February 14, 2007
Finished three San Carlos scenes for the Top Secret Project yesterday. I had to smile when I illustrated the Triplets in the background of the scene below, which illustrates a certain rider cruising through a stand of wickiups. The Triplets are those three peaks in the background, and are prominent reference points on the San Carlos Res. i smiled because I know that Dale Miles and the locals will enjoy the attention to detail. The second scene shows our rider descending into the Gila River bottom with long rows of military tents in the background. This is based on a photo taken in the 1880s, when the area was known as "Hell's Half Acre."



And here's another scene of the same rider approaching San Carlos headquarters (it was never a fort). It really was a motley post in those days and much dreaded by soldiers. That's Mount Turnbull in the background. This was executed from reference photos I took last summer when the Top Secret Writer and I drove down there to see for ourself what all the hub-bub was about.



I'm still hanging out on about a half-dozen scenes. Robert Ray and I attacked the whole document with much vigor yesterday but it is a long way from being done. May have to postpone the printing (should go to Jiffy Printing tomorrow, if I have a prayer of carrying the prototype to New York with me next Tuesday). It can't go until it's ready. And we've spent too much time working on this to just rush it out.

Onion Headline de Jour
Vatican Tightens Nocturnal Emissions Standards

"Every choice carries a consequence. For better or worse, each choice is the unavoidable consequence of its predecessor. There are not exceptions. If you can accept that a bad choice carries the seed of its own punishment, why not accept the fact that a good choice yields desirable fruit?"
—Gary Ryan Blair