Blackcloud Silver Linings: Recollections from an insider

By Stacy Wright

Are you someone who finds humor in everyday life and enjoys a laugh? Then this book is for you!

Blackcloud Silver Linings: Recollections from an insider will transport you back to a time when the American Dream was real, but sometimes came with a twist! This is a collection of living memories spawned by an upbringing in a small, but raucous town near the Mexican border. Clearly influenced by his environment and youthful upbringing, specifically the relationship with a policeman father, the author moves easily back and forth from the past to present day as he shares with the readers what resides within his mind and heart. Be prepared to laugh, maybe even cry and to shake your head often as you relate to the stories and realize how very close to home they might fall.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stacy Wright
• Release date: Oct 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310024818

Book preview

Title:

Blackcloud Silver Linings

Recollections from an insider

By Stacy Wright

Copyright Page:

Blackcloud Silver Linings: Recollections from an insider

Authored by Stacy Wright

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2014 - Stacy Wright

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Dedication:

This is for my late parents Wilbur and Joan Wright. Thanks mom and dad for showing me that life is the most precious of gifts.

Table of contents:

Title:

Copyright Page:

Dedication:

Table of contents:

Preface/Introduction

Chapter 1: Kite flying with sheep

Chapter 2: The Flagpole

Chapter 3: Fishing in San Felipe

Chapter 4: When my dad was a cop

Chapter 5: Busy times; visit dad, run & gun with the son, abdominal gas…?

Chapter 6: Some days simply don’t go as planned….

Chapter 7: A delayed observation concerning the actual ‘art’ of observation

Chapter 8: Hunter's Hole, the pride of Gadsden Arizona!

Chapter 9: Coming back to Hunter's Hole

Chapter 10: Hunter's Hole and my time to say goodbye

Chapter 11: the fishing trip to Puertecitos Mexico

Chapter 12: Puertecitos – Finally on our way!

Chapter 13: Puertecitos - The road to success runs rough

Chapter 14: Puertecitos - Sometimes life just gives you lemons

Chapter 15: Puertecitos - The Beanie Weenie Kid

Chapter 16: Last night's cop ride

Chapter 17: Brutus, the four legged enforcer!

Chapter 18: Brutus the four legged enforcer – 2nd installment

Chapter 19: Brutus returns with a 3rd entry

Chapter 20: Time to mow the yard, this should be a snap!

Chapter 21: Hey son, I left some for you

About the Author:

Preface/Introduction

Being raised in sunny Somerton Arizona, which is 10 miles south of Yuma, the place I was born, dark and ominous clouds were a rare enough sight; 'silver-linings' being draped around them even more so.  My old dad is no longer around, but when he was he seemed to unwittingly produce many opportunities to seek out silver linings in the sky. You see, my dad had the unfortunate distinction of being known as a ‘jinx’ by his close associates.  For any non-superstitious types who don't believe in such things, you might possibly have changed your mind had you been witness to the many, many small tragedies and mishaps that would occur whenever he was near.  The phenomena moved well beyond the realm of coincidence and eventually led to my dad's nickname, Blackcloud; since it seemed a 'black cloud' hovered over wherever he went.

I won’t try to convince 'non-believers' to the validity of my dad's affliction or that it appears to be inherited to some degree with me and my son who often find ourselves to be the source of similar, unfortunate outcomes.  Some things just are what they are, which pretty much explains me to a tee.  I've been blessed in life; raised by great parents in a unique place, all during a time when the American dream still ruled the day.  I've raised my own family and now see the grandkids growing way too fast.  I've advanced through a fulfilling career and enjoy retirement, but realize my experiences in life and all I would ever do, whether it be school, the Navy, love, work, heart breaks, raising a family, the sorrow of death, all of it has been influenced by Somerton Arizona.

I’ve pulled together a few memories of my life, plain and simple, with no frills. Some are specifically of Somerton Arizona, others relate to different places and times, again just memories.  As I've said, my life has been blessed, certainly challenged at times, but very good in the larger scheme of things as I hope is reflected here in my stories or what I think of as my ‘silver linings’.

Stacy Wright 

Chapter 1: Kite flying with sheep

I remember back when sheep would be brought to the outskirts of town each year for grazing.  They would always have them at the west end of our neighborhood, just north of the school, not sure where else, but the herders would run up temporary fencing (well before the electric ones they use today).  The 'sheep herders' were mostly Basque and the name of one family that escapes me now, were regulars at one of the popular watering holes that my dad frequented.  They hated dogs of course and would shoot them if they got after the herd and sadly would put out poison too.  Well those fields were also places we boys would fly kites, shoot BB-guns and light off firecrackers if we had any, so a bunch of sheep weren't going to stop us!

On one particular 'exercise' many of us boys had a kite that we were flying out over the sheep.  We already knew that sheep are by far the dumbest animals in the world and seemingly clueless to things around them, but to our delight we realized they were scared out of their wool by the sight of a kite flying over them….Oh YEAH!   Naval Aviation experts would have marveled at the way we boys piloted that kite down fast upon the braying herd, sparking them into a panicked run and then heading back upwards into the sky as the Al Qaeda terrorists…I mean SHEEP regrouped!  This was fun beyond all belief except that the kite was allowed to go too low by one of our piloting members and we lost sight of it in the dust amongst the bleating, stomping sweater donors.

About that time someone hollered: The herders are coming, RUN!!!  That's just what we did; that's what we always did, these guys weren't friendly and knowing they were drawn by the cloud of dust in the air, we figured it was time to go right now and do our homework assignments.  Just then though, one of our guys said; Hey, LOOK!  We all turned and to our amazement we saw that somehow, someway, the downed kite was still functional and the string was hooked around the snout of a sheep, who was running and flying the kite about 20ft above itself and the faster he ran, the better it flew, sending his buddies into a cyclone-like frenzy, convinced the Wolf from the sky had them for sure!

We hung from a safe distance to watch as the herders eventually revoked the wooly kite pilot's license and all was well again amongst the flock.  When my now 30 year old son was just a small spud, I bought him a high-quality nylon cloth kite that we still own today and whenever we flew it down at the local school yard, it was always a great time, but I would quietly be thinking to myself that the outing could definitely be more interesting if a small herd of sheep happened by!

Chapter 2: The Flagpole

I'm sure most everyone has watched the movie Christmas Story; you can hardly avoid it on Christmas Eve/Christmas Day as it runs in a loop on cable/satellite TV.  The one scene where the boy is dared to stick his tongue on the frozen flag pole, the bell rings, the kids run to class and leave him behind, all the while looking out the window as the police and fire truck show up always reminds me of a story from my youth.  Forget about any frozen flagpoles in Somerton Arizona, that never happened, but what did probably provided more insight to the realities of life (and death) to a bunch of kids than any school book could, at least it did for me.  I'm not sure today what grade I was in 4th or 5th, but we were in rooms along the east of the main building and the windows faced out toward the street.  Across from the school on what would have been a corner house, there lived a man who's name I can't recall, but remember to be quite large (perhaps 300lbs.), well sadly he died in the house, in his bed in fact.  Unless it was really cold weather and those old steaming metal radiators were fired up and waiting to scald the crap out of some unsuspecting kid, the classroom windows would be open for fresh air.  This particular day, the whispers from the kids along the window view started; It's Stacy's (that’s me) dad the policeman over at that house…. which is about the