May 3, 2004
Dug out of a big hole today. With all the travelling of the past two weeks I had gotten terribly behind. Came in to the office early and bailed into a variety of hanging out copy, layout and design for the July issue.

Also met with Mike Melrose, RG, Meghan, Robert R., Gus, Bob Brink, Trish Brink and others regarding staff morale, production issues, editorial issues, proofing, etc. Got much straightened out, clarified. Very strong day, both organizationally and creatively (two disparate concepts that don’t normally go together very well).

Finally going to do a piece on Tap Duncan and the Diamond Bar up in my old neck of the woods. My cousin Tap Lou Weir got me the photos and Tom Carpenter wrote the piece. Gus is doing a great Mohave County map showing Bonelli Landing, White Hills, Chloride, The Diamond Bar, Knight Creek, Hackberry, etc. Great stuff.

Henry Martinez was in town from Reserve, New Mexico and he took me to lunch at El Encanto. Beautiful day to sit out by the pond and talk about his proposed Elfego Baca monument and museum. He is quite close to making it happen and how he ducked all the small town politics that brings down every other project from Tombstone to Lincoln to Kingman, I’ll never know. I told him it is a “miracle,” and he laughed, knowing full well it is in fact, just that.

Got a massage at four from Christie ($50 cash). Felt mighty good. She popped my neck. Normally I’m so tight she can’t even turn it. Really let go.

“The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are.”
—Marcus Aurelius