Homage to Family - Sort of

Tino Luciano aka Doc Holliday from Tombstone Legends

Members of the Tombstone Legends have been live on the stage, filmed a television series, and even full length movie. So, when J and L decided to meet this talented group of actors and dear friends at Mountain View Cemetery in San Bernardino, California recently, it was an event which the two intrepid explorers knew must be made to fit into their habitually busy schedule.

As members of the Legends, the theatrical group who revisit the days when Tombstone, Arizona Territory, reached its height in fame or infamy depending on your point of view, or more precisely the late Fall and Winter months of 1881 and 1882. We try to keep the spirit of the old west alive. The time when men were men and they lived by a more chivalrous code. Well, for the most part. A time when the gentlemen and ladies truly did wear the latest in Paris fashions in the dust and heat of the Sonoran desert. Ah, but a figure they cut. And, yes, this is the era of the most famous gunfight in the 'old west' even though it lasted only about thirty seconds.

Tombstone Legends meet a few of their namesakes 

Wyatt Earp and Ike Clanton (actually three Earps, Doc Holiday, two Clantons and two McClaurys ) met not far from the OK Corral for a duel. Almost mano y mano except there were a lot more than two men facing each other. There were a couple who ran away from the fight before it started (not on the Earp side) and even Ike Clanton decided once the bullets started flying that it was in his best interest to skedaddle. He lived through that gunfight but ironically was gunned down and killed two years later by another law officer (Jonas L. Brighton) when he refused to surrender after a robbery and thought a horse could out run a bullet.

Obviously Ike never bothered to study physics. 

Back to the topic - the Legends were invited to the event by well known historian and author Nick Cataldo of the San Bernardino County Sun Newspaper. What event? The first annual (love saying that since it's the first) stroll through a cemetery that definitely is a piece of local historical value and what better narrator to lead over one hundred visitors than Mr. Cataldo. He is probably the utmost authority of history in San Bernadino and that is one large county in the United States to know as much as he does.

One of the points J and L always tries to stress is to go and investigate what is near a person's own backyard. There are so many wonderful and exciting venues, historical sites, and just plain interesting places to visit that one does not need to be a jet setter and explore the word for excitement and insight. Just take a few moments and do some local research and that very researcher will find enough items to last a life time to dig into.

The good, the bad, and Behan

So, again why visit a cemetery?

Because that's where the stories are of who was here long ago and not so long ago.

The Legends have never let the remembrance of that gunfight go to the wayside. That fateful and  controversial afternoon of October 26 of 1881 was and is still one of the most defining moments of western lore - good or bad. The troupe decided this event was for them and there was no way they were going to miss it.

Where's this going?

Simple fact - James Earp was the older brother of both Virgil, Wyatt and Morgan  Earp who worked in a saloon in Tombstone on the day of the tragic shoot-out but was not personally involved in that or the vendetta that Wyatt pursued after the younger brother, Morgan, was murdered while playing billiards in March of 1882. James passed away of natural causes in 1926 and is buried at Mountain View Cemetery.

A quiet moment

Alvira Packingham Sullivan Earp (Allie) is also interred at the same cemetery close to where James lays in rest - she is the long time common-law wife of Virgil Earp who moved to Colton, California in early 1882 (after Morgan's murder) to recuperate from his nearly fatal own assassination attempt back in December of 1881 in Tombstone. He recovered but never regained the full use of his left arm for the remainder of his life.

Paying respects

Hmmm - who pulled off the attempted murder of Virgil and the successful murder of Morgan? It's pretty well known the Clanton's (especially Ike) were behind the bloodshed but no one was held responsible and the crimes went 'unsolved'. CSI wasn't around just yet.

So the Legends paid their respects to the Earp family members but still stayed with the crowd as Nick Cataldo spoke about various important people from the past who were residing within the gated cemetery. The list is long so only two will be mentioned here but if the reader is interested in the rest please refer to the cemetery or the articles well written by Mr. Cataldo in the newspaper.

