Soda Freak

picture courtesy of Pepsi-Cola

I am a soda freak, so for Christmas my hubby bought me a soda maker. So, I now can make my own soda's :)

Isn't technology wonderful!! Here's looking at you :)

50th Wedding Anniversary

Today is my in laws 50th Wedding Anniversary. They are celebrating in Santa Fe, NM and having a great time! I would post a pic of them but I don't think they would like that.



The White House has a thing that you can request for special days, 50th anniversary etc., a card to be sent. I requested that for my in laws. I didn't know if they would get it because the White House said they were very busy & you have to request these things 6 weeks in advance. But, they got it and were very pleased! So, was I, I am very impressed with the White House for doing this.



So, Happy Anniversary to my in laws and thank you for giving me my husband :)

Castle Of Colorado Springs

pic courtesy of Navigator's

This is Glen Eyrie Castle, isn't it beautiful. General William Palmer and his wife Queenie built this beautiful home. This castle resides in Colorado Springs Colorado, the city that the General and his wife, Queenie started.

There were no trees here in this new city, it was the plains. They brought trees in, the General started the town, Queenie started the first school. This castle started as a stable and from there it bloomed into what we see today.

I have been hard on the General in my previous posts and I have discovered that the information I had received was one sided. That information came from the Generals daughter, Dorothy and she did not care for her father. This post is to bring to light another side of the General, a softer side.

Not many people remember that the General had a gift, he could foresee things in the future. He saw Colorado Springs and what it would become with street lights and paved roads. He was born in Delaware, his parents had come from England. He still had family in England when his wife Queenie went there because of her health and he lived in England with her.

They had 3 daughters, Elsie was the oldest, she was born in New York, she married a well known author, L.H. Myers and lived in Chelsea, England till her death. She had 1 child.

Dorothy, was the 2nd child, 8 years behind her sister. She was born in Colorado Springs and when she was 1 her mother, Queenie, went to England. Dorothy went to a Catholic school in England, things did not go well for her, she was abused & resented her father for it. She felt that he should have seen what was happening to her & do something about it. It left her very angry and she fought against what he predicted for her. But what he saw for her did come to pass. I do not know how many times she was married, her last marriage was to my Uncle Richard. She lived in England, PA & Colorado Springs. She had 1 child.

Marjory, was the 3rd & last child, born a year after Dorothy in England. She lived, married & died in Colorado Springs. She had no children.

The General loved his wife and his children. He was good to them. The castle is a symbol of his love for them, it was built with them in mind. Marjory was married there. The General was a good man. His home is now the home of "The Navigators", a chirstian organization. But, when I see it, I see him outside in his chair surrounded by his dogs. I can hear the laughter of his wife and daughters.

This is a man who had great vision and started a town, built the Antler's Hotel and a castle. He satnds very tall in my eyes.

Busy Bee Me

picture courtesy of www.chattyandme.com



Been a busy bee but never to busy to buy a chatty cathy dress from Sandy at www.chattyandme.com


Sandy also sells on ebay and she is one of my most favorite people to buy from. I am a doll collector, I have chatty cathys, american girl and barbies. I also have a store at http://thelittledame.ecrater.com
most of my dolls in the store are barbies, i have a couple of 1998 reproductions of chatty cathy that I haven't put in the store yet. It takes a lot of work to take these dolls and wash hair, bodys and face.



The above dress is for my chatty, I want to add a Canadian chatty cathy to my collection and as soon as I get her, this dress will be hers.


Take care everyone

I'm Back

Hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving !!!!


We watched 2 new movies, "Toy Story 3" & "How to Train Your Dragon". They both were great, I cried at the end of Toy Story. Since I collect & sell dolls it was emotional for me. I've always felt my dolls had personalitys of their own. I know, silly me!



We cleaned up the leaves from the front yard, 5 huge bags. We have a huge tree that drops a lot of leaves plus every tree in the neighborhood seems to blow its leaves into our yard. We found a huge leaf, just one, that was differant then any other we have seen. Don't know where it came from. My hubby and I turned it over in our hands admiring its beauty. It traveled quite a ways, we are thinking it came from the west side.


Take care everyone :)

Cousin Boies Penrose

picture from my own family album.


A lot of people get confused about who is who in my family and even who we are related to. We are not related to the Penrose's in Utah that are Mormans but we are related to Stephen B.L. Penrose, long time president of Whitman College in Washington State.




Now, the above picture is my cousin Boies, he was named after his & my uncle Boies who was a senator. My cousin was the son of my uncle Charles. Uncle Charles had 2 kids that lived, Boies & Sarah. Uncle Charles had a marriage that was arranged but was a good marriage, she was very, very, very rich. Her father was an Austrian banker.





I met my cousin Boies, only once. He came to our house and had a meeting with my father. He was much older then the picture above. My father who was dying of cancer, had a favor to ask of Boies. The favor was: will you take and raise my little girl. My cousin, Boies refused!!! I was standing right there, looking at his face when he told my father that he should kill me. My cousin said a few other choice words about my mother.



My father replied that Boies would never be welcomed in our home again. Boies had a chance to help me and my father but he refused. And to this day, I curse him and his family. I do not consider any of them my relatives. They are all cruel and mean hearted people.




And that is all I have to say about my cousin Boies.

Land of Nod, The Artifact

Land of Nod, The Artifact by Gary Hoover. Gary is another author I met thru my Facebook and thru Budo. Gary's book is sci-fi and it also is very good. I love stories that have portals and this is one of them.

Gary's book is available at Amazon.com thru Kindle the same as Budo's. And no I'm not going to get my soap box and tell how wonderful it is to get the books on your computer :)

This is a great story and Gary does a great job :)

It Magically Disappears

picture courtesy of Disney

I was disappointed in the Colorado Springs voting. We had 3 issues to be voted on, it had to do with taxes. In the higher income districts, these 3 issues magically disappeared from the ballots.

One woman, came out from voting & wanted to know why these issues were not on her ballot. She was given a lame excuse but it sent them scrambling. Everyone of the ballots in these districts had these 3 issues missing

I guess they are not going to do anything about it, the issues passed & we are going to have higher property taxes. I smell a HUGE STINKY RAT!!! And I don't mind telling the world about it!!

So, after the disappointment of the elections, in the mail I got the renewal for our business license. It is not a biggy, the state use to send the notice & I would mail a check. Now, I have to do it by computer. There are 8 steps I have to go thru once I get to the site, then pay, then download a copy for myself. It was much easier when I just got to mail a check in (sigh)

Well, I feel a lot better now that I got to bitch, moan & complain.

Everybody take care :)

Perception of Evil

In my previous post I talked about my friend, Budo von Stahl and his book "Preception of Evil"

If you like fantasy books with wizards & elfs this is a good one to read. Budo's book can be found at Amazon. com. It is part of their Kindle line and no you do not need a Kindle. Amazon.com offers a free upload for your computer. So you can purchase and read these books.

I have to tell you, I really enjoy getting my books this way. I don't have to go to the bookstore and I have it immediatly. Didn't think I would be such a big fan of downloading books on my computer but here I am, soap box and all :)

The Last Wizard - L.E. Buck

I wrote this book in 2005. It doesn't seem like its been that long ago, time is flying by me. I met another author on Facebook, they were in my Castle Age Army and through a mutual friend we found out about each other.

Budo Von Stahl is his name and his book "The Perception of Evil" is very good. Budo has his book on Kindle. Which is soooo easy to get. You can get Kindle free for your computer off of Amazon.com. This is what I did. I like getting my books so fast.

So, anyway Budo wanted to know where to get my book. I told him Kindle, unknown to me my publisher stopped doing the Kindle and they have their own website to download my book. It was a journey to find where my book could be bought. But, I did it.

I really need to get back to writing. I long to get back to writing fantasy fiction but I need to tell my father's story. Its very hard for me, I am torn about telling all the truth. My mother was a fruitcake, do I tell how bad? Do I tell half truths, do I leave some things out? I wrestle with this and think "I should tell it like it was" and let the chips fall. Is this a good thing to think? I have hundreds of questions but no answers.

Sometimes, I feel that someone else should do the book. Take all my memories and write it, someone else would be less emotional about it. But, that's putting off my responsibility onto someone else, that's a chessecake move.

So, I ponder and flounder about it. Phooey, I need to get back to writing. I'll take it one day at a time.

take care :)

Oscar Wilde

picture courtesy of Disney

Since October is halloween month, I'll keep posting halloween pics from Disney (of course).

Well, I read about Oscar Wilde, little did I know that he did the story of Dorain Gray. I loved that movie. i never read the book, I'm sure there is more in the book then the movie but none the less, I loved the movie.

I must say, that Wilde had a colorful life & was a colorful person. In today's world we would call him bi-sexual with preference to men. Even back before Roman times being bi-sexual or gay existed. So, when I read about someone from the 1800's being this way it does not shock me. This has been in the world longer then we have. I do not go so far as judging anyone on those basis. I am a person who likes a realtionship with one man, what others do is up to them.

Wilde was also a free thinker who's truthful quotes live long and still ring. He was born way before his time and I don't think the world was ready for him.

So, I will leave you with one of his quotes:

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all."

Oscar Wilde Quotes

picture courtesy of Darlene's Hodgepodge

Darlene sent me some Oscar Wilde quotes and I thought all of them where great. But, one stood out above all the rest:

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars"

This spoke to me because my parents were always telling me "to look to the stars"

I'm wondering if they took this saying from Oscar Wilde's quote. I don't know much about Oscar Wilde but I'm going to do some research on him. It sounds like an interesting journey :)

A Lie, Is A Lie

Remember the game we used to play as children, you tell one person a story and when it gets to the last person, the story had changed. It was to teach us not to believe gossip because the true story gets lost in the telling.



There is also something that they needed to teach, when one person tells a lie to ten people and those ten tell ten, it is still a lie. No matter how many times it is told it is a lie, it will not and can not, ever become the truth. Because a lie is a lie, no matter how many times its told.


Take care, everyone :)

I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

Darlene from Darlene's Hodgepodge sent this to me. The words touched my heart so much I wanted to share so it can touch your heart also :)

When I am having a hard day all of you from blogland lift my heart. My spirits soar with just a click away. Thank you :)

Penrose's, Chew's & Baber's

We watched the new Robin Hood & Prince of Persia movies. They both are great, I think this Robin Hood is the closest to the real truth than any other. Both movies had 2 things in common: destiny & karma. I'd like to share with you my own family's destiny & karma.



The Penrose's, Chew's & Baber's are old English families. All 3 were knights of the Crusades, all 3 were knights of the templar, all 3 lived in the Somerset/Bristol area. Penrose & Baber were physcians of King Richard & King John. The 3 families had a bond that would expand for centuries, without some of them even knowing it.


In the 1600's Penrose & Chew would leave England. Penrose to Philadelphia, Chew to Maryland. Chew would sell his manor called "Chew Manor" to Baber. The manor has kept its name to this day. The Baber family would fall into displeasure with the power that ruled England, one family was allowed to stay & keep Chew Manor while the others were sent to Virginia, New Zealand & Austrilia.


The Penrose & Chew families would unite in marriage, my grandfather & grandmother. The Baber family would go from Virginia to South Carolina then to Colorado.



In the 1950's my father being a Chew/Penrose would become friends with Frank Baber & his sister Zona. After my fathers death, it was Frank Baber that would take me as his foster daughter & raise me.



The Penrose, Chew & Baber family circle completed. I believe in destiny, tho I do not know its reason.

The Dark Cloud Has Lifted

picture courtesy of John Crossley

In 1972 a woman in California shared a dream she had of Colorado Springs, Colorado. A black cloud covered Pikes Peak and the whole city. What she did not know was at the same time, the city of Colorado Springs told the American Indians in the region, that they could no longer have their pow wow's at the Garden Of the Gods.

The Garden of the Gods had always been the sacred gathering place for the Indians for over 3,400 years. Complaints had come in from residents about the drumming and that the grass & flowers had been trampled. The drumming part is true, the other is not. To this day no one can find the names of those complaints. I know why those complaints were made and who was behind them but that is another story. Today, I tell the story of victory.

After 32 years, on September 25th (my wedding anniversary also), the Garden of the Gods had it's first pow wow. before the pow wow began, the American Indians had to make it sacred once more.

Eugene Redhawk lifted his gourd, shook it and moved across the dry grass in the dance of sanctification. Then came a procession of the American Indian flag of buffalo and eagle feathers, followed by other flags including the flag of the United States.

Once the the grounds were blessed they danced, the drums beat and healing of our land and city began. Sandy Turcotte, a Chippewa Indian said, "This is a healing step, its the first healing step I've seen in a long time." Sebrena Forrest, a Mohawk said, "This feels like coming home again."

Being born in this city and seeing what has happened to it, I dance the dance of VICTORY. To long have we been in darkness, a dark cloud covering our lands. The Garden of the Gods, is once more sacred ground where the American Indian can come with the song and dance of healing.

Our city will once more be blessed.

