July 19, 2004
The Tomcat is coming home in the morning. I am counting the hours. Really excited to see my number one son.

One of our new sales people, Julie Rose, hit it out of the park today. Sold a full page ad to Tom Swinford of Swinford Rare books out in Avonadale (or is it Agua Fria, he’s wayyyyy out there). She and I are going out next week to take some photographs of his store. He’s a big Custer nut and I told him I had four rolls of Little Bighorn film to show him. Unlike my wife, he will look at every exposure with much enthusiasm.

Whipped out four scratchboards today. Little portraits for our Classic Gunfights Volume II. I am inspired by Sergio Leone who hopscotched between massive close-ups and wide-Cinerama-style shots. I love the form (scratchboard) and could do these ‘til the cows come home. Nailed a great Mexican Vaquero stolen out of the pages of the new book “I’d Rather Sleep In Texas.” James McAllen is one of the authors and he sent me a hardback, signed copy today and it looks wonderful. Really some great images in it. Some of my Renegade pals and I are thinking about meeting in Texas and driving down there. He’s the guy who told me this is an area that no one has written about and he also informed me they are closer to Mexico City than they are to Dallas. That actually says more about how much land we took from Mexico when we got the Lone Star State than it does about geographic anomalies. No wonder they were so upset at losing it.

On a related note, it appears Latinos are on the verge of winning it all back. I was watching HBO’s Latino Music Videos last night and I sat there with my mouth hanging open. Not only does Mexico have a thriving middle-class, but they have some amazing musicians and more than a few sexy homeys. A sure sign they are on the move and happening. I read in Sunday’s paper that Mexican immigrants in this country are sending home some $11 billion to their families in Mexico. Vicente Fox called them “the National heroes of Mexico,” as he should, since it's their biggest industry. Frankly, as much as people around here scream about their "illegal" presence, you can’t stop a tidal wave, and it is no different than when the 49ers invaded California (not the football team but the actual 1849ers who were gold diggers, you know?). They were illegal also, and did it stop them? I don’t think so. Culture always wins, especially when it is juiced up and rarin’ to go. Get ready for a salsa invasion that is already underway, seniors and senioritas.

“Want is a growing giant whom the coat of Have was never large enough to cover.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson