So Vegas was the last place I hit on my trip and this guy (I think it's the same guy) was the highlight of Fremont Street. Loved watching him work and loved the art. Now granted, I'm easily impressed.

Now since the Eagles were such a big part of the soundtrack of my life I had to hit Winslow AZ for the "Take It Easy" picture. A couple was there to take the picture and I couldn't resist telling the story of going through Scottsbluff, NB late one night and discovering the gold record in Randy Meisner's father's barber shop.

One place I didn't get to visit as it was closed for the Covid was Meteor Crater located a few miles west of Winslow.

I visited Tombstone AZ where the locals dress up EVERY day a la the 1880s and put on their show with horses, a stage coach and a melodrama performance of the Gunfight at the OK Coral done 3 times a day. They'll do this for the 100-200 tourists that will be there each

day and they all know their parts.

So I spent the day at Big Bend National Park. Now don't get me wrong. Big Bend is a legitament national park but the guys who graduate last at Ranger school probably get sent to Big Bend. Long way from civilization and nothing I'd say was "way cool". But maybe I just went to the wrong places. So here're a couple pictures of stuff I didn't see.

So I'm on one of my little trips, this time through the southern US and one place I've always wanted to visit is Langtry, Texas. Back in 1972-3 Paul Newman played the title role in the movie THE LIFE AND TIMES OF jUDGE ROY BEAN. The Judge held court in Langtry and I've been wanting to go, literally, for 47 years. They have a nice visitor center as well as the judges courthouse/saloon. Then, of course if you claim to be "The Law west of the Pecos" you need a picture of the Pecos River located 16 miles east of Langtry and you can see for yourself the Judge's resemblance to Newman.

Well it's been almost three months since my last post with little to show for it but successfully not catching the virus. We did have some longer term visitors from Guam, Jonah Guerrero and Maka Maritita. Jonah was here to work with Reed as he had been sending Reed original songs that Reed would then add his magic. Everybody seemed pretty happy with the results. Here are L-R Maka, Jonah, and Reed on a field trip to Atlanta.

A lot of hours were spent in the studio mostly late at night.

Well eventually, I did get back to Jacksonville with Seattle and Las Vegas being the outer limits of the trip. Highlights were long lost friends, a relative or two and a date or two also. One never knows what may develop.

OH and I just found this as Guam Sports Network named Reed one of the top basketball forwards in St John's School history.

So my road trip continued on and from Rapid City/Spearfish to Kalispell MT, Seattle, Vancouver WA, down to Las Vegas where I had a great time with an old college baseball teammate, then to Avon CO and Carol and cousin RY.

Then Joplin MO and back home with maybe another road trip in a couple weeks or so.

Been a while since my last post as I decided to try and outrun the Virus. From Jacksonville I went to Sioux Falls then Watertown and Rapid City seeing friends and relatives. Theme for this part of the trip has been Memorials as there have been two. Rich Murphy who I coached and whose brothers were all connected to me and my brothers and Rudy Stradinger a teacher at Black Hills State whose son Kirk I hung out with and daughter Julie who I dated. Here's a picture of Kirk and Julie from the service.

My Model Daughter -- Asiya Frolova

So when I started the Flicker online scrapbook, Asiya had already moved to go live with my sister-in-law and her daughter in South Dakota. Our model, thanks to Belta Perez and John Robert Powers, Guam, here's a picture that she did in 2008 for a hair salon poster in Fargo and a video she did for local show Rev TV on KUAM.

