Memories

A happy and fun memory

I went to lunch at Hope yesterday with Becky Reynolds.  It was the two-year anniversary of the passing of her husband Roy "Boots" Reynolds, famed for his artwork and cowboy cartoons. 

Boots was a good and crazy friend of mine.  At times I put up with him; at other times, I laughed myself silly in his presence.

One time Boots, outdoor humor writer Pat McManus and I laughed so hard sharing our stories at Connie's Restaurant that we left the place and drove to my house so we could laugh some more. 

Becky Reynolds and I have been good friends for years. We now share an additional bond because the day after she lost Boots, I lost my mother.  

That was July 13, 2013. 

Boots made my mother laugh too. He loved to call her his other wife----same thing he told lots of women while teasing them.  

Mother loved seeing and visiting with Boots, a cowboy like her beloved husband Harold. 

Like the fun times spent with Boots,  Mother and I shared a lifetime of great mutual enjoyment and hilarious moments together---often so intense tears of laughter flowed freely. 

One day a few years back, my younger brother Jim was in town for a visit.  He's a cartoonist and artist like Boots, so we all got together for lunch at the Hope Hotel to visit with Trish Gannon, publisher of The River Journal. 

Of course, we had to pose at the bar for a crazy picture that day. 

The last week that Mother was with us here on this earth, Trish published her photo on the cover on The River Journal.  

It was an image of Mother proudly sitting atop her beautiful Arabian mare Cricket in English attire.  She had ridden Cricket in a horse show down at the old Bonner County fairgrounds. 

The photo went along with a story about Mother, as that year she was being honored by the Bonner County Fair Board for her vast contributions to local horse activities, especially as a 4-H horse leader. 

Mother saw that cover photo just a couple of days before she died.  I have strongly suspected she was so proud of that honor that she said to herself, "Life is complete." 

And, so it was.  

Boots and Mother, through their Western art and their flair for humor, brought joy and appreciation to countless people who admired their creative works. 

They also brought joy and laughter to all who loved them.  

They are missed.