Slim Randles'  Home Country

Cowboy tops off cabin

[June 13, 2009]  We drove up the mountain as far as Jasper Blankenship's cabin, then walked in the remaining quarter-mile to Steve's newly built cabin. We all knew how important this mountain hideaway was to the semi-aging cowboy and were prepared to ooh and aah in unison. A cabin, for a man who never had a home that he owned, is a big deal.

He'd been working on building the place since last fall. Finally, over coffee down at the Mule Barn, he said he was ready for visitors as long as we didn't need anything more complicated than a cup of coffee and a chair.

We made a morning expedition of it. But when we came in sight of the log cabin hiding in the dense shade of the pines, we weren't ready for what we found. Steve had built a turret on one corner. A turret. A little room way up there.

We stared without speaking.

"Like my turret?" he said.

"Well," said Doc, "it sure looks ... well-made."

"You don't think it's pretty?"

"Sure we do!" said Herb. "It's just ..."

"Just what?"

"A ... turret. You know. We weren't expecting one."

"You can go in it, but it only holds one at a time. Have to climb a ladder."

"Me first," said Dud, and went through the front door.

We all took our turns up in the turret. It had a chair next to an end table with magazines on it. There was a window on each wall. You could see half the world.

Doc finally climbed down the ladder and poured himself a coffee. "Got to tell you, Steve, I never had you figured for a turret man."

Steve smiled into his coffee, then looked up. "If you guys each built a cabin exactly the way you wanted it ... no women or anything in the planning ... you know ... wouldn't you have a turret?"

We thought about that for minute, then ... slowly, the supreme court of coffee drinkers began nodding collectively.

Then Dud said, "Mine would have a TV set."

[Text from file received from Slim Randles]

Brought to you by Abe's Motel and Fly Shop. See them at www.sanjuanriver.com.