Riggs Christmas 2012

Christmas dinner at my brother Ralph's house this week.  We had a wonderful traditional meal of ham and turkey with all the trimmings.  We had drawn names this year (a first) and had a good time exchanging gifts.  Then we played games until midnight!  Wow!  There's no time like family time! L to R  Stephanie, Regan, Ryan, Shayla, Ralph, Ray, Lisa, Tami, Tabitha, Clarie and Anson

Yes Virginia- There Is A Wacky Cake!

Francis Pharcellus Church may have addressed the philosophical question of the existence of Santa Claus but the Wacky Cake I am holding in my hands is not philosophical or otherwise!  It does pay to labor in the church Sunday School department!  Thanks to Sister Dalia Von Allmen for the cake and to the other students for the gift cards and "Pots of Gold"!

Hoot Owls (and other noisy creatures)

I went out deer hunting this morning and my thermometer read 20° and the thermometer on my truck read 18° so if you average them...well....you can do the math.  I had coffee in my beat-up, 30 year-old Aladdin Thermos and after I had a cup the dregs froze in the bottom of the cup.  Wowzer!  Didn't see any deer but a flock of turkeys passed through behind my stand...and then there was the (stupid) squirrels...always the squirrels! 

I'm pretty sure I have held forth on this before but...whoever says that the forest is quiet and serene has never sat on a deer stand.  Just this morning I heard crows, blue jays, titmouses, nuthatches, woodpeckers, squirrels and sundry other varmints I couldn't identify!

It was before daylight when I got on my stand and an ole Screech Owl was a'going-ta-town!  They can make the hair on the back of your neck stand up and take notice!  After he (or she) got finished it was time for the Hoot Owls.  There was two of them calling to each other and finally they must have hooked up because they were both "hooting" from the same general direction.  I took a short video so I could get the sound but you may have to turn your speakers way up to hear.

A Visit From Our Grandniece!

We had a cute little visitor last night at our house!  Cheyanne Lathe Bean told her Mom and Dad (Martin and Britney) that she wanted to spend some time with Uncle Ray and Aunt Tami.  We were only too glad to do it...cause it give us some practice for Grandkids!!!

Speed King!

I know it is very hard to believe, but I have been driving since I was one year old.  The proof is in the picture...and we all know that pictures don't lie.

Yesterday was my birthday and I am hanging on to the 40's by a thread...364 days to be exact!  This picture was taken when I was one year old at the farmhouse at county line, which my Dad built in 1962 (or there-abouts).  We had hardwood floors and as you can see, Mom kept them waxed to a fare-thee-well! (And there is a good story about someone sliding on them too...)

Back to my driving...
I had lots of experience driving before my sixteenth birthday. (which is ANOTHER story all in it'self) On my sixteenth birthday I was going to take my driver's test at the Armory.  My birthday fell on a Wednesday which was very fortunate since they only gave the test on Wednesdays in West Plains.  Dad was going to take me into town, I'd take the test, hopefully pass, take me to the license office to get my license and be back by breakfast!  However...When I got ready to go Dad says to me "Ray, I can't take you in (I can't remember why) so you just take the car and drive on in to take your test"   Hmmmmm...now my Dad didn't brook no arguments but I think I did say "Do you really think I should since I don't have my license?"  His reply?  "You'll be OK, just drive careful and it'll be alright"  So...I drove myself (in our 72 Oldsmobile) to the Armory, passed the written and driving test and was fixin' to take off to the license office...When the State Trooper said to me "Son, you can't drive downtown, someone will have to drive you down there".  You gotta remember, the was BC era (Before Cellphones) and I had no way to call my Dad!  So I just waited around until he came to check on me, got my license, and drove home!

What's The Difference?

I do not doubt the grief our president exhibited when he was talking about the great tragedy at the Sandy Hook school.  I am not so cynical that I see ulterior motives in everything Mr. Obama does or says.   He, as well as the entire country, were horrified with the senseless slaughter of young lives at Sandy Hook.

Here is the puzzling thing.  What difference does seven, eight or nine years make?  If six-year-old victim, Noah Pozner, had been killed six years and five months ago, Mr. Obama would not have shed a tear.  He would have applauded the woman's right to "control" her own body.  However, Noah was just as alive in the womb as he was when he was gunned down by a psycho.  There is not one person that can dispute that abortion stops a beating heart.  I do not minimize the grief of the loved ones affected in the Connecticut shooting...but who is grieving and crying over the thousands of little "Noah's" that are killed every day?


God heard the cry of Abel's blood from the ground.....and he will not turn a deaf ear to the blood of the innocents...