A Real Man

A real man is a woman's best friend.
He will never stand her up
and never let her down.
He will reassure her when she feels insecure
and comfort her after a bad day.



He will inspire her to do things she never thought
she could do:
to live without fear and forget regret.
He will enable her to express her deepest emotions
and give in to her most intimate desires.
He will make sure she always feels as though
she is the most beautiful woman in the room
and will enable her to be the most confident,
sexy, seductive and invincible.




No,
wait..........sorry......I'm thinking of wine.


It's wine that does all that...............


Never mind.

The Bottom Line

I was going to share more on Olsens book about my family but instead I'm just going to come out with the bottom line about it.

Someone doesn't want the truth known. You see I am a writer and one thing I know is how much it costs to put anything about a book in a newspaper, it costs money. To advertise your book in the NY Times costs $3,560.00. So, the Colorado Springs Gazette isn't that popluar but it costs money for that paper to be putting this book, chapter by chapter in the newspaper.

They are not doing it out of the kindness of their heart or to enlighten readers they are doing it because they are being paid to do it. Money and greed is the bottom line of all things. So, who would be paying this newspaper to do this, has to be the Tutt family.


A few months ago, they published a picture of Russell Thayer Tutt Sr.'s daughter and put the name of my nanny underneath it. Of course, all the paper had to do is publish a correction but if anyone wanted to do a look up on my nanny this picture would come up. Its false information which papers are famous for, Hearst was the biggest of all of them and the Colorado Springs Gazette is not far behind.


Now, why you wonder would they go to all this trouble? Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe they don't want the truth to be known. Of course, they don't want people to know that Russell Thayer Tutt Sr. was a murderer. They don't want any eyes on them, so they use other people to do their dirty work. Thats as old as the hills.


The Tutt family have been involved with the mob since the 1900's. Yes, that's the mafia. They have also done things for the United States Government, behind the scenes of course.


So, the bottom line is the Tutt Family is paying for this book to be printed in the paper. I must be rattling them with all the truth I've been spouting.


Onward and upward for the words of truth, for I will always speak them :)

Ilene Woods - Voice Of Disney's Cinderella - 1929-2010

Pictures courtesy of Disney

Ilene Woods was an 18 year old singer on the radio in 1948 when 2 of her songwriter friends asked her to do them a favor. They had written a few songs for a Disney upcoming film, would she record a demo of them. She said "yes" and sang, 'Bibbidi-Bobbidi Boo', 'So This Is Love', and 'A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes'.

Not only did Walt Disney like the demo of the songs, he liked the voice singing them. He called her for an interview, they met and he offered her the job of Cinderella and the rest is Disney History.

The happiest years of her life was when she married Ed Shaughnessy, the former longtime drummer on Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show" and had two sons.

On July 1st, Ed made the announcement that his wife had died of causes related to Alzheimer's disease. Ilene was 81.

The person who gave us the 'Voice of Cinderella' has passed away but we always have the film to remember her. Thank you Ilene, for the magic of song.

Ingenious Monopoly

In 1941, an increasing number of British Airmen found themselves as the involuntary guests of the Third Reich, and the Crown was casting about for ways to facilitate their escape.



One of the most helpful aids is a map, showing where stuff is and locations of 'safe' houses where a POW on-the-lam could go for food and shelter.



Paper maps had drawbacks, they make a lot of noise when opening and folding, they wear out rapidly and when wet, turn into mush.



Someone in MI-5, got an idea of printing escape maps on silk. It's durable, can be scrunched-up into tiny wads, can be unfolded as many times as needed and makes no noise.



At that time, there was only one manufacturer in Great Britain that had perfected the technology of printing on silk, John Waddington, LTD. When approached by the government, the firm was only to happy to do its part for the war effort.




By pure coincidence, Waddington was also the U.K. Licensee for the popular American board game, Monopoly. As it happened, games and pastimes was a category of item qualified for insertion into 'CARE packages', dispatched by the International Red Cross to POW's.



Under the strictest of secrecy, in a securely guarded and inaccessible old workshop on the grounds of Waddinton's, a group of sworn-to-secrecy employees began a mass- producing escape maps, keyed to each region of Germany or Italy where Allied POW camps were regional system. When processed, these maps could be folded into such tiny dots that they would actually fit inside a Monopoly playing piece.



As long as they were at it, the clever workmen at Waddington's also managed to add:
1. A playing token, containing a small magnetic compass
2. A two-part metal file that could easily be screwed together
3.Useful amounts of genuine high-denomination German, Italian and French currency, hidden within the piles of Monopoly money



British and American air crews were advised, before taking off on their first mission, how to identify a 'rigged' Monopoly set -- by means of a tiny red dot, one cleverly rigged to look like an ordinary printing glitch, located in the corner of the 'Free Parking' square.



Of the estimated 35,000 POWS who escaped, an estimated one third were aided in their flight by the rigged Monopoly sets.



This information was declassified in 2007 when the surviving craftsmen from Waddington's, as well as the firm, were honored in a public ceremony.



I bet, after reading this, that when you play Monopoly, you'll never look at the 'Get Out Of Jail Free' card the same, I know I won't.

Speck, the Life and Times of Spencer Penrose, breakdown of book Part 2

In Chapter 2, Olson states that the family motto is "Ubique Fidelis" in Latin this means "Everywhere Faithful". That doesn't make sense, now if it had Semper in front of it, which a lot of families used that for a motto, then it would make sense. This motto is also suppose to be what was on a cradle my family used. Since I saw no such thing then I'm not sure if this is true.



Many times, Olson calls us blue bloods and many times refers to my grandparents as cold. As I have stated before both things are untrue.


He has my ancestors right but when he comes to my grandmother's, he says that they were Roman Catholic. This is NOT true, my grandmother's line is Jewish and the Vatican in Rome knows just how Jewish we are. Our Jewish roots goes deep and we have 2 very famous Jewish ancestors.


At the end of Chapter 2 Olson talks about Charles P. Tutt. I do not know why he doesn't state that Charles P. Tutt studied and became a doctor in Vermont. Then he went to Florida, then to Penn. His father in law was a merchant and lived a few blocks away from the Penrose house. This is where his son C.L. Tutt met my family. My Uncle Spence was the only one who liked C.L., my grandfather hated his guts. He saw the true nature in him and told his sons many times to stay away from him. To bad Uncle Spence didn't listen.



Chapter 3 - On page 21 Olson goes into great detail about my grandmother's death. He made the whole thing up. The true story is my dad didn't want to go to school that day, he faked that he was sick. My grandmother had just walked up the stairs to take him some soup, on the way down the stairs she tripped and broke her neck. She died. Now, you have to understand that back then in 1881, you NEVER told anyone that an accident happened inside the house that caused a death. That was taboo. So, the story that she had pneumonia and died from that was the story that was told.

