February 4, 2005
Woke up to a flat tire on the Ranger. I’ve been nursing it for a month or so, meaning to take it into Tobias. Finally caught up to me. Called AAA and started organizing the studio, lining up art reference and unfinished paintings for the final push on CGII while I waited. Found some great stuff with potential, unfinished of course.

Joe from Catch 22 Towing came at about 10:15. The Ranger was parked on the uneven rocks of the Spanish Driveway and he couldn’t get a level spot for the jack, so I had to pull the rig into the garage. Gave him a True West magazine (Deadwood cover) and a $20 tip (didn’t have anything smaller, dammit!)

Got into the office at about 11. Got this hum-dinger of an Email:

"I have to say I stand behind you with putting Jesus on the front cover. Religion was a big part of the Old West, and I'm glad a Western mag is doing an article on it. And personally, I've always considered the Man Upstairs as a cowboy. Keep up the good work."
—Tay Hensel

In addition, Tay wonders if he is "possibly the only fourteen-year-old Old West fan." Almost, Tay, but not quite. And if we have anything to do with it, you'll have plenty of Pards in the near future. And besides Tay, God must love Cowboys or he wouldnt have made so darn many of them.

I'm not happy with the preliminary cover designs for the Jesus cover. Too dark and muddy looking. We may have to put it aside and get on the train issue cover, pronto. Hope to work on that this weekend.

Last night Kathy and I attended a free wine and merchants festival up in Carefree. Big jazz concert on the square. Walked around the area and saw many businesses I didn't know were even there (a tapas cafe?), ended up over at Legacy Gallery and had a good talk with Brian Lebel and Bill Welch. Kathy bought two cowboy glasses with cool brands on them ($15.85). Then we walked across Easy Street and landed at the Pia European Cafe, which is a new little bistro that fronts on Sundial Circle. Had a very nice meal of salmon pasta and a salad ($30 something, left a $10 tip).

Got home around 8:30, watched the U of A Wildcats play California. Looked like they were going to cruise, so I went to bed at halftime.

Dropped the Ranger off at Tobias at about 2:30 walked back to the office. Marshall Trimble just called and asked me about Big Matilda. He got an Ask The Marshall question about her, Googled the name and an article I wrote for Wild West magazine back in 1997 came up. Amazing. I can’t remember where I got it. We laughed (we both read so much stuff it's hard to remember exactly where it came from). I asked him how his son is doing in Iraq and he said he hasn't had a full night's sleep since the cafeteria bombing.

"To know that you do not know is the best. To pretend to know when you do not know is a disease. Only when one recognizes this disease as a disease can one be free from the disease."
—Lao-Tzu