Randy Rhoads: gone but not forgotten

Consider carefully your mode of travel

Sunny Sue Johnson was an actress who appeared in both Flashdance and National Lampoon's Animal House just to name a coupe of her credits. One of the saddest mausoleums was erected by the family of Randy Rhoads who died in a plane crash in 1982 at the age of 26. He was the lead guitarist for  Ozzy Osbourne after leaving Quiet Riot in 1980. He was on the way to eclipse Jimmy Hendrix as the best guitarist known (according to the records kept at that time) but since he died at a young age as did Hendrix those competition results will only be known by the angels. Rhoads, according to Osbourne at the time was going to give up the rock and roll life and finish his Master's Degree in Classical Music to become a full time music teacher. He believed the life led by most rock and rollers (he didn't drink much, do drugs or smoke) was not to his liking with his Christian upbringing. An errant joy ride in an ill gotten airplane by the band's bus driver ended his and many of his faithful followers future.

What one can learn visiting a graveyard! More than you would expect - go visit, read and mainly enjoy the art of exploring.

It's fascinating what you learn only a few dozen miles from your abode.

Tombstone's Shadow

 
On May 4th, L received a phone call from our good friend Tino Luciano requesting a favor.

"Laureen, do you know a scroungy, smelly, no good side-winder who wouldn't mind being killed in front of a lot of tourists at Calico Ghost Town on the tenth. Someone despicable and irrational enough to go against the Earp brothers and Doc Holiday? I mean there will be name calling, taunting and lots of shooting and he will die."

"I'll tell John not to shave for a week."

So, that is how J ended up in a fracas with the Earp Brothers and Doc Holiday (whom he actually greatly admires) on May 10th, 2014 at Calico ready to shoot it out with these renowned pistol wielding experts belonging to the Law Dogs 'N Ladies re-enactment group.

While donning his period outfit all J could say is: "I'm used to dressing up as a dandy during shoot 'em ups but today I'm unshaven, smelly and am going to die."

No sympathy from L who was dolled up in her 1880's get up looking beautiful as ever and knew before the car left the driveway that she would be the center of attention for the tourists at Calico while her husband scruffy to the point of having a Brillo pad on his face wouldn't get the slightest bit of attention.

Was J correct? The whole town of Calico seemed to stop when a group of French tourists surrounded Laureen as she prattled away in French while posing for photographs with their children, grandchildren, mothers, fathers, and strangers. The town Sheriff had to come and break the crowd up away from the parasol twirling woman.

Laureen was shameless.

But as the day drew on tempers started to build between the Cowboys and the Earps and  the town folk (tourists) knew there was a battle brewing close by.

Loud and ugly verbal taunts from Ike Clanton, the Cowboys and from J, aka Billy Clanton, were thrown at the Earps, Doc Holiday and the tourists whenever they had the chance, but it did nothing but ignite the hatred these groups had for each other (only two groups since the tourists were not armed).

Blood would be spilled in Tombstone this day - oops, Calico.


Not like a Hollywood movie set where everything is controlled, today's actions were choreographed by the wind gods with gusts of nearly fifty miles per hour at times with hats, skirts, and red sashes blowing all over the place.


Speaking of red sashes - J was wearing one (loaned by Tino Luciano) which was actually used in the film 'Tombstone' starring Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer back in 1993. Quite an honor to die during a gun battle with historic figures wearing a red sash that another actor died wearing while fighting other actors. Not even sure that makes sense but felt sort of cool to get bullet riddled with a piece of cloth another actor wore while getting bullet riddled.

 The shoot out went as all shoot outs do - some die and some live. In the Tombstone version (even in Calico) the Earp group killed pretty much all of the Cowboy group and as J laid in the wicked wind and hard dirt after receiving his third or fourth bullet from the Earps the only thing on his mind was: hoping the beer was cold at Lil's - the saloon not fifty yards from where he laid dead.

The beer was cold and not even Doc Holiday or Wyatt Earp could keep him from his eternal goal.