My father was the one who was with her and yes it scarred him for life. He always believed that his father blamed him for his mother's death. He believed that till the day, our doctor was called to the house to see me. Our family doctor knew my grandfather. They got into a conversation that led to my grandmother. My father confessed to our doctor, that his dad blamed him for his mother's death. The doctor said, "I guess you were to young to remember what the rumors were." My father said he didn't know of any rumors. Our doctor told him, rumors had gone around that my grandfather had killed my grandmother. My dad said that it wasn't true and it must have been terrible for his father. So, that's the truth about my grandmothers death, it was an accident. My father always felt that it never would have happened if he would've gone to school that day.



Her death left a big void in all the Penrose men and there was not a day that went by, that they did not miss her and wish she was with them. Their love for her was deep and lasted a lifetime.


On page 22, Olson states that my Uncle Boies got interested in politics at Harvard. Not true, my grandfather chose that profession for him. My Uncle Boies had a poetic nature, he would have preferred to write plays. He did a pamphlet for Mr. Barnum on elephants, that Mr. Barnum used in his circus.


On page 25, Olson says my grandfather was disappointed in Uncle Spence. That's not true, my grandfather understood my Uncle and didn't expect to much of him. It was my father that had an on going conflict with my grandfather.


On page 28, Olson says my Uncle Francis (nickname Friday), comes down with a fever. This part is true. The part that is not true, is Uncle Francis did not become an invalid. Grandfather shipped him off to England after he was better.

and that is it for this time

Speck, The Life and Times of Spencer Penrose book, breaking it down

I have decided to take this book and go chapter by chapter, stating the untruths and revealing the truths.


I like Robert C. Olson's style, it flows and is poetic but here are the untruths in his book.


1. Blue blood, we are not blue bloods. My ancestor Bartholomew came from England, he had borrowed money from his brother of which he never paid back. We were shipbuilders and captains of ships, our best friend was William Penn. I don't know if that makes us blue bloods.



2. Penrose did not come to Colorado and make his 1st million, he was already a millionaire thru a mine he owned in AZ. His brother Richard and a German banker were his partners.


3. Speck was not his nickname, it was Spec and it was a childhood nickname. Only his brothers used it, NO ONE outside the family used it.



4. The Penroses were NOT rich. My grandfather was a Doctor and they did NOT make money like the doctors today. They made a meager wage. My ancestor Bartholomew had a trust fund set up for the family, when my father and uncles were old enough to get their part of it, they each, got $500.00 a year. Even back then that amount did not make you rich. Everyone in my family worked hard for their money, from my grandfather to my father.



5. Robert C. Olson says Spencer Penrose was a "shiftless ne er-do-well". My Uncle Spence was a fast dealing, gambling sort of person. He loved the women and life. C.L. Tutt was his friend and Tutt was shiftless, greedy and as dishonest as they come. But, this is not the Spencer Penrose who built the Broadmoor, Cheyenne Zoo, El Pomar Foundation and the Shrine of the Sun. For you see, the truth and family secert is: Spencer Penrose was murdered in 1902 and his brother, Philip Thomas Penrose (my father), took over his identity.



6. So, this book is at the beginning, the story of my Uncle but after 1902 then its my father and he has done no justice to my father. Uncle Spencer was in my grandfather's good graces, he graduated from Harvard. My father went to Penn University and my grandfather was not that fond of my father, they were always at odds with each other.



7. The Penrose household had a lot of love in it, my grandmother was a loving person and showed that to her family. Olson writes that it was a cold household, he has confused the Tutt household for the Penrose household.



8. Jack Dempsey was from Manassa, Colorado not Utah. Jack was a friend of my father's, in fact my dad tried to start a hotel in Mexico, Jack was going to be the manager (this was when his boxing days were done). It didn't work out, the Mexican police didn't want them or a hotel there. The mexican police took everything and booted them out of the country.



9. True Fact in the book, I do not know how Olson found this out but my father said often: The Guggenheims are honest, they are the most honest people I know. Olson refers to this on page 3.
Olson also says about Charlie MacNeill, that he was my dad's friend. Charlie was my dad's best friend, he was murdered in front of my dad. My dad would talk to me about his friend, Charlie MacNeill with tears in his eyes. And he would always say, "this was my best friend" as he gave me a picture of Charlie. He and Charlie, tired to start a hotel in what is now called Penrose, Colorado. It didn't work out but the building still stands today.



10. At the end of Chapter One, Olson says "If the entire story of his life were told, however, maybe the true Spencer Penrose would be revealed." Well, Mr. Olson that's what I have been planning to do. Because the life of Spencer Penrose is not just about one man, its about two men sharing the same name. Maybe I have been to hard on Mr. Olson, with this statement alone, it makes me wonder if he knows the whole truth about us.

Speck, The Life and Times of Spencer Penrose

This book is full of lies and untruths. In the preface of this book Robert C. Olson says he used memories of key individuals, those individuals were Thayer Tutt Jr and his sister and they are the liars. At no time when this book was being written was I consulted and there are NONE of my memories in this book!!!!!!!


Once again the Tutt family is trying to cover up their family skeletons, especially the fact that Thayer Tutt Sr murdered Penrose, I was there!



Robert C. Olson is a morman and should stick to writing about them. The Publishing company that published this book is Western Reflections Publishing Company in Montrose, Colorado. They are 4 authors that the Tutts paid to do this book, the publishing company has also done other books on the history of Colorado that is bogus.


And the reason I am writing about this now, the Colorado Springs Gazette's editor Jeff Thomas has been paid by the Tutt family to run this book, chapter by chapter in the newspaper. The book came out in 2008 and it did not do well because there are people who still know the truth and knew this book was full of lies.



Well, at least we know Jeff Thomas is on the Tutt's payroll. The Tutt's must be up to something, they always start the lies about my family when they want more money or the govt are looking into their illegal transactions.


The Tutt's should write about their family but of course it wouldn't go over to well. They were friends with Hitler, they are connected to the mob, since the late 1800's they swindled people out of their property and money, they murdered, stole and lied. No wonder they don't want anyone writing about them.


But, as I was saying this book is so full of crap. I went thru and marked everything that was a lie and it is so funny because there is only a line or two on each page that isn't marked.


I hope you are enjoying the money that the Tutts gave you Robert C. Olson because you won't get much for your book. In this day and age people are no longer sheep and will no longer believe the lies.

