October 27, 2006
Another stellar day in Tombstone. I gave the opening remarks at the Bella Union, then walked over to the O.K. Corral to meet Sam and Trish for another go at selling books, posters and T-shirts. We sold about 60 Classic Gunfights, by my count. Signed many, many posters, both ours and the official 125th poster, plus posed for pictures with a whole bunch of people who see me on the Westerns Channel. I was rather shocked at just how much coverage those True West Moments have given us. Also, people really love the magazine and went on and on about how they weren't sure when we first took it over, but that they just love it now. Very encouraging to say the least.

The crowds were quite large, certainly in the thousands. I imagine Saturday will be even bigger. Bob Love, the owner of the O.K. Corral, told me there were some 450 in the corral yesterday to see the 125th Anniversary reenactment. That would make it about four times bigger than 1981.

At two p.m., master gun handler, Joey Dillon came into the Bella Union and, to a standing room only crowd, knocked everybody out. Really dazzling. Marty Cove, the actor, even came down to see Joey take apart the cup-spinning scene from Tombstone. There must have been a dozen kids, all wide-eyed and excited to see Joey do his magic.

Michael Beihn (sp?) the actor who played Johnny Ringo in Tombstone, was in town and it would have been wonderful if we could have gotten him to come in and do his gun tricks from the movie with Joey playing opposite him. I couldn't get it done. Tried, but there were too many people and I couldn't find Sir John.

Loaded up my paintings at 3:30 and headed for Bisbee. Met Russ and Wendy Shaw for a late lunch at the Bisbee Grill. I had the homemade clam chowder and a Corona ($65.57, Kathy bought). Kathy and I walked up to Optimo Hatworks, where I left my "performance" hat to get a deeper dent in the front brim. Grant and I laughed about all things headgear. He's going to do a documentary on Panam Hats and is going to Ecuador to film in November.

Meeting the Top Secret Writer for dinner at Cafe Roka in about an hour. Very cool here in Bisbee. I think it was in the forties last night at about nine and with the wind it was uncomfortable to a flatlander like me.

"He that lives in hope danceth without music."
—George Herbert