April 6, 2009
It's been picture perfect here on the high Sonoran desert, but up north, well, here's my good friend, Jim Hatzell:

"They say that the Chinese word for crisis also means opportunity. During our recent blizzard which closed our Interstate for 300 miles in 2 directions.....I got a friend/model out into the Black Hills dressed as a 9th US Cavalry Soldier. His name is J.P. Parker and I've known him since we worked on the film TNT's Crazy Horse together (I was playing a reporter from the Chicago Interocean newspaper, and he played Custer's cook.) The idea for my photos this time were from the December 1890/January 1891 Campaign in South Dakota during the Ghost Dance uprising. There was a famous incident where the 9th Cavalry saved the 7th (This was just after Wounded Knee) from possible annihilation after being led into a box canyon near Pine Ridge. I thought you would appreciate the image. Have a GREAT week and keep up the good work."
—JIM HATZELL

Great pic Jim. Man that looks cold! Thanks.

Meanwhile, I spent the weekend whipping out a few scratchboards for a page in the Mickey Free graphic novel where Remington quizzes the troopers at San Carlos about how Mickey Free ended up with only one eye:

Eye Witnesses

The African-American is John T. Glass, who was Chief of Scouts at Fort Apache in 1888. Need to draw a woman and have a sketch going of her and a couple others:

I love it that all of these theories and stories circulated about how Mick lost his eye. One old bird said he lost it in an elk hunt. Mickey supposedly shot an elk, ran up to it and as he leaned over, the elk lurched up, ramming an elk horn in Free's eye. Of course, I intend to get even more ridiculous (however, you can't really top the truth, can you?).

"Learn Spanish. Jesus is coming."
—Old Vaquero Saying