Marina Semyonova 1908-2010

picture courtesy of Ballerinagallery

Marina Semyonova, the Bolshoi Ballet's prima ballerina for 2 decades during the Soviet era has died. Marina was 102.

Marina joined the Bolshoi Theater in 1930 and was with them till 1952. Her repertoire included "Sleeping Beauty", "Swan Lake", "Raymonda", "Giselle" and "La Esmeralda".

She was married to Senior Soviet Diplomat, Lev Karakhan, who was executed in 1937 as part of Stalin's purging. Marina was a beautiful and gifted Ballerina, may she rest in peace.

Memorial Day Tribute

I would like to share the stories of 3 men who served in the armed forces, this is what they did after they served

Mr. Rogers (Fred Rogers 1928-2003) was a U.S. Navy Seal, combat proven in Vietnam with over 25 confirmed kills to his name. He wore a long sleeve sweater to cover his many tattoos, he was a master in small arms and hand to hand combat. He was able to disarm or kill in a heartbeat. After the war he became a Presbyterian minister and dedicated his life to help children on the right path in life. He wrote the song "Won't You Be My Neighbor" and we all remember his show.

Captain Kangaroo (Bob Keeshan 1927-2004) and Lee Marvin (1924-1987) served together in World WarII. Bob was the sergeant and at Red Beach on Iwo Jima, he stood up and directed his men to move forward and get the h-ll off the beach. He made himself a target so his men could reach safety. He did this more then once and was wounded. He recieved the Navy Cross.

Lee Marvin, under Bob Keeshan's command secured a hot spot half way up Suribachi. He also was wounded and received the Navy Cross. When other actors were selling bonds, Lee Marvin was in the thick of it. He is buried at Arlington Cemetery.

We all remember Captain Kangaroo and the joy his show gave us. Lee Marvin was a suberp actor and we enjoyed his movies.

America's heros don't flaunt what they have done, they go about their lives giving us songs, respect in ourselves, entertainment. They go and do their duty for their country and come home and share with us the beautiful part of themselves.

Have You Ever Googled Yourself?

I decided to google myself, just my first and last name (which is my married name). Frankly, I did this because this is the name I use on my facebook and I've gotten some weird friend requests that I have denied.


I went thru to page 9 and still didn't find me but I found the same name has been around since the 1700's. A lot of obits but the one that gave me the biggest laugh was a black nineteen year old, who lives in Beverly Hills and is interested in relationships with men and women. There was a picture of her and she is sooooooooo hot and soooooooooooo not me.


I'm pondering about putting my middle initial in everything I use now, who would've thunk it, my name belonging to a beautiful black diva. I'm just glad its not the name I use for my writing, I don't want anyone else getting credit for my writing. That sounds a little smug, doesn't it. Well, smug I must be (LOL)


Take care, everyone and google away :)

James Roberts, Gold Miner

In the late 1800's gold was found in Cripple Creek, Colorado. Many found their fortunes and many did not. Those that did built homes and lived in Colorado Springs (and just as a side note: Spencer Penrose did not strike it rich in Cripple Creek, he had a mine in Arizona that was his first million then he came to Colorado) but on to my story.







Not much is known about James Roberts but he has a place in our history because of his head. His skull now rests in the Cripple Creek Museum.







In 1901, Christmas night, he and his friends stopped by the Dawson Club on Myers Ave. After his friends left, Roberts got into an argument with the bar owner, William Brooks. As Roberts turned away, Brooks came up behind him and whacked the side of his head with a Colt 45 . Roberts fell hitting his head on the stove and again hitting his head on the floor.







He laid there, blood oozing from his head for an hour, all the while patrons kept up with their party. The patrons even teased him and told him to get up and have a drink (does the word stupidity come to mind when you read this? It does to mine) Finally someone thinks to call in the doctor but it was to late, Roberts was dead.





Bar owner Brooks and several witnesses were arrested. The lawyer who defends them is called the "Oratorical Whirlwind of the West". He has defended notable outlaws and Colorado millionaires. His name J. Maurice Finn.





Finn's defense is that Roberts had an abnormally thin skull, his client had not meant to kill him with the gun butt. Finn also convinced the coroner to saw off the top of Roberts skull for his defense. James Roberts was buried, in an un marked grave minus his head. Finn won his case, Brooks was acquitted.



Brooks got out of town on the next train after a mob of Roberts friends went after him. But, no one cared about James Roberts skull, it stayed at Teller County Courthouse for decades till a lawyer by the name of P.J. Anderson found it next to a bag of gold in 1974.



Everyone at the Courthouse was excited about the gold except P.J., he wanted to know about the skull and set about to find out about it. Its because of him that we know what happened to James Roberts in 1901. P.J. still practices law in Cascade, Colorado.



The skull had many people coming forward laying claim to it till they found out the gold was only worth $18. A bar in Colorado Springs called "Finn's", named after the famous lawyer wanted it so patrons could drink to Roberts memory. The court wouldn't release it because a judge wanted to use it as an ashtray. That didn't happen either, it went back to the evidence room in the courthouse, pushed in a corner on the floor.



In 2009, P.J. who had been telling the story of Roberts for 35 years came in contact with a woman who worked at the courthouse and related the story to her. She went looking for the skull and found that it had been taken home by another courthouse employee, who willingly returned it. The skull was put under lock and key till its history was confirmed, then it was recognized as a historic artifact.



The Cripple Creek District Museum gave the skull a home and treats it with respect. Every morning the employees say, "Good morning, Mr. Roberts" when they come in and "Good night, Mr. Roberts" when they leave.



Thanks to P.J., Mr. Roberts skull has a home. My hat goes off to a man who followed a story and gave it closure. If you are ever in Colorado, stop by Cripple Creek, its a big gambling town now with lots of casinos. But, as you walk the streets envision the millionaires and everyday people that walked those same streets in the early 1900's. Then stop by the museum and say hello to Mr. Roberts.

Today is my Daddy's Birthday

Today is my daddy's birthday, it is one of the many things that I share with him, for I was born on the same day.

Happy birthday, daddy. I love you.

Only in Colorado

This week is "Ride Your Horse to Work Week" in Colorado Springs. It's the kick off for Pikes Peak Western Heritage Days.



Our vice mayor, Larry Small rode his horse to work passing by the Pioneer Museum. There are still many people here who remember riding horses where the Citadal Mall now stands. Where houses now stand there use to be open space and horseback riding was a big favorite.


The Pikes Peak Western Heritage Days start in the month of May and end in June.

National Arbor Day

Today is National Arbor Day. I am and always have been a lover of trees, oaks are my favorites.


