T.N.T. Fest in Jacksboro- an after action report

Uncle Poodle second from left in the rear

Hazel- Poodle's first (that I know of) wife.

Uncle Poodle on the left

I like the bluntness of that description also the fact they weren't removed from Salt Creek after the battle- they were removed from a person who after the battle went on to live their life, although with a cool limp.

Friend-girls foot. People never believe me when I say she is a dirty girl. Well, here is the proof.

I like this picture: an old cav. soldier casting a shadow on an old cavalry post. Anyway, we are all shadows- here today and gone tomorrow.

• This day started good and ended great. I cannot recall the last time I enjoyed a day like today. It was literally a gift from the time I opened my eyes 'til I opened the laptop just now.
• For some reason I can't caption videos on here this time.
• We stopped at the museum in Jacksboro on the way to the lake. When the lady running it couldn't direct me from there to the lake she of course called another town lady to ask. I said, Ask her if she knew Poodle Gatlin (my uncle) She handed me the phone and the lady named appropriately enough Lenora said, You bet I did- he was married to Hazel. She just had her 100th birthday. How did you know him? He was my uncle I replied. Well I'll be. Isn't that somethin'? I'll be right there. I just live half a block away. She told me a bit of his history as related to the area and then said, You know, he drove a big, old truck that was loud. It just roared! My brother was playing in the yard once with his toy truck and making an unbelievable racket. He would growl- raaaaaah and I asked him, What are doing playing like that? and he said, I'm playing Poodle Gatlin!
• I still have the gear shift knob from that truck. It is made of a type of porcelain and is peppermint striped. It was the first truck I ever drove. I might have been 9. I would dump the clutch and the truck would lurch and jump and buck and die. I would reach down and toe the starter switch without pushing the clutch in and it would roar and buck start running away... Uncle Poodle laughed so hard he was literally breathless and in tears. Auntie fussed at him, Aw, now- we weren't hurtin' nothin' nor nobody! was his reply.
• Jacksboro is one of my adopted ancestral homelands.I would love to interact with uncle Poodle as an adult but I'm afraid our antics would probably result in jail time. He is one of the few people that when he crosses my mind I still get a twinge of a heartache and don't mind saying I miss. He loved me and indulged us kids like few people would. I can still remember the way his face lit up when we walked in the door and his treatment of us affects the way I treat kids today- let 'em have some fun, take some risks and give them nice/fun stuff when you can and always lots of memories.
• Friend-girl's friend's kid won the cutest kid contest.
• We met a heckuva nice guy at the powerboat demo. Part of his story was having to sell everything after his divorce and then the convoluted trail some of those things took to get back to him. As he spoke he looked over at the boat like he wanted to jump it and make sweet-sweet love to it.
• Finally tried one of those Kona Ice drinks- not terrible, not great. It cooled us off though and refills were less than half price. When we got our drinks the lady said, You have your choice of a lei or an American flag. I planted my American flag in front of us everywhere we stopped.
• What a pretty lake. As inland water goes it is about as clear as you would want. There are fish and snakes and bugs everywhere.
• To cool off we jumped in Magic Bullet and toured the 2 state parks. They are both great but Fort Richardson- the old cav post will give you chills- or if it doesn't there is something wrong with you and you can't be my special friend anymore. All those young men so far from home- over 100 years separate us but I'd bet I would fit right in. We watched the sun set there. The morgue building is still intact behind the hospital. We watched ant lions work and build their traps in the fine dust under it.
• We parked well away from the main parking area directly across from where my sources in the fireworks underworld said the fireworks would be fired. We walked in toward the lake and I stopped and said, This is the place. Oh Kevin, I can't do that. I might fall and there will be mosquitoes. You'll be OK just watch out for that 9 banded water snake I saw going under that rock. I  replied. Oh Kevin. We walked through the cattails across a downed tree and sat on rocks in the water- we were closer to the 'works than anybody there- even people watching from their boats. 
• The fireworks were great- the best I've seen in years. Before they fired them we saw the giant crane with the American flag suspended from it jutting out over the lake.
• After the show we dug out the Flashflight flying disc with the led lighting and fiber optics radiating outward and played waiting for the traffic to thin out. It was just me and her and a  red glowing Frisbee in the middle of that field in Jack County without a care in the world.
• When we got home I washed the filth from my body and fell asleep on the couch and slept like a baby.
• It was a perfect day.