Guam Association of Realtors

Summer 2008 Exploring the NW US

When the Guam Little League Northern all-stars came together this season to prepare for the Major's Division Local Tournament, they knew they had a large task at hand. The defending champs had only two returnees and this year's roster had two first-time baseball players. Realizing all the work that had to be done, manager Steve Dumanal and his coaching staff got right to it and had the team practicing five days a week for five straight weeks. As every athlete knows though, it is almost an insurmountable task to teach so many newcomers the skills they would need to know in order to compete with the best of the best. Tournament day arrived and the Northern team, despite their courageous play, lost their first game to the Southern all-stars. Southern then proceeded to defeat Central and capture the Local Tournament. When Day 3 of the tournament arrived, Northern knew that they were not going to be the team to represent Guam in the Regional Tournament in Hong Kong. However, that did not stop them from going out and giving 100 percent in their consolation game against Central. As a result, Northern, along with Central, gave baseball fans what could be the greatest Local Tournament game in Guam Little League history as they persevered through eleven innings, coming from behind to defeat Central 10-9. After the game, Dumanal was very proud of his team and spoke about this year's team. "Our weakness was we had a lot of new players. Our pitching was strong, but we had only two returnees." He also showed optimism for next season though adding, "Next year seven of our players are going to be returning, so next year you will see a much stronger Northern team."

The Pacific Daily News article about Layla and Asiya coming to Guam was out of chron order as I had decided to add it when I found it tucked away.

I do have yet another online scrapbook on YouTube. With yesterday's story about Reed's early guitar playing, here're a couple videos from a guitar recital when he was 12. He and his teacher, Norman Babia, even played a little entertainment intermission for us.

So the picture on the left has a good story. Reed and I are about to play for his Dominican Catholic School Talent Show a song about a whorehouse. House of the Rising Sun has me doing the arpeggios while Reed sings, plays chords on the keyboard, and then plays the interlude on the guitar. The girls were all screaming and it threw me off but Reed didn't miss a note. It might be interesting to mention that all the nuns sang right along with him.

OK So today starts a new Covid 19 project. About 20 years ago I started an online scrapbook on Flicker. It occurred to me I could put it on the blog, add a few notes and have everything together. So here goes--

Here we have right to left (Chronologically) Our family picture from 2002?, a picture of me working in the Andersen AFB Library and a rather prophetic picture of Reed.

Of course, we're all enduring life in the time of the coronavirus. Jade and Reed are working to reduced patrons at the Treylor Park Restaurant. I've been having my little project below of putting some old family pictures here on the Web with notes. Back home on Guam, Guam Sports Network had their little project of ranking the multi-sport HS athletes of the last decade. As Reed was one of the very few boys of even the last 3 decades to be All Island in three spots, we expected him to be there. Not even mentioned. He wrote a nice letter to them. Robert Balajadia wrote back.

Now Reed's memory was a little faulty. In soccer, He was first team All Island once. In Volleyball he was first team All Island twice. He was never second team in either.

My Mother Caroline Augusta Schmidt Meyer 1921-2004

Born 1921 along with twin sister Adeline to Herb and Gusty Schmidt. Went to Clark, SD High School. Joined the Navy (Waves) along with sisters Adeline and Mildred and all three were stationed in Cleveland, OH. Married Ralph Meyer of Cleveland in 1949 and moved back to SD to take over Ralph's Resort on Lake Kampeska near Watertown, SD. Moved to Reno, NV in 1979. Worked at a bank as a teller. Retired back to Watertown, SD in 1989. 5 children. Ralph 1950, Joseph 1953, Herbert 1957, Richard 1960, Mark 1961.

My Maternal Grandparents Herb and Augusta Thies Schmidt

Herb and Gusty Schmidt went through a difficult time for a farm family in South Dakota. Besides raising four girls and no boys, the "Dirty 30s" were tough for everybody and Herb's family survived because he made the decision to buy a truck and make a living driving. It paid off as growing up in the 50s I remember Grandpa had a new Oldsmobile every 3 years like clockwork. He helped my Dad and Mom buy Ralph's Resort and Dad said he was the most honest man he'd ever met. I maintain that Herb and Gusty's biggest contribution was what they gave us genetically. The four daughters, Leona, Twins Caroline and Adeline, and Mildred, produced 14 grandchildren, 13 boys and a girl. In this group, there's an unusually high number of musicians culminating in Gordon Hallberg, for many years the bass trombone player for the Boston Symphony and athletes led by Ry Schmelz, a South Dakota state record holder in the shot put. Even today, my son Reed, both a musician and athlete is going to school on the proceeds of land that Grandpa Herb bought. The picture above is from their 50th wedding anniversary.