At www.arborday.org they have a motto, "We inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees."


I became aware of this organization when I was looking for a sympathy card and through them I found the perfect card. For every card they plant a tree and my heart leaped for joy. What better way to send your feelings. To say to the person who lost a loved one, "we have planted a tree in honor of your lost loved one."



We have sent these cards for over 14 years and my heart always feels a burst of sunshine. There are other organizations that do the same thing. I love each and every one of them for planting a tree.


I am an old soul that loves trees, maybe I was an Ent in a former life :)

The History of Hemp

Our country used to use Hemp for a number of things. Our founding fathers grew hemp. Here are a few other things about hemp:



Schoolbooks were made from hemp and flax paper until the 1880's


It was legal to pay your taxes with hemp from 1631 till the early 1800's



Refusing to grew hemp was against the law in the 17th and 18th centuries



For thousands of years 90% of all ship sails and ropes were made from hemp



80% of all textiles, fabrics, clothes, linen, drapes and bedsheets were made from hemp till the 1820's with the intro of the cotton gin



The first bibles, maps, charts, Betsy Ross flag, 1st draft of Declaration of Independence and Constitution were made from hemp



Oldest records of hemp farming go back 5000 years in China



Early canvas paintings were painted on hemp linen



In 1916 the US Govt predicted that by the 1940's all paper would come from hemp and no more trees would need to be cut down (1 acre of hemp equals 4.1 acres of trees)



Quality paints and varnishes were made from hemp seed oil till 1937



There is much more that hemp is used for but I think you get the picture. But, the BIG point is that the govt had a chance to save mother earth and her trees but they didn't. They gave in to greedy business men who would lose money if hemp was used and by giving in we all lose.

A Little Bit Of History

My in laws shared this with us in an email and I thought I would share it with all of you.

In Marble Arch, London there is an old Hotel/Pub which used to have gallows adjacent to it. A prisoner, who was to be hung, was taken in a horse drawn dray, accompanied by a guard, who would stop the dray outside the pub. The guard would ask the prisoner if he would like "ONE LAST DRINK".

If the prisoner said yes it was referred to as, "ONE FOR THE ROAD" and if he declined that prisoner was "ON THE WAGON"

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They used to use urine to tan animal skins, so families used to all pee in a pot and then once a day it was taken and sold to the tannery.

If you had to do this to survive you were "Piss Poor". Worse then that were the really poor folk who couldn't even afford to buy a pot they "Didn't have a pot to piss in" and they were the lowest of the low.

Hairy Plotter and Other Going Ons

Well, Hairy is still on the loose but his tracks were spotted by the Cheyenne Mtn. Zoo trackers behind a King Soopers close to the Broadmoor golf course. So, he's staying close to home but is still enjoying his freedom :)



We had a terrible windstorm a couple of days ago and it blew the Internet dish OFF the roof. This Internet service is not the one I use, it is the one my husband uses and is for our business. It is HUGHES.NET and we are not happy campers!



We have had this Internet for 10 years, 6 months ago HUGHES.NET said we had to update our dish. So, we did. They sent 2 teen agers, who take 4 hrs to set this up. The old dish, which was bolted to the side of the house had to come down and it was our responsibility to get rid of it (we paid $1,000 for this dish thru HUGHES.NET, now it was garbage) The new dish, according to the teen agers could not be put on the side of the house, it had to be put on the roof.



We told them we had high winds here and they said that the dish WOULD NEVER blow off the roof. That was a lie!!!!!!!



So, 2 weeks ago we had to have a tech come out because the Internet was not working. He came out and re-aligned the signal. The teen age boys had done it wrong and he was amazed we had a signal at all. He was here for 3 hours. I had to pay $100 for that call because the warranty on the new dish had expired ( it was only for 3 months but NO ONE told us). So we got signed up for a new warranty.



Now, the dish has blown OFF the roof and people, you do not know what a nightmare it has been to get someone out here. We are on day 3 and I have yelled and screamed at the call center, which is in India, to get it fixed. My husband took over and was calmer with them but we still have no one coming to fix it. My husband had to go to bed early last nite because his system rebelled from the stress and it started to shut down.



I got up early this morning and called again to the service center located in India. They finally after 4 calls gave me the phone # of the head company, here in the US, that handles service calls. They understood that we are a business and need the Internet up, they have put in calls to the person in Denver, Colo (an hour away from us) that does the service calls for HUGHES.NET. He has not answered them yet. So, we are still waiting.



The company we work for is very understanding (we are to start a new job, courthouse in Las Vegas) and they know we will get our Internet up and going.



I wish we could get rid of HUGHES.NET but they are the only Internet that can handle the arch. drawings. So, we are stuck and not happy about it.




What kills me, is that we had this service for 10 years and hardly a problem. We update and we have had nothing but problems. Plus, we have to pay for this service call because they say its a natural disaster and the warranty doesn't cover it. That's a real pisser!

Hairy Plotter, Still On The Loose

Well, its been a week and the otter is still on the loose.

He paid a visit to the Broadmoor Hotel golf course in which the hotel employees, Broadmoor Fire and Rescue, Colorado Springs Fire Dept and the Colorado Springs Utilities tried to capture him.

He eluded them all and is still romping around. The paper here did a funny spoof of him taking in the sights. It was very cute. They have gotten a lot of calls of people seeing him but none have pan out.

Maybe he'll get homesick for his otter family in the zoo and return on his own, I doubt it but it is a comforting thought.

We will see if he ever returns home :)

Meet Hairy Plotter

Picture courtesy of NPS Photo, story from Colorado Springs Gazette

This story was so cute I had to share it:

Missing: One Otter

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo was searching Friday for a North American river otter that escaped the day before and is thought to be in the Broadmoor area of Colorado Springs.

On Thursday morning, zoo staff discovered that a failed crimp in the otter exhibit's mesh covering gave all four of the facility's otters an opportunity to flee. Two were discovered in minutes at the grizzly pool, above the otter's exhibit. A third was recovered within the zoo's second containment fence within the hour. But, the fourth breached the fence and was seen late Thursday afternoon in the Broadmoor.

People who spot the otter or evidence that it is nearby, such as the remains of fish or otter tracks, are asked not to approach it but call the zoo manager.

I hope they find the little guy, what the paper did not say is that we have foxes and coyotes here and a little otter would be a nice snack. I hope he pulls out his wand and makes his way back home to the zoo :)

Have a good one

George Washington

George was 57 years old when he was elected the first president of the United States by a unanimous vote of the electoral college. He takes the oath at the Federal Hall in New York City. The date is April 30th 1789.


