July 9, 2010
Sally and Carole ride herd on our phones here at the True West World Headquarters. I ask them to give me feedback, both good and bad. Carole is always good about getting me thought provoking and honest inquiries. Here is an example from this afternoon:

Praise For New Feature: Short Stories of American West
Tom Zielinski from Waterloo, NE called today looking for articles on Liver Eating Johnson, Grizzly Adams, Jim Bridger, Mad Trapper and Soapy Smith. He is not a subscriber, but buys issues at Walmart in his area.

Tom told me that he also wanted to mention that he liked the Short Stories of the American West in the July issue. I asked what he liked and he said that he liked that the photos seemed to be in a ghost town and the people were current day – he said he just liked it.

Old Guys Watching Out For Other Old Guys
Richard Montag from Albuquerque, NM called to renew. He is 82, I think he said. Before hanging up, he asked how you are doing and asked me to tell you that a subscriber asked about you and wishes you continuing good health. He said you are a valuable commodity.

Meanwhile, some readers, like Janice Lanke, often send me photos they think I might like for art reference. This is a sketch I made of an online photo from eBay of a Billings Co. Sheriff that Janice sent me today. Really liked the way he sits a horse:



I also give the okay for new members on the website and sometimes, when I see that they used to be subscribers, or, have lapsed, I ask them what it is going to take to get them back. Here is a reply from a new member:

bob, you must have read what remains of my mind. i told she-who-must-be-obeyed only this afternoon, that i would like to take out a two year subscription again, with TW. so, as soon as she can locate her credit card, i will indeed, be signing up for a two year hitch, probably come the 'morrow. been a manhunt over here, up in cumbria, which is wild country. a gunman called raoul moet, has been dodging masses of heavily armed police, right up until two hours ago. he's now cornered between a river, and a few hundred guns. so he's now sitting down, with holding a gun to his head.
for some reason, i'm reminded of kid curry, and of the day they caught up with bonnie and buck barrow. this could end the same way. the days of mr. miller's 'bobbies on bicycles two by two', armed only with a stick, seem to be at an end.
and i'm a'blabbering. now have to continue researching the events of one day in northern ireland, in 1972. a day called bloody sunday. my son, tim pilcher, is in the graphic novel industry, and wants to do one about that day. could be a few problems along that route, i think.
may your day go well, sir.
regards
—david Pilcher


"When one tugs at the single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world."
—John Muir