Jim Dailey

Keeper of the Buckskin says “34 Years”…

Not wishing to argue with the record keeper but based on the 2009 XXX Sweatshirts, I believe I can make a case for 35 Years.  Regardless … for some three and a half decades, this same group of guys has had a standing lunch appointment every Friday and each year ascends to over 9000 feet elevation to ski, share stories and jokes, partake of great food and beverages and celebrate this most unique commitment to friendship.

This Year Bart returned … Great to have him back.

Unfortunately, a couple of our members missed 2014 … weather, medical or personal.  In addition, this year represented the year with the least skiing … it snowed heavily, was bitter cold and windy to the point of whiteout. None the less, it was another great year filled with dinners prepared by our gourmet cooks, wines chosen by our sommelier, earlier happy hours, plenty of fireside chats (not too politically partisan this year) and a couple of hours of skiing. You know, we are aging … maybe it is time for a warm climate golfing vacation.

One SST member got his car stuck attempting to return his skis.

There really is a ski mountain out there somewhere!!!

Above …  Jim, Bill and Bart enjoy a local restaurant for lunch.

Below … a few shots from past years … for old times.

Below … this one is ancient 

And these next few below as well … very ancient !!!

Below … bargains from Columbia discount store …

As I have shared before, this is a part of my life for which I am thankful … whether skiing or just being together, my life is richer because of Loyd, Bill, Presley, John, Tim, JC, Bart, Dudley, Don, Renie and Jay (no longer with us). Thank you guys … God Bless You.

Traditions first …

Almost everyone has some sort of tradition … maybe it’s the family gathering at Christmas or Birthdays, maybe the annual trip to the ski slopes or the beach, maybe it’s certain beverages, decorations, songs, biblical/poetic readings on special occasions.  

I have lots of traditions … my Charlie Brown Christmas Backpacking, my Friday lunch with a group of guys and our annual ski trip, my annual hike in a National Park, my yearly holiday celebrations with friends and relatives and Christmas Eve Mass in one of our beautiful downtown churches.

The Tradition profiled in this blog entry has centered for 40 years around this shoe … actually a pair of these shoes …

Some 40 years ago the Dailey and Goodin families were enjoying a summer canoe float trip on the Buffalo National River.  Patti Dailey was having difficulty keeping her flip flops on while dragging the canoe through shallow water.  Gwen Goodin was perfectly comfortable in her tennis shoes. The Goodins grew up around lakes, rivers and boats … the Daileys grew up around concrete swimming pools and indoor plumbing.  With 10 miles remaining on the river there was no shoe solution to be found.  Note the operative words … To Be Found.  Yep, miracle of miracles … a pair of well worn Adidas materialized and have continued to materialize at special events for over 40 years.

There was another piece of humor at the time of the find  … the shoes were too small for Patti, in fact too small for Gwen even with her very petite feet.  What to do? No problem, Patti would wear Gwen’s shoes and Gwen would wear the newly found pair … simple, why didn’t I think of that?  … now both ladies had shoes that were too small.  Never underestimate the creativity of wives and mothers in a challenging situation.

Now Flash forward forty years to New Year’s Eve 2013 … this series of pictures should sum it all up.  Gwen thought she was opening the boxes containing the glasses for our traditional New Year’s Champagne toast.  Was she surprised or what?

Over the forty years, this pair of shoes has shown up at weddings, birthdays, anniversaries … always when least expected.  Sometimes painted colors of the event, sometimes decorated for the season but always in the spirit of friendship and tradition … tradition being one of the ingredients that binds couples and families together whether near or far.  We are blessed to have had this friendship for all these years … Happy New Year to All 

Family and Friends Celebrate to Backpack, Camp and Decorate …

This is year four of a tradition aborning … backpacking into the beautiful Richland Creek Wilderness to camp and, in the spirit of Christmas, decorate a “Charlie Brown Tree”. Our numbers have grown slightly from the original three … with three glow lights … to nine plus a polar bear size canine this year and many more glow lights. We were blessed with perfect weather, albeit very cold the first night.  

Above and below: Our fully decorated Charlie Brown Tree.  We leave the candy canes and bird  seed decorations on the tree when we leave but remove all others … well, we did leave one for the enjoyment of passing hikers.

2013 Charlie Brown Attendees: 

DJ, me, Randy, Bryan, Daryl, John.  Front: Jeff, Napoleon, Eileen and Spencer.

Below … a few more candid shots.

Eileen and Jeff and Napoleon … this was her first camping trip … Napoleon’s as well.

Above: Santa’s helpers, ready for duty.  Below: Rock Sculpture, Rock skipping and photo ops on the spectacular Richland Creek.

Below: Frosty Morning in Santa’s Tent … warm and Cozy inside.

Parting Shot … Ready if Santa calls.  It was a great weekend.  Merry Christmas To all.

Checking out our traditional Christmas Tree Backpacking Camp site …

Yesterday on my return from North Arkansas, I drove the northern entry to Richland Creek … all fifteen miles of it … on curvy and steep gravel roads.  At over 2000 feet elevation, the mountains were shrouded in a foggy mist and I was alone … well sort of alone.  It was deer hunting season … the annual ritual which converts city folk and country folk alike into tribal hunters complete with powerful weapons, camouflage clothing, so they can’t be seen and iridescent orange vests and hats, so they can be seen.

My goal was to hike to and check out a favorite camping spot on Richland Creek … a place where, for the fourth year, a small group of friends will again hike to, set up camp and decorate our own version of the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree.  Fully aware of the hunters in the woods, I donned my own iridescent orange vest, grabbed my camera and trekking poles and made the short hike downstream to my magical world of Charles Shultz and his beloved Charlie Brown Christmas Tree.  Since this is about friendship, traditions and the Spirit of Christmas, here’s a quote from Charlie Brown that sums it up: “Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone.”

What I found upon arrival at the old campsite was perfect … it was just as we left it 12 months ago. The fire ring was there, some left over firewood was stacked nearby, the scraggly Charlie Brown tree  was the same scraggly cedar tree but the magic that made me smile and take the picture below was the single still shiny round glass ornament hanging from this random spot in the Richland Creek Wilderness area.  Wow!!!

Christmas Past …

Now … just for historical reference,  below are pictures from 2010, 2011 and 2012 …

As one can witness, we have evolved … from an accidental happening …  JC’s wife had sent three glow lights and a tradition was started.  Remember, other than a symbolic conventional decoration like the silver ornament, we only leave on the tree that which birds and animals can safely consume.  It was probably the wine we consumed in 2010 that stimulated our creative juices.

I can hardly wait for our 2013 Charlie Brown Christmas Tree Backpacking trip.  

If you would like to see more detail on the previous Charlie Brown Christmas, or other of my blog posts, go to:

Jim Dailey at WordPress.com  

Happy Thanksgiving and a grand Charlie Brown Christmas to you!!!