In his inaugural address, he tells Congress to look to the Constitution for their priorities and to consider the public good when altering it, as the sacred fire of liberty depends on American democracy.


When was the last time Congress ever thought of the public good? We need to get back to the roots of this country but Washington D.C., a country within itself, never will.


I bet George is turning in his grave.

Egyptian Fable

Long ago, an Egyptian ruler owned a priceless stone. It was said that this stone, when held in the palm of your hand would project your past, present and future. When the ruler died, this stone was buried with him.


Centuries later, a grave robber found the stone. Within a few years, he was eager to sell it. The stone found a new home across the waters. It was handed down thru this family and was given to the last son. This man did not want the stone, he feared it. He did not want to relive his past and did not care to see his future. So, he carefully packed it away.


There it set for many years till this man had a child. Close to his death, the man pulled out the stone and placed it in the hand of his three year old child. "Tell me child," he asked, "what do you see?" Nothing was the reply. The man took the stone and placed it in his hand, to make sure it still worked. He saw wondrous things for his child.


He placed the stone in the child's hand again and asked the same question. The child replied, "nothing, it is blank." The man wrapped the stone and put it away with a chuckle. His family had possessed a fool's stone. The stone showed a person's desire not what the future really was to be. Only one, pure of thought could hold it and not see anything.


I often wondered if J.K. Rowling had heard this story because she has it in her Harry Potter story. Only, she has made it a mirror instead of a stone that Harry finds.


I believe the moral of the story is: trying to achieve your heart's desire and not obtaining it can destroy you. What do you think?

Thank You, Walt

Cinderella, courtesy of Disney



My husband and I watched a group of Disney clips the other day and when it was over my husband said, "Thank you Walt, for always making us feel nice."

Disney has always been a part of my life. The very first movie I saw was with my dad in his hotel movie theatre. It was "Sleeping Beauty" and it endeared me to Disney movies


A few weeks ago I read that Roy Disney Jr. had passed away. He was the son of Roy Disney Sr and nephew of Walt Disney. Roy Jr. was the last to hold on to what his uncle saw the studio producing. It will be interesting to see what happens, I hope they continue to make us feel nice.

Movie NIght

We had movie night, the first one was "The Time Travelers Wife". It was okay but I would have written it another way. One big thing to write different would be for him to keep his clothes on when he time traveled. I rate it a D.


"Amelia Earhart" was the other one, I give it a C. Its the typical story we heard in school, except she has an affair. It was okay but I was expecting more. It was a Hollywood story, leaving out truths that should have been there.


Hollywood has always had a chance to get the truth of history out but they haven't done it. Like the Titanic, it was a good movie but didn't tell the truth and they made it a well done romance movie. Oh well, its entertainment, just barely.

Military Widows

I read an article in the paper the other day. It was about a military widow that had talked to President Obama when he was a senator. She talked to him about pension for military widows. You see, they don't get one. The article made it seem that Obama was not keeping a promise about doing something about this for military widows.



I have a true story about another senator who was approached by a military widow. She was a civil war widow and she went to her state senator asking for help to get military widow pension. This young senator fought hard for this woman and he won but it was just for this one woman. You would have thought that the senator would be elated over his victory but he wasn't.



His party, the republican party pulled him aside and told him never to do that again. He was not in office to help people. The young man took this hard, for he was a compassionate person and he had been taught to take care of widows and orphans. From that moment on whenever he would do something for "the little people" of america. He did it fast and quick with the promise that no one would find out that he helped them.


His name, Boies Penrose. He served as a U.S. Senator from 1897 - 1921. One of his favorite sayings "public office is the last refuge of a scoundral"



So, if someone says Obama is not keeping his promise, believe me, he has tried and Washington has shut him down just like in the 1890's. Some things never change.

Penpals

To me, all of you are my penpals, this is what blogging means to me. We reach out and share our thoughts, emotions, cares, fears and joys.


I had a penpal when I was younger, she lived in Iowa and for the life of me, I cannot remember her name. Lydia from Writerquake had a penpal and she hopes to find her again. And I hope she does also.


But, I was thinking (god, help us all) that blogging was like having that penpal when I was younger. I may never meet any of you but I have enjoyed getting to know all of you. I have enjoyed every story, every point of view, every picture and all of the laughter.


Thank you for brightening my little corner of the world.

Odds and Ends

I've only done one post for Feb., boy am I slipping :)


We haven't had much work, a day or two here and there. It started snowing yesterday and its still snowing off and on.


My internet service announced that they were changing things and I would have to register again with them. They have gotten worse over the last 10 years, so I am changing. In fact, I got rid of them. They handled our long distance also, so I got someone else for that.


A telephone repair guy is coming tomorrow. We have a had terrible static and a radio station coming over the phone for the last few months. We did everything the phone company said to do and still no relief. We have lived here for 10 years going on 11 and they want to tell me its our phones. I don't think so but I have to pay $85.00 to find that out, that's how much its going to cost to have a repair guy come :(


I had a wonderful email from a guy in PA. He had read my post about Grace Goodyear and the El Pomar house. He has a picture album of the house and a few of Grace and her kids for sale. I cannot afford it but I have trying to get a hold of one of the trustees for my fathers foundation. The pictures really need to belong in its archives. So, far I haven't been able to reach Bill, most likely he's out of town but I will keep trying :)


I have been getting some really weird comments in Japanese. Lydia from Writersquake helped me in the translating. I cannot thank her enough for teaching me about the google translator.


But, other than that guys, I am baby stepping my way thru life. Take care

Druids

The Air Force Academy, here in Colo. Springs, got into trouble a few years ago. They were shoving Christianity down every one's throat and quite a few students told their parents about it.


They have always had a beautiful chapel there and I knew that they had services for other faiths. So, I was shocked when I learned that this was going on and the whistle blower on this was a Jewish family. I'm glad they spoke up. It does not matter what faith you are, we are all in this world together and we need to get along.


So, the other day there was an article in the paper. The academy has now made a place for the Druid faith. A stone circle (which has been there a long time) on a beautiful part of the grounds. So, some moron went and put a cross on this site, as a harassment or joke. Who knows, but it was in poor taste.



Druidism is a religion older than Christianity and it has been around a long time. Churchill was a druid, my grandfather, great grandfather and great great grandfather were druids. And just as in any religion my father and my uncles did not care for this religion. But, my father did share a lot with me concerning it.



Druidism has been alive in this country for a long time. Though, some of the teachings that have been taught are not true druidism. The beauty of this religion is that you become one with nature, respecting the earth. It is not for greed, power or hurting your enemies. A true druid, respects life and knows true wisdom. It also knows that the etching in the stones around the great oak will never, can never be removed.