Why Did Ray Cross The Road?

He didn't because he was chicken!  Chris is taking the picture and as you can see...HE is standing in the road and not me!  I'm bundled up because of the cold and the pads are for my arthritic knees.

This photo was taken in Sparta Missouri looking east along Highway 14 at Crystal Street.  The company we are working for requires photos of all angles of the surveyed property ...so...Chris is taking the pictures and I am recording the position they were taken from, for a photo key.

The photo below shows Chris a couple of minutes later........

Muzzleloader Deer Season

The Muzzleloader deer season began this morning (or "alternative weapons" for all the CHEATERS out there).  The wind is gusting, the cedar tree above me is dripping rain from last night, not seeing any deer...but I have my coffee so all is right with the world!

Christmas At Silver Dollar City

Wow!  There is nothing that will get you in the Christmas spirit like a trip to Silver Dollar City!  I've had three mugs of hot wassail, a bag of pork rinds, toasted almonds, a bloomin onion and sundry other snacks.  Already been to "It's A Wonderful Life" and fixin to go into "Dicken's Christmas Carol"  We just love SDC!

Riggs Thanksgiving 2012

Today, I am so thankful for my family.  We had the Riggs Family Thanksgiving at our humble little abode last night and it was quite the shindig!  We had the traditional meal of homemade Cashew Chicken, Fried Rice, Shrimp Rangoon, Crab Rangoon Dip with Fried Wonton Wraps, Chinese Salad and of course...Tami's Sweet Tea (three gallons of it!).  I was so miserable afterward that the only comfortable position was laying flat in the floor!

This year we welcomed the newest member of the Riggs Clan, Ryan's wife Shayla.  We are slowly but surely gaining members and plan to have our own TV show soon!  I understand there is a reality show called "Duck Dynasty"...so...

Happy Thanksgiving from the "Riggs Regime"!!   Ralph (The Patriarch), Lisa, Ray, Tami, Stephanie, Claire, Tabitha, Anson, Ryan, Shayla and Regan!

 

How did I (Ray) get in the picture?...Watch the video below to find out!

Aurora - In The Dark...

Squirrels

There are 14,537 squirrels in this picture.  Can you find them?

Boredom

Modern technology has brought the boredom of sitting on a deer stand to a whole new level of finesse

Deer Season 2012

It took five of us but the Riggs clan can bring home the meat!  Actually my son-in- law, Anson Miller, has about skunked us all.  I'm posting from my stand so stay tuned!

Lots of SNOW this winter!

Grandpa Bean (my Father-in-law) is predicting lots of snow this winter.  He cut open a persimmon seed, and as you can see, it has a shovel in the seed.  This means lots of snow to shovel!  Joy! Joy!

Sunset Over Drumright Oklahoma

I had a job out in the "Nation" (as Louis L'Amour would put it) and took this picture as I was breaking down my GPS.

Meacham's in Ash Flat

I have said this before (in so many words)...but it bears repeating...You will miss out on really good places to eat if you play it safe and never take chances.

After our monthly youth rally, which was at Full Gospel Church at Batesville Arkansas this month, Tami and I stayed the night in Batesville.  The reason being that Ralph and I were going to play music after the rally with the Hatfields and McCoys.  Actually there were no McCoys but Norman Hall filled in for them!

We didn't want to drive into Batesville to eat breakfast so we decided to find a cafe up the road to Missouri.  When we passed by Meacham's on 62 Highway at Ash Flat, there were lots of vehicles in the parking lot (good sign) so we turned around and pulled in.  We had to wait for a table (another good sign) but got right in.  We ordered regular breakfast fare and settled in to wait.  We kept seeing what looked like loaves of bread being brought out to various diners so we were sorta prepared when they brought out our meal.  What we were seeing brought out were biscuits!  Lamberts Rolls have NOTHING on these biscuits!!  Tami ordered one biscuit and gravy with one pancake...We brought half of the biscuit home!  The gravy was bacon gravy and it was outstanding.  My meal was perfect with hashbrowns, egg, bacon and toast.  Here's the kicker...we talked with the proprietor and she said everything was made from scratch.  She said she tries to avoid anything prepackaged or pre-made like the biscuits, gravy and hashbrowns.  We may have had to wait a little longer for the food but it was well worth it!...and the price was not out of line for what we got.  So...if you're ever on the backroads of Arkansas...look up Meacham's in Ash Flat and enjoy!

Biscuit-zilla!!

Forts

What red-blooded American boy has never built a fort?  Regardless of whether you live in the country or city, whether Rebel or Yankee, rich or poor, black or white, it is just part of a boys DNA.

