May 11, 2010
My father had an older sister named Doris and she married a doctor from Osage, Iowa. They had a son named Mike, who is two years younger than me. The two cousins, one from Iowa and one from Arizona, always had a blast on the family farm almost every summer. We built go-carts, filmed a movie ("The V-2 Rocket Farm," 1963) and got into rock fights with the Thompson toughs. When I graduated from Mohave County High School in 1965, Aunt Doris and Michael came out to Kingman for the ceremony. While they were in Kingman we went to Vegas and in one of those cheesy photo booths we had our photos taken:



That's me on the left. Like his father, Mike became a doctor, but then moved on to buying hospitals and then casinos. Needless to say, when I have tough financial questions I call my cousin Mike. We don't have a bunch in common but I think it's safe to say we are both stubborn Norwegians.

News From the Front Lines:

"I renewed my subscription and became a TWMAG Maniac. Why? Because we love to visit the west as often as possible and when we can not, True West Magazine brings the west into our home with wonderful articles and photographs.

"So thanks to you and the other members of the dedicated staff of TWMAG.

"I would like to share an observation I made over the years of watching western films. The Searchers is the movie and the scene is toward the end of the movie. Ward Bond is more or less giving it to Patrick Wayne just before they ride into the camp to rescue Natalie Wood. At the moment Ward Bond is giving Patrick Wayne a hard time, look at the upper left hand portion of the screen. John Wayne is watching the acting of his friend and son and seems to be enjoying the interaction a little more than his character,
Ethan Edwards, would do. Now this is an observation that has made me enjoy the movie even more. I believe I caught a glimpse of John Wayne, the father, watching his son acting and enjoying every minute.

"Any way thanks for listening and thanks to you all for a terrific publication."

—Bob Johnson, Delaware

"The habit of persistence is the habit of victory."
—Herbert Kaugman