June 13, 2006
Today is Meghan Saar's birthday (26) and we had a special party for her after lunch with a big cake and lots of cheering. She is a very important part of our success and she makes my life so much easier. She's on her way to Cody, Wyoming tomorrow for the annual Western Writer's of America Conference. I'm flying up on Thursday. It's my third jet-setting trip in as many weeks and I've got another one next week, only I'm driving to New Mexico for that one.

On my way home for lunch I heard Brad Radina on my old radio station, KXAM 1310 AM, talking about Earl's Restaurant, so I had to call in and brag on Brad's Chile Colorado and excellent margaritas and how we drive all the way from Cave Creek to eat there. It's always fun to support my in-laws (Brad is a True West Maniac).

Robert Ray helped me get my new computer straightened out. He's having trouble with his as well. Working hard on shoe horning in all of the cool Medicine Lodge, Kansas stuff for the bank robbery coverage we are doing. Spent most of today massaging copy. Also did seven sketches of scenes I want to do, including:

• Henry and Maude Brown's Wedding Picture (he's holding his presentation Winchester proudly as you might expect and I brought my 73 Winchester in, had Robert Ray shoot me and Abby Pearson in a wedding pose for reference)

• The Cow-Boy Posse Busting Out of the Medicine Lodge Livery Stable (a dozen cowboys were headed for a local roundup when a storm blew in, and they were waiting it out in the livery stable when Brown and Crew tried to rob the bank, right across the street. It was tantamount to a SWAT team coming out of that barn)

• Wheeler On Fire (When a mob came to the jail, Brown and his deputy Ben Wheeler tried to run for it. Brown was cut in half by a shotgun blast, and Wheeler ran through the dark with his vest on fire. Perhaps a greeting card company could use this image for a sympathy card?).

Need to go home and do more artwork. Gus is working on a cool map in Alabama for me. I wish we had one more page in the next issue for all the Kansas photos we took, including the parade and special reception in Wichita. They really rallied for us up there, and I'd sure like to give them the credit they deserve. Perhaps in the next issue. We are packed to the gills with great stuff in this one.

"Pray, good people, be civil; I am the Protestant whore."
—Gwyn Nell, mistress of Charles II when surrounded by a mob in her coach