It is now time for me to offer my thanks albeit tardy to all of our Vets. Thank you all and happy Veterans day. The above picture is of 5 staunch Republicans atop Mt. Democrat (irony) in Colorado and all pictured are current or former members of our Nations fine Army.Kemmerer: 
What a HOLE! What does it say about a town when your claim to fame is "The Fossil Fish Capitol of the World." or better yet "Home of the 1rst JC Penny's." It's a coal town filled w/ folks that are aptly suited to the coal industry. At first that may sound rude but think about it, the people of Kemmerer are as self sufficient and industrious as any. Hard exteriors and hard lives. I don't profess to have a profound knowledge of the town or its people but for the last couple of years basically living in these tiny bergs I have come to the acute realization that I really like small town folks. Most people in the civilized (if you indeed consider it civilized) world look at small town folks as country, slow, or backward. While there are some who fit that stereotype they are without doubt the exception. Rural folks are the same as all of us they just appreciate differently. They appreciate hard work foremost. They appreciate responsibility, your word, and good conversation over a warm beverage at the local cafe talking about the way things used to be. This morning such a conversation was carrying on when we walked in for breakfast and all the good old boys at the bar noticed the UP truck and invited us to join them. It's odd but small town folks consider all Railroaders kin and so we got to talking w/ Vern, Carter, Bill, and T with their respective ages Old, Older, Oldest, and Dusty, the script turned to days gone by. The longer I listened to my new and aged friends I couldn't help but think that in a small town the way things used to be are still the way they are. I love that. These old boys were great, they carried on w/ everything from how many bullets T had to put in that steer after it got "wired" over in Opal before it would stop breathing (9), and how soft their "gitt'in" over at the mine now that they've switched to 12 hour shifts. They truly appreciate the simple life. I envy these folks, I really do. Imagine living a life where you don't have to worry about all the B.S. that we plague ourselves w/ while living in suburbia. B.S. like traffic, unless Leroy is moving his herd to the lower forty cause then US30 is gonna slow for a bit. Or crime, unless the boys wrestling team steals a toilet from the hardware store and puts it on a ex-girlfriends lawn and hangs a sign "Debbie is a lying piece of S#!+, please leave your piece of S#!+." Or immorality, wait, every 16-19 year old female in a small town is knocked up so never mind. Just kidding, it's another untrue, but kinda true stereotype. I would love to live in a "HOLE" or a place whose claim to fame was "Home of Demaris Millicent the Guinness world record holder for longest toenails." But if for some reason or wife I am unable to enjoy permanent residence in a small town I hope that I'll be able to glean a bit from their way of life and maybe when I'm gone someone will be talking about the way things used to be and I'll make one of their stories, "Oh that old sunofabitch Rob..."
What a HOLE! What does it say about a town when your claim to fame is "The Fossil Fish Capitol of the World." or better yet "Home of the 1rst JC Penny's." It's a coal town filled w/ folks that are aptly suited to the coal industry. At first that may sound rude but think about it, the people of Kemmerer are as self sufficient and industrious as any. Hard exteriors and hard lives. I don't profess to have a profound knowledge of the town or its people but for the last couple of years basically living in these tiny bergs I have come to the acute realization that I really like small town folks. Most people in the civilized (if you indeed consider it civilized) world look at small town folks as country, slow, or backward. While there are some who fit that stereotype they are without doubt the exception. Rural folks are the same as all of us they just appreciate differently. They appreciate hard work foremost. They appreciate responsibility, your word, and good conversation over a warm beverage at the local cafe talking about the way things used to be. This morning such a conversation was carrying on when we walked in for breakfast and all the good old boys at the bar noticed the UP truck and invited us to join them. It's odd but small town folks consider all Railroaders kin and so we got to talking w/ Vern, Carter, Bill, and T with their respective ages Old, Older, Oldest, and Dusty, the script turned to days gone by. The longer I listened to my new and aged friends I couldn't help but think that in a small town the way things used to be are still the way they are. I love that. These old boys were great, they carried on w/ everything from how many bullets T had to put in that steer after it got "wired" over in Opal before it would stop breathing (9), and how soft their "gitt'in" over at the mine now that they've switched to 12 hour shifts. They truly appreciate the simple life. I envy these folks, I really do. Imagine living a life where you don't have to worry about all the B.S. that we plague ourselves w/ while living in suburbia. B.S. like traffic, unless Leroy is moving his herd to the lower forty cause then US30 is gonna slow for a bit. Or crime, unless the boys wrestling team steals a toilet from the hardware store and puts it on a ex-girlfriends lawn and hangs a sign "Debbie is a lying piece of S#!+, please leave your piece of S#!+." Or immorality, wait, every 16-19 year old female in a small town is knocked up so never mind. Just kidding, it's another untrue, but kinda true stereotype. I would love to live in a "HOLE" or a place whose claim to fame was "Home of Demaris Millicent the Guinness world record holder for longest toenails." But if for some reason or wife I am unable to enjoy permanent residence in a small town I hope that I'll be able to glean a bit from their way of life and maybe when I'm gone someone will be talking about the way things used to be and I'll make one of their stories, "Oh that old sunofabitch Rob..."
