A Hillbilly Friend Is a Friend Forever

My best friend, The Hillbilly, is here to talk about friendship:

Looking back over my life, I began thinking about the many good friends I have and some that are no longer with us.  In doing so, I caught myself smiling, because I connect them with particular events.  Some of these events have to do with us being helpful to one another, the others have to do with humorous events.

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Friends

As for helpful, when I went through really bad times, emotional and financial, I had to come up with some money and get rid of items that I really didn’t want to part with.  So I got estimates on some of these items and then went to some of my friends. 

 One of them was a fishing buddy of mine.  I showed him an estimate I had of my boats, which was around $3000.  Then I asked If he would give me the $3000 for them and then hold them for me to repurchase.   I told him that I would begin buying them back soon as I could.  He said yes.  We then made up a bill of sale and he gave me the $3000.  Actually, he would probably have just loaned it to me without the rigamarole, but I didn’t feel good about that.  

I called another hunting and fishing buddy of mine and read the estimate I had on my guns  and then asked if he would also purchase them and let me buy them back.  He said yes, but then asked if he actually had to take possession of them.  He said that he didn’t really have the room for them.   So I also made up a bill of sale and he gave me the money.   I then went to my boss and did the same thing with my car.  He bought it, insured it, and I continued to use it as I repaid him.  That was years ago,  but it meant a lot, and I still am thankful for the help they gave me.  And, as I said, I smile when I think of such things that were said, such as here is the money ----- but do I actually have to take the guns?


As for humor, one friend of mine (for 42 years now) has been involved with a lot of different things with me.  He has fished with me, gigged for fish with me, cave crawled with me, sang in a quartets with me, sang at funerals with me, been involved with a lot of church activities with me, and we were involved with each other’s weddings.  After our marriages, both of our families went to fairs, Six Flags, Worlds of Fun, etc.  With that much togetherness, there is always some humor.  

By U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

With the fishing, it seemed like a lot of funny situations had to do with snakes.  I suspect that he was a snake magnet.  Two different times, while float fishing, we wound up with snakes in the boat.  On one float trip, with him and another great friend, he and I decided to try to get to a good looking fishing spot where the water had been too swift to allow us to get to it by boat.  To do this, we had to wade part way across the river to a tree that was lying across deep water, with the idea of using it like a bridge.  

I had seen a couple of snakes drop off of it but didn’t say anything to him because I figured it would spook him.  We climbed over the tree and I looked down and there was another large water moccasin lying on another tree right below the one we crossed.   We had just started down the bank when he got his fishing plug caught in his coat and wanted me to help get it out.  While I was working on it, I saw another water moccasin crawl under a log right by my foot.  I told him about that and lifted the log to get a better look at it.  It was lying beside a second one.  I then told him about that being about the sixth snake I had seen in the short distance we had walked and told him that it appeared that we were into a nest of them.   I suggested that it might not be wise to try to go any further.  He agreed.  So we went back to the tree.  I told him that since we were there, I wanted to climb out on the tree and take a few casts before we left.  Then, as I was walking out on it, another snake, (the 7th), slid off.  

That's My Hillbilly!

By this time, my buddy was about ready to freak, so as we began getting off the tree to cross the river, he got in the water first.  Then he told me to hurry up and also get into the water. "If the snakes come, I want them to have a choice."  At that point I was laughing so hard that the snakes would have probably thought I was crazy and went after him anyway.  

There are a lot of other occasions that I catch myself smiling about, but another one I find particularly funny was when he and I were on a ride at the fair.  It was always one of my favorites.  It looked kind of like a train but it would go upside down in a circle.  It would start rocking back and forth, then eventually hang you upside down.  It would then go around in circles one direction a few times, then again hang you upside down, then reverse and go around in circles the other direction, again hanging you upside down.  This particular time, as we hung upside down for the first time, and I was laughing and having a great time, he suddenly says, “I hate this ride”.  I then said, “What do you mean you hate this ride?  We have been riding it together for years.”  He then said, “Yes, and I have hated it the whole time."  By this time, I was laughing so hysterically that I was in tears.   

By basic_sounds (originally posted to Flickr as cne) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Later, he went on to tell me that he had been semi-claustrophobic and also hated the cave crawling.  He said that the only reason he went with us was that he had just wanted to hang around with my other buddy and me. 

Yes, he was and is a good friend.  Yes, I do still laugh at him.  And yes, he probably could tell you some funny things about me or tell you how easily I could get you into trouble or into unplanned adventures.  But what I say is true and what he would say is -------- also true!  Oh well, what do you expect from a half hyper, Missouri, Ozarkian, redneck hillbilly!

Well, what would you do if your best friend was about to be eaten by snakes?

Flashback Friday: My Little Photography Habit

Today, for my newer readers (hahahahaha), I want to flash back to my early blogging days with this post.

