Buck. . . at last!

Well, dear readers, this is the photo I waited more than 30 years to take. As a child back in the hills of Virginia, I watched Gunsmoke with my dad. I thought Newly was the cutest thing I'd ever seen. . . . But more than that, he was so sweet.

He still is.

Last night, Tom and I, along with our friends Dan and Carol Turner, were guests at the wrap party for Bloody Dawn, the latest offering by Lone Chimney Productions. Based on Tom's book by the same title, the film brings to the screen the incredible events of Quantrill's Civil War raid on Lawrence, Kansas. Ken Spurgeon has put together an incredible team to make this happen and the latest addition to the group is Buck Taylor. (Our friend Carol, right, spied castmember Bob Garrett in the audience and thought it was Burt Reynolds. Please don't tell her any differently. . . .)

Buck told me he was 29 when he took the role of "Newly" on Gunsmoke. That makes it longer ago than either one of us would like to remember. Ken brought Buck to Kansas to narrate Bloody Dawn. We were treated to the teaser last night and it worked. I can hardly wait for the premier on November 1st. It was so exciting to be in the company of so many passionate people, so many folks dedicated to bringing the past to life. Two of them are pictured with Tom, far left, Sean Bell and Marla Matkin.
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Happy Birthday

. . . to Virginia Dare. Named for her new land, the first child of English parents born 1587 in what would become the United States. Her grandfather was Captain John White, who was forced to return to England for supplies for the colony when this baby was only a month old. When he was finally able to return three years later, she was gone along with every other man and woman he had left behind in Roanoke Sound. They would be called the Lost Colony, and their mystery is the oldest in American History. This statue of Virginia Dare stands in the Elizabethan Gardens in Manteo, North Carolina.

. . .to Robert Redford. How grateful we are for this man! Just this week we watched An Unfinished Life and the Horse Whisperer. But Butch and Sundance remains our favorite. That film was such an experience! Redford is pictured with costar Paul Newman (left) in a still from that 1969 film. Has it been that long? Just looking at this photo makes me want to watch it again.


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Photo of the Day

Three Oaks--Ken Spurgeon, Tom Goodrich, Buck Taylor