The first fort I remember building was made out of burlap sacks.  Now burlap is the highfalutin' name for a gunny sack or we just called'em "toe sacks".  My brother Ralph and I nailed boards as cross-pieces between four small Black Jack trees (roughly in a square), put cardboard on the roof and tacked toe sacks from the cow feed on the sides.  It was great!...until the rains came and "beat upon that house" which made the roof collapse...."and great was the fall of it"!

Another fort we built...or actually moved into...was an old hog farrowing house.  Mr. Wages, my best friend Eric's Dad, had got out of the swine business but one of the farrowing houses remained.  The sow moved out...we moved in!  It was rain, snow and sleet proof...but a smell lingered...and my friends, it wasn't a bacon smell.  We even cut a small hole in the back wall and built a fireplace!  On one of the only big birthday parties that I remember having (my birthday is December 19th...), I had some boys in my class over and we had about ten hyper nine-year-olds in our "fort"!  Believe me, being such "close" friends is highly overrated!!

In the summer of 1974, Eric and I began the construction of "Fort Thompson".  I really don't think we called it anything but "The Fort" but it was built on Mary Thompson's land, out of a pile of old fence posts.  We had a fire place in this fort also...seriously...it is a thousand wonders that the whole countryside didn't go up in flames!  The farther we got into the summer the less charm our little post fort had.  So...we hauled in some scrap lumber and added onto the top!  This satisfied us for a few days until we found more scrap lumber...   Hey! why stop at at a two-story fort?  A three-story fort would be quite charming (charming? Did I really just use that word again?) Quite Macho!...Macho was the word I was looking for!  We spent many a happy hour in that fort but boys will be boys and by the fall we had gone on to other haunts.

However...I guess my Dad was pretty impressed with our fort because when I was looking through our old slides the other day I found the pictures below....

Our "Fort" with my brother Ralph carving on the tree at the right, Eric looking out the "picture window" and meself in the "basement"

Our old dog "Sandy" keeping guard!

Guess Who!

Just to keep things interesting....

I found this picture of a fine, intelligent, handsome, upstanding citizen of our fair Howell County!  The picture is at Halloween (Duh!) circa 1967 and just a hint...it ain't Chet!!!...close...but not him. First one to guess correctly gets the cookie!

Update:    Sometimes you can't see the forest because those aggravatin' trees keep getting in the way!  My cousin, Dennis Hendrix, pointed out that my Mom did not put up the Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving.  So...the "Duh" is on me!  Now you know that this is the Riggs' hacienda but who is the man behind the mask?

Las Cascadas, Davis Oklahoma

Tami and I were passing through Davis, Oklahoma (see previous post) and downtown we saw this little Mexican place.  Being the adventurers that we are, we decided to try it out.  (Just a note for the faint of heart...when you walk in and there are business suits and work boots...and the place is almost full...don't walk out!) The meal was very good.  Not the best I've eaten but certainly high up on the scale.  But the Sopapillas...muy bueno!

Muy Bueno!!

My good friend Davy Boggs reminded me that there is a fried pie joint somewhere in the Davis area.  I researched this and it is "Fulton's Fried Pies" at exit 51 in Davis....AND WE MISSED IT!!  Oh well..Next Time!!

Indian Meridian Initial Point

Tami and I were making our way down to Texas for our nephew Ryan's wedding and I decided to make a detour or more accurately...take the road less traveled!  I had made my plans to visit the Indian Meridian Initial Point monument which is in the Arbuckle Mountains just west of Davis, Oklahoma.  Since I am an Oklahoma Licensed Professional Surveyor, I figured it was a once in a life time opportunity.

For the "Land Surveyingly Challanged" reading this blog, the initial point was a position (randomly chosen, designated by the Land Commissioner or as in the case of the Louisiana Purchase, mandated by the US Congress) from which General Land Office (GLO) surveys were begun.  A baseline was run east and west by compass based on true or astronomic north, with monuments being placed every one/half mile at the section, quarter section and township corners.  A meridian line was run north and south by compass also based on true or astronomic north and monuments placed as outlined above.  Six mile square (square in name only) townships were then established from the township monuments on the baseline and meridian line.  This is extremely simplified but the point is (no pun intended) the initial point is a very important....point.  The Indian Meridian Initial Point controls all of the surveys in the state of Oklahoma, except the panhandle which is based on the Cimarron Meridian Initial Point.

We drove west of Davis Oklahoma on Highway 7 to the road that led south to the monument.  Big Problem!  It was the entrance to the "Lazy" something ranch and was gated and locked!  Using an old indian trick (tire tracks in the dust) I ascertained that no one had been in or out of the gate in a couple of days.  Since we couldn't see anyone at the ranch buildings we had to leave without visiting the monument.  It was disappointing but I found some good pictures of it here.  We did get some pictures of the area which are posted below.