The Talk of San Diego

 

The Director and the Directed

in their element

J and L were invited recently by our pal the Law Dog, Tino Luciano to show up at the Wooden Nickel Ranch in Menifee, CA for a television interview conducted by The Talk of San Diego, a local media production team headed by Johnny Nevada and his bevy of beautiful female co-hosts. On this fine Sunday afternoon, the host was Andrea Bensussen who was friendly, professional, and ready to ask questions of both J and L after she got through her interview with Tino Luciano. Yes, we responded to Tino's request for us to be at the Wooden Nickel Ranch to help launch his new movie (which starts filming soon) entitled, The Reckoning of Scarlet Waters. Tino had been contacted by The Talk of San Diego who wanted to film the interview in an 'authentic' appearing period western town and the Wooden Nickel Ranch fit the bill. The ranch is a delight for those who enjoy the romance of the old west and besides being a setting for films, commercials and other media events the owners provide breathtaking backgrounds for weddings, quinceaneras, birthdays, and much more including summer horse camp.

So, Laureen and John showed up in period dress, 1880's western for an afternoon of walking about the small but pretty authentic looking western town which is tucked away on the twenty-five acre ranch.

To our delight we were included in the interviews and discussed what a fine director/producer Mr. Luciano is besides the fact that he is just plain fun to work for on his sets (John also shamelessly got a plug in for his novel Hunted  due out May 18th). One of the great moments of the day was when John was directed to come out of the town's saloon with his .45 raised in the air and was stopped by the distinctive voice of Tino yelling: "Cut." At that moment the Director stepped up and joined John on the wooden sidewalk in front of the saloon and advised the Talk of San Diego's audience what was time period and what was not time period in John's attire. Tino is amazing as he approved everything but the cowboy boots with pointed toes and the holster which was a Buscadero rig dating from the 1920's instead of the 1880's. Overall, John received a 93% approval from a very picky but accurate director, which the teacher in the team approved.

Again, a great day of exploration of a new place, the Wooden Nickel Ranch, and time spent with friends.


http://www.wnranch.com/default.html



http://www.thetalkofsandiego.com




http://thereckoningofscarletwaters.com/

Why I Teach

"The whole art of teaching is the art of awakening the natural curiosity of young minds for the purpose of satisfying it afterwards." -- Anatole France

"Sapere Aude" - Dare to Know -- Horace

As you know from our brief little biographical note which appears on the side of our blog, both J and L have broad and varied backgrounds which include years, yes, as hard as it is to admit, even decades now, in education. Between the two of us this background spans teaching preschool through university, including teaching teachers and serving in administration. What drives two relatively sane individuals to spend a combined total of perhaps fifty years in education, around children of all ages, while raising four children of their own? Well, perhaps we're not as sane as we think we are, or perhaps there is something about the pursuit of knowledge, about research and exploration, and about the ability to share that knowledge with others and the excitement of that pursuit which keeps us going.

And that's why I teach. And it's why we blog. It's why as we begin to think ever more seriously about retiring and face the twilight of our careers in public and private education, that we reach out for further exploration. Oh there have been, and no doubt will continue to be, incredible moments of discovery both in and out of the classroom. The greatest moments have always been when our students begin to look beyond the classroom, beyond the textbook, beyond us, and begin to think and do for themselves. 

I have often told my students that I consider my role to be that of a facilitator. I am preparing them for the real world. That is why any real world experience we can provide our students which helps them in that respect, I believe is truly worthy. Children should be self-reflective, they should have goals, realistic dreams, and the tools they need to achieve those dreams.

Most recently, our students have been honored by several guest speakers who helped bring the real world into the classroom. A lovely young woman, whom I shall refer to as Miss Debbie, recently came to share and "train" our students how to work with elders who are afflicted with Alzheimer's. Service before self is another real-life skill. Dr. Beyer was asked to share his experience in Law Enforcement and answer questions about the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. And then there was our old pal, Tino, who with three days to go before filming another episode for Tales of the Fronties, came to share his wisdom and experience. His best advice to the students was not to give up on their dreams.

Tino Luciano at Lakeview Middle School

(click above to watch video)

It is moments like these that remind me why I teach. And though J and L will walk out of the classroom one day, we will continue to educate ourselves and share what we discover, our research and exploration with you. Thank you for coming along for the ride -- stick around -- it will only get better!