December 15, 2006
Worked almost all day on this month's Honkytonk Sue cartoon. Ended up doing three little gouaches, decent gag (Jackasses and pre-nups) and since I've been doing so many mule studies, the jackass part was a breeze. Getting Sue to look beautiful is harder. She is, of course, a cutie and strains my skills sometimes. I don't know why, but this version of Sue resembles Jessica Alba, to me. Which is not a bad thing:



Went by the Black Mountain Feed Store and bougtht chicken scratch for our eight chickens (we lost one last week, $11 something, paid cash). Hadn't been in there in a year or so. J.D. is going to feed the chickens while we're gone this week. Kelly Augherton is coming up the hill to feed the dogs. Her father Tom, has threatened to buy Peaches a couple sheep for Christmas so she can finally realize her life dream to herd something. Unfortunately for Buddy, he's the designated herdee, or as they used to say on John Ford films, "Buddy, it's still your turn in the barrel."

Tom Bell got stranded in Philly because of fog, missed his connection, so instead of coming in at noon, he's scheduled to arrive at 7:30 tonight.

Tonight is our annual True West Christmas Party at the Brink's home. We're bringing a case of Coronas, and a case of Charles Schwabb (no, wait, that's the financial guy!), well Charles somebody. Not sure what everybody else is going to drink.

The ex-mayor of Cave Creek, Jackie Davis, called me about speaking to the Desert Land Trust in January. She asked me what I wanted to talk about and I said, "Motorcycle Noise, The O.K. Corral & Preservation." Carefree put in a noise ordinance because some of the motorcycles coming up from Phoenix (Cave Creek is a major destination on the weekend) don't have mufflers, and I can hear them at my house (three miles north of Cave Creek Road!). Anyway, it's a big issue out here and I thought it might intrigue some of the Land Trust types.


Packing tonight. We take off in the morning. I'll post one more blog and then it's going to be touch and go for a week. The last time we were in Mexico (2000) there were internet cafes in some of the beach towns, but I'm assuming there are muy more connections, however, as Charlie Waters put it as he wished us a safe trip:

"After all, it's still Mexico."
—Charlie Waters