If you want to read more detail about the "Indian Meridian Initial Point" go here

Road Sign on Meridian Line

Looking North

Looking South

Looking southerly toward the Arbuckle Mountains

Gospel Music Picnic!

It's the "Gospel Music Picnic" festival at Silver Dollar City and we were there for the first day.  We heard Brian Free & Assurance, The Ball Brothers and The Whisnants.  All of these groups were pretty awesome! We also got to see a lot of friends from around the area.  Best of all...we have Tabitha and Anson home from Africa and with us at SDC!  Oh...there WAS the frozen  lemonade that I really can't get enough of!!!...and the Riverside Rib House!!!

Bon Voyage to South Sudan, Africa!

My daughter and son-in-law, Tabitha and Anson Miller, are presently en-route to South Sudan, Africa with a group from Ozark Bible Institute in Neosho, MO.  This is a short-term missions trip that they have been itinerating for since the first of the year.  They flew out of  Nairobi Kenya at 5:00 AM tomorrow.....(Sunday Kenyan time - 9:00PM CDST) and will eventually wind up landing at Aweil, South Sudan, Africa.  From there they will take ground transportation (Elephant...Camel???) to Winejok??? which is northeast of Aweil about 20 miles as the crow flies....(I really don't know how far it is if the crow has to walk and push a flat tire because there are no main roads shown on Google maps)....I talked with Tabitha just as they were leaving and she is super excited about this missions trip.  They will be working with the children, possibly 150-200 of them, so they really need our prayers....

 Just found this photo on Google Earth of the airport at Aweil.  See it HERE

Victory Assembly of God, Neosho MO

Last Saturday, we (Riggs & Associates, Inc.) had the privilege of staking out the new church building for the Victory Assembly of God in Neosho Missouri.  The Pastor, Rev. James Link and his wife Evelyn have been our friends for decades...since the early 80's...and when he asked if we could do the job I jumped at the chance!  It is a 100'x145' steel building on property just west of US71 on US60, on the north side of the highway.  The dust was about 6" deep and the ground was hard as a rock....as a matter of fact it was rock in most places!  We used "PK" or "MAG" nails with whiskers on most of the points but we had the column lines all staked in about four hours.  The Links treated us like royalty with a place to stay and meals, and we also enjoyed a "Jam Session" at the church on Saturday night!  I preached Sunday morning and had a good response in the altar so it was an all around good weekend!  God Bless the folks at Victory as they continue to labor in the Master's Vineyard!  

Regan Riggs and meself staking an offset point for one of the column lines.  I'm using the rover for the Robotic Total station and if you are wondering what the whiskers are just zoom in on my left pocket.

Brother Bob Thomas is supervising the erecting of the building so he is explaining what offset points he will need...actually I think we were taking a hydration break (for everybody in Rio Linda....that's a water break)  We were so busy that we forgot to take any more pictures so two is all you get!

Stray Dog BBQ

Tender ribs and brisket! Didn't know stray dog could taste so good!   Thanks Dan Judd for introducing me to this place!

Fried SPAM Sandwich!

I was commenting on BOGGSBLOGS about fried SPAM and a cravin' was flung on me for this culinary delight.  Lo and behold today Tami fried up a batch and you can see the result!

Daybreak Golf Session

I was invited by my coworker, Chris, to his early Saturday morning golf group.  So...at 5:30 this AM, we are out on the municipal golf course with three other mutual friends...Glen Johnson, Steve Gleghorn and Daniel Franks.  They were all so kind and encouraging...and really...I don't think I did too slouchy!  I hit one in the lake, one in a yard but all the rest were retrievable/playable.  No pars, a couple of bogeys and some scores that we won't discuss!  Had a great time though and Thanks Chris for the invite!

Lebanon MO - Dollar General Site

We have been working on a couple of Dollar General Store sites in Lebanon Missouri over the past three months or so.  The one on the north site of town is not the worst site I have ever seen but it is definitely challenging.  There is (was) a drainage ditch right through the middle of the site with an old collapsed concrete culvert down part way into the site.  They are building a brand spankin' new one so when they cut the trench and we had to re-stake the angle points.  Now...it is dry as cracker juice in south Missouri and Lebanon is no exception.  Why the water and mud?...it is so dry that the site fill will not compact so they are hosing down the site with a fire hose...which has a leak...water gravitates to the lowest point on the site...which is the trench...hence the water and mud!!!  Sure glad I had my "Dans Hip Waders"!!!  The following pictures are of Chris and I staking the points with our Robotic Total Station. 