Originally posted 11/4/11
As I mention on my "About Me" page, I'm trying to learn a little about photography. I've got a nice, entry-level DSLR (Canon EOS Rebel T3), some books, Photoshop Elements, and a subscription to Popular Photography. I have talented friends who are willing to help me. One of the things that seems to be lacking is time to get out of the house and take pictures, but once in a while I get out there.

Here are the books I'm using to help me in my endeavors.
         

Understanding Exposure

Better Photo Basics

Digital Photography Workbook for Dummies

 

I enjoy taking pictures of nature and children. I'm not very good at photographing children because it's hard to get them to hold still while I'm adjusting my aperture, shutter speed, white balance, etc. I thought I had a solution to the problem, but as it turns out, tranquilized children don't look really good in pictures. I'll keep working on it.

In the mean time, here are some of my favorite shots.

 All of these were taken in June with a borrowed Nikon D200

One of my first efforts. Good model, but I was still trying to figure out blurring the background.

Taken the same day. Cute model. 

The Grand Tetons

Peek-a-boo!

This makes me want to write a story. What story would you write?

The Farmer's Daughters

Missouri---Swinging Bridge

 Well, that's where I started. I'll share more at a later date. When I think you've sufficiently recovered from these. Let me know what you think. Constructive criticism is always welcome. Just try to break it to me gently.


Not much has changed regarding my photography hobby since this originally posted. I still don't have enough time to get out and practice. I think I've improved some, but I have a terrible time getting a sharp focus. I think the problem is that my hands tend to be shakey, but I'm not nuts about the sharpness of pictures taken with the tripod either. Maybe it's the camera. Maybe I need a new camera! I'll let you know how The Hillbilly takes that information. 

And I do still want your comments on these shots. How can they be improved?

(Full Disclosure:The books in this post are books I use and recommend. Clicking on the books will take you to Amazon where you can find more information. If you were inclined to buy one of them, I would receive a small contribution to my retirement account. That fact does not influence my recommendation.)

 

Disney Cheaters

If you know me at all, you know I love Disneyland. I grew up in Southern California, five miles from the Happiest Place on Earth. Even though we now live in Northern California, I still try to get to Disneyland once ever year or so. 

Yep. That's The Hillbilly and I in the front seat.

Once my daughter, Alyssa, and I were walking through Disneyland when we overheard a little boy, about 4, talking to his mother. "Mommy," he asked, "is there a Disneyland in Heaven?" We never heard how his mommy answered, but we agreed that there probably is.

All dressed up for Christmas

As much as I love going to visit Mickey, I have reached the point where I refuse to go during the summer months. The number of visitors during the summer makes the entire trip unenjoyable for me. It's not just the lines, which are horrible, but the crowdedness in general. Just walking from place to place is unpleasant because of the sheer volume of people.

February: An "uncrowded" month

I have taken to visiting during the fall or winter, even though that means taking time off work. I have a limited number of "personal days," and I happily use them to visit Disneyland.

The Athlete is a big Minnie Mouse fan!

It seems that some people have found a new way around the crowds, however. I'm sure you've read about it lately. It's been all over the web. The Today Show aired a report, calling the new tactic, "deplorable."

 What is this "deplorable" practice? Well, to understand it, first you have to be aware of Disney's practice of making their rides accessible to everyone. Disney wants everyone to have a good time, so they go out of their way to accommodate the disabled. This means that many of the rides allow disabled folks and their parties, to cut through the lines and go right to the front, usually through a side entrance. This is a kind and helpful policy, and I've never heard any of the non-disabled guests complain about it. 

The Princess when she was 2 with Dumbo and me

What's new, however, is the way some people are taking advantage of this policy. Some people (people with  more money than I have) are hiring disabled people to go to Disneyland or Disney World with them so they can cut to the front of the line.These unofficial tour guides advertise on Craig's List. Until recently a particular travel agency also advertised these "tour guides," but removed the ads after getting negative publicity.

When I first heard about this, I wasn't sure what to think about it. It's certainly not something that would ever have occurred to me to do. I wasn't really sure who was most at fault here, if anyone. After all, you can't really blame the disabled person for finding a way to make a living. And for that person to make a living, someone has to take advantage of his/her services. 

On the other hand, I detest the attitude that if one has enough money, one is entitled to inconvenience others. And, after all, Disney's policy is there for a reason. It seems morally wrong to take advantage of that policy in a way to isn't consistent with the policy's intent.

Finally, imagine a (Disney) world where everyone could afford to hire a disabled "tour guide." Everyone would be lined up at the side entrance, and everyone, including the disabled who really want to enjoy the theme park, would be waiting in a long line. 

Okay, that will never happen, but what might happen is that Disney will be forced to discontinue the practice completely. The legitimate tourist who happens to be disabled won't get that extra assistance that helps make the park enjoyable. I can see this as a real possibility.

So what do you think? Who is most at fault here, if anyone? The well-to-do tourist? The disabled "tour guide"? And what should Disney do about it? Sound off in the comments. I'm very interested in hearing your opinions.