This religion is getting more attention, sort of coming out of the closet, so to speak. But, as with all religions, it will only be a good one if it stays close to the true teachings.

Gayle's Book

I was reading the morning paper and there is an article about Gayle Haggard and the release of her new book "Why I stayed: The Choices I Made In My Darkest Hour".


We all have had our darkest hour but Gayle's, I would say, has been the darkest. For those who are not aware of Ted and Gayle Haggard. Ted was the pastor of a church here called "New Life", he lost that church when a gay man made it public that Ted had an affair with him. To this day, I will always believe that Ted was set up.


I met Ted and Gayle when they had the church in a store front on Garden of the Gods Road. They were the most loving, compassionate people ever, you have to meet them to understand the love that comes out of these two. I told the people I had gone with, that their church must be very enlightened to have a gay pastor. I was told that I was mistaken and that's when I met Gayle, a most warm and delightful person and told she was Pastor Ted's wife.


If I could have seen the future, I would have hugged these two with all my might and asked for protection for them. But, I didn't. The church became a Mega church within a few years and stayed that way for a long time. Then the scandal, Ted had gone to a Denver hotel to write a book, the hotel gave him a card of a massage person. He decided to have a massage since he had been under a lot of stress. The person that came was a male who was gay and who made a pass at Ted.


Now, Ted had struggled with his gay side and he gave into it this time. A year later, the massage person came out public with this. Now, doesn't this sound like a set up, it does to me.


Now, Gayle has come out with her book telling her side of things and how this has made her marriage stronger.


Gayle and Ted are good people, may their lifes keep going strong.

History Research

I use Ancestry.com for a lot of my research. The last few months I have noticed quite a change in them. Documents that I once were able to research, don't come up anymore.



Fortunately for me, I made hard copies of many important things. It just means I have to get up off my arse and look thru the hundred of copies that I have made.



I think the internet has made me a bit lazy or the fact that I am getting older and it takes me longer to do things (sigh). To have the energy back that I had even 10 years ago would be nice :)

Naming My Blog

When I first started my blog, the name I wanted for it was "Looking To The Stars". This phrase was very important to me. My father repeatably told me to look to the stars.



But, when I set my blog up, I thought they were asking for the name you wanted for your blog, not your name. So, I typed in Looking To The Stars instead of my name and then I had to use "Looking to the Sun and Stars" as my blog title.



Of course a smart person would know that a new blogger could make a mistake like that. But, someone who is stupid or mean would think otherwise.



And yes, I have two (read it, people) two names. My father had two names, my mother had two names. A rose by any other name, smells just as sweet. For those who do not understand this saying, it means that no matter what tag is put on something it is still the same thing. The only reason I have two names is that Russell Thayer Tutt Sr paid to have my name changed. Read it people, PAID.


So, this is the reason my name comes up as Looking to the stars, no mystery, just an honest mistake.

Responsibility

Kenju (Judy) had a post the other day about businesses that go on the net to see what people say about them.


It made me stop and think about the HUGE responsibility that I, as a blogger/writer have. I must be honest above all else in my writing, I must try and see both sides of things. But most of all I must not use my writing as a punching bag to hurt others.



For so many of you, this is not a problem. For me, I started blogging to share my family history and the history of my town and the people in it. Along with this, comes people that have done bad things. So, I will try to be a little more fairer, more understanding of others feelings.

Facebook Games

Okay, I said I would never join facebook but I did. My husband joined to hook up with his old buddies. Now, his friends are into the games they have on facebook and my husband got into them also.



So, he needed more friends for his FarmTown, that's where I come in. I joined to send him gifts for FarmTown, Cafe World and Fishville. For my computer it takes 15 minutes or longer for these games to load and it drives me crazy. So, I don't play them very often but I do send the much needed gifts :)



At Christmas time I sent out my yearly letter and told people my husband was on facebook. His cousins (he only has 4 left) all sent him requests. It was great, 2 of them are into the games also. They do Cafe World and Farmville. So, we added Farmville, this one hates to load on my computer for some reason.


But, I sent a friend request to MaryContrary and she said yes and she sent me a castle game which loads fast and I really enjoy it.


But all in all, I do not understand facebook. I tried to send a Happy New Year message to everyone with the pooh picture and it didn't work. So, all I do is click on the like button. Now, my husband's friends (I have only 2 of them on my thingy) post things. The latest one was a posting and picture of their expected baby scan. You know, the one they take when you are first p.g.
I was a little flabbergasted and decided this is a little more information then I really want. So, I am going to take a break from facebook. My husband can tell me anything new his friends post.

Mr. Gaylord and Me

My in laws came for a visit and as always, we where going to take them to The Tavern @ the Broadmoor for dinner.



I love The Tavern, the food always agrees with us, so I was looking forward to it but when I called for reservations, I was informed they were closed for remodeling. Bummer! We went to another place, not as good but okay.



I had been going down memory lane before this, remembering the first time I met Mr. Gaylord. (The Gaylord family now owns about 80% of the Broadmoor).



I was standing in the lobby with my father when Mr. Gaylord, a tall thin man, was taking his leave of the hotel. He came often for a visit.


He walked over to my father and said, "I didn't know you had any grandchildren." I piped up and said, "This is my daddy." Mr. Gaylord was quite shocked. He and my father conversed with Mr. Gaylord asking if my father was leaving the hotel to me. My father said yes along with her half sisters. Mr. Gaylord's face became very grave and he replied, "I see." They talked some more and came to a verbal agreement about something.



As he walked away, my father took my hand and said, "I'm going to sell the hotel to Mr. Gaylord." My father had to explain to me what that meant, I replied "But, where will you work?" My father laughed, he had a wonderful laugh, and said "Oh, I think I'll find something. Maybe, we'll travel. Would you like that?" I answered, "yes"



Then my father got real serious and said to me, "I want you to remember something, what ever happens and you end up with the hotel don't sell to anyone but Mr. Gaylord. I have given him my word and I expect you to honor my word, this is very important to me. Do you understand?" I nodded yes. He also said that he had arranged for me to have a home at the hotel as long as I lived and needed it. He said that Mr. Gaylord was a man of honor and I could trust him.



Things did not happen as my father planned, my father's will disappeared and so did I. My father's word to Mr. Gaylord was not honored. In the 1980's the Gaylord family were able to buy 65% of the hotel, in 1992 they were able to get 80%. The bottom line is Mr. Gaylord should have had the hotel in 1959.


He and my father have both passed on. I am the only one left who knows of a verbal agreement between two honest men and my father was a very honorable man.