The "Swashbuckling Surveyor"!  Arrrrrgh!

The "Robot" on the tripod in the background

Chris is stuck in the mud waiting for me come pull him out....

Right past me is where they cut the street to put in the new culvert.  You can see the sawcut pavement below the cones

I take no responsiblity for the following pictures...This is what happens when you have a coworker snap a few pics...they just go crazy!  I really must get Chris out of the office more...(or not)!!

Roastneers!

Tami and I went to a wedding in Jonesboro, IL and on the way back we picked up a few ears of corn...400 to be exact!  200 for me and 200 for my brother Ralph.  Bought it at Diebold Produce just north of Sikeston.  We may have an ox in the ditch tomorrow afternoon!!!

Zizzer Reunion 1982-2012

ZIZZER (ZIZZER) n. 1.  an expert in any activity - adj. (colloq) FIRST RATE; 2. a person of the highest caliber, ability or reputation 3. one who is victorious; (syn) A WINNER! Because to be a ZIZZER means to be the BEST at WHATEVER you do!

My thirty year class reunion was yesterday and I broke with tradition and attended.  I never really thought it was my "thing" to attend but I am so glad that I did!

We started with a tour of my Alma Mater, Old West Plains High School.  Scott Womack, one of my classmates who is now a coach and teacher, was our guide.   Many additions and expansions have been made to the school but I was able to see a lot of familiar places.  Especially the Vo-tech building...I had technical drafting first hour and a bunch of us always sat on the heater right outside Mr. Mac's drafting classroom (which was next door to Mrs. Schroeder's Secretarial Practice).  The heater was right across from the bathrooms so we (the boys) thought it would be funny to prop a cup of water over the womens privy door and soak the first girl that used the facilities.  It was a good plan in theory but bad in practice since Mrs. Schroeder was the first one in the bathroom...with us sitting on heater saying under our breath...no...No...NOOOOO!!  The phrase "Mad as a Wet Hen" comes to mind!  enough of my rambling on this...

Diana Brown, Ron Grennen and others had planned for the use of the Armory so we met there and had a great time of visiting and catching up on what everyone's lives.  All in all it was a great time and I plan on attending the 40th reunion, Lord Willing!

BTW...I'm the handsome guy on one knee in the center of the picture...they told me to get down on my knees since I was so tall!

JHPC Independence Day Water Balloon Toss!

Just a small portion of our water balloon toss...in lieu of fireworks...which, by the way,  James Wheeler and I almost won!  And then snacks, cold watermelon and homemade ice cream!!!  Whooboy!

INDEPENDENCE DAY!

After our trip to Boston in 2011, Independence Day will never be the same for me.  I understand that we call it "The 4th" or "The 4th of July" but somehow it seems that you lose something in the translation when you call it just "The 4th".  It really was and is "Independence Day".  Since we are so accustomed to freedom we lose sight of just how much of a risk the founders and signers took when "...with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence" they mutually pledged "... to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."

I stood in Revere Square and looked past the statue of Paul Revere with the Old North Church spire in the background and somehow wondered; If I would have lived in 1776, would I have had convictions as strong as they, to make the same pledge?  I hear lots of talk and read many internet posts about so-called patriotism, eg. "I'll give up my gun when they pry my cold dead fingers from around it" and other such drivel, But when it really...really comes down to it, would they...we...I...really have that much fortitude to stand up for our rights and convictions?  I sincerely pray that I do...and to that end....

Today...My hat is off today to our Armed Forces! Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines & Coast Guard!  And to the veterans of our many wars and conflicts.   You, the men and women in uniform, active, retired and honorably discharged, have my utmost honor and respect!

Thank the Lord for My Tater Crop!

Well...I dug my taters today.  To put it mildly, I was underwhelmed.  I guess the dry, hot weather put the hurt on them and they didn't produce.  However, I thank God for the taters I do have!  I have almost eighty pounds of big taters under the house and almost ten pounds of small taters for peas or green beans.

This reminds me of Billy Bray, the old Cornish miner turned preacher.  "One time when his potato crop was very poor, Satan tempted him to believe that God did not love him, or He would have given him a better potato crop.  Billy recognized this as a temptation from the devil, and he said ""Why, I've got your written character home to my house; and it do say, sir that you be 'a liar from the beginning.' ""  He told the devil that when he served him he had 'only rags and no taturs.'  He then recounted God's blessings until the devil 'went off like he'd been shot.' " (Deeper Experiences of Famous Christians)

Billy Bray