that my mother thought I no longer wanted them, so she had trashed them! I cried inwardly, while chalking up an error on my mother's scorecard of life.

Playing and collecting are no longer options, but as sports fans, Dear Wife and I enjoy a variety of televised events and occasionally attend a game, so join us to cheer on your favorite teams.

More, later.

SMILE! SMILE! SMILE!

This is your last chance to smile for the camera, holding special film.

Last month, the Eastman Kodak Company announced the closing of the manufacture of its most senior film, KODACHROME. After 74 years of production, digital has taken over. I suppose you can call that progress but, I call it the end of an era in my family life.

Picture-taking has been a family tradition for us, beginning with the E. K. black box that my parents owned. Lots of good snapshots as they built a family history of black and white prints that remain clear to this day.

After W.W. II, I took a giant leap from the black box to a 35mm Argus camera with Kodachrome film. I can say safely that I have taken thousands of slides over the years. However, that too has passed, as Dear Wife and I are into digital to a limited degree.

Just recently, I took hundreds of slides I still had and enjoyed, reducing the collection to about 250 slides, tossing away those that were redundant (you know, 14 views of Niagara Falls, the family cats, unrecognizable scenes and so on), and gave them to my son. His adult children will enjoy seeing Daddy's younger life in picture form.

So, dear reader, regretfully I say goodbye to KODACHROME. Thank you, Eastman Kodak, for the opportunity to record in film some of my family history in a very colorful way.

More later.

IT MUST HAVE SAUERKRAUT

IT MUST HAVE SAUERKRAUT

What must have sauerkraut ? A hot dog, of course.

In the good old summertime, or anytime, in fact, the hot dog on a bun is Americana all the way. In my part of the country, the brat is king, but give me a dog smothered with chopped onions, relish and sauerkraut. Then, drizzle with mustard and you have a meal fit for a king.

Speaking of royalty, way back in '39, President Franklin D. Roosevelt entertained Britain's King George and Queen Mary at a picnic where hot dogs were served. The king ate two, with gusto, while the queen ate hers with a knife and fork! Twenty years later, the Russian Bear, Nikita Khrushchev, enjoyed a hot dog while touring a packing plant in Iowa.

A recent New York Times article (06-07-09), wrote that our diplomatic corp is offering hot dogs to its international guests (including Iranians, for the first time in years), at Fourth of July picnics. While living in the Washington, D. C. area, I often entertained international guests in my home, and served them summertime dinners of hot dogs, sliced tomatoes, ears of corn and watermelon. They loved every morsel.

In my younger years, the hot dog and the hamburger vied for top honors as Great Depression foods ; inexpensive and easy to prepare, particularly my mother's hot dogs and baked bean casserole -- yummy!

So, dear reader, don't underestimate the lure of the hot dog. Stop by a Nathan's Famous stand and give yourself a treat (heavy on the kraut).

More, later.