Ralph's Resort / Club 20

These are two pictures that my maternal grandparents, Herb and Gusty Schmidt sent my parents while they were in Cleveland, showing them a business for sale. Harry's resort, owned by Harry Smith had a good location on the north shore of Lake Kampeska right next to the lake's outlet about 4 miles out of Watertown, SD. Grandpa Herb helped Dad buy the property in 1950.

There were a couple "Whereases". Mom and Dad had to live in a tiny area in the left side of the building until Harry's new house was finished and they could move into the small house you see in the second photo. Though it doesn't look like it was much of an investment, there was quite bit of property and Dad went on to build Club 20 eight years later.

Here's video of both the inside of Ralph's Resort and Club 20.

Ralph H. Meyer 1924-2007 My Father

Grew up in Cleveland, Ohio during the depression to a single mother. Joined the Army in 1944. Fought in New Guinea. Staff Seargent. Telephone Operator. Thompson Sub Machine Gun. Married Caroline Schmidt 1949. Bought Harry's Resort, Lake Kampeska, Watertown SD with father-in-law Herb Schmidt's help. Renamed Ralph's Resort. Built Ralph's Club 20 in 1958. Moved to Reno, NV in 1979. Worked at Cal-Neva Club. Retired back to Watertown, SD in 1989. 5 children. Ralph 1950, Joseph 1953, Herbert 1957, Richard 1960, Mark 1961.

One interesting story about my father is that during the depression, his mother, who was a hairdresser, had to make ends meet by doing the hair of corpses for the funerals.

This is my Great Uncle George. My Grandma Mae's brother. I really don't know anything about George but some years ago a lady told me that he was my spirit guide. I found this picture of him in SD along with the rest. Now if spirit guides do exist I've always thought that mine must be particularly mischievous. It was the only way to explain a number of things. So, from this picture and the shit eating grin on his face, I'd say he's a pretty good candidate. And it has been fun, if embarrassing at times. Thanks George.

The Killing of Ralph (Curly) Meyer in Cleveland, OH, August 12, 1927.

Now granted, I'm a biased reporter, but after reading all the material I could, this is what I think happened.

Boxing Promoter Lawrence Lupo and Grandpa Curly were members of rival slot machine gangs. Family legend says that Grandpa's machines, at least in part, came from a time when he was a deputy sherriff and tasked with destroying confiscated machines. That Friday night found Curly in the Kitchen of the White Rock Inn roadhouse talking about putting in one or more slots. Lupo was in the main area with friends. Curly left the Inn by way of a back/side door and headed to his car. Lupo saw him leave through a window and motioned for one of his friends to follow him after Curly. A fight ensued. Grandpa Curly was a known badass and evidently was getting the best of Lupo when Lupo pulled a pistol out of his coat and shot and killed him. He and friends took off but he gave himself up 3 days later with a number of his friends saying that it was strictly a case of self-defence. Some weeks after the killing gangsters broke into Lupo's house and shot him in the face with a shotgun. They didn't kill him but he never looked quite the same after that.

Here's probably the most family hisoric pictures that I found in SD. The picture on the left shows my grandfather's family (Grandma Mae, Curly, Dad and Margaret) 2 months before he was shot and killed. The one on the right is obviously from the same party and shows my Dad (age 3) and Aunt Margaret (age 7).

The picture on the left proves that picking one's nose is congenital.

Finally got my pictures home. These are the family pictures that have some family historical significance. This one I'm just having some fun with. I call it 3 Ralphs and a Reed. Clockwise from the top left we have Ralph/Curly--Ralph/Dad--Ralph/R.A.--and Reed. Any family resemblance there?

Crescendo Amelia is associated with a local artist named Adam Antaloczy who's very talented. Here are some pictures he's done of Reed and also which is part of and you can get on a t-shirt.